Two great walls and one goal
HERITAGE SITES JOIN FORCES FOR BOOST TO TOURISM
Reporter A LINK-UP between two of the greatest walls in the world took a step forward at the weekend with the arrival of a Chinese delegation in the North East.
In January, a collaboration was agreed between Hadrian’s Wall and the Great Wall of China to exchange expertise and boost tourism to both monuments.
Both walls were added to the World Heritage List in the same year – 1987 – and a Memorandum of Understanding had been signed between Historic England and the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage (CACH).
Now, Historic England and Newcastle University are to host an expert delegation from the Great Wall of China.
Between yesterday and Wednesday, Chinese and British experts are gathering in Newcastle and visiting sections of Hadrian’s Wall as part of a knowledge exchange.
Delegates will also attend a Wall to Wall: Hadrian’s Wall and Great Wall of China management seminar to share their expertise and experience on topics, including how to protect and conserve a world heritage site, and how to attract and cater for visitors.
Historic England said that the collaboration in cultural heritage promised to bring great opportunities in the fields of tourism, heritage management and conservation of the historic built environment.
Carol Pyrah, North East-based assistant director of planning at Historic England, said: “This seminar is the first step in developing a closer relationship between the teams working at Hadrian’s Wall and the Great Wall of China. We will be sharing ground-breaking research and conservation approaches from both sides of the globe.
“Historic England looks forward to collaborating with the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage on this and other projects, in the years to come.”
Professor Sam Turner, head of the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at Newcastle University, said: “Newcastle University has a very long and prestigious record of researching Hadrian’s Wall, as well as researching and contributing to its modern management.
“We are delighted to host this seminar that also builds on more than a decade of our staff working with heritage colleagues in China to better understand the contemporary pressures on, and uses of, such magnificent heritage sites.”
Humphrey Welfare, chairman of the Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site Partnership Board, said: “The scales of the two Walls are very different – the most popular site on the Great Wall has 8 million visitors a year – but the issues that we face in the conservation of the remains and in the management of visitors are much the same.
“We can learn a lot from each other. The developing Wall to Wall partnership offers real opportunities for organisations and sites along Hadrian’s Wall to create a lasting relationship with China.”
Last year, Mr Welfare accepted an invitation from the British Council to speak on the conservation and management of Hadrian’s Wall at seminars in Beijing and Xi’an, as part of the UK-China high-level dialogue on cultural heritage.
The Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne will stage a public lecture on October 31 on The Great Wall and exhibition ideas in the UK and in China are also being floated.