China's Agricultural Heritage Sites Gain Popularity at Milan Expo
Our website news Over the past few days, the exhibition of China's Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) at the 2015 Milan World Expo has attracted widespread attention. The melodious Grand Song of the Dong ethnic group from Guizhou and the graceful Qingtian Fish Lantern Dance from Zhejiang became a bright highlight of the China Pavilion Day at the Milan Expo, and the "Hani Ancient Songs" from the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces System in Yunnan became the only resident performance program selected by the China Pavilion during the Expo.
The theme of the 2015 Milan World Expo is “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”, focusing mainly on the two major fields of agriculture and food security, exploring how, in harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, to provide the world with sufficient, high-quality, healthy and sustainably developed food security. The theme of the China National Pavilion is “Fields of Hope, Source of Life”, systematically displaying our agriculture's “unity of heaven and humanity” sustainable philosophy and traditional culture.
The theme of this Expo is highly consistent with the concept of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems initiative launched by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The GIAHS project aims to promote the dynamic conservation and adaptive management of agricultural heritage systems and the biodiversity, beautiful landscapes, traditional knowledge and culture they contain, and to promote global food security, sustainable agricultural development and increased farmers' incomes. As of May 2015, FAO had selected a total of 32 GIAHS in 14 countries. China is one of the important participating countries in GIAHS work. From 2005 to the present, the Ministry of Agriculture has successively promoted the inclusion of 11 outstanding traditional Chinese agricultural systems in GIAHS, including the “Zhejiang Qingtian Rice-Fish Symbiosis System” and the “Guizhou Congjiang Rice-Fish-Duck System”, and has launched the recognition and protection of National Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (NIAHS). The project has produced good social, ecological and economic benefits in China, and FAO has repeatedly praised China as a “leader” in agricultural heritage protection work.
This China Pavilion Day agricultural heritage publicity and exhibition activity was commissioned by the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture, organized and held by the International Exchange and Service Center of the Ministry of Agriculture, and received strong support from the Guizhou Provincial Agricultural Committee, the People's Government of Congjiang County, the People's Government of Qingtian County, and the General Association of Overseas Chinese in the Venice Region of Italy.