[Journée d'étude] Les recompositions du rapport urbain-rural dans les mobilités de loisirs en Chine au début du XXIè s.

(Leisure mobilities as the Space of the new Encounter between the Rural and Urban in China at the beginning of the XXIst C.)
L'éclatement de la ville sur les campagnes?

Lundi 6 décembre 2010 (9h15 à 18h)

 

Cette journée d’étude invite à poursuivre la réflexion sur le rôle des mobilités du tourisme dans la construction d’une « expérience chinoise de la modernité » qui recompose les paysages, réels et imaginaires, de l’urbanité et de la ruralité selon des modes inédits. Comme toute destination touristique, la « campagne » fréquentée dans le cadre des mobilités de loisirs est un lieu inventé, re-dessiné par les imaginaires et les attentes de visiteurs pour l’essentiel en provenance des zones urbaines. Les formes de la rencontre entre le rural et l’urbain qui se construit dans le temps et l’espace de la fréquentation touristique des lieux (re)façonnés pour la consommation touristique doivent être examinées, particulièrement dans les nouveaux sites où se réalisent ces « désirs d’ailleurs » (campagne, montagne, steppes etc.).

Journée d’études organisée dans le cadre du Pôle Ville de l’Université Paris-8, en partenariat avec le Centre d’études sur la Chine moderne et contemporaine (CECMC-UMR 8173 Chine Corée Japon/EHESS-CNRS) et le Pôle de Recherches pour l’Organisation et la Diffusion de l’Information Géographique (PRODIG-UMR 8686/ Paris1-Panthéon-CNRS).

Lieu : Université Paris-8 Vincennes à St-Denis, Bât A, service de la recherche salle 2278.

Plus d'informations : Programme de la journée d'étude (pdf)
Plus d'informations : Annonce sur le site de l'Université Paris 8.

Organisation et contact : Béatrice DAVID, anthropologue, maître de conférences au département de sociologie (UFR HLS) de l’université Paris 8, chercheuse associée au Centre d’Etudes sur la Chine Moderne et Contemporaine (CECMC).

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Source : Calenda.revues.org

[Article] Thang Long royal citadel archaeological site closed.

04/11/2010 | VietNamNet Bridge | By PV.

As of November 3, the archaeological site at 18 Hoang Dieu, Hanoi, has been closed to preserve the relics. Since early October, when the site was opened for public on the occasion of Hanoi’s 1000th anniversary, it welcomed nearly 500,000 visitors.

 

Nguyen Van Son, director of the Centre for Preservation of Co Loa and Hanoi Citadels, said that on average around 30,000 people a day visited the relic during the 10-day anniversary. After that, the site hosted 2000-3000 people a day.
Because of the mass number of people visiting the site, some works need repairs, Son said.
The archaeological site at 18 Hoang Dieu closed on November 3, but the royal citadel will still be opened for visitors until the end of 2010.
During the Hanoi’s 1000th anniversary, visitors had a chance to see some of the relics which are preserved status quo at 18 Hoang Dieu and many outstanding archaeological objects.
UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee on August 1 recognized the Thang Long Royal Citadel as a World Heritage.

[ ... Read the full article here ... ]

[Article] Angkor Wat under threat.

17 October 2010 | The Phnom Penh Post | Keeley Smith (additional reporting by Rann Reuy)

An international heritage conservancy has warned that the Angkor Wat temple complex faces “critical” threats in the form of heavy traffic and inefficient conservation techniques.
A report released by the Global Heritage Fund also said the fact that many tourism-related businesses were foreign-owned made it difficult for Siem Reap residents to benefit economically from the temples.
“Hundreds of thousands of visitors climb over the ruins of Angkor every year causing heavy deterioration of original Khmer stonework,” says the report, which is titled “Saving Our Heritage: Safeguarding Cultural Sites Around the World”.
According to the report, the number of visitors to Angkor Wat has increased by 188 percent since 2000, from 840,000 to 2,420,000 in 2009.
An Apsara Authority official said last week that Angkor Wat had seen a 24-percent increase in foreign tourists in the first nine months of 2010 compared with the same period last year.
“Mass tourism is overrunning the fragile archaeology site, with millions every year climbing unabated on the monuments,” said GHF Executive Director Jeff Morgan.
The report also says that the temples have been threatened by rapid development in Siem Reap, and that Bayon temple has already borne the brunt of this trend.
“The nearby sprawl of hotels and restaurants is sapping the region’s local aquifer, which has caused the Bayon Temple’s 54 towers to sink into the ground,” it states.
Morgan said that while the Apsara Authority, the government body tasked with managing the temple complex, and UNESCO had taken positive steps towards ensuring the temples were maintained, they did not have a presence at many heritage sites elsewhere in the country.
“Other provinces have little support for heritage preservation [in a situation] typical of most developing countries,” Morgan said.
Mao Loa, director of the Apsara Authority’s Department of Monuments and Preventive Archaeology at the Angkor Wat temple complex, said she had not seen the report, but that the body would be receptive to feedback on the management of the complex.
“We always wait to see constructive criticisms; we need them to raise straight points,” she said.
She agreed that more conservation efforts were needed outside Angkor Wat. In 2004, she said, Apsara expanded from five departments to 14 in a bid to expand its reach, but some pressing conservation issues remain unaddressed.

Who benefits?
Despite rapid development fuelled by a rising number of visitors, much tourism-related revenue – which the report pegged at US$436 million last year – is not going to locals, the report states.

[... Read the full article here ...]

[Photo by Roger Mitton/Angkorian-era ruins of Banteay Chhmar temple in Banteay Meanchey province.]

[Article] Bujang Valley impetus to tourism.

2010/09/19 | New Straits Times | By Subhadra Devan

The discovery of a 110AD monument in the Bujang Valley could have given archeological tourism a kickstart but sadly, it has not so far, writes SUBHADRA DEVAN.
THEY came, they built, they exported. All in Sungai Batu, part of the archaeological expanse we call Lembah Bujang (Bujang Valley) in Kedah, way back in 110AD.
Given the easy accessibility to the sites, Bujang Valley is a good start for our country's archaeological tourism. However, it seems to need a kickstart as it is today underrated -- even among the local populace.
Historical records state that the Bujang Valley civilisation existed long before neighbouring empires such as Majapahit (1200 AD) and Sri Vijaya (700 AD).
However, the Sungai Batu find has made it the oldest man-made structure to be recorded in Southeast Asia. It is not clear still if it was for a religious purpose and the people who were there dealt with iron, smelting and export, which was unusual.
The Sungai Batu historical area, of which there are 97 identified sites, was unearthed by Universiti Sains Malaysia Penang's Centre for Global Archaeological Research (CGAR) team only last year.
The startling discoveries unearthed from 10 of the 97 sites include jetty remains, iron smelting sites, and a clay brick monument boasting a round base with a square top with what could have been a pole in the centre.
The CGAR team revealed its findings at a conference, co-organised by the National Heritage Department, in June in Kuala Lumpur.
"Since then", says CGAR director Associate Professor Mokhtar Saidin, "four more new sites have been unearthed. The area already excavated covers less than a square kilometre."
New estimates now show that the Bujang Valley settlement covers 1,000sq km, mostly around Gunung Jerai, formerly called Kedah Peak, and not 400sq km as previously believed.
The Sungai Batu sites are not tucked away deep in the jungle, unlike scenes in films like Lara Croft -- Tomb Raider. It sits smack on both sides of a highway from Sungai Petani, nestled in an oil palm plantation. You just stop the car, get out, and look.
While CGAR has a guard stationed at the main site which hosts the round base-square-top monument, tourist buses and drive-throughs are welcomed.

[ Read more ... ]

[Article] Une Rémoise attaque la Tour Eiffel.

via Handimobility.org

Mercredi 22 septembre 2010 | Handirect.fr

Une Rémoise, maman d'une enfant handicapée, vient d'entamer un bras de fer avec la Tour Eiffel. Elle veut obtenir la mise en conformité du monument avec les normes d'accessibilité aux personnes en fauteuil. La mère d'une jeune Rémoise polyhandicapée, Anne-Shirley, 10 ans, vient d'entamer un bras de fer avec la Tour Eiffel après s'être vue interdire l'accès du 3e étage de l'un des monuments les plus visités au monde. Virginie Kies accuse la société d'exploitation du monument, dont la Ville de Paris est actionnaire à 59,9 %, de ne pas avoir installé des équipements spéciaux pour les fauteuils roulants comme le dispose la loi. La Rémoise demande que des travaux soient immédiatement entrepris. Sa fille, qui souffre d'un syndrome pyramidal avec pour conséquences la malvoyance, l'épilepsie, un important handicap mental et qui se déplace en fauteuil roulant, doit, selon elle, « pouvoir visiter de façon complète l'édifice. »

[Lire la suite de l'article ici]

[Article] The temples of Yogyakarta have it.

Saturday September 4, 2010 | Star Weekend via The Star Online | By S.S. YOGA

When in Yogyakarta, you don’t want to miss Java’s twin gems of Hindu and Buddhist treasures — Prambanan and Borobudur.
THE heavens really opened up, and water, the equivalent of Niagara Falls, Victoria Falls and probably a few hundred other waterfalls combined, fell upon the earth. Or to be less dramatic about the whole thing – it rained like there was no tomorrow.
The day had been hot. As was the day before, when we first arrived in Yogyakarta, Java. The sun was scorching, so we were really caught unawares by the downpour.

Heritage: The Buddhist complex Borobudur in Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia. – S.S. YOGA

[Read the full article here]

[Article] Temple tension mounts.

30 July 2010 | The Phnom Penh Post | Additional reporting by The Bangkok Post |Cheang Sokha and Sebastian Strangio

CAMBODIAN and Thai officials held abortive talks on the sidelines of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Brazil yesterday in a last-ditch attempt to resolve a dispute over Cambodia’s management plan for Preah Vihear temple.
Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, said that during the 45-minute meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Sok An and Thai Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti reiterated their governments’ stances on the temple listing.
He said the Thai official demanded joint management of Preah Vihear, and that Sok An repeated Cambodia’s long-standing opposition to such an arrangement.
“There was no significant result from the meeting. The meeting focused on the issue of sovereignty,” Phay Siphan said, but Cambodia “welcomed” UNESCO’s attempt to broker a resolution to the conflict.

[ Read the full article ... ]

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WHC postpones decision on temple plan to next year

30/07/2010 | Bangkok Post

The World Heritage Committee (WHC) on Thursday postponed discussion on Cambodia’s management plan for the Preah Vihear temple to its meeting next year in Bahrain.
The issue was expected to be on the agenda of the 21-member WHC annual meeting in Brasilia, Brazil, on Wednesday.  The committee instead dropped the topic, saying Cambodia had not followed proper procedure in submitting the plan.
Cambodia should have handed in its management proposal six months ahead of the meeting, but it made its submission less than 24 hours before the meeting began.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti, who is leading the Thai delegation, said from Brazil that the postponement is a satisfactory result.
"This will allow Thailand more time for to discuss the issue and to find solutions," he said.
Mr Suwit thanked his team, the government and the Thai people for their support and for voicing their opposition to Cambodia managing the site.

[Read the full article ... ]

The 11th century Preah Vihear temple is seen near the Thai border in Preah Vihear province, 543 km (337 miles) north of Phnom Penh, in this June 21, 2008 file photo. The World Heritage committee meeting in Canada has on June 7, 2008 approved Cambodia's application to list Preah Vihear temple as a World Heritage site. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

[Article] Angkor Thom bus ban delayed.

29 July 2010 | The Phnom Penh Post | Rann Reuy

Siem Reap province
THE Apsara Authority has decided to postpone implementation of a ban on buses containing more than 12 seats within Angkor Thom, and an official said yesterday that the body hoped to discuss the issue at length with the Tourist Transport Association.
Earlier this month, Chrun Sophal, the body’s communications director, said the ban would go into effect on August 1. He said yesterday that the deadline had been delayed, though he could not provide a new date.
“We will implement it in the future,” he said.

A bus leaves Angkor Thom. The Apsara Authority has postponed implementation of a ban on buses with more than 12 seats in the site. [Photo by: Rann Reuy]

The Tourism Department at the Apsara Authority found that 15,000 vehicles entered the Angkor Wat temple complex each day in 2008, the last year for which statistics are available. Of those, about 900 were minibuses containing between 12 and 35 seats.

[<< Read the full article here >>]

[Article] Tourists flock to temple.

Thursday, 15 July 2010 | The Phnom Penh | Nguon Sovan

Children walk in front of a temple in Preah Vihear.
The complex has seen a huge rise in tourist numbers this year. AFP

TOURISTS visiting Cambodia’s Preah Vihear Temple increased nearly sevenfold in the first half of this year, as the area benefited from better infrastructure and reduced tension with Thailand.

Preah Vihear Tourism Department chief Kong Vibol said yesterday that from January to June this year 46,400 tourists visited the Preah Vihear temple complex.
The figure is a dramatic leap from the 5,940 tourists recorded over the same period last year. Foreign visitors were also being drawn to the site – they increased by 85 percent to 480 from 260.
“Most tourists are local, and the temple has attracted more of them due to good roads and infrastructure. It is easy to travel to, guesthouses and restaurants are available, and local security is strengthening while tensions with Thailand are diminished,” he said.

[<< Read the full article >>]

[Article] ‘Ramayana Trail’ in focus again .

Tue, 2010-07-13 | Asian Tribune | By  Janaka Perera

Sita Eliya Temple, Nuwara Eliya [cjb22]

Colombo, 13 July, (Asiantribune.com):
The Royal Asiatic Society is inviting the public to participate in a symposium at the Mahaweli Centre, Colombo 07 on July 17 on the negative impact on Sri Lanka by promoting the Ramayana legend for tourism purposes.
Leading academics, scholars and intellectuals will be among the speakers. They include Professor Tissa Kariyawasam (Ramayana in Sinhalese literature), Prof, Oliver Abeynaike (Indian Tourist Authorities’ “Buddhist Circuit” but no Indian “Ramayana Circuit”), Dr. Hema Goonatilake (Marketing Thailand for a mythical Ramayana instead of historical Buddhist sites), Dr. Nihal Perera (The factual pre-history of Sri Lanka), Dr. Malini Dias (Distortions of archaeological evidence) former Ambassador Bandu de Silva (Foreign policy implications of the "Ramayana Trail") and the Venerable Hegoda Vipassi (My travails in refuting the Ramayana Trail).
Presentations will be delivered both in English and Sinhala.
The irony of this whole issue is that Sri Lanka which is historically recognized as the most important seat of Theravada Buddhism is promoting a Hindu fiction while India - the birth place of the Ramayana legend is popularizing the Buddhist circuit instead of Ramayana which is not supported by any historical or scientific evidence, according to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) which earlier filed an affidavit in the Indian Supreme Court to that effect. [...]

[ << Read the full article here >>]

Publication : Le Tourisme sexuel en Asie du Sud-est

Les marchés du désir
Maja Nazaruk

L'Harmattan. Points sur l'Asie

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Près de trois millions d'enfants sont victimes chaque année d'exploitation sexuelle dans le monde. Cet ouvrage étudie les coutumes sexuelles en Asie par le biais de l'anthropologie culturelle pour comprendre la psychologie sociale du corps et les constructions des identités sociales indigènes. A travers une cinquantaine d'interviews réalisées auprès de victimes, ONG et chercheurs, l'auteur nous livre une édifiante enquête menée au cœur du réseau de prostitution au Cambodge.

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ISBN : 978-2-296-11058-8 • mai 2010 • 212 pages
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Prix éditeur : 20 € / 131 FF

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Voir la quatrième page

[Article] Religious Affairs Ministry to Help Manage Historic Temples

March 16, 2010 | Candra Malik & Ulma Haryanto | Jakarta Globe

In response to calls from Hindu and Buddhist leaders, Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali said his ministry would play a role in the management of historic temples in the country. 

“In the past, the government has only looked at temples and historic sites from the point of view of tourism and culture. In fact, temples and historic sites have an important religious function,” Suryadharma said during a ceremony on Monday at Prambanan Temple in Klaten, Central Java, to welcome Nyepi, or the Day of Silence. 

He said his ministry would work with other agencies to increase public appreciation for the country’s historic temples, while also facilitating their use as active places of worship. 

Hindu and Buddhist leaders have asked the Ministry of Religious Affairs to jointly manage temples with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. 

Among their demands is that Hindus and Buddhists going to temples to worship not be charged tourist entrance fees. 

Although no details have been released, the new arrangement could see more rulings similar to Borobudur Temple’s recently announced ban on tourists wearing skimpy clothes to respect the “sacredness of the place.” 

Central Java’s governor, Bibit Waluyo, said he hoped Prambanan Temple would become a center of worship for Hindus in Indonesia and from around the world. 

“The rebuilding of Prambanan Temple after the 2006 earthquake should not be oriented only toward the physical development of the temple, but should also consider religious aspects, cultural preservation and the economic growth of the surrounding community, because this temple is also an object of religious tourism,” Bibit said. 

Suroso, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture’s director of archeological heritage, said the co-management of historic temples should not be a problem as far as the issues of religious observances and conservation were concerned. 

He added that the arrangement “is still in line with the ministry’s basic tasks and functions.” 

Suroso said the Ministry of Religious Affairs would only regulate ceremonial matters at the temples. 

“But the conservation, preservation and maintenance will still be the responsibility of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture,” he said.

Photo Credit : Copyright © 2008 PT. Different Bali Indonesia Tours and Trave.

[Article] Roads protect Angkor from fires.

Mar 12, 2010 - The Straits Times
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PHNOM PENH - SEVENTEEN new roads will provide quick access to Cambodia's Angkor complex in case of fires at the ancient temples, officials said on Friday.

The roads will alleviate fears of damage to the country's greatest artistic treasure, especially during the dry season when blazes often break out, said Tan Sambu, an official of the Apsara Authority, the government agency that oversees the temples.

Tourism is a major source of foreign currency for cash-strapped Cambodia, which hosts nearly 1.5 million foreign tourists each year, mostly from South Korea, Japan and the United States. More than half of the tourists visit Angkor, a Unesco World Heritage site in northwestern Siem Reap province.

The temples were built when Angkorian kings ruled over much of Southeast Asia between the ninth and 14th centuries.

Earlier this month, South Korea provided US$9.2 million to build a new road that will circle the temple complex and reduce traffic in the area. -- AP
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The temples were built when Angkorian kings ruled over much of Southeast Asia between the ninth and 14th centuries. More than half of the tourists visit Angkor, a Unesco World Heritage site in northwestern Siem Reap province. -- PHOTO: AP

[Article] Thang Long Royal Citadel to open for visitors.

VOVNews | March, 09, 2010

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung has approved the opening of the Thang Long Royal Citadel Relic Site for visitors on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

The Royal Citadel lies on the archeological sites at18 Hoang Dieu Street and the Hanoi ancient citadel, covering an area of 18sq. metres.

They include diverse architectural forms, proving the long and traditional history of the Thang Long ancient capital over nearly 1,300 years, raging from the pre-Thang Long era (7th-9th  centuries) to the Dinh and pre-Le dynasties (10th  centuries) and the Thang Long-Hanoi era.

The great cultural value of the Royal Citadel has been recorded in the profiles by the Hanoi municipal People’s Committee to UNESCO for recognition as a World Cultural Heritage site.

[Article] Van Mieu steles endangered by human touch.

3 jan. 2010 - Thanh Nien Daily (link).

Eighty-two stone steles at Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature – first National University) in Hanoi are in danger of being irreparably damaged because of the large number of people who are touching them.
Temple official Nguyen Hai said last Thursday that more than 70,000 people visited the place over four days of the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival from February 14-17.
"People visiting the Temple of Literature during Tet has for long been a cultural feature.
"Recently, however, many people have come to touch the stone steles and stone tortoises to wish for good luck and this can damage the precious structures," Hai said.
The situation has developed over the past few years and this year, the temple built an iron fence to prevent visitors from touching the stone tortoises and steles, but a large number of people broke the fence on Lunar New Year's Day, he added.
Last December, the cultural activity center at Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam sent documents to UNESCO for recognition of the stone steles of doctoral candidates in the Le – Mac dynasties (1442- 1779) as a world cultural heritage.
However, the damage being caused currently to the structures will soon destroy them, experts have cautioned.

Image : Many people touch the stone steles and stone tortoises to wish for good luck but this can damage the precious structures.

Source : SGGP.