Much time has passed since China first joined UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 1987, when The Great Wall, Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (aka the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an), Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian, Mogao Caves, Mount Taishan and the Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang were inscribed alongside many of the world’s greatest cultural and natural treasures.

Twenty-three years and 33 inscriptions later, the landscapes of China Danxia are China’s 40^th site on the prestigious list – a list whose allure is proving increasingly irresistible to some career-minded local officials.

But today some Chinese are beginning to wonder if massive amounts of public funds spent by local governments on packaging sites for UNESCO’s consideration could be better spent elsewhere. Furthermore, many are becoming convinced that inscription on the World Heritage list is unnecessary altogether.

A recent survey conducted by China Youth Daily and two popular Chinese websites minyi.net.cn and sina.com.cn found that half of its 1,784 respondents felt that it was “not worthwhile” for local governments to spend large sums of money on applying for World Heritage status. More than half of those surveyed said they have no plans to go to recent Chinese nominations for the list.

The Hunan provincial government reportedly spent a total of 400 million yuan (US$58.8 million) on “preparation and organization procedures” and the county of Libo in Guizhou province ran up debt of 200 million yuan in its failed bid to join the list, according to a Global Times report.

But it is the case of Xi’an’s Daming Palace that has spurred the current online debate about the value of World Heritage status. Recently constructed portions of the palace compound that were modeled after ancient buildings were demolished during a whopping US$5.89 billion renovation of the site scheduled to be completed in time for the October 1 National Day holiday. In the face of public anger at the wasting of funds, an official related to the project said the demolition was necessary in order to meet World Heritage standards.

If the China Youth Daily survey is remotely consistent with general sentiment around the country, then local governments may have to work harder sell their case for using public funds to attempt to woo UNESCO. More than 68 percent of respondents said they didn’t believe that World Heritage status was necessary for protecting important sites, and only 9.1 percent supported applying for the list at all.

Entrance to Shaolin Temple tourist site, Henan

Kung fu is synonymous with China. Not unlike giant pandas, dumplings, Mao, The Great Wall and Qingdao beer … eventually, it will creep into conversation. Perhaps this has become even more the case since 2008, when the DreamWorks animation ‘Kung Fu Panda’ was released (which I confess to seeing at the movies and also watching numerous times on DVD after receiving it as a birthday present!).

With only a few days to travel on my recent holiday break, and having already travelled extensively throughout China, I decided to head northwest into Henan Province, to explore the home of Kung Fu.

Almost immediately after my arrival, I felt that Henan was different from some of its richer coastal neighbours. As I only spent a few short days in Henan I don’t want to make too many assumptions, however living here appeared to be ‘harder’. Signs of this could be seen from my bus and train windows, with heavy industry causing significant air pollution, agriculture (in sometimes difficult conditions) being the main form of employment and a visible poverty. I do want to be quick to point out though, that the people, just like the rest of China, were really lovely and friendly, and the food – just as delicious!

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China has 38 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, a designation that can sometimes be both a blessing and a curse to these cultural and natural areas due to the influx of tourists. So how can we ensure responsible travel in these sites? WildChina Founder Mei Zhang and The Nature Conservancy (TNC)’s Lulu Zhou tackled this issue on air today during Let’s Travel!, a weekly, global radio talk show hosted by New York-based Susan Raphael.  

First Bend of Yangtze River, Yunnan

Lulu, who oversees sustainable tourism and environmental education projects in Yunnan‘s Three Parallel Rivers World Heritage Site, pointed out a major difference between protected areas  in the U.S. and China: whereas in the U.S., no communities reside inside national parks, in China, it’s a different story. In the Three Parallel Rivers area (named after a mountainous region in southwest China where three of Asia’s mightiest rivers, the Yangtze, Mekong and Salween, run parallel), almost 300,000 people reside in the site, with 36,000 people within the core zone. Since relocation of these communities isn’t an option, it’s key to engage the communities themselves in conservation work to help preserve the site. 

Mei agreed, noting that a change in mindset and an education process are required. At WildChina, we hire and train local guides for our journeys, who benefit directly by providing high-end, sustainable travel services. This training allows us to practice green travel, particularly in hiking trips – for instance, we emphasize responsible outdoor practices, such as Leave No Trace, where travelers “pack it in, pack it out.”

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As is obvious from our previous posts about Yunnan, we at WildChina can’t say enough about this beautifully diverse southwestern province. Not only do we regularly run tours to the area, but we also love reading about the eye-opening experiences of other travelers.

Latest case in point: Stan Sesser of the Wall Street Journal has just written a piece, “Treasures Without Tourists,” in which he describes “one of the most spectacular sights on earth:” the Yuanyang rice terraces. One of three spots in Yunnan being considered for UNESCO’s World Heritage Site designation (along with Maotian Mountain National Geopark and Dali Old Town), these rice paddies were cultivated along a mountain range by the ethnic Hani minority. A photographer’s dream, the terraces are a breathtaking sight, particularly when the sun reflects off the water-filled paddies.

But whether the area can stay a “treasure without tourists” remains to be seen. While World Heritage designation can be a bit of a curse, often leading to rapid over-development and commercialization, for Yuanyang it would also be a blessing: more funds to preserve Hani culture and provide educational opportunities for their youth.

Yunnan continues to be an inspiration for interesting commentary, with National Geographic‘s May 2009 issue featuring a piece on Shangri-la (Zhongdian). Mark Jenkins explores this “complicated” and “confounding” Tibetan town in southwest China and the competing visions for its future. Will tourism and development invariably lead this area to lose all of its mythical and spiritual qualities?

As Jenkins notes, “tourism saved the place” after the Chinese government banned commercial logging in 1998; but that, in turn, has led to the commercialization of Tibetan culture. This trend — seen in many other hidden gems in the developing world — is certainly troubling. But as travelers, that doesn’t automatically mean we should stop visiting such places, which still have a lot to teach us about traditional lifestyles and choices.

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