The Retreat and Reection Garden in Wujiang

In the morning of February 6th, 2018, the “2018 Advanced Course on Conservation and Restoration Techniques of Traditional Architecture for the Asia and Pacific Region – Lime in Cultural Heritage Conservation and Restoration” was held in Suzhou, organized by WHITRAP Suzhou in collaboration with Tongji University’s College of Architecture and Urban Planning (CAUP).

The opening ceremony was held in Yiyuan Garden, Suzhou. Mr. Qian Yucheng, Director of WHITRAP Suzhou presided the ceremony, while Mr. Zhou Qilin, Vice Director - Suzhou Gardens and Landscaping Bureau, Mr. Chen Rongwei, Director of the Heritage Supervision Department - Suzhou Gardens and Landscaping Bureau, Ms. Zhang Jie, Director of the Lion Grove Garden Management Office, Mr. Dai Shibing, Professor of CAUP Tongji University, Mr. Segfried Gerald Ziegenbalg, Professor of Dresden Business School, Germany, Mr. Jan Válek, Doctor of the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Czech Academy of Sciences, and Ms. Gesa Schwantes, Director of Architectural Heritage Conservation Laboratory, Hong Kong University, attended the ceremony and delivered speeches.

This six-day long training course focused on the practice of using lime in cultural heritage conservation, and aimed to provide an exchange platform for national and international experts in heritage conservation to share knowledge on conservation and maintenance. The tutorial also introduced Asia and Pacific regions' experiences to improve the development of World Heritage conservation in Suzhou from an international perspective, as well as promoting the level of heritage conservation and management. In total, more than 30 professionals from Germany, Czech Republic, Italy, Malaysia and provinces in China attended the course.