CHP Cultural Day Events, weekly from 5/31 to 6/14

The following excerpt was taken from CHP’s introduction and event sign up form, which is located in our shop. Additional information can also be found on their website at www.bjchp.org or by emailing volunteer@bjchp.org.

In September 2003, the Beijing Historical and Cultural City Protection Plan, compiled by the Beijing Planning Committee, was approved by the Beijing Municipal Government. This plan is the key constituent to the protection of the historical and cultural districts for the Old City. The plan concerns “historical and cultural protection districts” which are defined as “a specific block, buildings, villages, or towns which have traditional appearances or ethnic character.”

The plan designates 33 historical and cultural protection districts within the Old City and 10 located outside. After the plan was issued, several organizations conducted research on the districts within, but there was little investigation conducted for the 10 districts outside the Old City. These districts are more remote in location so public awareness of the need to protect these areas is not very strong.

Saturday, June 14, 2008 is the third annual Chinese Cultural Heritage Day. In celebration of this day we are holding a ‘Heritage Research Event’ for our volunteers. The purpose of this event is to coordinate with the government, media and other NGO’s in order to strengthen the promotion of cultural heritage protection in these districts. Volunteers and friends of Old Beijing are all warmly welcome to participate in this event.

Event Introduction

For three consecutive weekends beginning Saturday, May 31 until Saturday, June 14, we will conduct 7 Heritage Research trips to the 10 historical and cultural preservation districts outside of the Old City. We plan to reach out to the local people and tourists about the historical and cultural district preservation laws, and will make a record of the conditions of buildings and structures through scientific, systematic and subjective observation. Based on the data, we will produce an investigation report which will be used to evaluate the preservation condition of these districts.

We have invited several experts who have a deep understanding of the historical significance of these districts. They will provide a fascinating insight into these areas as we are investigating them. Reporters and journalists will also be invited to record these events. The final report will be publicized through these media.

Event Plan

Number of 100-150 people will be divided into 7 groups. Every group will have

Participants: 15-20 volunteers, 1 destination expert, 1 reporter, and 1 CHP leader.

Cost: RMB30 – RMB200 per person, depending on destination. Costs will be spent on transportation, admission tickets, meal and accommodation for some routes. Half-price for students.

Requirements: Participants are required to have at least conversational Chinese in order to interview residents and/or tourists. Participates must also be able to write some Chinese to fill out survey form.

Registration:

1. Please email volunteer@bjchp.org no later than 3 days before each trip.

2. Please use “Cultural Heritage Day Registration” in the subject line.

3. Please include your name, numbers of participants, contact numbers and the trip you want to join in.

Additional:

1. Participates are allowed to join in multiple trips if space permits.

2. If you cannot be present due to unscheduled circumstances, please inform us in time.

CHP staff have worked hard to prepare for these activities leading up to Chinese Cultural Heritage Day. We hope to build on the existing knowledge of the cultural heritage in these areas while holding a fun and interesting event for our volunteers.