User:BJCHP/Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Centre (BJCHP)

Overview
The Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Centre (CHP) is an NGO based in Beijing, China that aims to support communities to protect their cultural heritage. Although CHP has a focus on preserving the cultural heritage of Beijing (often referred to as 'Old Beijing'), the NGO also works with communities across China to help preserve their cultural and material heritage. BJCHP helps communities achieve this aim through education, training, networking and support work.

Foundation
BJCHP began life as an informal network of committed volunteers that was the brainchild of cultural conservationist He Shuzhong. BJCHP was formally registered as an NGO in China in 2003. As such, BJCHP is officially registered with the Beijing Municipal Government and its finances are audited by the government. It is, however, an entirely independent organization that receives no funding or direction from the government.

Importance of CHP
China has one of the longest histories of any civilisation in the world, and is the longest 'continuous' civilisation. China was the birthplace for philosophies such as Confucianism, Daoism (also known as Taoism) and Zen Buddhism ('Chan' Buddhism), inventions such as paper, the printing block press, the compass, the rudder, gunpowder, and many others. Such a long and vibrant history understandably created a rich and diverse culture that includes both intangible and material heritage.

Unfortunately, much of this cultural heritage has been lost in modern times. The primary causes of this loss were some of the attempts to 'modernise' China in the early twentieth century, the Japanese invasion and occupation during the Second World War, the Chinese civil war (1945-1949) and some more recent 'modernisation' programmes that took the destruction of 'old China' as their goal. Since the Reform and Opening Policy was initiated (in 1980?), China has undergone rapid economic development. Whilst this has signified a material increase in the standard of living for the Chinese people, much cultural heritage has been sacrificed as a result. Indeed, as China's development deepens and spreads, the cultural heritage not only of city dwellers in large economic powerhouses such as Shanghai and Beijing but also of communities previously on the periphery of the country are coming under threat. In large cities, ancient buildings face demolition in the wake of surging property prices whilst in the countryside traditional ways of life are coming under the twin pressures of modernisation and globalisation.

Size & Organisation
BJCHP is as yet a small organisation, consisting of a board of directors, one part-time and three full-time members of staff, two international interns and hundreds of volunteers across China and overseas.

Every supporter of CHP is dedicated to preserving Chinese culture, which is why CHP as a small grassroots NGO is making such a difference in China.

Goal of CHP
CHP supports communities to protect their cultural heritage throughout China, a country in which rapid development and social change is dramatically affecting the cultural landscape. CHP gives Chinese people a voice to protect the future of their past through capacity building, education, training, networking and support. Our belief is that people make change. CHP’s main focus areas are cultural heritage protection and civil society building, ethnic minority cultural revitalization and media mobilisation.

Old town Kashgar development plan
Old Town Kashgar is the only surviving Islamic city in China. It was one of the most important trade centres along the ancient Silk Road and one of the few centres that is still completely intact. In 2009, the Xinjiang local government decided to implement a city development plan that involved demolishing a large amount of Old City Kashgar. CHP did not have much success in using conventional methods to impede the development plan, so resorted to mobilising well-respected media to play a significant role in protecting the city. The collaborating media included Bloomberg News, the Associated Press, and the New York Times, to name a few, who published articles criticising the plan.(references!) CHP has received great support from various international organisations who learned about the Old Town Kashgar destruction plan from these articles. Although the Xinjiang government still has not ceased the development, it has received tremendous pressure domestically and internationally to reassess its plan.

More information on the Old town Kashgar development plan: Saving Kashgar | Published in the October 2009 issue of Orientations, a Hong Kong-based Asian art magazine Open Letter to the Government of the People’s Republic of China

The Protection of Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin’s Former Residence
Liang Sicheng (1901-1972) and Lin Huiyin (1904-1955) were China’s most accomplished architects. They are regarded as China’s most important contributors towards cultural heritage protection. After both architects passed away, their Beijing former residence was left neglected. Subsequently, a real estate developer decided to tear down Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin’s former residence, driving CHP to publish “Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage should be blamed for the destruction of Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin’s former residence” (available in Chinese only), an article that heavily criticised the demolition. (reference!) CHP also urged the Chinese prosecutor’s office to investigate the law enforcement efforts of the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage. After CHP brought the destruction plan to public attention, several media outlets, including CCTV and the People’s Daily, also voiced their opposition to the demolition. As a result, the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage announced that it would not let the residence be destroyed. According to their new plan for the area, Liang Sicheng’s former residence will be guaranteed protection and the government agency invited several scholars to participate in researching ways to protect the courtyard. CHP, together with our volunteers from Qinghua University’s Architecture Department, also developed a comprehensive, creative proposal for the protection of the site to be presented to the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage.

More information on the protection of Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin’s former residence: Preserve the former residence of two of China’s greatest architects

The Modification Plan of Keyuan
Keyuan is a prominent, and one of the best preserved, traditional private residences in Beijing. The Foreign Affairs Ministry had a plan to modify it and destroy parts of the residence which bore cultural and historical significance. CHP mobilised powerful media institutions, including Bloomberg, to report on this modification plan. CHP also asked the Foreign Affairs Ministry a question regarding its Keyuan modification plan, as well as pointing its illegal nature, during its routine press conference. As a result, CHP successfully managed to discontinue this illegal modification plan of Keyuan.

CHP Received Active Participation From University Students
After CHP organised various mobilisation activities at five universities, a large number of students expressed their interest in getting involved with CHP. Half of CHP’s current volunteer pool are university students. These students are instrumental to CHP's organisation; their work varies from conducting field surveys, assisting CHP in spreading its message via newspaper, TV, and the Internet. More than ten endangered heritage sites have been saved due to the work of our university student volunteers.

CHP and Cultural Heritage Protection Public Lawsuits in China
China only witnessed two cultural heritage protection public lawsuits, resulting in close attention by both the Chinese government and the media in both cases. These two lawsuits were submitted by CHP’s volunteer lawyers. CHP conducted five Media Salons on cultural heritage news reporting. CHP also conducted two Artist Salons and three Architect Salons.

SOHO’s Qianmen Development Project
CHP, in collaboration with the British Financial Times, pressed China’s biggest real estate developer, SOHO, to amend their Qianmen development plan. This reduced the extent of the Qianmen area affected by the development project. (references!)

North Xisi
North Xisi is an area located in the historical and cultural protected section of the old city of Beijing. This grants the area a full set of legal protection rights. Determined to increase its revenue the local government, together with several real estate companies and international design companies, launched a plan to split up the property and demolish it for commercial use. The group planned to build a large-scale, high-end flagship department store. CHP, in cooperation with China Cultural Heritage News and China Construction Report, published an article “This Development Project if Taken Place Will Be Considered an Illegal Project“. This ultimately put an end to the illegal North Xisi development project. (references! and formatting of article name)

Sources of Funding
As an independent NGO, CHP does not receive any funding from the government. Instead, CHP receives funding from a variety of sources, including sponsors, corporate donors, matched giving, embassies, foundations, merchandise sales and individual donors. Most commonly, these groups fund specific projects, although financial support for our minimal operating costs is equally as important. We also receive non-monetary donations. All donations to CHP, no matter the size, are important and do make a difference! CHP relies on funding from donations and, aside from a small core of professional staff, on the work of volunteers.

Sponsors & Collaborators
CHP has been fortunate enough to be given support from respectable domestic and international associations. CHP's sponsors include The Asia Foundation (through Give2Asia program), Princeton in Asia, and UNESCO under the Spanish Government Millennium Development Fund.

A list of those who have sponsored or otherwise contributed to CHP is as follows:

Institutional Project Sponsors

 * The Australian Embassy in China | The Mengma Archive
 * Beijing Municipal Government
 * Heinrich Böll Foundation | Traditional Courtyard Renovation Training
 * The James H. W. Thompson Foundation | The Mengma Archive
 * McDonald Archaeological Institute of Cambridge University, UK
 * The Opposite House Hotel of Swire Group | Cultural Heritage Trail
 * UNESCO in partnership with the Spanish Government Millennium Development Fund | The Congjiang Archive
 * Unicorn Foundation | Friends of Old Beijing
 * The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation | A’er Village Qiang Minority Cultural Revitalization Project
 * The Switzerland Embassy in Beijing | A’er Village Qiang Minority Cultural Revitalization Project
 * U.S. Embassy in Beijing | Lawyer Training Program
 * Vinson & Elkins LLP | Friends of Old Beijing

Institutional Internship Sponsors

 * The Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development (AYAD) program
 * Princeton in Asia
 * Yale International Bulldogs Programs

Institutional Donors

 * IM Specialresor
 * Museum Security Network, the Netherlands
 * Taiwan Ilan Delegation of Schoolmaster Association

Individual Donors

 * Jade (USD10,000 and above)

Dick Cashin, Gerry Ohrstrom, James Stent


 * Gold (USD1,000-9,999)

Frederique Darragon, the Deemer family, James Kwok, David Lei, Alison Wiktil, Wellington & Virginia Yee


 * Silk (USD100-999)

Margaret Allison, Anne & William Arensberg, Li Bin, Dr. Sally Borthwick, Conley Brooks, Jr., Xuejun Chen & Ting Zhang, Marsha & Richard Chisholm, BJ Gran, Liu Jingdi, Forsyth Marion, Chris & Freda Murck, Juliette Muscat, Simon Rom Gjeroe, Varvara Shavrova, Ernest Stent, Amy Stone, Peter Van Der Naillen, Susan Willey, Chen Zhaohui.

Other Friends of CHP
Members of Siam Society, Zhengheng Bai, Zheng Liu, Zhongzheng Liu, Adrian Bradshaw, Jane James, Gregor Lippe, Terry & Susan Palmer, David Ryan, Anke Schwind, Asami Tada, Professor David Tool, Ph.D., Lanshun Wang, Anne Whetham, Bing Zhou, Luo Deyin.

Non-Monetary Donors
Forever International Auction Company Limited, Song Gao, Ran Guo, Li Shang, Yunxiang Tian, Jia Wenjin, Liu Zheng, Deng Wei.

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CHP Partners
CHP sincerely thank the following partners whose collaboration have helped to facilitate cultural heritage conservation efforts throughout China.


 * Capital M – Capital Conversations at Capital M
 * NLGX – CHP and NLGX’s partnership
 * UCCA (Ullens Center for Contemporary Art) – CHP-UCCA lecture series
 * The Bookworm – New Beijing film screening and NGO Networking Day

Friends of Old Beijing

 * The Beijinger Magazine

Documentary Salon

 * Sohu.com Incorporation
 * Story Garden Café
 * Channel Zero Media Incorporation

Monthly Lecture

 * Dongcheng District Library
 * The Commercial Press

Media Cooperation

 * ICCD (Internews)
 * Bloomberg
 * The New York Times
 * The Associated Press

Mengma Archive

 * The Siam Society under Royal Patronage