Leading Cultural Heritage Protection NGO in China
Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center (CHP) is an independent Chinese grassroots non-profit organization, supporting local communities across China to protect their cultural heritage. Officially registered as an NGO in Beijing in 2003, CHP now complements the resources of its domestic and overseas volunteers with a small, professional staff. CHP receives no Chinese government funding, and relies on donations of individuals and organizations, and on the dedication of its volunteers. CHP focuses its efforts in three operating segments: Heritage of Cities and Towns; Ethnic Minority Cultural Revitalization; and Media Mobilization.
At CHP, we focus on cultural heritage protection in three areas:
· Cultural Heritage Protection and Civil Society Building: working with local communities to preserve China’s architectural heritage – its traditional cities, towns and villages, and their associated ways of life – from the ravages of modern development.
· Ethnic Minority Cultural Revitalization: restoring the pride of China’s ethnic minorities in their ancestral traditions.
Media Mobilization: working with the media to make media an effective and responsible voice for cultural heritage protection.
What We Do
CHP works to raise awareness of cultural conservation in local communities, and involve people directly in the oversight and management of their heritage; to call attention to and campaign against threats to cultural heritage; to press for effective implementation of and adherence at local levels to heritage protection laws and policies; and to raise the visibility of heritage protection in government planning and in media coverage.
The CHP logo derives from a traditional Chinese latticed window, symbolizing CHP as a window of communication for cultural heritage protection dialogue. Within the square window, four connected “文” (culture) characters enclose a circle, recalling the ancient Chinese concept of “Round Heaven, Square Earth”. For CHP, the sturdy square symbolizes cultural heritage protection laws on which CHP’s work is grounded, while the circle symbolizes CHP’s innovative and flexible tactics employed to protect cultural heritage.
Meaning of CHP Logo
Our logo is a traditional Chinese latticed window, symbolizing CHP as a window of communication between the general public and cultural protection resources. Through this window, the general public can observe and better understand the current status of Chinese cultural protection efforts, the challenges it faces, as well as solutions for cultural heritage protection.
The logo is comprised of four connected “文 “ (culture) symbols enclosing a circle, which represents our work content as “cultural heritage protection”.
CHP’s logo is in the shape of a square, with four “文” symbols surrounding a circle. This geometric composition represents the “Round Heaven, Square Earth” concept that dates from ancient times. At the same time, the square symbolizes the sturdy principles of cultural heritage protection laws, while the circular shape symbolizes flexible and innovative tactics to preserve cultural heritage.
Design Courtesy：Marian Gajdos