2024年2月13日发(作者：)

Tusi Sites

Located in the mountainous areas of south-west China, this

property encompasses remains of several tribal domains

whose chiefs were appointed by the central government as

‘Tusi’, hereditary rulers from the 13th to the early

20thcentury. The Tusi system arose from the ethnic

minorities’ dynastic systems of government dating back to

the 3rd century BCE. Its purpose was to unify national

administration, while allowing ethnic minorities to retain

their customs and way of life. The sites of Laosicheng,

Tangya and Hailongtun Fortress that make up the site bear

exceptional testimony to this form of governance, which

derived from the Chinese civilization of the Yuan and Ming

periods.

土司遗址位于中国西南山区，包括一系列部落领地。这些领地的首领被中央政府任命为“土司”，是这里十三至二十世纪世袭的统治者。土司制度起源于公元前三世纪少数民族地区的王朝统治体系。其目的是为了既保证国家统一的集权管理，又保留少数民族的生活和风俗习惯。湖南老司城，湖北唐崖和贵州海龙屯均属于这片遗址，它是中华文明在元、明两代发展出的这种统治制度的特殊见证。

Brief synthesis

Distributed around the mountainous areas of south-west

China are the remains of tribal domains whose leaders were

appointed by the central government as ‘Tusi’, hereditary

rulers of their regions from the 13th to the early 20th century.

This system of administrative government was aimed at

unifying national administration while simultaneously

allowing ethnic minorities to retain their customs and way of

life. The three sites of Laosicheng, Tangya and the

Hailongtun Fortress combine as a serial property to

represent this system of governance. The archaeological

sites and standing remains of Laosicheng Tusi Domain and

Hailongtun Fortress represent domains of highest ranking

Tusi; the Memorial Archway and remains of the

Administration Area, boundary walls, drainage ditches and

tombs at Tangya Tusi Domain represent the domain of a

lower ranked Tusi. Their combinations of local ethnic and

central Chinese features exhibit an interchange of values and

testify to imperial Chinese administrative methods, while

retaining their association with the living cultural traditions of

the ethnic minority groups represented by the cultural

traditions and practices of the Tujia communities at

Laosicheng.

Criterion (ii): Tusi sites of Laosicheng, Tangya and the

Hailongtun Fortress clearly exhibit the interchange of human

values between local ethnic cultures of Southwest China, and

national identity expressed through the structures of the

central government.

Criterion (iii): The sites of Laosicheng, Tangya and the

Hailongtun Fortress are evidence of the Tusi system of

governance in the South-western region of China and thus

bear exceptional testimony to this form of governance which

derived from earlier systems of ethnic minority

administration in China, and to the Chinese civilisation in the

Yuan, Ming and Qing periods.

Integrity

The property contains all elements necessary to express its

Outstanding Universal Value and is of adequate size to

ensure the complete representation of the features and

processes which convey the property’s significance. Later

layers of occupation overlay parts of the Tusi period remains

at Laosicheng and Hailongtun but there is sufficient evidence

to demonstrate Outstanding Universal Value. Parts of the

property at Hailongtun and Tangya are vulnerable to

vegetation growth. The property is vulnerable to erosion

impacts of heavy rainfall, and could become vulnerable to

pressure due to visitor numbers and the development of

tourism infrastructure.

Authenticity

The authenticity of material remains at the three component

parts of the property in terms of function, form and layout,

materials and style of construction, location and setting is

retained. Authenticity of spirit and traditions is high in

Laosicheng due to the presence of Tujia ethnic minority

groups in the property area.

Protection and management requirements

The property components are designated as State Priority

Protected Cultural Heritage Sites under the Law on the

Protection for Cultural Relics 1982, amended 2007. They are

also protected under relevant provincial legislation.

Laosicheng and Tangya Tusi sites are within designated

National/Provincial Scenic Areas and protected by the

Regulations on Scenic Areas 2006. The property area and

buffer zone are protected in accordance with regulations

relating to the Protected Area and Construction Control

Zone of State Priority Protected Cultural Heritage Sites.

Management of the three component parts is co-ordinated

at the provincial level under the State Administration of

Cultural Heritage (SACH) by a steering group created by the

Joint Agreement Concerning Protection and Management of

Tusi Sites. This comprises representatives of Hunan, Hubei

and Guizhou Provinces in which the component parts of the

property are located. Management offices at each of the

components relate through their relevant county

administration and People’s Government and Autonomous

Prefectures to the People’s Government of their relevant

provincial administrations. The Steering Group is led by the

Cultural Heritage Bureau of Hunan Province to establish

common standards for management of the property

including joint research projects, meetings and training

courses for staff.

Conservation and Management Plans have been prepared

for each of the component parts of the property for the

period 2013-2030 including visitor management and

presentation and monitoring of factors relating to natural

disasters. The management system and plans will be

strengthened to ensure overall control of tourism projects

directed at retention of Outstanding Universal Value.