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In a world beset with strife and violence， the few good things that happen tend to be overlooked. The 40th annual session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee， held in Istanbul in mid-July， remained largely unreported， coming at a time when the globe was preoccupied with the truck attack in France， the attempted coup in Turkey， the attacks on police in the United States and more blood and violence elsewhere.
The meeting deserves attention because it added 21 more sites to UNESCO’s world heritage list， bringing the total to 1，052. Two of the new destinations are in China—Shennongjia， a primary forest in Hubei Province that is a treasure trove of endangered wildlife， and the Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. They take China’s tally of inscribed world heritage sites to 50， and there are expectations that next year two more will be added with the government seeking the same status for Hoh Xil， a nature reserve on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau， and Kulangsu Island.
Kulangsu， also known as Gulangyu， is a well-known tourist haven in Xiamen， southeast China’s Fujian Province. However， it’s not just a pretty face， but a place with history and character. Besides Shanghai， Kulangsu was the only international settlement in China， playing host to several consulates. It was also one of the first places in the country where Christian missionaries arrived， bringing Western education and medical treatment.
Together with other parts of Xiamen， the port city that served as a major transit point for Chinese going abroad in search of fortune and foreigners coming to China， Kulangsu embodies cosmopolitanism and internationalism. While China has other port cities where international trade and arrivals flourished， like Guangzhou in the south， what distinguishes Xiamen is that it is not simply a commercial hub， but also a cultural destination.
Kulangsu， also called Piano Island， surprises visitors with its two museums devoted to pianos and organs and the large number of residents adept at playing the instruments. Kulangsu’s architecture， a blend of domestic and European styles， is another surprise. In the past， many foreigners came to Xiamen for business or other work and， charmed by its environment， took up residence in the city. The trend continues even today， with Xiamen providing a new frontier to Westerners yearning for a new start.
With xenophobia and refugee crises having become global concerns， Kulangsu merits a place on the world heritage list for its culture of tolerance and acceptance. It also answers the charges of exclusion often leveled against China， because Kulangsu has shown it doesn’t believe in monopoly. It is ready to preserve the cultural legacy it prides itself on， so that it can be enjoyed by all humanity.
The meeting deserves attention because it added 21 more sites to UNESCO’s world heritage list， bringing the total to 1，052. Two of the new destinations are in China—Shennongjia， a primary forest in Hubei Province that is a treasure trove of endangered wildlife， and the Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. They take China’s tally of inscribed world heritage sites to 50， and there are expectations that next year two more will be added with the government seeking the same status for Hoh Xil， a nature reserve on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau， and Kulangsu Island.
Kulangsu， also known as Gulangyu， is a well-known tourist haven in Xiamen， southeast China’s Fujian Province. However， it’s not just a pretty face， but a place with history and character. Besides Shanghai， Kulangsu was the only international settlement in China， playing host to several consulates. It was also one of the first places in the country where Christian missionaries arrived， bringing Western education and medical treatment.
Together with other parts of Xiamen， the port city that served as a major transit point for Chinese going abroad in search of fortune and foreigners coming to China， Kulangsu embodies cosmopolitanism and internationalism. While China has other port cities where international trade and arrivals flourished， like Guangzhou in the south， what distinguishes Xiamen is that it is not simply a commercial hub， but also a cultural destination.
Kulangsu， also called Piano Island， surprises visitors with its two museums devoted to pianos and organs and the large number of residents adept at playing the instruments. Kulangsu’s architecture， a blend of domestic and European styles， is another surprise. In the past， many foreigners came to Xiamen for business or other work and， charmed by its environment， took up residence in the city. The trend continues even today， with Xiamen providing a new frontier to Westerners yearning for a new start.
With xenophobia and refugee crises having become global concerns， Kulangsu merits a place on the world heritage list for its culture of tolerance and acceptance. It also answers the charges of exclusion often leveled against China， because Kulangsu has shown it doesn’t believe in monopoly. It is ready to preserve the cultural legacy it prides itself on， so that it can be enjoyed by all humanity.