The Danxia landform in the Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi Province (CFP)

In order to attain worldwide recognition of the value of the Danxia landform, Chinese geologists have been making efforts for considerable time. Foreign geologists usually called this kind of landform "red bed." In order to make the Danxia concept acceptable worldwide and help the heritage application, scientists in China have published many books and articles in international journals to make a greater audience aware of its value.

"China's successful application for the Danxia landform means recognition from international academic circles of the landform as well as the Danxia concept that Chinese scholars put forward. It's a significant way for Danxia landform to go out of this country and to be recognized by the world," said Peng Hua, a professor at the Guangzhou-based Sun Yat-sen University and also head of the expert group for the application.

"Danxia is a national treasure, which is different from any other natural heritage sites in China," he said. "The significance of the joint application under the name of China Danxia is far more than of any single place applying alone. The importance is not in the number of inscribed sites but in the recognition of a local landform."

The entering into the world heritage list was just a start, as the sites on the list would be subject to constant monitoring and inspection. "After that, the country takes responsibility for safeguarding it for future generations. By submitting a site for inscription, a country gives UNESCO and the international community the right to keep an eye on protection efforts, and to have a say on how well they are carried out," UNESCO press officer Cathy Nolar said.

"It is true inscribing a site attracts more attention to it, and this can be a threat to preserving fragile environments," she said. "But this is part of sharing unique cultural and natural sites with the rest of the world. National and local authorities have to find the balance between preserving their unique treasures and making them accessible."

Following the successful application, protection of the heritage has become the focus of future work for these six sites, said Wang Zhiguang, director of the application office for the Danxia landform.

Information from the Guizhou Provincial Housing and Urban-Rural Construction Department shows, since the beginning of the China Danxia application, the Chishui scenic spot, one of the six sites in the joint application, has carried out overall environmental repairs. So far, signs in the scenic spot have been all standardized. Planting and sowing of grass are in progress.

Zhen Jianbo, deputy head of Taining County, another site of the joint application, said after the inscription, in order to keep the natural features of the Danxia landform intact, the county will strictly control the visitor flow to the scenic spot, making the development of tourism accord with the naturalness sought for the world heritage.

What is Danxia

In China, Danxia is a word to describe a unique type of landform which develops both internally and externally through erosion, having the appearance of "rosy clouds." First put forward by Chinese geologists in the 1920s, the term derived from the Danxia Mountain in Guangdong Province, the most typical representative of this kind of landform.

The landscape is characterized by steep cliffs of red sandstone and conglomerate. The six sites that have applied jointly for world heritage status fully illustrate the evolutionary process of the landform. Up to now, 780 sites typical of Danxia landform have been found in China. Called "red bed" in other countries, the landform is widely distributed in other areas of the world except Antarctica.

The successful inscription of the six sites in China on the world heritage list, given the name of "China Danxia," means the recognition by international academic circles of the concept of Danxia Chinese scholars put forward.

(Source: cndanxia.cn)