Letters | China needs a law that protects its cultural heritage from climate change

Readers discuss the revision of China’s Cultural Relics Protection Law, navigating Hong Kong’s Covid-19 vaccine booking site, replacing taxis with new transport modes and peak interest rates

Climate change

Letters

Published: 11:30am, 17 Dec 2023

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The revision of China’s Cultural Relics Protection Law, a key piece of legislation in cultural heritage protection since its initial enactment in 1982, has completed its public consultation phase. This revision is crucial, and it is imperative climate change impact on cultural relic preservation should guide the legal amendments.

A UN report in 2016 highlighted climate change as a major threat to world heritage. The increasing frequency of extreme weather events can cause significant damage to cultural relics, especially those in natural environments. Long-term climatic shifts are altering the preservation conditions for these relics, hastening deterioration.

In recent years, China has seen significant climate-related damage to immovable tangible cultural heritage. Examples include the flooding in 2020 that damaged over 130 cultural sites, including the Zhenhai bridge in Huangshan, Anhui province, which dates back 500 years to the Ming dynasty. Medium- and low-level relics are particularly vulnerable because of limited funds and manpower.

Beyond extreme weather, climate change also brings gradual impact such as erosion, sedimentation and temperature and humidity changes, which accelerate the degradation of artefacts. This was highlighted in a Greenpeace report this year on the famous grotto wall paintings in Gansu province, where climate change-induced changes in temperature and humidity have led to deterioration of the artefacts.

But while sites such as the Mogao Caves have the resources to combat climate threats, many relics lack adequate support. The lack of funding is just one of the challenges faced by those seeking protection for the over 700,000 lesser-known relics in China.

International recognition of climate change as a significant threat to world heritage underscores the urgency of this issue. The 2023 Dazu Declaration, which advocates for comprehensive conservation of grotto temples in the face of climate change, should serve as a model for national efforts.

The revised Cultural Relics Protection Law should integrate climate change considerations, drawing from China’s 14th five-year plan and the Dazu Declaration. This involves expanding the scope to include more types of relics and enhancing China’s strategies to address climate change impacts on cultural heritage.

It’s vital for the revised law to provide a forward-looking, preventive legal framework, ensuring the protection of China’s cultural heritage against the burgeoning threat of climate change.

Jady Liu, international communications officer, and Li Zhao, researcher, Greenpeace East Asia

Make Covid vaccine booking easier for the elderly

I refer to the article, “Elderly Hongkongers can apply for Covid XBB jabs starting on Wednesday, new batch to arrive ‘soon’” (December 12).

In response to the government’s call for senior citizens like myself to get vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus variant, I tried on Wednesday to book a slot online but failed to do so despite repeated attempts.

While I understand many other people were probably also trying to get an online booking, I don’t know why the system does not indicate the specific reason for failure, only listing the possible reasons. My unsuccessful booking could be because of an erroneous data input or because the booking quota was full. Naturally I tried again and again, not knowing if I filled in the data correctly.

In addition, the booking system required too much information, such as my birthdate and the date of my last shot, all of which should already be captured in the government’s database.

The system should be refined to specify the reason for failure. And if the quota is full, the system should indicate when one could try again.

P.K. Chiu, Kowloon City

Like it or not, Hong Kong taxis must yield to change

I refer to the letter, “Revamp Hong Kong’s taxi operations” (December 11).

The taxi service here has been appalling for years. Malpractices such as overcharging passengers, especially in inclement weather, refusing hire and not using the most direct route to the destination are commonplace. To make matters worse, taxis these days appear prone to having accidents.

Without any competition, our taxi service will only be get worse. Poor service is why Uber is popular and has been able to survive. Why do we need to put up with poor taxi service?

With self-driving taxis on the way to more widespread use, our taxi fleet will surely become even more outdated. I thus cannot agree more with your correspondent that outdated taxi operations should be phased out, so that more modern transport modes can be introduced to suit our changing world.

Last but not least, it’s worth pointing out that taxi drivers are ageing quickly because the younger generations simply don’t want to join this industry. It’s time for real change.

Ringo Yee, Tuen Mun

Peak interest rate means it’s time again to buy

As interest rates look to have peaked in the United States, this could be the bottom for the Hong Kong property prices as demand will pick up when borrowing rates fall. For property investors, now is the time to take advantage of lower stamp duties and property prices.

We all know that eventually demand will rise, and so will prices. This will make Hong Kong property unaffordable again. Commercial property and carparks look most promising to buy right now.

Rishi Teckchandani, Mid-Levels

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