Bases

World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and the Pacific Region(WHITRAP), Suzhou Center 

1. Overview

Established in July 2008 in Suzhou, China, WHITRAP Suzhou Center is dedicated to the training, research, publication and promotion of World Heritage. The Suzhou Center is an international second-class institution with regular staff, guaranteed funds and supporting offices, consisting the administrative office, training and research department and monitoring department. There are currently fourteen employees in the center, of which 70% have a master’s degree or above, specializing respectively in history, architecture, gardens, landscape design, sustainable tourism, English and other related disciplines.

2. Our Works

World Heritage Training

Guiding by the global training strategy of the UNESCO World Heritage Center, and combining the needs of the heritages in the Asia-Pacific region, specifically in that of Chinas, we are committed to improving the overall capacity of regional world heritage conservation. By actively collaborating with the state, universities, and research institutes, we provide a series of training activities for the Asia-Pacific region and China.

International training for heritage conservation in the Asia-Pacific region

From July 2008 to July 2018, the Suzhou Center focused on the conservation and restoration technology of ancient buildings, world heritage monitoring, heritage management, heritage protection regulations and other topics, targeting professionals such as conservation managers of heritage sites in the Asia-Pacific region, engaged in the conservation and restoration of historic buildings. As of 2019, the Suzhou Center had held a total of 19 training sessions, including 12 international training sessions, with a total of nearly 450 participants, covering more than 30 areas in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, the U.S., and Africa.

Training for domestic heritages

As one of the countries with rich heritage resources in the Asia-Pacific region, China has provided strong support for the Center to carry out research and training on heritage conservation. The Suzhou Center attaches great importance to cooperation with Chinese heritage sites and famous historic and cultural cities at all levels, providing training courses for professional and technical personnel.

3. World Heritage Research

Guiding by the UNESCO World Heritage “5C” strategy, Suzhou Center is committed to the research on World Heritage conservation and heritage education. Since 2008, Suzhou Center has carried out a number of research on World Heritage monitoring, conservation of ancient buildings, and heritage education, carrying out research on heritage monitoring system. From 2011 to 2013, entrusted by the Cultural Heritage Administration of China, the Center jointly developed the China World Cultural Heritage Monitoring System with the China Academy of Cultural Heritage and several heritage site management departments and research institutions. It is a milestone in national cultural heritage monitoring, and won the 2013 China Garden Science and Technology Progress Award from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China.

The Center also carries out monitoring and research on heritage maintenance projects. In accordance with the principles of authenticity and integrity of the World Heritage and the requirements of preventive conservation, the overalls Suzhou classical gardens are monitored to prevent the maintenance works from damaging or distorting the authenticity of the heritage. The key monitoring projects are: 2014 Keyuan Restoration Project, monitoring of the overhaul project of the Quxi Building in the Lingering Garden, creating a precedent for the monitoring and research on the protective restoration of ancient buildings in Suzhou classical gardens.

The Center conducts research on plant diseases in heritage gardens. From 2013 to 2018, cooperated with Soochow University, the Center hosted the “Investigation and Research on Plant Diseases in Suzhou Classical Gardens,” surveyed 9 gardens inscribed in the World Heritage List, monitoring the occurrence of major pests and diseases, and formulated the prevention and control plan for major pests, and published “the Study on Plant Diseases in Suzhou Classical Gardens” as the result of investigation and research on plant and garden building pests and diseases in Suzhou classical gardens.

4. World Heritage Education

World Heritage Education Publication

Since 2008, the Suzhou Center, relying on the UNESCO World Heritage education textbook World Heritage and Young People, carried out heritage education, presenting the textbook and its principles to teachers and teenagers. In 2009, the Suzhou Center participated in the research projects of the Ministry of Education of China, “Research on World Heritage Adolescent Education under the Vision of Core Values” and “Research on World Heritage Site Management Departments Fulfilling International Obligations of World Heritage Education,” and carried out research project “World Heritage Education and School Curriculum System.”

Build a network of World Heritage education bases

In order to encourage primary and secondary schools, organizations and institutions to actively carry out World Heritage education activities for young people, the Suzhou Center has awarded 54 schools, organizations or institutions nationwide as the World Heritage Youth Education Activity Bases, and issued the “Guide for Heritage Education Bases” to guide the development of the bases.

To host themed activities of World Heritage education

In response to the call of the World Heritage Center to carry out educational and practical activities for young people of World Heritage, a number of China World Heritage International Youth Summer Camps have been successfully held.