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Built during Shanghai's early-1900s construction boom -- which many compare to the city's current race for world skyline supremacy -- the former Nanking Theatre was Shanghai's first venue for foreign films and was one of the few buildings of its era designed by a Chinese architect. Known for its excellent acoustics, the theatre has been used as a venue for symphony orchestras since 1959.(File Photo)

Early modern Shanghai architectures and over 1,000-year-old Xumishan Grottoes in northern China were listed by the World Monuments Fund (WMF) on the 100 most endangered architectural and cultural sites in the world on Wednesday.

 

The watch list, anounced every two years by the non-profit organization based in New York City, highlights this year three critical man-made threats: political conflict, unchecked urban and industrial development, and global climate change.

 

WMF said some of the most prominent early modern structures in Shanghai have been recognized as landmarks and the threats to the buildings from the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s persist due to lack of awareness and development pressures.

 

Shanghai, China's primary economic hub, is once again experiencing a period of remarkable growth. The work of the early Chinese architects is significant historically and architecturally but lacks long-term safeguarding, WMF said.

 

The Xuminshan grottos lie on the eastern side of Mount Xumi. The grottoes were adorned with statues, wall paintings, and inscribed stelae during a 600-year period between the fourth and tenth centuries A.D. (File Photo)

As for Xumishan, a Buddhist enclave with more than 130 grottoes, the main threats are exposure to the elements, vandalism and limited resources to protect the cultural site.

 

The grottoes were adorned with statues, wall paintings, and inscribed stelae during a 600-year period between the fourth and tenth centuries A.D.

 

Although the Xumishan Grottoes have been designated a National Level Cultural Relic Protected Site in China, they face imminent danger due to natural causes, including wind and sand erosion, water damage, and earthquakes.

 

Previous emergency conservation measures, including reconstruction of some elements in concrete, also need to be reconsidered and possibly reversed.

 

China's State Bureau of Cultural Relics is eager to protect the site and hopes that placement on the 2008 Watch List will not only increase public awareness of the importance of Xumishan, but also encourage international efforts to preserve this magnificent, yet little-known site, WMF said.

 

The 2008 Watch List includes a number of sites threatened by global warming, among which are Sonargaon-Panam City, Bangladesh, Leh Old Town, Ladakh, India and New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.

 

The cultural heritage sites of Iraq are on the 2008 Watch List as a whole.

 

When asked about whether it is possible to protect the Iraqi cultural heritage during the warfare, WMF President Bonnie Burnham said she did not personally think Iraq is out of reach, and her organization was working along with the local Iraqi government on this.

 

The Bamiyan Buddhas, Afghanistan destroyed in 2001 was listed this year. Burnham's explanation was though the colossal Buddhas had gone, the remains were still a main tourist destination.

 

The leftover fragments and historic context remain endangered and their future in question, WMF said.

 

One of the most impressive sites listed this year is St. Petersburg Skyline, Russia. The low coherent city skyline untouched since the 18th Century would be irreversible changed by a proposed skyscraper.

 

WMF said recently, Gazprom, Russia's largest oil company, announced plans to build a 300-meter-high tower, known as "Gazprom-city," in the area. If the project goes forward, it could establish a dangerous precedent of inappropriate siting of tower blocks in historic towns. Furthermore, the project could jeopardize the historic city center's UNESCO World Heritage status.

 

The World Monument Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites, launched in 1996, calls international attention to cultural heritage sites around the world that are at risk because of neglect, natural disaster, armed conflict, environmental degradation and other threats.

 

For many historic sites, inclusion on the list is the best, and sometimes the only, hope for survival. So far some 75 percent of Watch sites -- from the famous and familiar to the unexpected and remote -- have been saved or are now out of danger, thanks to timely intervention.

 

This year's watch list was selected from about 200 nominations by an independent panel of international experts convened by WMF.

 

The 100 sites are from 59 countries, with the United States topping the list by eight sites.

 

Since 1996, WMF has made more than 500 grants totaling more than 47 million U.S. dollars to 214 watch sites in 74 countries. These funds have leveraged more than 124 million dollars from other sources as a result of the momentum created by inclusion of sites on the watch list.

 

WMF, founded in 1965, is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic art and architecture worldwide through fieldwork, advocacy, grant making, education, and training. It is headquartered in New York City and has offices and affiliates in Paris, London, Madrid and Lisbon.

 

 

(Xinhua News Agency June 7, 2007)