Πλουσιότερη η Παγκόσμια Κληρονομιά. Διευρύνθηκε η λίστα της UNESCO.

Με νέες εισόδους διευρύνθηκε η λίστα των Μνημείων Παγκόσμιας Κληρονομιάς της UNESCO.

Όπως ανακοίνωσε η επιτροπή του οργανισμού στην Ντόχα, τα Μονοπάτια των Ίνκας, η ιστορική πόλη της Τζέντα, το εργοστάσιο Βαν Νέλε στο Ρότερνταμ και το μεταξουργείο της Τομιόκα (Ιαπωνία) εντάχθηκαν στον σχετικό κατάλογο.

Τα Μονοπάτια των Ίνκας, αριστούργημα της προϊσπανικής μηναχικής, συνδέουν σήμερα το Περού, τη Χιλή, την Κολομβία, το Εκουαδόρ, την Αργεντινή και τη Βολιβία, κατασκευάσθηκαν σε μία περίοδο 2.000 ετών και ορισμένες φορές καταλήγουν σε υψόμετρο 5.000 μετρών.

Η Τζέντα υπήρξε από τον 7ο αιώνα ένα από τα σημαντικότερα λιμάνια των εμπορικών δρόμων του Ινδικού Ωκεανού. Εκεί έφθαναν τα εμπορεύματα που προορίζονταν για τη Μέκκα.

Το εργοστάσιο Βαν Νέλε, «ένα από τα αριστουργήματα της βιομηχανικής αρχιτεκτονικής του 20ού αιώνα, κατασκευάσθηκε το 1920 κατά μήκος ενός από τα κανάλια του Ρότερνταμ, ενώ το μεταξουργείο της Τομιόκα ιδρύθηκε το 1872 στη Γκούνμα, βορειο-δυτικά του Τόκιο, συμβολίζει την είσοδο της Ιαπωνίας στον σύγχρονο βιομηχανικό κόσμο.
[elzoni.gr]
23/6/14
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ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ:

• UNESCO adds Grand Canal, Silk Road route to World Heritage List

UNESCO adds Grand Canal, Silk Road route to World Heritage List

China gained two more UNESCO World Heritage sites Sunday, bringing the nation's total to 47.

The decision was announced by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Qatar.

The Silk Road, which served as a corridor for trade and cultural exchanges between Asia and Europe dating back 2,000 years ago, was inscribed on the World Heritage List along with the Grand Canal, which runs 1,794 kilometers from Beijing to Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province.

China's application for the Silk Road was jointly submitted with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the first transnational application for China.

"We hope the experience gained in the application process will lay the foundation for future transnational projects," said Tong Mingkang, deputy director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

Du Yue, secretary general of the Chinese delegation at the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee, said the approval of the application would strengthen cultural exchanges between the three countries.

A total of 33 heritage sites are included along the historic trade route, 22 of which are located in the provinces of Henan, Shaanxi, Gansu and the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have eight and three sites respectively. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping mooted the idea of a Silk Road Economic Belt during his visit to Central Asia in 2013, which was then supported by many neighboring countries.

"Different from the Silk Road, China's Grand Canal is a living heritage, which makes its preservation more challenging. Many projects have increased awareness of preservation and improved protective measures during the application process. They should be further enhanced with more investments and higher standards," Chen Tongbin, director of China Architecture Design and Research Group, was quoted by the Xinhua News Agency as saying.

• The Grand Canal, the longest artificial waterway in the world, dates back more than 2,400 years, still plays a dynamic role in transportation, irrigation and flood control.

• Other canal systems are listed as World Heritage sites, including the Canal du Midi in France and the Amsterdam Canal District of the Netherlands.

"Those canals, built after the industrial revolution, date back some 300 years. The Grand Canal has significant historical and technological value," said An Jiayao, a research fellow with the Institute of Archaeology at Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. 
Source: Global Times
22- 23/6/14
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Related:

• Silk Road inscription into World Heritage list "hopeful" 

  

  Maritime Silk Road

   

China, Greece ink $4.6 billion in deals. "Greece can become China's gateway in Europe and the start of a European trade corridor"

Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang visited  port of Piraeus in Greece on Friday, after a series of trade and investment deals worth $4.6 billion were signed between the two sides during Li 's three-day visit to Greece.

The deals included multi-billion-dollar Chinese bank loans to build at least 10 Greek-owned ships in Chinese shipyards. There were also agreements on the construction of solar energy parks in Greece, AFP reported.

"Cooperation between Greece and China is always mutually beneficial. China is fully confident about the prospect of Greece's development," Li said at a Thursday joint conference with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, adding that China would continue to be a "long-term and responsible" investor.

Li also called for more investment in the Piraeus Container Terminal project at Greece's largest port, which is jointly run by Chinese shipping giant COSCO and the Greek port authority.

Another $1.9 billion worth of deals are expected to be signed, mostly in infrastructure, transport and energy, according to local media.

• Greek is willing to deepen cooperation and cultural exchanges and will actively take part in the construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, according to Samaras. "Greece can become China's gateway in Europe and the start of a European trade corridor," he said.

• China provided timely support during the Greek debt crisis, which brought confidence and strength, Samaras said. Li also expressed appreciation for Greek assistance during the evacuation of Chinese nationals from Libya in 2011.

Li and Samaras also inaugurated a rail link that will transport goods from Piraeus to central Europe, Associated Press reported Friday.
Source:Agencies  - globaltimes.cn
21/6/14
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Related:

• Στο λιμάνι του Πειραιά, στο σιδηροδρομικό δίκτυο της χώρας και στο «Ελ. Βενιζέλος» εστιάζει το ενδιαφέρον της η Κίνα

• Υπόσχεση ενίσχυσης του ελληνικού τουρισμού από την Κίνα

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• Δεν υπάρχουν ιδιαίτερα φορολογικά προνόμια για την COSCO δηλώνει στέλεχος της εταιρείας 

• Νέος «σκόπελος» στο φιλικό διακανονισμό ΟΛΠ - Cosco. Σκιές στην απο-κρατικοποίηση

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Silk Road inscription into World Heritage list "hopeful" 

Silk Road inscription into World Heritage list "hopeful"

The multinational campaign to include the Silk Road into the World Heritage list has entered the final countdown, with officials and experts sanguine about its success.

Jointly submitted by China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the application for adding part of the millennium-old trade route into the UNESCO list is expected to be finalized by a vote in June, when the World Heritage Committee convenes its 38th session in Doha.

Tong Mingkang, deputy director of China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage, was optimistic about the result as the route had won recommendation from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), which serves as an important reference during the vote.

"We're now emphasizing conservation and management of the relics, and solving some technical problems," Tong told Xinhua on Friday during a seminar on the protection of Silk Road cultural heritages held in Xi'an City in northwest China.

As it is the first time China has cooperated with foreign countries for a World Heritage nomination (also the case for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan), Tong described the Silk Road project as "very difficult", as the nominated heritages are often in different protection states, face different threats and are of different natures.

The application consists of 33 historical sites along the route, including 22 in China, eight in Kazakhstan and three in Kyrgyzstan. They range from palaces and pagoda sites in cities to ruins in remote, inaccessible deserts.

"It required large amounts of collaborative efforts to make the world recognize their values and significance," he said. SEEING THE DAWN

Once treaded by camel-driving merchants carrying silk, porcelain and spice, the about 2,000-year-old Silk Road was an important corridor for trade and cultural exchanges between Asia and Europe. It fell into disuse in the age of sailing in the 16th century.

The route once again came into the global spotlight after China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in 2011 formally launched the project to apply for adding "Silk Roads: Initial Section of the Silk Roads, the Routes Network of Tian-shan Corridor" into the World Heritage list.

An Jiayao, archaeologist with the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said success of the Silk Road campaign would be like "seeing the dawn" for researchers who have worked years, and even decades, on excavation and conservation of the relics.

Many Chinese archaeologists, including An, have taken part in UNESCO-initiated research on the Silk Road relics since 1990, but many of her colleagues have not lived to see the success which is almost on the horizon.

"They would be very glad if they knew that the Silk Road application for World Heritage eventually sees the dawn," An said at the seminar.

She said the nomination process has ushered in better protection for the relics, some of which had remained in oblivion or in a poor state of repair in the past.

Taking the Daming Palace as an example, the 67-year-old recalled when she joined its excavation in the 1990s, relics of this Tang Dynasty imperial palace in Xi'an, a starting point of the Silk Road, was encroached by graves and shantytowns.

Its fate was changed in 2007, when the Xi'an city government, in an effort to prepare the site for World Heritage status, began relocating locals to make way for a park, which opened in 2010 to better conserve and display the relics. STARTING POINT

In an evaluation report filed to the World Heritage Committee, the ICOMOS recognized the outstanding values of the Silk Road, saying they "contributed to the development of many of the world's great civilizations" and "represent one of the world's preeminent long-distance communication networks".

Still, experts with the ICOMOS expressed concerns about the threats facing properties, including urbanization, expanding roads and railways, and surging tourist numbers.

"In some places, there should be limits on the number of tourists to prevent damage to the ruins, while some others lack roads, facilities and management to receive visitors," said Rii Hae-un, executive committee member of the ICOMOS.

If the Silk Road gets enlisted, it will only be "a starting point", Rii said, urging the three countries to continue to work closely and address the insufficient protection at some nominated sites.

"From the beginning, the World Heritage List was created for the protection and conservation of heritages," Rii said, warning against neglecting conservation and management after inscription. Reports of such cases had prompted the committee to attach more weight to this regard during nomination and keep a close watch after inscription, Rii said.

Archaeologists also hope the expected inscription can inspire the protection of other sites along the Silk Road, many of which failed to enter this year's nomination list but carry no less historic value.

Tong said the Chinese government has put in force management plans for all the 22 nominated sites, while provincial and city governments administering them have signed agreements to better cooperate in protection.

Preparation for the inscription has also accrued experience for cross-boundary application for World Heritage status. The Maritime Silk Road, which also involves many countries, will surely benefit from the nomination of its overland peers, Tong said. 
[globaltimes.cn]
25/5/14
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Maritime Silk Road