Kuching, Malaysia – October 26, 2026 – From October 15 to 24, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) General Assembly 2026—the 22nd ICOMOS General Assembly and Scientific Symposium 2026—is being held in Malaysia under the theme “Living Heritage: Respect. Enhance. Accept. Partnership.” Held every three years, it is ICOMOS’s largest and highest-level conference. On October 20 and 21, with the support and guidance of the Sichuan Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration, six young scholars from Sichuan appeared at the assembly’s academic parallel sessions, where they exchanged insights with experts in cultural heritage conservation from more than 100 countries and shared the Sichuan model of cultural heritage conservation.
Six young scholars from Sichuan pose with Dr. Ai Tee Goh (fourth from left), convener of the 2026 ICOMOS General Assembly Scientific Symposium
Key Breakthroughs in Conservation
Hu Rui and Dou Zichao, a librarian and an assistant librarian at the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, shared their experience and achievements in applying soft-capping techniques to exposed earthen sites in southern China, using the city walls of the Sanxingdui Site as a case study. According to Dou Zichao, the conservation team developed a soft-capping technology solution tailored to southern China’s humid earthen sites, establishing a conservation system integrating consolidation and repair, soft-capping protection, and harmony with the surrounding landscape.
Jiang Luman, an associate research librarian at the Chengdu Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, shared over 40 years of ivory conservation achievements in a presentation titled “Development and Demonstration of Key Technologies for Dehydrating and Consolidating Excavated Waterlogged Ivory: Practices at the Sanxingdui and Jinsha Sites”. Currently, relevant technologies have enabled the long-term, stable preservation and display of excavated waterlogged ivory. The consolidated ivory has been exhibited at several museums, including the National Museum of China.
Pathways to Cultural Heritage Sustainability
Zhao Yun, an associate research librarian at the Chengdu Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, introduced the “Sichuan model” that integrates tangible and intangible cultural heritage, drawing on the restoration of Sichuan’s traditional chuandou timber-frame buildings. With extensive field surveys combined with a systematic research framework, this collaborative approach brings together historic structures, craftspeople, traditional techniques, and management bodies, making a significant contribution to the sustainability of architectural heritage.
Qu Jin, an associate research librarian at the Chengdu Jinsha Site Museum, noted how urban development and rainfall jointly affect local groundwater dynamics and threaten heritage sites in cities. Qu Jin stressed the insufficiency of monitoring within site boundaries alone and called for broader hydrogeological assessments to better safeguard these sites.
Dong Jing, an associate research librarian at the Sanxingdui Museum, described the museum’s collaboration with the Sichuan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology in pioneering digital interpretation at archaeological excavation sites using virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). The excavation-site VR experience has attracted over 120,000 visitors and won multiple industry awards. It demonstrates a successful approach to presenting earthen sites sustainably while strengthening the vitality and appeal of cultural heritage conservation and inheritance in the digital age.
Sharing their work with over 1,800 experts from more than 130 countries at the ICOMOS General Assembly, the six Sichuan scholars showcased the “Sichuan model” that spans the full spectrum from earthen-site conservation to digital interpretation. Their work reflects the assembly’s theme of “Living Heritage” and contributes Chinese expertise to the sustainable inheritance of cultural heritage.
About Us
It is responsible for managing and guiding cultural relic work across Sichuan Province, overseeing the protection and management of the province’s World Cultural Heritage sites, and promoting the improvement of the public service system for cultural relics and museums throughout the province.
Media Contact
Company Name: Sichuan Provincial Cultural Heritage Administration
Contact Person: Jean Wong
Email: Send Email
Country: Malaysia
Website: https://wwj.sc.gov.cn/
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