Many of China’s ancient buildings were in danger of being destroyed before Lin Huiyin and Liang Sicheng started to document them in the 1930s. The husband and wife team were among the first people to work on preserving these buildings in China, and they are also the most well-known. Their efforts have inspired generations of people to speak out for architecture that is threatened by rapid development.

Becoming China’s best architectural historians was not an easy task. The buildings they wanted to save were centuries old and often located in distant parts of the country. In many cases, they had to travel through dangerous areas in the Chinese countryside to reach them. During the 1930s, exploring remote areas in China meant traveling on muddy, poorly maintained roads by mule or on foot. Inns(客栈) were often dirty, food could be polluted, and there was always a risk of violence from rebels, soldiers, and robbers.

Their greatest discovery was the Temple of Buddha’s Light in Wutai County, Shanxi Province. The breathtaking wooden temple was rebuilt in 857 A. D. , making it the oldest building known in China at the time.

Liang and Lin crawled into the temple’s most forbidding, forgotten areas to determine its age. One area they explored was inhabited by thousands of bats and millions of bedbugs, covered in dust and littered with dead bats. “In complete darkness and among awful smell, hardly breathing, with thick masks covering our noses and mouths, we measured, drew, and took pictures with flashlights for several hours. When we finally came out to take a breath of fresh air, we found hundreds of bedbugs in our bag. We ourselves had been badly bitten. However, the importance and unexpectedness of our find made those hours the happiest of my years hunting for ancient architecture.” Liang wrote about this experience in a book called “Liang and Lin: Partners in Exploring China’s Architectural Past”.

Cultural heritage is a symbol of the history, traditions and culture of a country, but through various causes like wars and natural disasters, there are many properties of precious tangible and intangible cultural heritage which are currently placed at risk. International cooperation to protect cultural heritage not only shows respect for the cultures of others, but also creates a stable foundation for the international community. Accordingly, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been concentrating on that as one of the pillars its diplomatic (外交的) policy.

For tangible cultural heritage, Japan is taking part in the international system of protection established through the World Heritage Convention. It has also been donating money for the protection of the historic ruins and buildings in various countries through the Japanese Funds-in-Trust for the Preservation of the World Cultural Heritage set up through UNESCO, and by employing the excellent repair skills developed in Japan.

For intangible cultural heritage, Japan began well-developed domestic efforts for their protection with the establishment of the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties in 1950, far ahead of other countries. Since then, it has been using the knowledge that it gained through that experience to take a leading role in the creation and enforcement of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the. Intangible Cultural Heritage. In addition, Japan has also been financially supporting the conservation of traditional dances, music, and craftsmanship in various countries through the Japanese Funds-in-Trust.

Cultural diplomacy may take a long time to yield results. Nevertheless, Japan believes the support for the cultural heritage is the pride of people in a nation which touches the hearts of people directly. This kind of aid does not stop with just material but also conveys Japan’s knowledge, skills and heart, which can bring about a great long-term benefit.

When a fire broke out at Notre Dame Cathedral (巴黎圣母院) in April 2019, people across the globe watched in despair as smoke rose from one of the world's most famous buildings. 【小题1】Several museums, palaces and other cathedrals have been damaged or destroyed by fire. Without proper protection measures, fires will continue to destroy them.【小题2】

Recognize the challenge of protecting cultural buildings.

Often built decades or centuries ago, many cultural buildings are constructed with flammable (易燃的) materials and the articles within them are also composed of such materials. 【小题3】 Thus many modern fire protection measures are viewed as damage. The absence of these measures planted seeds of ruin.

Find out proper protection methods.

These buildings and their contents are very sensitive to smoke, humidity and dust. They require specialized methods that could cause little damage. Meanwhile, some stone structures, which trap heat and smoke, make it difficult for firefighters to get to the source of the flame.【小题4】One of them is fire compartmentation (防火分区). It uses fire wall barriers to help limit the spread of fire, which will protect the buildings from burning without damaging them.

【小题5】

Some countries have installed fire protection equipment but can't take action soon enough. Given this, the Brazilian government completed a project to adopt advanced electrical waning system and to inform firefighters of fires in no time, which would urge them to take immediate action to stop the fire spreading.