Britain and China work together in heritage partnership

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Heritage Minister John Glenn announced on Tuesday that Hadrian's Wall, a Roman fortification in the north of England, and the Great Wall of China have agreed to work together.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said in an official announcement that the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites will join hands in research, education, and tourism growth.

A new Heritage Council will also be launched, emphasizing the value of historical environments, building consensus and ensuring greater coordination across government.

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The two countries will sign a unique collaboration agreement to increase the historical and cultural understanding of the two sites, Glenn announced as he set out his priorities for heritage.

Representatives from the two World Heritage Sites will work together to examine the challenges and opportunities of managing large and complex archaeological remains and explore the potential tourism growth in both countries, said DCMS.

The agreement will be the first of its kind, said Glenn, as he launched a framework for the growth of the heritage sector.

Called the "Wall-to-Wall Collaboration", the initiative is part of the People-to-People Dialogue – a cultural exchange between China and the UK taking place in London this week. The initiative arose from a UK-China cultural heritage event held in Beijing and Xi'an in February 2017, which focused on the conservation of the two walls.

Glenn said: "The Wall-to-Wall Collaboration is the perfect example of how heritage can be used to strengthen international partnerships, grow tourism and build a truly global Britain. Today I am setting out how we will continue to make the case for heritage, and showcase the benefits it brings to our economy, our communities and our quality of life."

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Historic England and the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage, which manages the Great Wall, will sign the agreement on Thursday. The first step in a wider program of collaboration between the two sites will be a seminar in Newcastle next year.

Duncan Wilson, CEO of Historic England, said: "I also look forward to a fruitful collaboration between Historic England and the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage with the signing of the Wall-to-Wall agreement."

Hadrian's Wall was built as a defensive fortification in the Roman province of Britannia, with work starting in AD 122 in the reign of the emperor Hadrian. It remains a major tourist attraction along the border area between England and Scotland.

The UK heritage sector, which employs 278,000 people, contributed 1.32 billion US dollars to the British economy last year, a rise of seven percent in 2015.

The Great Wall isn't just one wall, but many interconnected walls built between the third century B.C. and the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), with sections of earlier fortifications joined together to form a united defense system against invasions from the north. It was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency