June 10thof this year is China's first Cultural Heritage Day, with the theme of "Protecting cultural heritage, safeguard spiritual hometown". The World Heritage International Academic Seminar 2006 was held in Tongji from June 8thto 10th. Attendants included Mr. Giovanni BOCCADRI, President of UNESCO World Heritage Center East Asia and Pacific, Tian Xiaogang, general secretary of UNESCO China National Commission, Guo Zhan, deputy director of National Administration of Cultural Heritage(NACH), Mounir BOUCHENAKI, director general of ICCROM (International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage),YAMAMOTO Tadanao, director of UNESCO Asia Pacific Cultural Center Office of Cultural Heritage Preservation Cooperation, Wang Jinghui, director of Academic Committee of Historic Cities of China Urban Planning Society, leaders from Department of Urban Construction of Ministry of Construction, UNESCO China National Commission, Shanghai Bureau of Urban Planning, Bureau of Cultural Management, Bureau of Real Estate.
Hundreds of officers and experts in heritage preservation from all around the world took part in the meeting and held communications, covering all aspects like "sustainable world heritage sites", "China's cultural heritage preservation", "cultural heritage preservation in Vietnam", as well as "endangered world heritage: theory and practice", "normal heritage: reflection and perspective", "protecting live heritage: take Langbora as an example", "Versailles: castle and garden, city and plain".
It is said that China will have established a primarily complete system for cultural heritage preservation till 2010, a comparatively complete system till 2015, when consciousness of cultural heritage has been deepened into people's heart.
Tongji standing vice president Li Yonghsheng attended the opening ceremony and conferred the certificate of honorary professor to Mr. Mounir BOUCHENAKI.
