獻辭
Congratulatory Message
In Our Nation’s Great Architectural Traditions and Heritage, Mr. Liang Sicheng praises Chinese architecture as “the most ancient and enduring architectural system with the highest vitality”, since ancient Chinese architecture represents “our history, our arts and the glorious culture of our nation”. He points out that “we should cherish and protect the fine traditions of our architecture in order to facilitate new creations that embrace Chinese traditions.” Today, I am glad to hear and greatly appreciate that the first Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Built Heritage Summit will be held in Hong Kong and would like to share some of my thoughts.
My first thought is about the perseverance of heritage conservation practitioners. In 2002 when President Xi Jinping was Governor of Fujian Province, he pointed out in the preface to Fuzhou Historic Houses that “ancient buildings are not only a combination of science, culture, knowledge and art, but also a carrier of history”, and that “protecting ancient buildings and cultural relics is like preserving history, urban fabrics, and the fine and intangible traditions of famous historical and cultural cities”. In recent years, the Mainland has steadily taken forward major conservation projects for built heritage and its public access and use and launched pilot preventive conservation projects, making active efforts to preserve the historical roots and legacies in urban and rural areas. This Summit sheds lights on the conservation and adaptive reuse of built heritage, discusses the latest technologies and pioneering concepts, facilitates an exchange of ideas on new means to better interpret cultural heritage and further explore its intricate value, and generate new ideas about how to make heritage “become alive”, in order to pass on both the tangible heritage and the history and culture it represents. This marks the enduring and persistent pursuit and exploration of heritage conservation practitioners for generations.
My second thought is about the unity of the Chinese nation. When celebrating the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland and the 20th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland, President Xi Jinping said with deep affection: “Hong Kong and the motherland have always been in the same boat and have shared a natural bond of affinity since ancient times”; “After Macao’s return to the motherland, a vast number of Macao people firmly ranked patriotism and love for Macao first among their core values.” This Summit brings together experts and scholars from the Mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and other places to discuss and learn from each other ways of jointly protecting heritage relating to Chinese culture. Over the years, the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao have cooperated to carry out exchanges at various levels, and jointly launched international collaboration projects to pass down and promote Chinese culture, such as the conservation of the “Maritime Silk Road” and its nomination for inscription on the World Heritage List, and the “Asian Initiative for Cultural Heritage Conservation”. In recent years, they have collaborated in programmes such as the “Inseparable Ties: Cohesion as Told by Hong Kong Historic Buildings” exhibition, “Promoting Cultural Heritage on Hong Kong and Macao Campuses”, and other projects under the theme “Understanding History and Promoting Patriotism and Affection for Hong Kong and Macao”. The aim of all of these programmes is to make a collective effort to build companionship, affection for the motherland, and a national soul among the people.
My third thought is about confidence in Chinese civilisation. President Xi Jinping once earnestly shared his views with students at Hou Kong Middle School, saying “Chinese civilisation is the only ancient civilisation that has developed until the present day without interruption. Its 5,000-year history is the source of our cultural confidence.” As we review the past and think of the present, Chinese civilisation always stands firmly amidst changes in the world, with its rich history, unique charm and record of inclusiveness. It advocates and is committed to mutual learning amongst different civilisations with strong cultural confidence and a sense of responsibility. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has the most active record of conversation between the Chinese civilisation and other civilisations of the world. As depicted in the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the “Fourteenth Five-Year Plan”, efforts will be made to forge a “Cultured Bay Area”, with Hong Kong as “an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange” and Macao as “a base for exchange and cooperation in which Chinese culture is the mainstream with diverse cultures coexisting”. Therefore, the Greater Bay Area will be injected with new momentum to play an even more active role in the wave of exchange between Chinese civilisation and the rest of the world.
We have witnessed and will continue to witness many milestones, such as the completion of the Hong Kong Palace Museum and the establishment of the Macao World Heritage Monitoring Centre. Therefore, we very much hope that the Greater Bay Area, with its rich heritage in Chinese history and culture, and the unique advantages of Hong Kong and Macao in global communication, will further devote itself to the prosperity of Chinese civilisation, display cultural confidence, and facilitate global conversations.
As heritage conservation practitioners, we should demonstrate our perseverance to unite the Chinese nation and advocate confidence in Chinese civilisation. This is what I am looking forward to, and I believe it is also the common wish of all of us. I look forward to working hand in hand with all of you, using “heritage” as the carrier and “exchange and mutual learning” as the means to expand the influence of Chinese culture in the international arena and contribute to communication with other civilisations around the world in the new era!
Finally, I would extend my special thanks to HKSAR Development Bureau and its Commission for Heritage’s Office and Antiquities and Monuments Office for their efforts to organise this Summit. I wish the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Built Heritage Summit great success!
LI Qun
Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism
Administrator of the National Cultural Heritage Administration