The opening ceremony of the 1st International Workshop on Space Technologies for World Heritage was

On 09 October the opening ceremony of the 1st International Workshop on Space Technologies for World Heritage was held in Beijing. 20 participants from 15 Asian developing countries including Iran, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, DPRK and so on were present. They are policy-makers, site managers or researchers of cultural and natural world heritage and will attend the Workshop in Beijing for a period of 20 days. The workshop is sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and co-hosted by the International Centre on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage(HIST) under the Auspices of UNESCO and the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR). 

HIST Deputy Director and Secretary-General Hong Tianhua chaired the opening ceremony. Prof. Guo Huadong, Director of AIR and HIST, warmly welcomed the arrival of the participants. He briefed them on the application of space technologies in the management and conservation of World Heritage sites and the research facilities in AIR. He also expressed his best wishes to them for a fruitful training and a pleasant stay in Beijing. Prof. Cao Jinghua, Deputy Director-General of CAS Bureau of International Cooperation, highly appreciated HIST in organizing the workshop and would be willing to provide even more support to the activities of HIST in the future. At the same time, he gave a brief description on CAS international cooperation programs. Dr. Guan Qiang, Director-General of the Dept. of Cultural World Heritage of China State Administration of Cultural Heritage, firstly conveyed his congratulations to the successful organization of the Workshop. He then introduced the achievements that have been made by China in the conservation and management of World Heritageand expressed his wish to initiate cooperation with the other Asian countries. HIST Deputy Director Wang Xinyuan made a presentation on HIST and AIR.

Mr. Hong Tianhua Chairs the Opening Ceremony

HIST Deputy Director and Secretary-General Hong Tianhua chaired the opening ceremony. Prof. Guo Huadong, Director of AIR and HIST, warmly welcomed the arrival of the participants. He briefed them on the application of space technologies in the management and conservation of World Heritage sites and the research facilities in AIR. He also expressed his best wishes to them for a fruitful training and a pleasant stay in Beijing. Prof. Cao Jinghua, Deputy Director-General of CAS Bureau of International Cooperation, highly appreciated HIST in organizing the workshop and would be willing to provide even more support to the activities of HIST in the future. At the same time, he gave a brief description on CAS international cooperation programs. Dr. Guan Qiang, Director-General of the Dept. of Cultural World Heritage of China State Administration of Cultural Heritage, firstly conveyed his congratulations to the successful organization of the Workshop. He then introduced the achievements that have been made by China in the conservation and management of World Heritageand expressed his wish to initiate cooperation with the other Asian countries. HIST Deputy Director Wang Xinyuan made a presentation on HIST and AIR.

Division Director Zuo Xiaoping of the Dept. of Urban Construction, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of China, HIST Deputy Director Wang Changlin, HIST Deputy Secretary-General Liu Jie, and some other researchers and staff also attended the the opening ceremony.