Chongqing - In July, the International Law School of Southwest University of Political Science and Law, in partnership with the Chongqing Luhai International Communication Foundation's "Land-sea Promise" project, initiated the "Chinese and Cambodian Youth: Seeking Development and Protecting Rock Carving Culture" summer social practice program—the program aimed to conduct on-site research on preserving Dazu's rock carving cultural heritage.
Chinese and Cambodian Youth took a group photo in Dazu District. (Photo/Du Jiaying)
A group of students from the International Law School of Southwest University of Political Science and Law, along with Cambodian exchange students, arrived in Dazu District, Chongqing, to conduct field research on the various rock carvings in the area.
They visited Guo Xiangying, the guardian leading the global promotion of Dazu's rock carvings, as well as other guardians of rural rock carvings. They listened to their protection stories to better contribute to preserving Dazu's rock carving cultural heritage.
The first leg for the Chinese and Cambodian youth was Guo Xiangying's home. He is the former curator of the Dazu Rock Carving Research Institute and the guardian of Dazu's rock carvings, who played a crucial role in applying Dazu's inscription as a World Heritage Site. From his experience protecting carvings on Beishan Mountain, Guo Xiangying shared his story of how he became connected with Dazu's rock carvings and the process of applying for World Heritage status. Emphasizing the importance of cultural relic preservation, he highlighted the need to maintain confidence in national culture and strengthen international cultural exchanges.
Chinese and Cambodian Youth, along with Guo Xiangying, engage in reading historical photos of receiving foreign guests in the last century (Photo/Chongqing Luhai International Communication Foundation)
Cambodian youth representative Huang Jinhui introduced Cambodia's World Heritage Site, Angkor Wat, to Guo Xiangying. Guo Xiangying then mentioned that Angkor Wat and Dazu's rock carvings were contemporary rock carving arts. He shared the story of Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia visiting Dazu's rock carvings in 1987. The experiences and insights of Guo Xiangying on cultural relic preservation, cultural confidence, and international exchanges greatly benefited the young participants.
Hu Dengyao, the head of the Security Center at the Dazu Rock Carving Research Institute, has been involved in preserving cultural relics for 20 years. He briefly introduced the current guardians of rural rock carvings in Dazu.
"More than 70 people are primarily responsible for daily safety inspections and environmental cleaning. As voluntary cultural heritage officers, these guardians silently protect the scattered rock carvings in the countryside out of their love for Dazu's rock carving culture."
Next, the Chinese and Cambodian youth visited Jiang Chaobing, an elderly resident of Dazu who is also a guardian of rock carvings in the Yingpanpo rural area. Jiang Chaobing explained that he was responsible for conducting daily inspections, eliminating safety hazards near the rock carvings, and protecting this area.
Interview with Jiang Chaobing(center), guardian of rock carvings in Yingpanpo. (Photo/Du Jiaying)
After bidding farewell to Jiang Chaobing, the group walked through winding rural paths to the Buddha Ear rock carvings hidden among trees. They visited Rao Longquan, the guardian of this site. Rao Longquan introduced the weathering conditions of the Buddha Ear rock carvings and the government's efforts to protect them by constructing shelters to shield them from wind and rain. He observes the surrounding environment, cleans the area, and prevents the carvings from being damaged daily.
To express their gratitude and admiration for the guardians' dedicated efforts in preserving the rock carving culture, the young participants prepared and presented care packages to them.
The Chinese and Cambodian youth also visited the Dazu Rock Carving "Hospital" and the Cultural Heritage Protection Center of the Chongqing People's Procuratorate for on-site research. Liu Xiaoyu, a Rock Carving "Hospital teacher," provided the young participants with insights into restoring cultural relics. He mentioned that the young participants had established a more vital friendship bridge through this joint exploration of the development and cultural exchanges between China and Cambodia.
Liu Xiaoyu introduces knowledge on cultural relic restoration. (Photo/Du Jiaying)
He Liang from the Procuratorate of Dazu District introduced the exploration and implementation of judicial protection of cultural heritage by the Chongqing procuratorial authorities based on higher-level decisions and deployments.
He said, "By publicizing public interest litigation cases related to cultural relic protection, the procuratorate aims to achieve the effect of handling one case and managing one area." Furthermore, the procuratorate regularly invites experts in cultural relic protection to participate in the case process by providing professional guidance.
Through this collaborative exploration of cultural heritage protection in Chongqing, Chinese, and Cambodian youth have facilitated friendly exchanges between the two countries regarding public welfare and culture. Additionally, the youth demonstrated the significant achievements in rock carving preservation accomplished through the combined efforts of the government, judiciary, social organizations, and the local community.