| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GHF Lijiang Conservation
Trust Completes Forty Ancient Restorations of Authentic
Naxi Heritage Residents and Achieves Government Approvals
for New Master Conservation Plan
An innovative Private-Community-Government
Partnership with Lijiang Ancient Town Management Committee,
UNESCO World Heritage Centre Asia Pacific, and Shanghai
TongJi Urban Planning and Design Institute January
28th, 2004. Lijiang, China.
January 28, 2004, Lijiang,
China - Global Heritage Fund completed authentic restorations
of the first forty (40) ancient Naxi residences, the
majority designated under official heritage protection,
a successful beginning to completion of two hundred
of the most endangered historic buildings in Lijiang
Ancient Town. By providing historic restoration subsidies
in partnership with the Chinese government, GHF has
reversed the exodus of low-income and poverty-level
families from the 1,000-year old ancient town, and
begun a new chapter in renewal through historic preservation
throughout Lijiang, severely impacted by the effects
of mass tourism and unplanned construction and urbanization
which threatens to wipe out the last remaining living
Ancient Town in Asia.
GHF began its conservation effort with
Mr. Nian Ji Wei, the newly appointed Director of the
Ancient Town Management Committee, to develop Lijiang’s
first world-class Master Conservation Plan (MCP),
completed with the support of Shanghai Tongji University
in 2003. Based on this approved master plan by UNESCO
and the Chinese Government, GHF began an accelerated
effort to reverse the destruction of Lijiang through:
1. Authentic restoration of over 200
ancient Naxi residences in partnership with each
local community committee
2. Implementation of the master plan
to eliminate over 400 newly constructed modern buildings
within the Core and Protected Areas, create three
new ‘Gateways’ for tourism into the
Ancient Town and enforce building regulations in
the Core and throughout the Buffer Areas
3. Providing subsidies for education
and community development of the traditional culture,
language, art and music of the Naxi people.
About Global Heritage Fund
The Global Heritage Fund's mission is to enable successful
long-term preservation of humankind's most important
archaeological sites and ancient townscapes, creating
new engines for economic growth in developing countries.
GHF works to develop comprehensive Master Conservation
Plans, provides early matching grants and training,
builds local institutions and promotes sustainable
tourism development to ensure permanent protection
for global cultural treasures. The Global Heritage
Fund is a registered non-profit conservancy based
in Palo Alto, California.
Please direct media inquiries to:
GHF Press press@globalheritagefund.org
or (650) 325 7520
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