The United Nations's cultural agency on July 15, 2016 added four new sites, including China's Zuojiang Huashan rock art cultural landscape. Other sites named by UNESCO include the qanat water systems in Iran, the archaeological site of Nalanda Mahavihara in India and the Armenian ruined Medieval city of Ani, in the Turkish province of Kars.
The relative inaccessibility created by the karst landforms of the Zuojiang River area has left the Zuojiang Huashan rock art well preserved and undamaged for the last 2,000 years since the Eastern Han Dynasty.
The Chinese government at all levels, including all of the relevant departments, has adopted a thorough protection and management strategy for the Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art in accordance with established rules and regulations, including the 'Cultural Relics Protection Law of the Peoples' Republic of China', 'World Cultural Heritage Management Measures', 'Management Measures of Monitoring and Patrol of World Cultural Heritage in China', 'Protection Measures of Zuojiang Rock Art of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region' and 'Protection Measures of Zuojiang Rock Art of Chongzuo'.
Over the past 20 years the Chinese Government has adopted a 'cyclical mechanism' for planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and feedback to conduct the protection and management work. Specific plans have been formulated and implemented such as the 'Management Planning on the Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape's declaration for the World Heritage'.
The heritage sites have established dedicated fully funded organizations and programs for scientists and facilities. The Peoples' Government of Chongzuo now coordinates all major administrative decisions related to protection and management in Ninming County, Longzhou County, Fusui County and Jiangzhou District.
Since 2000 the protection of Huashan Rock Art involves daily monitoring, rock consolidation, environmental protection, damage and risk prevention and social coordination. Since 2004 the Cultural Department of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has initiated and convened a program of seminars focussing on monitoring and preservation. Since 2007 a program of technological research has been actioned, including infared imaging, 3D scanning, hydrological analysis and geological analysis.
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→ The Huashan Rock Art Site
→ Sacred Meeting Place for Sky, Water and Earth
→ Introduction to the Huashan Rock Art Site
→ UNESCO World Heritage Site
→ Huashan Rock Art Gallery
→ Huashan Local Ethnic Culture
→ Huashan Historical Background
→ Religious Beliefs of the Luo Yue
→ Cosmology of Huashan Rock Art
→ 38 Huashan Rock Art Sites
→ Protection of Zuojiang Huashan
→ Wushan Rock Art
→ China Rock Art Archive
→ Bradshaw Foundation
→ Rock Art Network