Seeking solutions

Not all historical sites are as lucky as the Mogao Grottoes. In fact, most face a grim fate.

According to official statistics, around 40,000 heritage sites have disappeared in the past three decades. Excessive commercialization for tourism purposes has been one of the major causes of their demise.

As a city in northwest China, Dunhuang used to be a shining star on the renowned Silk Road, where Western and Eastern cultures first met. The city has over 240 historical relics, including passes on the Great Wall, old theaters, temples and ancient graves.

But most of these are not actual tourism sites yet, and they remain unknown to many visitors. There is not even a road for people to access these locations, which are mostly on the outskirts of the city. Tourism, in this respect, is lagging behind here.

In order to legitimize their value, commercial exploitation is no doubt the best choice. Given the general dangers these sites face, government investment is the most effective way to secure them. But this process is not an easy one.

"The biggest problem is lack of money and personnel," explains Zhao Zhiying, head of the Dunhuang Administration of Cultural Heritage.

Local government officials agree. "What local government offers cannot meet the requirements," says Zhang Xiaoliang, a city official. "Until now, many projects have relied on state investment. But it's still not enough."

Because it's in a relatively underdeveloped area in China, Dunhuang is a city still struggling to see its economy catch up to other big cities in the country.

"The tight budget of our local government can only cover basic municipal operations," explains Zhang. In such an environment, spending money on "the past" seems too great a luxury.

Zhang believes that it is time to find a way to have private funds play a part in historical preservation.

But investment is always benefit-oriented, and this may ultimately hurt sites like the Mogao Grottoes. Past mishaps can be easily found around China. Considering these factaors, the local Dunhuang government seems quite cautious.

"You have to let companies benefit from, but not hurt, the relics," says Zhang. "It's important to have strict standards for tourism development at these sites."

Yangguan Pass is situated in the southwest of Dunhuang. Thousands of years ago, it was the main gateway connecting central China and the west. Today it's a major cultural landmark similar in importance to the Great Wall of China.

But over thousands of years, the pass has been covered with desert sand. When people come, they can only see a beacon tower, merely a remnant of the pass. For those unfamiliar with the history, this is hardly an attraction, and its value has been lost to tourists until recently.

In 2000, a man named Ji Yongyuan put together plans to build a private museum next to the Yangguan Pass. It took him 10 years to get his blueprints and budget together, a period during which he consulted many scholars.

Now open, the museum is filled with historical relics related to the pass. Alongside the beacon tower, these two structures form a new tourism district. Visitors now number in the millions each year.

As a case study, Yangguan is a good example of the success that usually eludes heritage sites in China. But Zhao Zhiying says it's not an example that can be widely duplicated. The owner of the museum is a scholar from Dunhuang Academy, she notes. Not all cultural heritage projects can be lucky enough to have a man who is both rich in knowledge and money.

"We have to figure out different ways to deal with different situations," says Zhao.

In the case of another pass, the Yumenguan Pass, the Dunhuang government allowed a private company to invest in building a road linking the site to the city's downtown, to encourage more tourism. In similar cases, companies are able to share in a certain percentage of ticket revenue.

"Cooperation with companies can be a win-win strategy," notes Zhao.

Knowing the problems caused by commercialization, though, she stays alert about private capital. The bottom line, Zhao says, is that a company can invest in support facilities, but definitely nothing that involves touching any relics. "Protection is always the top priority."