UNESCO and the politics of culture

Wai Jia: The Kung Fu Forum Shaolin Kung Fu
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After a high-profile PR campaign by Shi Yongxin to have Shaolin Kung Fu be
put on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list the PRC has decided to hold off.
My guess is that the trademark issue has hit a few nerves and could potentionally create some negative waves internationally for the PRC.

http://english.sina.com/china/1/2005/0428/29336.html

What does “safeguarding” intangible cultural heritage mean?
Although there are many good intentions with this initiative, when you boil it down and get below the platitudes and motherhood statements, it is about political control of culture. This so called “safeguarding” is simply a tool for international legal control of culture by governments. You can be sure that the PRC will identify and define the various elements of “Shaolin kung-fu.” This has to do with the adoption of legal measures aimed at groups that PRC/Shi Yongxin feels undermines his objectives in both national and international arenas. Consider the following which appeared in the Sun Shangwu (China Daily).

"He (Shi Yongxin) says more effort from the government is needed to put Shaolin kung fu on the UNESCO list.

He (Shi Yongxin) has submitted a proposal to the NPC session, asking the country’s top legislature to consider a special law to protect (Shaolin Kungfu) … ."

“Controversially, he also established a company (Henan Shaolin Temple Industrial Development Ltd. Co.) to protect intellectual property rights and prevent the abuse of the name Shaolin by companies seeking easy profits.”

“Unsurprisingly, Shi (Shi Yongxin), . . .will not rest even if he gets UNESCO status or is handed a national culture-protection law.”

He says he is willing to walk the earth to promote, (read this as, getting control of) Shaolin kung fu."

This is not about the use of the word 'Shaolin’for selling sausages etc. but rather about using the word “Shaolin” in reference to martial arts training. In the USA, as in most other countries in the world, the word “Shaolin” has already been trademarked for all products and services by Shi Yongxin. What he has not trademarked in the US, and Canada for that matter, is the exclusive use of Shaolin in relationship to martial arts training. I suspect the UNESCO list was to be the lever with which he planned to accomplish that. In Europe the trademark already includes martial arts training, but I believe this aspect of the Shaolin trademark in Europe can be still challenged successfully.

r.

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First on his list is getting control of all forum names :slight_smile:

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UNESCO and trademarking

So far, Shaolin’s trademarking lawsuits are targeting schools and tours that are claiming to be actual representatives of the Songshan Shaolin Temple when they are not. We had a thread about legal action in SF in one of these cases. It was kind of fascinating to see it play out. I think Shaolin should be able to control its name, but I’m not sure that trademarked is the best way to deal with it. We’ll see.

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I don’t see why Shaolin shouldn’t control how it’s name is used. I mean, “Shaolin Brand” really shouldn’t exist unless authorized by the temple.

Now who wants a Shaolin Sausage? :smiley:

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I agree shaolin in its traditional form should be preserved by UNISCO. so that students and tourist alike when they go to shaolin they can experience the original culture and hsitory. Too much has already been lost.

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I want shaolin sausage!

My greatest missed item in my collection of Shaolin curios is a Shaolin sausage wrapper. I had them. They were kind of like a long vienna sausage, but not quite as long as a hot dog. Very nasty tasting. I really should have kept the wrapper. I did keep a wrapper for Shaolin water. :wink:

As for the name branding, it’s very delicate. Surely, after some 1500 years, the term ‘shaolin’ has entered into the common vernacular worldwide. At the same time, a group of Shaolin disciples should not be able to tour the world claiming to represent the Shaolin Temple. Imagine if a bunch of fake tibetan monks toured around with some one claiming to be the Dalai Lama. Of course, you could argue that this is already happening with some of the PRC lamas, but let’s not muddle the issue too much here. Where I find it the most challenging is where to draw the line. It becomes a measure of Shaolin-ness, and that’s hard to determine.

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I disagree the concept of shaolin is very clear. Have you been to the shaolin temple and see those monks living in the traditional way of abstanence?

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Vasquez

I disagree the concept of shaolin is very clear. Have you been to the shaolin temple and see those monks living in the traditional way of abstanence?
Yeah, I’ve been to Shaolin. :rolleyes: You might check my archived work on Shaolin before you take your disagreement much further. You might check your history too, especially in regards to “Shaolin’s traditional way of abstinence”.

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I agree, it is devine calling when we are called to use our kung fu. MMA ppl say we are weak because we meditate and train forms. They say our training is unrealistic but I know we will be given strength when we need to use our kung fu as it is written.

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kung fanaticism?

I know we will be given strength when we need to use our kung fu as it is written.
Written where? What are you talking about exactly? :confused:

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Its written in the article you attached as a link. The monk became strong when the god appeared to him during medation. It shows through medation we will become strong when we need to use our kung fu.

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Mayb I should ask the Abbot about this…

…since I’ll be seeing him this week. I’m sure he’s very happy about this one.

Shaolin Kung Fu to feature in UNESCO show in Paris
www.chinaview.cn 2009-03-17 08:53:05

ZHENGZHOU, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Shaolin Kung Fu will be featured in a cultural event in Paris in May, the China News Service reported Monday.

Shaolin Kung Fu is a school of martial arts associated with the monks of the Shaolin Temple based in central China's Henan Province.

The event, held by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), will celebrate cultural diversity.

The cultural bureau of Zhengzhou City said the event would raise its global fame and perhaps help promote its bid to have Shaolin Kung Fu included on UNESCO's list of world intangible cultural heritage items.

In 2006, China's State Council (cabinet) published the first list of state-level intangible heritage items, including Shaolin Kung Fu.

Four items from China are already on the UNESCO list. They are the 500-year-old Kunqu Opera, known for its graceful movements and poetic lyrics; the 3,000-year-old guqin seven-string zither; the Twelve Mukams, a 12-part suite of ancient Uygur music, and Mongolian Pastoral Songs.
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whew, I thought that it was gonna effect Sil Lum kungfu practice! :stuck_out_tongue:

not very zen to desire control of a brand now is it? :slight_smile:

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ok. Since I started this tread. Here is my ‘history’ with this UNESCO thing.
r.

http://www.shaolinwushu.com/trademark/

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bummer

As I’ve always said, there’s a ton of treasures on Songshan, not just Shaolin. Too bad. Maybe next time…

Mt Songshan fails to enter World Heritage list
www.chinaview.cn 2009-06-30 08:14:28
by Yu Fei and Gui Juan

BEIJING, June 30 -- Songshan Mountain, one of "the five sacred mountains" in China, failed to enlist its historical architecture complex as world heritage sites.

In a result announced Friday at the 33rd World Heritage Convention held by the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Seville, southern Spain, the non-inclusion of Songshan Mountain disappointed many officials of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH).

"The great value of the historical architecture complex in Songshan Mountain is beyond question," said Shi Yongxin, Abbot of Shaolin Temple, "but there were some mistakes in the application procedures."

"The World Heritage Committee has decided to postpone the inscription of Songshan Mountain into the World Heritage List," said Tang Wei, director of the world heritage department of SACH.

Confusion caused by dual application of Songshan Mountain is the main reason for the postponement, stated the Administration overseeing China's cultural heritage in a press release.

The World Heritage Committee stipulates that a country must first put its cultural heritage sites on the tentative list before being nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List.

According to the World Heritage Tentative List, SACH submitted the application of the historical monuments of Songshan Mountain on March 28, 2008.

However, Songshan Mountain was also included in the application submitted by China's Ministry of Construction on April 7, 2008 that sought heritage status for "the five sacred mountains" as an extension of Mt Taishan, already declared a World Heritage site in 1987.

That caused confusion in the World Heritage Committee, revealed by SACH. Information about the latest application has yet to be accessed from the official website of the Ministry of Construction.

In China, SACH is responsible for applications for World Cultural Heritage whereas the Ministry of Construction takes care of applications for World Natural Heritage.

Furthermore, China recently had also applied for Wutai Mountain to become a mixed cultural and natural world heritage and the Buddhism shrine was successfully included in the List over the weekend but only as a cultural heritage site. Thus, Songshan Mountain, a similar type of cultural heritage as Wutai Mountain, faced an uphill task in getting inscription at the same time, stated the SACH press release.

"More documents and materials about Songshan Mountain are required by the World Heritage Committee for future application," said Tang.

Many officials with the Henan Cultural Heritage Bureau went silent over the result they had been waiting for till midnight Friday.

"We have spared no efforts for the last eight years to see Songshan Mountain inscribed on this esteemed List," said Chen Ailan, head of Henan Cultural Heritage Bureau, "but we can accept the result. The ultimate goal of the world heritage application is to better protect the heritage."

The experts have reviewed the cultural value of the Songshan Mountain ancient buildings during the bidding process. "And the public awareness of protecting those ancient buildings has been increased," Chen added.

Shaolin Temple, the most well-known site, seated in Songshan Mountain, was first built in 495 AD. Many more disciples went to Shaolin Temple following Bodhidharma's arrival in 527 AD. They learned Zen from Bodhiharma at the monastery, turning Shaolin into the origin of Zen in China.

Other ancient architectures and sites included in the world heritage bid are rarely known by the outside world. Yet they are no less valuable.

They include China's oldest observatory remains dating back to the early 13th century, the 1,500-year-old brick tower of Songyue Temple, the oldest remaining one of its kind in China, and three pairs of towers - Taishi, Shaoshi, and Qimu, the country's oldest existing ritual structures built in Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD).

"Songshan Mountain houses ancient architectures from different ages over the past 2,000 years, which is rarely seen around the world," said Guo Daiheng, a professor at the School of Architecture, Tsinghua University.

Explaining why ancient heritages have clustered in one area of no more than 4,000 hectares, Gong Songtao, deputy director of the Cultural Heritage Bureau of Dengfeng city, said "Songshan Mountain was regarded as the center of the world by ancient Chinese. Altogether 72 Chinese emperors in history have visited this place and offered sacrifices to Heaven."

"Different religious groups belonging to Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism came to build their bases. The religious culture embodied by them has been constantly evolving with the times," said Gong.

Local government has earmarked a huge sum of money in the world heritage application. To map out the protection plan alone has cost more than 10 million yuan (1.5 million U.S. dollars), Gong said. But he didn't give the total sum.

China currently has 38 world heritages, including 27 cultural, seven natural and four mixed ones. The application has become increasingly hard for China during recent years as the World Heritage Committee tries to balance and diversify the heritage list. "The repeated application for Songshan Mountain by more than one department exposed the problem of too many authorities involved in the management of cultural heritage," said an official with the Cultural Heritage Bureau of Dengfeng city, on conditions of anonymity.

"A world heritage site means much more fame and cash, which unfortunately also leads to frictions among different departments," said the official.

The SACH hopes the string of ancient relics in Songshan Mountain would be inscribed into the World Heritage List as early as possible.
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The UNESCO Paris show

There’s a vid - click the link.

Shaolin Kung Fu wows int’l audience
2009-12-24 09:03 BJT

A world cultural event was held at the Headquarters of UNESCO in Paris on Sunday. Capturing the bulk of attention at the multi-cultural festival was a stunning display of Kung Fu presented by monks from the Shaolin Temple based in central China’s Henan Province.

Twenty-seven warrior monks performed twenty-four styles of Shaolin Kung Fu, which is actually a collection of Chinese martial arts emphasizing fighting prowess, authentic technique, and self-defense. It also focuses on the harmony and quiescence of body and mind. Performing for more than an hour, warrior monks showcased their unique Kung Fu stunts, overwhelming an audience that regularly burst into cheers and applause.

An audience member said, “This is really awesome! It’s so amazing! Both my son and I saw the show today, and my son has been practicing Chinese Kungfu here in France.”

“I think the Kung Fu performance represents the fine tradition of Chinese culture and history. It is the essence of Chinese civilization, and it definitely should be well preserved and passed on from generation to generation,” said an audience member.

Shaolin Kung Fu was among the first batch of cultural heritages from China to make it onto UNESCO’s cultural heritage list. With a history of over 15-hundred years, Shaolin Kung Fu has been religiously practiced by Shaolin disciples over many generations.

Shi Yongxin, a Buddhist Abbot of the Shaolin Temple, says Shaolin Kung Fu represents compassion, peace, and justice. He adds he’s glad to be invited by UNESCO to join such a multi-cultural event because it shows a recognition and appreciation for Chinese Kung Fu and Chinese culture.

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The bid continues

This link just goes to a photo gallery. I kept the caption for some context.

Historical architecture of China’s Songshan Mountain to bid for World Cultural Heritage
English.news.cn 2010-03-10 17:22:13 FeedbackPrintRSS
This undated file photo shows the Zhongyue Temple on the east Songshan Mountain in central China’s Henan Province. China has chosen Songshan Mountain’s historical architecture complex as the only project to bid for the World Cultural Heritage in 2010. The architecture complex is composed of 11 traditional Chinese constructions, including the renowned Shaolin Temple. (Xinhua/Wang Song)

I asked Abbot Yongxin about the progress on this for our upcoming Shaolin Special 2010. I always ask him about this.

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Buddha blessed

And UNESCO blessed too. We got it. We finally got it.

China’s Shaolin Temple Named to Unesco Cultural Heritage List
Sunday, August 1, 2010

Aug. 2 (Bloomberg) – Shaolin temple, the Buddhist monastery that’s also the birthplace of Chinese Kung Fu, has been added to the United Nation’s list of World Heritage Sites.

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization named historical monuments near Dengfeng city, including the Shaolin, to its list of heritage sites yesterday, according to a statement on the group’s website.

Dengfeng is the 40th site in China to be added to the Unesco heritage list, which may help boost tourism to the city in Henan province. Local authorities had applied for the Unesco designation for nine years, Xinhua News Agency reported. China is also ‘ready’ to apply next year for West Lake in the eastern city of Hangzhou to be added, according to Xinhua.

The Dengfeng site in central China includes eight clusters of structures at the foot of the 1,500 meter-high Songshan mountain. In addition to Shaolin temple, the site also includes three Han Que gates, which are the remains of the oldest religious edifices in China, according to Unesco.

Unesco has named 910 locations to its World Heritage Sites list, which includes 704 cultural sites, 179 natural heritage sites and 27 mixed properties.

–Penny Peng in Beijing. Editors: John Liu, Eugene Tang.

NI.CHINA NI.FILM NI.BRIC NI EM NI GEN NI LEI NI CONS NI TRN

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Xinhua’s report

There’s some great photos with this piece. Click the link.

The Center of Heaven and Earth
English.news.cn 2010-08-02 16:06:02

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhuanet) – Shaolin Temple, the famed 1500-year-old cradle of Chinese Kung Fu and Zen Buddhism, is just one of the 11 ancient historical sites in Dengfeng of Henan Province added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites during its 34th session in Brazil Sunday morning (Beijing Time).

Also known as “The Center of Heaven and Earth,” the collection of monuments is a kaliedescopic testimony to the history of the middle kingdom and its scientific, religious and cultural achievements, according to Lü Wei, the director of the World Heritage Office of Dengfeng.

“Dengfeng was considered the center of ancient China, and therefore it served as the capital and cultural center of many dynasties. Disciples of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism based here to advance their religious cultures. Because of this historical background and architectural significance of Dengfeng, we call it ‘the center of Heaven and Earth,’” said Lü.

Among those listed is the Dengfeng Observatory, China’s oldest and best preserved. Dating back to 13th century, the structure contains the remains of an astronomical observatory built in 1037 BC by the Duke of Zhou.

Other sites registered include the Songyang Academy (484 AD), the 1,500-year-old Pagoda of Songyue Temple as well as the country’s oldest existing ritual structures; three pairs of towers (Taishi, Shaoshi, and Qimu) built during the Han Dynasty (206 BC- 220 AD)

“The historical monuments of Dengfeng have passed through so many dynasties. They have witnessed the architecture changes of middle China, have the longest history, are the most diversified in style and have the richest cultural significance,” Lü added.

Since 2004, the Dengfeng government has been preparing their application for World Heritage status, and in the meantime carried out many protective measures, including site improvements and implementing a monitoring system as well as passing historical protection laws and regulations.

However, their first application attempt failed to qualify at the 33rd session of the World Heritage Committee in 2009.

Xiao Li, an officer with the World Heritage Department of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH), attributes the failure to mis-communication between two government agencies who simultaneously applied to UNESCO, SACH and the Ministry of Construction, for the same site.

Along with SACH, the ministry this year submitted the Danxia Landform, a grouping of six geological sites in southeast China, for Natural Heritage status.

“Beginning in 2005, countries can only submit one cultural heritage site and one natural site a year,” said Xiao.

According to Cathy Nolar, press officer of UNESCO, registration is just the beginning of the process, as the sites on the list are under constant review.

“After that, the country takes responsibility for safeguarding it for future generations. By submitting a site for inscription, a country gives UNESCO and the international community the right to keep an eye on safeguarding efforts, and to have a say on how well they are carried out,” said Nolar.

“It is true that inscribing a site attracts more attention to it, and this can be a threat to preserving fragile environments. But this is part of sharing unique cultural and natural sites with the rest of the world. National and local authorities have to find the balance between preserving their unique treasures and making them accessible, and they can get advice on doing that from UNESCO World Heritage Centre experts,” she added.

Abbot of Shaolin Temple, Shi Yongxin, said that while the UNESCO decision is a privilege, it adds pressure and responsibility.

“For the monks, living in a world-recognized heritage site is a wonderful experience, but at the same time, our responsibility to protect the temple becomes even graver.” he said.

Shi also promised ticket prices for Shaolin temple will remain the same, adding that a higher profile of the Shaolin Temple will heighten the public’s awareness to better protect the site.

“It will also make Chinese culture better understood by the world.” Shi said.

China has listed 39 world heritage sites, including 28 cultural heritage sites, seven natural heritage sites and four cultural and natural heritage sites.

A total of 32 new properties were submitted to the World Heritage List this year: six natural, 24 cultural and two mixed (both natural and cultural), including four transnational nominations.

Also in the running for a UNESCO heritage listing is the Danxia Landform, a collection of six mountain areas in southern China.

Danxia, literally means “red cloud” in Chinese, refers to the red colored sandstone that characterize the many steep cliffs of the landform’s mountains. Formed in the Mesozoic Era (about 240 to 138 million BC), Danxia is also home to rare dinosaur and plant fossils.

The Danxia Landform mountain areas nominated include Langshan and Wanfoshan (Hunan Province), Danxiashan (Guangdong Province), Taining and Guanzhoushan (Fujian Province), Long-hushan and Guifeng (Jiangxi Province), Fangyan and Jianglangshan (Zhejiang Province).

These areas “comprehensively reflect the unique natural features of China’s Danxia geomorphology, highlighting its unique ecosystem, biodiversity, and exceptional natural beauty,” according to the official UNESCO website.

"The application process is quite difficult, but Danxia has its unique value, which should be included in the world heritage list, "said Peng Hua, director of Danxia Landform and Tourism Development Research Society.

The local government has also made great efforts to protect its natural heritage, according to Huang Dawei, director of Danxiashan Park in Guangdong Province.

“We have invested 200 million yuan ($295,200) in the renovation and environmental protection, including relocating local residents to preserve the integrity of the landform,” said Jiang Maoqiu, director of Taining Danxia World Heritage Office, “With the success of inscription, we may carry out further protection work with funding from the central and provincial government.”

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China Daily’s report

Shaolin Temple recognized as world cultural heritage
08:22, August 02, 2010

The home of Chinese kungfu and Zen Buddhism, China’s Shaolin Temple is now part of humanity’s cultural heritage.

Nestled in the Mount Songshan of Central China’s Henan province, the historic architectural complex including the Shaolin Temple was added on Sunday to the UNESCO World Heritage List during a meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Brasilia, Brazil.

The new addition pushed China’s world heritage sites to 39, including 28 cultural heritage sites, seven natural heritage sites and four cultural and natural heritage sites.

UNESCO said the historical architecture complex stands out for its great aesthetic beauty and its profound cultural connotations.

The complex is composed of 11 traditional structures, including the Shaolin Temple, the Observatory, Songyang Academy, Taishi Towers and Zhongyue Temple.

With a history of more than 2,000 years, these monuments feature various architectural styles brimming with ancient Chinese culture.

They provide the world with a glimpse into ancient Chinese religion, philosophy, customs and scientific development, said Yang Huancheng, an expert of ancient architecture.

Shaolin Temple’s abbot Shi Yongxin said the UNESCO decision is a privilege, but it also adds pressure.

“For the monks, living in a world-recognized heritage site is a wonderful experience, but at the same time, our responsibility to protect the temple becomes even graver,” he said.

Shi, however, said admission prices will not rise, and the temple would try to provide better service for domestic and foreign visitors.

Shi said a higher profile for the Shaolin Temple will heighten the public’s awareness to protect the temple.

“I’m also looking forward to the addition of Shaolin kungfu into UNESCO’s intangible heritage list,” Shi added.

Local officials said they are getting prepared for more tourists from home and abroad.

“We’ve begun to organize tour guides learning to give introductions in English about the world heritage site, considering the increasing number of foreign visitors,” Zhu Jianping, a senior official of Dengfeng tourist bureau, told China Daily on Sunday.

Zeng Jianshu, a local resident, said as more tourists come, his business will undoubtedly benefit, too.

Though many people hailed the news, there were also frowns with some expressing doubts about the benefits to the area.

One netizen surnamed Mu said the arrival of more tourists might lead to an over-commercialization of the site.

“Too many tourists will destroy the tranquility and the sublime beauty of the religious constructions,” Mu said.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

Source: China Daily(By Chen Jia and Li Yuefeng)

The Xinhua article is the source, but this article has a nice pic of yesterday’s party.