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Celebrating Youth鈥檚 Power in Safeguarding Traditional Building Skills
In the heart of Suzhou's rich tapestry of culture and history, the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, Suzhou Municipal Administrative Bureau of Gardens and Landscaping, and UNESCO Category 2 Center World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and the Pacific Region (Suzhou), organized the "Youth and Traditional Building Skills Symposium," a two-day event that spotlighted the dynamic interplay between youth empowerment and the preservation of traditional building skills.
The symposium was a testament to the commitment of UNESCO and its partners to fostering the next generation's role in safeguarding cultural heritage. It was a gathering of over 120 dedicated participants, including international experts, artisans, policymakers, and the vibrant youth, who shared insights and experiences across a spectrum of critical topics. The symposium also marked the celebration of World Youth Skills Day on 15 July, which was inaugurated by the United Nations 10 years ago.
The symposium was opened by Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director and Representative of UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, who emphasized the importance of collective action in ensuring that "these invaluable cultural treasures continue to thrive, offering meaningful opportunities for the youth of today and tomorrow". Vice Mayor of Suzhou, Mr. Shi Jiahong, highlighted the relevance of the symposium to the Suzhou current ambitions and future visions to put cultural heritage at the center of development. Mr. Qin Changwei, Secretary General of Chinese National Commission for UNESCO reminded the audience of the Suzhou Declaration on Enhancing Youth Education on World Heritage Protection that was launched at the 28th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2004 in Suzhou.
Esteemed speakers from 15 countries joined the symposium, each bringing a wealth of knowledge and a global perspective to the discussions. Youth from various provinces and cities in China, including Suzhou, Hangzhou, Quanzhou, Gansu, and Hong Kong SAR, joined the symposium to celebrate their role as inheritors, innovators, and transformers of cultural heritage and stressed the importance to amplify their voices in the decision-making process as well as situated their position in the center of all actions.
The symposium reflected on several important topics through different panels. The expert presentations and discussions highlighted the importance of integrating traditional building skills into formal educational curricula while continuing community-based programs, developing apprenticeship schemes linking to the market, and using cultural institutions such as museums and heritage sites as space of learning. The discussion also explored the strategies to promote economic benefits through tourism and revenue from restored buildings, enhancing the supply chain for crafts and traditional architecture, while emphasizing the importance of community-centered, sustainable, and demand-driven approaches, along with incentives for the private sector to support traditional skills.
The symposium underscored the need for innovation to engage young people, as well as the importance of creating hands-on opportunities and spaces for them to express their creativity and interest in heritage preservation. It also emphasized the role of policy frameworks in creating an enabling environment for the preservation and promotion of traditional skills, and the need for strengthening cross-sectoral collaboration and public-private partnership to address the topic in a comprehensive manner.
A pivotal component of the symposium was the field visit, allowing participants to immerse themselves in the architectural splendor of Suzhou. The visits to the city's renowned gardens and the "Xiangshan Bang" architectural sites were experiential lessons on the practical applications of traditional building skills in a modern context.
On the margin of the symposium, Prof. Shahbaz Khan also held a meeting with the Party Secretary of the Suzhou CPC to discuss the future of the collaboration of between UNESCO and the city. As a UNESCO Creative City of 鈥淐rafts and Folk Art鈥, UNESCO Learning City, hosting 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and a city renowned to the public as a "Living Museum of Cultural Heritage", Suzhou can serve as a great platform for exchanges of cultural values and traditional techniques across the countries. The two parties are committed to strengthen future exchanges and cooperation in cultural heritage protection, traditional skills development, science and technology and innovation, and youth empowerment, while showcasing Suzhou鈥檚 good practices in preserving and promoting cultural heritage at the international level.
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