Origin and Scope of the Sino-Italian Cultural Heritage Program
China is a country rich in historical and cultural heritage. Preservation of cultural traditions and expressive local heritage that are, by definition, not renewable and more and more threatened by rapid urbanization, high-density population or environmental pollution, is of outstanding importance in order to favour better understanding and appreciation of all various national cultures. Moreover, it has been proved that the considerable economic opportunities offered by cultural heritage safeguard attracting investments, generating labour, calling for local manpower, acquisition of materials and – last but not least – attracting national and international tourism could be fairly considered as an important tool to fight poverty.
Reaffirming the need expressed by the Government of People’s Republic of China to continue to implement the cultural heritage sector in order to valorise and improve the conditions of cultural improvement, and considering the “Record of Talks Concerning Perspectives of the Sino-Italian Soft Loan for Development Cooperation 2003-2005” finalized and signed in Beijing on July the 9th, 2003, the “Sino-Italian Cultural Heritage Program 2004-2006” is aimed to support China’s efforts to enhance and safeguard its huge heritage in order to benefit the people’s welfare and underline their cultural identity.

General Objectives The General Objectives of this Programme are to contribute to strengthen the strategy for proper conservation of the cultural heritage and patrimony and the development of cultural sites (museum, restoration centres, etc.) as laid out in the Cultural Heritage Safeguard Act of October 2002 and in “The Eleventh Five-Year Plan and the Future Targets in 2020” promoting national and economic social development process through valorisation of the cultural heritage; to cooperate with China in adequately protect and develop cultural heritage and patrimony, sites of historic and artistic value (e.g. Museums, Museum Systems, Historical and Archaeological Sites and Libraries) in Western Provinces; to strengthen the common development between Italian and Chinese cultural cooperation.

Specific Objective The Programme aims at reaching the specific objective to improve, valorise, strengthen or preserve around 10 (ten) outstanding cultural properties such as Museums, Museum Systems, Archaeological Sites, Historical Sites or Libraries in terms of functionality and aesthetics. The programme will therefore aim at improving structural and physical conditions of cultural sites, training personnel employed at the sites in order to enhance their qualification, improving socio-economic standards of life in the areas of intervention and preserving the distinctive character of minorities to favour better understanding and appreciations of all various national cultures.

Results
The main results expected by the implementation of this Programme are

• Museums and Sites’ Efficiency improved in terms of provision of modern systems, structures and equipment adequate to reach strategic results in functional terms;
• Human resources and Personnel at different level of competence and responsibilities in the sector trained and upgraded

Fields of Intervention

The fields of intervention are:

• Movable Cultural Relics
• Immovable Cultural Relics
• Cultural Intangible Heritage

Activities

Projects' eligible activities to achieve the above-mentioned Programme results might be, among others:
- Cataloguing of movable cultural relics;
- Design of users-friendly exhibition paths in museums or sites;
- Restoration of cultural relics (e.g. through training or technical assistance);
- Preservation of archaeological sites (e.g. coverings: building type or shelter-type);
- Design of anti-trafficking plans;
- Conservation of immovable cultural relics;
- Design of pilot projects for sustainable tourism in the cultural sites;
- Elaboration of pilot projects for institution of buffer zones or for environmental protection of the cultural sites;
- Monitoring plans for sites (e.g. microclimatic conditions, deterioration…).
- Elaboration of pilot projects for cultural social and economical improvement of areas relevant to minorities;
- Elaboration of pilot projects for preservation of intangible cultural heritage (such as traditional songs, dramas, dances or examples of local crafts and handicrafts).

Financing

The Government of Italy will provide the Soft Loan to the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the following conditions:

Repayment period: 23 years (including 11 years of grace period)
Grace period: 11 years
Interest rate: 0.15% (payable at the end of each period of 6 month from the date of the first disbursement).

Every project may consider purchasing of goods and services from a minimum amount of Euro 500,000.00 (five hundred thousand) to a maximum amount of Euro 2,000,000.00 (two millions). Should these figures not be suitable to reach the programme objectives, they can be adjusted on case-by-case basis, provided that the Joint Committee that supervises the Programme approves them.

Proposals Eligibility

Initiatives may be submitted by Museums, Sites, Libraries, Local Administration including Townships and other Entities responsible for the management and preservation of cultural heritage sites.
To be eligible a proposal should:

• Be focused on one of the three fields of intervention;
• Be aimed at improving, valorising and/or strengthening museums, museum systems, archaeological or historical sites, libraries;
• Be located in the lower-income Central or Western Provinces;
• Be in compliance with Chinese and Italian Strategies for Conservation of Cultural Heritage;
• Guarantee long-term sustainability;
• Be relevant to beneficiaries;
• Be aimed to preserve or valorise authentic cultural relics.

Particular attention will be given to the initiatives focused on

• Sites inscribed in the UNESCO WH – Tentative List or already in the WHL;
• Preservation of Chinese Minorities Cultural Heritage;

Or to initiatives which contain innovative approach to the Cultural Heritage field issues.

Procurement

The Soft Loan shall be used to purchase goods and services related to the Programme, which must be of Italian origin; no more than 30% of the Soft Loan may be used to purchase equipments and related services in China.

The contracts shall be awarded to Italian Companies through competitive tenders.

For further information please see the Procurement part.