Research On Nepal Heritage Conservation Management With Multi-parties Participation

As one of the universal tools for international heritage conservation,"World Heritage" has attracted the participation of nearly two hundred countries for decades,and has promoted world peace and intercultural dialogue as a cultural symbol.However,for the Asia-Pacific region,the concept of "World Heritage" originated in the West is a foreign concept,and its protection concept,system,method,etc.will inevitably differ from the local practice.The conflict between foreign concepts and local habitude is an international issue with great attention in recent years.The external influence is particularly prominent in Nepal.In addition to the protection of the World Heritage by UNESCO,Nepal has also been influenced by British India and the organizations of other countries.On the one hand,this kind of influence has prompted Nepal to establish the modern heritage conservation management system.On the other hand,it also has contradictions and conflicts with traditional local practices to a certain extent.The characteristic of the joint participation of multiple international and local protection agencies has been formed.Take Bhaktapur as an example,the city where one of the seven historical ensembles of the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal in the World Heritage List is located.Its heritage conservation management system is applicable to not only World Heritage but also other heritages.Therefore,through literature analysis,field surveys,and interviews,this research is centered on Bhaktapur.The establishment of the modern state of Nepal and the heritage conservation system as the background,this research is to comb the development process of the World Heritage protection and its possible impact;to explore the characteristics of Nepal’s heritage conservation management system under the interweaving and confrontation of local practices and external influences,and to discuss the advantages,problems,and challenges of Bhaktapur’s conservation models compared to other cities in Nepal.This research points out that the establishment of the early Nepal heritage conservation management system was influenced by British India,mainly reflected in the early law formulation,conservation system,and restoration concept.The guidance and recommendations of UNESCO and other international organizations have further improved the management system.But these international organizations are affected by international heritage conservation concept in different periods.Complex changes have taken place in the concept and attitude of international organizations towards heritage conservation of Kathmandu Valley.Specifically,local management and conservation methods is gradually recognized,and the specific characteristics of the living heritages is gradually regarded as part of its Outstanding Universal Value,Authenticity,and Integrity.At the local level,Bhaktapur is further influenced by the Bhaktapur Development Project of the German government.Based on the Project,Bhaktapur Municipality put forward the "Cultural City" as a development policy,which regards the heritage conservation as a priority,and the "Users` Committee" system is the conservation management system that combines government agencies and local communities.In specific conservation activities,the Department of Archaeology and the traditional Guthi system are also involved.However,the above protection agencies and organizations are more focused on public buildings.Due to historical reasons and the complexity of property rights,the protection of private houses has formed a complicated situation in which multiple stakeholders participate.This research discusses the heritage conservation management model of Bhaktapur and puts it in the context of the World Heritage Conservation Movement and Nepal’s heritage conservation development.It will help to explore the characteristics and future development of Nepal’s heritage conservation itself and deepen the discussion of how to establish an effective heritage conservation management mechanism in the confrontation,negotiation,and adjustment of multiparty concepts and interests moreover.This attempt is of universal significance to the Asia-Pacific region and based on the cultural diversity of the world to promote the international heritage conservation movement better.The text contains about 85,000 words and 59 charts and pictures.