Reviving Angkor : A Global Project

By Yu Yichun

Reviving Angkor : A Global Project

By Yu Yichun

Chinese and international teams of archaeologists play crucial role in protecting Angkor, an iconic site of World Cultural Heritage

Bayon Temple is the spectacular central temple of the ancient city of Angkor Thom. The complex is located just north of the famous Angkor Wat.

A Buddhist monk looks onto a nearby temple.

Angkor, in Cambodia’s northern province of Siem Reap, is one of the most important archaeological and historical sites in the world. It contains the magnificent remains of the capital of the Khmer Empire, which flourished from the 9th to the 15th century, as well as a spectacular complex of thousandyear-old temples hidden in the jungle. The remarkable cultural and artistic charm of the Angkorian period has spread to countries and regions across the world.

Global Contributions to Angkor

The architecture of Angkor was influenced by foreign cultures. Evidences of Hindu and Buddhist influence are prominent, and there are various architectural styles either developed independently or absorbed from the cultural traditions of neighboring countries. These various types of architecture eventually combined to form a unique artistic style.

Due to historical and practical factors, Cambodia has relied on the aid of the international community for the protection and management of Angkor. In 1992, Angkor was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

In 1993, the Cambodian government and UNESCO jointly launched “Save Angkor”, an international campaign designed to protect the site with a set of urgent measures. A number of countries, including China, and various international organizations, held an intergovernmental meeting in Tokyo in October 1993, focusing on the safeguarding and development of Angkor. The Tokyo Declaration was adopted at the end of the conference to urge the international community to carry out joint protection of the site.

The Chinese government sent a delegation led by Zhang Deqin, who was then the director of China’s State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH), to attend the Tokyo Conference.While there, the delegation discussed guidelines of such joint action with representatives of various countries, pledging to work with the international community to protect Angkor.

On behalf of the Chinese government, Zhang explained,“Angkor is not only a precious asset of the people of Cambodia, but also a common cultural heritage of mankind, so the conservation of Angkor is an obligation of all the world’s countries”.

The international campaign for the protection of Angkor marked the first instance of Chinese participation in an international ef f ort to maintain a large-scale place of cultural significance. Professional teams from various countries with diverse cultural backgrounds enjoy various advantages in the restoration of cultural relics.

For more than 20 years, China’s archaeologists have formed their own “China Model” in the restoration and protection of Angkor. On one hand, they have refined their skills relating to cultural relic restoration, so that the ancient civilization created by the Cambodian people can be recovered to its past glory. On the other hand, they have made ef f orts to educate themselves on Cambodia’s history, culture and art, writing a new chapter for traditional friendship between China and Cambodia.

From February 1998 to the end of 2008, CACH and CSA organized a series of projects at Chau Say Tevoda Temple. These projects included building surveying and mapping, geological surveying, archaeological digs and stone restoration research.

Tourists observe an exhibition chronicling the restoration work done by the Chinese team at Chau Say Tevoda Temple.

‘China Model’ to Safeguard Angkor

In 1997, SACH selected Chau Say Tevoda Temple, located just east of Angkor Thom in Siem Reap Province, as the first restoration site to be worked on by the Chinese team. It commissioned the China Cultural Relics Research Institute, predecessor to the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage (CACH), to form a Chinese Government Team for Safeguarding Angkor (CSA). Chinese cultural relics professionals have been active on the site ever since.

From February 1998 to the end of 2008, CACH, along with CSA, organized several projects at Chau Say Tevoda Temple. The work included building surveying and mapping, geological surveys, archaeological investigations, stone restoration research and comprehensive restoration work on the temple. The work done by the Chinese team was praised by both UNESCO and the Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap (APSARA). It also gained recognition from experts of various countries who were involved in the restoration and protection of the Siem Reap area. Foreign experts stated that the maintenance of Chau Say Tevoda Temple performed by the Chinese team was highly distinctive, a valuable point of reference for further ef f orts to conserve and protect Angkor.

In 2010, the CSA began a new restoration project at Ta Keo, about 500 meters east of ChauSay Tevoda Temple. As one of the most majestic temple-mountains at Angkor, it was built entirely of sandstone by the ancient Khmer Empire. Ta Keo has five sanctuary towers arranged in a quincunx, built on the uppermost level of a five-tier pyramid consisting of overlapping terraces. When the sun shines upon the five towers, they glitter.

The entire Angkor Wat site covers an incredible 162.6 hectares.

Ta Keo not only covers a larger area than Chau Say Tevoda, but also had more serious safety hazards and was in a greater state of disrepair. However, experts from CACH and CSA took the initiative in conducting in-depth research.

Upon a visit to Ta Keo made by this reporter, Cambodian workers were busy working on the scaf f olding, and a group of Chinese staf f members, who had just arrived in Cambodia from Beijing, were using an unmanned aerial vehicle to photograph the temple under the hot sun. Through the use of new technologies including tilt photogrammetry and threedimensional laser scanning, experts could formulate a temple floor plan, which will help them better understand the layout and overall structure of the temple.

In accordance with the internationally accepted practices of historical and cultural heritage restoration, when the conservation and restoration of Ta Keo was carried out, Chinese experts also needed to conduct necessary archaeological investigations, including exploration and excavation.

The CACH archaeological team took on the lead role during archaeological study. Meanwhile, in order to strengthen exchanges with related research and protection institutions of cultural relics and archaeology in Cambodia, the Chinese team conducted archaeological research in cooperation with Cambodia’s APSARA National Authority and the Department of Archaeology at the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh. It has also trained several young Cambodian archaeologists. As the restoration of Ta Keo neared completion, the Chinese team began work on selecting a new site for the next stage of Angkor’s restoration.

Over the past 20 years, Chinese cultural relics professionals have not only made positive contributions to the restoration work at Angkor, but also learned the concepts, methods, materials and technology of cultural relics conservation.

Li Xiaojie, former director of SACH in China, once noted,“The Chinese model of Angkor conservation not only represents China’s latest concept and technology of cultural relics preservation and restoration, but is also a result of learning from international counterparts in Siem Reap and experts from the International Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor.”