Authorities recently announced a plan to protect and make use of heritage sites and artifacts unearthed in the Three Gorges Dam area along the Yangtze River.
The plan, scheduled for 2023 to 2035, focuses chiefly on protecting the relics and their environment and designates a 57,500-square-kilometer protection area encompassing 26 districts and counties in Chongqing municipality and Hubei province, through which the Three Gorges area passes.
The plan states that by 2025, greater effort will have been made to restore the heritage sites and artifacts, with significant examples becoming properly protected and made use of effectively.
By 2035, substantial progress is expected to have been made, with a sustainable mechanism established for the protection and use of heritage sites and artifacts, and ancient remains are to have been successfully integrated with tourism and national environmental preservation efforts.
By last year, there were 16,601 immovable and 544,799 movable relics in the Three Gorges area.
The plan emphasizes enhancing archaeological work in the Three Gorges area, exploring the cultural and historical value of heritage sites and artifacts found in the area and highlighting their significance to the Yangtze River culture and wider Chinese civilization.
Priorities include undertaking major archaeological research projects, ensuring the proper excavation, organization and interpretation of findings and enhancing archaeology in the Three Gorges area.
An official statement from the National Cultural Heritage Administration emphasized the importance of the systematic preservation of Three Gorges heritage sites and artifacts, strengthening the management and security of the area's cultural heritage and using technology to support this work.
It also stressed the importance of finding new ways to exhibit and make use of heritage sites and artifacts, promoting integration between artifact preservation and use with rural vitalization and tourism, and telling new stories about traditional culture.
The plan also states that Three Gorges archaeology is expected to play a vital role in showcasing the origins of Chinese civilization, and its developments and achievements.
"To achieve that, first it's important to ensure that archaeology fulfills its educational role. Some of the cultural treasures are already on display in some of Yichang's museums, enabling visitors to learn about the Three Gorges culture," said He Zhongyuan, deputy curator of the Yichang Museum in Hubei. "Second, exhibitions of the Three Gorges artifacts need to be organized in locations outside the region."
The Yichang Museum is currently hosting an exhibition of stone inscriptions discovered in the area. The exhibition can be viewed both in-person and online, and opens up access to a wider audience. He said that the exhibition will facilitate cultural exchange and can be held at other museums as part of a reciprocal program.
According to the plan, Three Gorges heritage sites and artifacts are still underused.
He said that over half of Yichang's cultural relics consist of tombs, heritage sites, grotto temples and stone carvings. Because many are privately owned, it is neither practical nor possible for many of them to go on public display. Still, many tombs and stone carvings are located in wild areas that the public can access for free.
"This represents a different form of use compared to traditional cultural attractions," he said.
He suggested that authorities should disclose the state of cultural heritage to the public, to ensure that everyone is aware of the heritage sites and artifacts present in the reservoir area.
Moreover, they should engage with the public and harness their creative potential. This can be achieved by attracting direct investment for the restoration and use of heritage sites and artifacts, as well as by encouraging participation in the design of cultural and creative products, such as those inspired by the many stone inscriptions found in the Three Gorges area.
He also emphasized that cultural heritage authorities should provide appropriate guidance during the public use process.
