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Our Mission
CHP is a registered Chinese NGO that works at the grass roots level to assist local communities to preserve tangible and intangible local culture through training and capacity building. Key constituencies with which CHP works include community residents and leaders, government officials, media, students, and legal experts. CHP’s core competency lies in cultural heritage law and policy. With the assistance of experts in various fields, it will develop additional core competencies as it grows in strength and resources in future years.
Large portions of China’s rich cultural heritage are at risk due to low awareness and poor enforcement of heritage protection laws, and to short-sighted policies that sacrifice cultural rights and values to short-term economic gain. Chinese government laws and policies in the field of cultural heritage protection are generally well-conceived, but are not well understood and are often poorly implemented. CHP has been established to address these issues.
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Core Beliefs
We have a number of fundamental beliefs on which the foundations of our organization are built. It is a commitment to seeing these beliefs implemented that drives our work.
- Everyone of us has a moral obligation: We believe enjoyment of cultural heritage is the right of the people as a whole, thus effective cultural heritage protection work in China can not and should not be entirely the task of the government. Cultural heritage protection will proceed more effectively if communities are involved in all aspects of protection, management, and enjoyment of cultural heritage.
- Public awareness ensures sustainability: To be involved in protection and management of local heritage, communities must be empowered through enhanced awareness, skills training, and organizational development in the cultural sphere. This education at grassroots level is designed to ensure that efforts to preserve cultural heritage in local communities can become long lasting and self sustainable.
- Education of heritage protection laws is crucial: The laws of China regarding cultural heritage protection are sound and well- conceived, but there is a serious lack of understanding, enforcement and application of the laws. There is an important role for an NGO to fill in galvanizing awareness and enforcement of these laws at the community level, and in introducing international best practice in heritage conservation.
- Development and heritage protection are not mutually exclusive: Cultural tourism, responsibly managed, can be an effective tool in heritage protection, can contribute in an environmentally benign way to poverty alleviation and to giving a sense of community pride to poor areas of the country, and can give the wider community an appreciation of the value and beauty of Chinas heritage.
- A role CHP can play: A well-managed NGO can be an important catalyst for enabling communities to protect their local heritage and to bridge the gap between government policies and laws and local action.
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CHP Story and CHP Team
When he was still a college student in Shanghai in early 1980s, He Shuzhong first heard about many inside stories of the trafficking of Chinese cultural heritage using his law school resources. Outraged at the accelerating situation, he wrote an article in his college newsletter to call for action from everyone. Soon after this article was published, a foreign teacher in his school translated it into English and send it to a major international newspaper, which published the article attracting the attention of senior Chinese officials, who took action and saved some of China’s heritage.
From then on, he has always been inspired by this small achievement, and become a firm believer in proactive cultural heritage conservation. In 1998, when he was a teacher at China University of Political Science and Law, he launched a small volunteer group called Cultural Heritage Watch, which later evolved into CHP.
In 2003 CHP, with sponsorship from the Beijing Administration of Cultural Heritage, was legally registered with the Beijing Bureau of Civil Affairs as a non-governmental organization. This registration grants CHP the legal status to open a bank account, hire employees, and expand its operations.
In accordance with its mission to be a grass-roots heritage education and mobilization NGO, CHP has recruited a small core of professional staff from, who are coordinating and supporting our projects around China. The team is led by Mr. Hu Xinyu, Managing Director, supplemented by a small professional staff, volunteers, and talented interns from some of the top universities around the world. Click here to meet these enthusiastic young people who have contributed to the achievements of CHP as interns.
In addition to full time and part time staff, CHP maintains a roster of individuals and organizations with specialized expertise that can be called upon as needed to assist with particular projects, programs and issues.
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Background to Heritage Preservation
The architectural, archeological and cultural aspects of China face threats from developers, inefficient implementation of preservation laws and guidelines, and basic neglect. China’s rapid economic development puts pressure on preservation efforts in China. In such an environment, CHP sees a need for a different approach to cultural heritage preservation.
- What has been neglected? Chinas cultural heritage ranges from magnificent imperial architecture to the rich store of village folk heritage spread out all over the country. Conservation of imperial architecture and the major monuments of China receives both national and international attention from the Chinese government, UNESCO, and from major donor agencies. CHP focuses on community and grassroots heritage, which tends to receive less attention as a result of lack of understanding at the local level, financial constraints and priority accorded to achieving economic development goals at the expense of all else.
- Where is the gap? The Chinese government has a clear policy to conserve and protect its rich cultural heritage- including its archaeological sites, historic buildings and cultural relics. In support of this policy, it has enacted a series of laws and promulgated supporting decrees, the most recent being the China Law on Cultural Heritage Protection passed in 2002. It has also signed a number of key international agreements relating to cultural protection. There is, however, a gap between official policies and actual practice. Insufficient public awareness, inadequate training of officials and enforcement authorities, and weaknesses in the judicial system are contributing factors in the continuing loss of cultural heritage.
- How can it be done more effectively? Cultural protection, like environmental protection, can only be carried out effectively with the understanding and active participation of the population at large. The development of civil society in China offers an opportunity for NGOs to play an effective role in supplementing the government’s efforts. Most of the focus falls on the small number of highly visible monuments, leaving most of the country’s historical art and architecture to neglect or irresponsible exploitation. CHP seeks to fill this gap.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
“How can a civil society organization make a difference?”
The civil society movement is in early days of development in China. It is beginning to provide a valuable channel for citizens to express views on a variety of vital issues, as well as a supplement to official policies and programs. Civil society organizations are playing a meaningful role in China in such diverse areas as HIV AIDS, water resources protection, wildlife conservation, and many other sectors.
“Is CHP supported by the Government?”
CHP is officially registered with the Beijing Municipal Government, has been commended by the Government for the work that it is undertaking, and its finances are audited by the Government. It is, however, an entirely independent organization that receives no funding or direction from the Government. CHP relies on funding from donations and, aside from a small core of professional staff, on the work of volunteers.
“How can I help?”
Sign up to receive Cultural Heritage Update, our monthly e-letter. Volunteer your time by calling CHP at 86-10-64036632, or registering in the volunteer section of the website. Or make a donation, either directly by sending a check to Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center, or through Give2Asia. CHP has been qualified for U. S. and Canadian tax deductibility status by the Asia Foundation under its Give2Asia program (http://www.give2asia.org).
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Meaning of Our Logo
- Our logo is a traditional Chinese latticed window, symbolizing CHP as a window of communication between the general public and cultural protection resources. Through this window, the general public can observe and better understand the current status of Chinese cultural protection efforts, the challenges it faces, as well solutions for cultural heritage protection.
- The logo is comprised of four connected “文 “ (culture) symbols enclosing a circle, which represents our work content as ‘cultural heritage protection.’
- CHP’s logo is in the shape of a square, while in the interior four “文” symbols surround a circle, representing the “Round Heaven, Square Earth” concept that dates from ancient times. At the same time, the square symbolizes the sturdy principles of cultural heritage protection laws, while the circular shape symbolizes flexible and innovative tactics to preserve cultural heritage.
Design Courtesy：Marian Gajdos
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