VISIT CHINA !

When you open your April issue of UN Special and read this article, you will either have visited or missed the superb Photographic Art Exhibition of World Heritage in China which was held in the Salle des Pas Perdus from 13 to 28 March 2002.

The Exhibition was sponsored by the Chinese Photographers Association and was held in the context of the thirtieth anniversary of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Since China signed the Convention in 1985, 28 cultural and natural sites in mainland China have been included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The photos that you may have seen were photos of these sites taken by hundreds of Chinese photographers, professionals and amateurs alike. Out of a total of 1000 photos, 400 were selected for the exhibition in the Palais. Although the Salle des Pas Perdus was a good choice of venue, only 250 photos could be shown. It is unfortunate that we could not see them all, given the tremendous efforts made to bring them here from so far away. Nevertheless, we are fortunate and privileged to have been able to visit all these wonders in one place and at our leisure. I have never actually lost my “footsteps” in this huge Salle des Pas Perdus, though I often get lost in UN documents. However, had I not been worried about my quota, I would certainly have lost myself in these 28 sites which encapsulate the Chinese civilization.

The Chinese saying goes: “Obtain information and knowledge from mountains and rivers”, but nowadays we have no time to go to mountains or rivers, as we all are too busy trying to do more with less. Therefore it’s very economic and efficient to travel through these towering mountains, great rivers and historical sites just by walking through one big hall.

When Confucius said: “the learned are fond of rivers, and the kind-hearted fond of mountains, whereas the former are active and the latter tranquil,” he was trying to express his concept of how to become knowledgeable and tolerant—by admiring nature. In this sense, an exhibition like this could perhaps be a good substitute for some of the management training courses and retreats. But then of course the Organization would encounter an even bigger problem—what to do with those huge amounts of money set aside to pay the consultants. Alas, while the exhibition is over, consultants are still with us and as handsomely paid as ever.

Another thing that was most appreciated and welcomed at the preview and during the exhibition was the small red tasselled knots—Chinese Tasselled Knots as the Chinese photographers call it (see photo). According to them, this little red thing symbolizes happiness, fortune, unity and friendship. That sounds a bit too much to me—so many good things concentrated in one little tasselled ornament. But who knows? After all it fits the UN context very well, as many are often asked to perform multiple-functions at the same time. Anyway one connotation of the spirits of this little red tasselled knots that I like is “unity”. From a worldwide perspective, this is desperately needed in the Middle East and elsewhere. From a more limited perspective, some of the staff representatives on the UNOG Coordinating Council are in dire need of it too.

At the opening ceremony, the Chinese Ambassador quoted a Chinese proverb: “It’s better to see something personally once than hear about it a hundred times.” No matter how excellent the exhibition was, it would be better still for you to visit these 28 sites personally. So after this wonderful exhibition, why not
VISIT CHINA !