On 4th -5th July 2018, a delegation from WHITRAP, comprising of Simone Ricca, Anna-Paola Pola and Botian Liu, visited the city of Xi’an in the framework of a collaboration project with a Chinese research Institute. The team toured several heritage sites including the East Market and Daming Palace and met with local authorities.  On the 4th, the team visited the recent excavations of the Tang Dynasty East Market with Dr. Li Chunlin, the archaeologist in charge. Dr. Li showed WHITRAP the latest results of their work along with the unearthed relics. In the evening, the team dined with high-ranking local authorities who introduced the cultural features and current issues of Xi’an, and gave suggestions on several sites for future cooperation.

On the 5th, WHITRAP met with Mr. Yao Lijun, Director of Qujiang New District Administrative Committee, Xi’an, and his closest staff. Simone Ricca gave a presentation on urban conservation and development, introducing the capacities and previous experiences of WHITRAP. He suggested the need of a comprehensive cultural strategy to integrate multiple “stories” into a global “narrative”, and proposed to implement the HUL approach in Xi’an future urban planning initiatives. Following the meeting, the team toured Daming Palace accompanied by Mrs. Wu Chun, Director of Xi’an Municipal Cultural Heritage Bureau, who presented the development of this World Heritage Site and donated her publications to WHITRAP.