Riding the wind of rebirth

"For example, the Oracle Bone Fragmentation Project has numbered, recorded, deduplicated, and stored the oracle bone documents scattered throughout the country. Based on the information and data obtained, the project has pieced together those oracle bones that were once a single piece but were scattered and scattered in various collections for various reasons. This has allowed many previously undecipherable contents to be reassembled, making them readable and providing richer information. At the same time, it has also provided a detailed research basis for the transmission and evolution of the three periods of oracle bone script and the changes in style."

"This project was jointly implemented by the Yu Tang Foundation and several universities, libraries and museums in China. If the government were to do this work, it would be very troublesome in terms of management process and organizational structure. By handing it over to the foundation, it is more flexible and faster. In the end, this project does not affect the commendation and awards of the various units."

"I seem to remember this project. Fudan University was involved, right?"

"Yes, Professor Qiu is one of the leading authorities on oracle bone script research in China. How could this project proceed without his participation?"

"As for the pork knuckle, do Professor Wang or Professor Qi have any channels to communicate with the Yu Tang Foundation?" Professor Ruan said, "The protection provided by Director Zhang isn't actually that great. I have an idea, but it's a bit too big. I'm not sure if it's appropriate to bring it up now..."

“Professor Ruan, why don’t you tell us first? Maybe it will be suitable?” Zhou Zhi said with a smile. “There’s no need to trouble you two with the Yu Tang Foundation. Actually…”

Pointing to Zhang Xinyi, he said, "Xinyi can be in charge of liaison!"

"Huh? Me?" Zhang Xinyi was startled.

“Brother Li and Cousin Anxin are the chairman and director of the Yu Tang Foundation, and Sister Xiao Juan, aren’t you familiar with them?” Zhou Zhi winked at Zhang Xinyi.

Actually, he was taking advantage of Professor Ruan's unfamiliarity with the foundation's structure. The Yu Tang Foundation is now divided into a board of directors and a secretariat. The board of directors is responsible for the allocation and raising of funds. To put it bluntly, it is a prestigious position reserved for major donors. The secretariat, which is composed of highly influential figures in the cultural heritage and cultural fields, is the one who truly decides which projects to undertake.

However, protecting Zhang Ting, or even the entire Zhouzhuang, was not a big deal in Zhou Zhi's eyes. Therefore, he took the opportunity to let Zhang Xinyi get on board, which would bring her many benefits in the future when she was at school, submitting resumes, or even choosing a supervisor for graduate school.

"Magnolia has such channels..." Professor Ruan was a little envious of the delicate and beautiful girl in front of him.

Ye Xin chuckled to herself. Professor Ruan hadn't quite figured out the right way to do things. Xin Yi's only connection was with Zhou Zi, right? Zhou Zi was clearly biased, taking all the credit for himself and putting it all on Xin Yi.

He quickly and gently tugged at Zhang Xinyi, signaling her to agree first.

"Well... alright." Although Zhang Xinyi didn't understand for a moment, she knew that Zhou Zhi wouldn't harm her, so she nodded nervously.

Have you heard of Pingyao?

"That's right!" Zhou Zhi exclaimed, slapping his thigh. "Pingyao Ancient City! Like Langzhong Ancient City, it's a great project worthy of being nominated for World Cultural Heritage status!"

"What World Cultural Heritage site?" Professor Ruan was taken aback. "You know Pingyao too, even about braised pork knuckle?"

Pingyao Ancient City is now a household name, but it remains a relatively unknown small town in Jinzhong. However, one saying suffices to prove Jinzhong's status in the field of cultural heritage preservation: "For underground cultural relics, look to Shaanxi Province; for above-ground cultural relics, look to Shanxi Province."

Pingyao is also a major county for cultural relics in Jinzhong.

However, Pingyao is now largely unknown; at least most Chinese people outside the field of cultural heritage preservation have never heard of this small city.

"The so-called World Cultural Heritage is an international convention implemented by UNESCO. It represents the highest level of cultural protection and inheritance. This organization collaborates with many partner organizations to participate in the selection, management, and protection of World Heritage sites," Zhou Zhi explained. "Our country joined the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1985, but until now we have not formally applied to UNESCO for any similar heritage sites. I think we can definitely start with the Ancient City of Pingyao!"

"Wait a minute, once we get this heritage designation, will we be able to protect the ancient city?"

“That’s not all,” Zhou Zhi laughed. “Back then, the Egyptian government planned to build the Aswan Dam, but it might submerge many precious ancient sites in the Nile Valley. So UNESCO launched Operation Nubia, which disassembled the Abu Simbel and Philae temples and transported them to the highlands to reassemble them.”

"Following the success of the Nubia project, UNESCO initiated and concluded the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. States parties can submit applications, which are then reviewed, evaluated, and voted on by authoritative experts organized by the World Heritage Centre, granting their cultural and natural heritage the title of 'World Heritage'."

"This convention was established for the sake of protection, so the title itself is inseparable from protection. In order to obtain this title, contracting parties need to match the heritage with corresponding special protection measures. If assistance is needed, they can also apply to the World Heritage Fund for technical and financial assistance."

"In short, once this 'World Heritage' application is successful, the protection standards for the heritage will have to be in accordance with international standards. Professor Ruan, you don't need to worry about the ancient city being poorly protected at all."

"That's great?" Professor Ruan's eyes lit up. "But it's not easy to get approved, is it?"

“It is indeed not easy. The main problem is that a lot of work needs to be done in the early stages, such as collecting a lot of data, writing a lot of reports, and following international standard formats. We need to hire experts from international organizations to guide the drafting of reports,” Zhou Zhi said. “There are not many experts in China who are familiar with this part of the work, but the Yu Tang Foundation has ample experience in overseas legal and business matters, and has also carried out many international cultural exchange activities. This part of the work is their strength.”

“The Yu Tang Foundation originally planned to use Langzhong Ancient City as a test case, and the materials were almost ready…” Zhou Zhi sighed, “But you reminded me that Pingyao is indeed more in need of protection than Langzhong. Now I might be criticized by my hometown people…”

Langzhong is a very well-preserved ancient city in Sichuan, but it does fall short of Pingyao in some respects.

Langzhong has over a thousand immovable cultural relics, among which the Huanhou Temple, Tengwang Pavilion, Song Dynasty stone carvings, and Han Dynasty pictorial stone coffins are explicitly listed as national protected sites.

There are more than 5,000 immovable cultural relics in Jinzhong, and nearly 4,000 Ming and Qing dynasty residences. There are more than 1,000 immovable cultural relics in the city alone, including more than 140 cultural relics protection units, and 20 of them are national-level cultural relics protection units!
There's no comparison with the old city where national-level immovable cultural relics are located. Moreover, Pingyao is currently the best-preserved ancient city in terms of scale and architectural complexes nationwide.

This is also due to the location of Jinzhong. Historically, the Pingyao area was a vital strategic location for resisting the southward invasion from the north, and it was also an important commercial center. It was once very prosperous, so the architecture was exquisite, and it was well protected with complete city walls.

The ancient city subsequently declined rapidly, especially in modern times, its military and economic functions diminished significantly, and it became far removed from war and conflict. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, due to a lack of funds, urban expansion plans were shelved for various reasons. Ultimately, as if by divine intervention, it was preserved. (End of Chapter)