China Stages a Side Event at the Extended 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee

At the ongoing extended 45^th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the National Cultural Heritage Administration of China and the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality has hosted a side event on the theme of “Digital Empowerment of Cultural Heritage” to promote the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s traditional cultural heritage by sharing China’s practices in using digital technology to empower cultural heritage protection and development.

At the side event, the Beijing Cultural Heritage-themed Photo Exhibition, the International Youth Painting Exhibition, and the Digital Beijing Cultural Experience were held simultaneously, attracting guests from all over the world.

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To better showcase China’s achievements in the promotion and protection of cultural heritage, 20 paintings depicting the cultural heritage around the world were selected from the 43,000 paintings submitted by young participants of the 2023 “Colorful World” International Youth Painting Invitational Exhibition, and displayed on the site of the side event, to live up the conference atmosphere.

The youth painting exhibition attracted a host of VIP guests, including Lazare Elondou Assomo, Director of UNESCO World Heritage Centre; Li Qun, Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism and head of National Cultural Heritage Administration of China; Tan Xuxiang, Vice mayor of Beijing; Prof. Lyu Zhou, head of National Heritage Center, Tsinghua University; Ona Vileikis, Secretary General of Heritage Documentation, International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS-CIPA); Su Bomin, head of Dunhuang Academy; Amel Chabbi, head of Conservation Section, Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi; Seven Shu Zhan, Vice President of Tencent SSV and Director of the Lab for Digital Media and Culture; Yang Jin, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of China to UNESCO; Chen Weiqing, Chinese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and representative to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation; Himalchuli Gurung, head of the Culture Unit of the UNESCO Office in Beijing; senior officials of the National Cultural Heritage Administration of China and the National Commission of the People’s Republic of China for UNESCO; and heads of the Permanent Delegations of India, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria and Lebanon to UNESCO.