What is the significance of protecting endangered cultural heritage?

For a long time, the protection of cultural heritage has been neglected by everyone. Over the years, great changes have taken place in the cultural ecology of China. In the process of economic development, many cultural heritages and ancient buildings have disappeared consciously or unconsciously. Due to non-renewability, many material heritages bearing great historical and cultural values have left us forever. Since 1950s, many cities in China have started new construction. Due to the lack of understanding of the value and function of historical and cultural heritage, the historical ancient city has been devastated. Since 1980s, there has been a new upsurge of construction. Many large-scale construction activities in the old cities of large and medium-sized cities have destroyed many traditional historical areas, and many old cities have lost their original features while "changing their old looks". However, the contempt of ideas, the lack of financial support and the imperfection of institutional norms make the protection of cultural heritage more difficult.

The lag between traditional culture and culture and the confusion of old culture directly lead to people's ineffective protection of historical and cultural heritage. In some people's view, to update, we must break the old and establish new ones, and we must cut the gordian knot and let go of our hands and feet. One-sided pursuit of economic construction and neglect of cultural construction and historical and cultural protection have resulted in more high-rise buildings and tourism development devouring many historical buildings and destroying the features of many historical cities. This will not only sweep away the cultural relics, original customs and urban features, but also cut off the historical context of society. Moreover, in the long run, it will bring about the weakening of a national culture.

The foundation of a national culture and the inheritance of a spiritual civilization all need carriers. Long-standing culture is carried on thousands of years of cultural heritage, such as customs, traditional performing arts, ancient sites, ancient buildings and so on. Taking architecture as an example, modern buildings mostly use reinforced concrete, which has poor seismic performance, while ancient buildings in China are mostly wood structures, which make them have stronger seismic performance. Behind this architectural style is China's traditional cultural concept of "combining rigidity with softness". For example, Old Town of Lijiang was basically intact after the earthquake of magnitude 7, and was later named as a World Heritage Site. Another example is the old house and block of Huoshan Road in Hongkou District, Shanghai, which is the historical block of Shanghai 12 and the witness of the friendship between China people and Jewish people. This place has been protected, and people all over the world will gradually know that when German fascists brutally slaughtered Jews, when many countries refused to accept Jewish refugees who fled in all directions, the people of China, ravaged by Japanese imperialism, also accepted more than 30,000 Jews in a friendly way. On the contrary, if the carrier carrying historical information dies, the historical culture it carries will inevitably be diluted or die.

The significance of preserving cultural heritage is also related to the future. To understand cultural heritage, we must understand the profound historical and cultural meaning behind it and cultivate new modern culture on the basis of tradition. This "new" culture, which germinates on the basis of historical and cultural traditions, has more foundation, more inside information, more characteristics and more vitality. Social civilization needs metabolism, but renewal cannot abandon history, but develops on the basis of history and breeds new things from the old environment.

Protection and development are a pair of insoluble contradictions, but they are not a pair of insoluble contradictions. Inheriting development, historical traditions and modernization requirements are all human needs. Wealth should include cultural wealth. The key to in-depth protection of cultural heritage is to let all sectors of society better appreciate and recognize its value. The value of history and culture also contains great wealth.

The above is the reply of the netizen "ghm265 1", and the following is the original link.

Since I am answering your question, I must express my opinion. I think these are just some high-sounding rhetoric. I think there are two ways to answer your question. One is to deny your proposition, which is completely meaningless. The other is that the protection of endangered cultural heritage is just a show, which has certain significance, but it is of little significance anyway.

Why is it completely meaningless to deny your claim to protect endangered heritage? First, just like the extinction of dinosaurs, this is a natural law and natural selection is inevitable. Since it is something that has been eliminated, it is useless to protect it. Everyone knows that mud can't help the wall (my following statement only applies to our country, please understand my intention). Second, the purpose of protecting cultural heritage is. This is even more meaningless. We have many ways to make money, and we can run many English remedial classes, such as GRE, TOEFL and IELTS. There is no need to worry about a few clay sculptures in those deep valleys. In addition, it can also be suggested that Chinese should be abolished, directly in line with international standards and completely westernized. Chinese characters are the last spiritual pillar of China people and the last and only proof of China people. Therefore, those stubborn conservatives must obey unconditionally and must not interfere with socialist construction. Third, it takes time to distinguish which belong to cultural heritage, which need to be protected, which are endangered, which can be ignored, which are endangered and which need to be repaired later. So, it's time-consuming, so let's grab something to eat. For example, burial is backward. Here's a big joke. How many cultures are there in burial? How many people know about this now and then take the initiative to eliminate it? No wonder the tombs of the ancient emperor Laozi were dug up. It turns out that they have adopted backward burial methods, complicated etiquette, land occupation and superstitious concepts. How sad! In fact, I really want to ask many friends, how much of our history is dug out of the soil, and why today's burial is a stereotype? Anyway, I don't understand (I personally don't like burial or cremation, etc. ), and I don't think any friends can convince me.

Sorry, I have something to do. I'll pick it up when I'm free.