The “2013 Sino-French Seminar on Rural Cultural Heritage: Protection, Transmission and Development of Community” was successfully held from 21 to 24 July in Guizhou Procince. The seminar was hosted by Culture Department of Guizhou Province, Tongji University and Heritage Branch of Ministry of Culture and Communications of France and organized together by Guizhou Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage, Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs of Guizhou Province, WHITRAP and Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine from France.

Officials from China and France made speeches at the opening ceremony, including Mr. He Li, the vice-governor of Guizhou Province, Madam Sylvie BERMANN, French ambassador to China, Mr. Guy AMSELLEM, President of Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine, Mr. Wu Jiang, the Vice-President of Tongji University and Madam Xu Ming, Director of Culture Department of Guizhou Province. Representatives, scholars and experts from French and Chinese institutes such as Heritage Branch of Ministry of Culture and Communications, Ecole de Chaillot, Musée Gadagne à Lyon, musiques traditionnelles de Rhône-Alpes (CMTRA), Association des peuples de montagne du monde (APMM), Culture Department of Guizhou Province, Guizhou Academy of Social Sciences, Guizhou Cultural Heritage Protection and Research Insitute, Peking University, Southeast University and Tongji University, discussed on the meeting topic and shared experience with each other. The sub-forum in Dimen City witnessed a round table discussion on topics like “literature and music”, “Sino-French Joint Design”, “Rural Cultural Heritage Protection and Rural Economic and Social Development in the context of Industrialization and Urbanization” etc. The organizer slotted field visits to Landde, Kongbai, Xijiang, Tangan and Dimen cities during the seminar, aiming to equip a better understanding of local tourism, community development, ecological conservation, transmission of traditional skills and heritage protection among the participants.

Upon the closing of the Seminar, an exchange programme was established between Guizhou Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage and the Heritage Branch of French Ministry of Culture and Communications for further cooperation.

It has been the 15th year since the establishment of cooperation between Tongji University and the Heritage Branch of French Ministry of Culture and Communications. The two sides also renewed the bilateral agreement to continue cooperation on cultural heritage protection in the future.