by Silvia Torriti

In just 40 years since joining UNESCO, the People's Republic already ranks first in terms of the number of “intangible cultural heritage” sites, with 60 recognised sites. Hundreds of new museums open every year across the country, and in 2024 alone, 179,000 new operators were hired. Chinese “confidence in culture” is a cornerstone of Xi Jinping's soft power. And with the United States' withdrawal from UNESCO, its influence on global cultural policies is set to grow even further.

Milan (AsiaNews) - Forty years ago, China acceded to the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

In an interview with the Chinese news agency Xinhua at the end of November, Irina Bokova, former director-general of UNESCO, recalled this important anniversary, praising the results achieved by the Dragon in protecting its heritage.

For Bukova, China is the most obvious example of how a country can embrace modernity while remaining deeply rooted in its history and culture.

China currently ranks first in the world in terms of the number of “intangible cultural heritage” sites recognised by UNESCO, which have reached 44, and second in terms of the number of tangible heritage sites, with 60. The latest addition, the Central Axis of Beijing - the 7.8-kilometre-long spine that divides the capital from north to south - was added to the World Heritage List just a year ago.

Interest in preserving China's cultural heritage became a priority with the rise to power of President Xi Jinping in 2012. In the first ten years of his term, more than 100 billion yuan (£14 billion) has been allocated to cultural heritage protection, the number of national priority cultural sites has more than doubled, and additional Chinese sites have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. In addition, investment in museum infrastructure has increased, particularly in second- and third-tier cities. In 2022, 382 museums were built, 268 in 2023 and 213 last year, bringing the total to 7,046.

At the same time, the conditions for preserving artefacts have also improved and public services in areas of tourist interest have been expanded to make them more accessible and enjoyable for visitors.

In order to address the shortage of qualified personnel to care for the expanding museum collections, in 2022 the Chinese National Cultural Heritage Administration issued a directive calling on universities to increase enrolment in archaeology programmes and diversify related academic offerings.

As a result, Chinese cultural heritage institutions were able to hire 179,000 people last year, 21% more than ten years ago. Thanks to intense diplomatic efforts, China is also gradually recovering many of the artefacts that were stolen during colonial raids and looting, especially since the mid-19th century.

Behind this renewed focus on protecting Chinese cultural assets, however, lies a very specific political agenda. As Xi himself has pointed out on several occasions, promoting national heritage is essential to strengthening Chinese “confidence [in culture]” (wenhua zixin).

This concept is based on the belief that Chinese values, history and cultural traditions are on a par with, if not superior to, those of other countries. Therefore, they are not only a source of national pride, but above all an instrument of soft power.

In other words, China intends to use its cultural tradition, making it more attractive, to exert influence on a global level. In addition to opening and preserving sites of tourist interest, this is also achieved through the dissemination of video games, films and TV series.

This is the case, for example, with the action role-playing game Black Myth: Wukong and the animated film Ne Zha 2: Rise of the Fire Warrior, both inspired by ancient Chinese mythology, which have enjoyed global success.

As Li Qingyun, a professor at the Institute of Marxism at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, argues, "with the growth of the Chinese economy and the expansion of its role on the international stage, global interest in Chinese culture and philosophy is growing.

By opening up the treasure trove of its historical sites, classical literature and rich artistic traditions, China offers the world different ways of understanding its civilisation. We expect that more Chinese cultural elements will gain worldwide recognition and contribute positively to international cultural exchange."

In this context, it is clear that the Chinese government considers UNESCO to be fundamental to asserting its culture and its narrative of history on the world stage. Observers are convinced that China will take advantage of the United States' withdrawal from UNESCO, announced last July by President Trump, to further strengthen its influence within the organisation.

‘UNESCO is a battleground for power and cultural and intellectual influence,’ commented David Killion, former ambassador to the cultural agency under President Barack Obama, adding that with the US stepping back, ‘we are ceding soft power to a large, expansionist and authoritarian power.’

For its part, the Chinese embassy in Washington immediately sought to allay these fears, pointing out that international organisations ‘are not arenas for geopolitical games’ and that ‘China never intends to challenge or replace the United States’. It therefore hopes that ‘all parties can objectively see China's positive role in UNESCO’.

For its part, UNESCO has stated that although China will soon become the main donor, it is under-represented in the agency's staff. ‘We are not in a position to comment on the diplomatic strategy of one member state or another,’ a spokeswoman for the organisation said in a statement.

Despite these reassurances, concerns remain that Beijing may take advantage of its status within the agency to take controversial actions to the detriment of human rights and democracy.

Emblematic in this sense is the case involving Abduweli Ayup, a linguist belonging to the Uyghur ethnic group, which has been persecuted by Beijing for years. Ayup had his invitation to speak at a UNESCO conference on indigenous languages, held last February in Paris, abruptly revoked. The organisers feared that his speech could offend the executives of Talkmate, a Chinese Mandarin language learning company and one of the main sponsors of the event.

RED LANTERNS IS THE ASIANEWS NEWSLETTER DEDICATED TO CHINA. WOULD YOU LIKE TO RECEIVE IT EVERY THURSDAY? TO SUBSCRIBE, CLICK HERE.