Our Work – ICOMOS International Conservation Centre-Xi’an (IICC-X)
Founded in 2006 and designated in 2009 as the International Secretariat and Information Centre for the Serial Transnational Nomination of the Silk Roads, IICC-X integrates international coordination, technical research, professional training, digital archive operation and cross-border cultural heritage exchange as its core work streams. The full scope of its activities is outlined below:
1. Secretariat Work for Silk Roads World Heritage
As the exclusive Silk Roads Secretariat, the Centre undertakes all professional work related to the serial transnational World Heritage nomination and long-term heritage management of the Silk Roads.
• It serves the three co-nominating countries (China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan) to conduct cross-border coordination, organize working meetings and dossier coordination sessions throughout the nomination process, and won high recognition from UNESCO after the successful inscription of the Silk Roads heritage site.
• It delivers continuous coordination, monitoring and technical support for heritage conservation, daily management and transnational joint supervision for all countries along the Silk Roads and the Belt and Road.
2. Cross-border Training & International Cultural Heritage Exchange
The Centre acts as a regional professional training hub for Asia-Pacific cultural heritage practitioners and carries out global capacity-building programs for Silk Roads countries:
• Deliver systematic training covering cultural heritage conservation technologies, archive administration, heritage site management and international standard compliance.
• Organize bilateral and multilateral cultural heritage exchange events, academic seminars and practitioner exchange activities to boost mutual communication among heritage professionals across Eurasia.
3. Cultural Heritage Technical Projects & Professional Consulting
It possesses full technical capacity to undertake comprehensive cultural heritage research and engineering assignments for domestic and international clients:
• Implement field heritage surveys, joint transnational archaeological excavations, and integrated conservation master planning projects.
• Provide professional services including heritage conservation design, heritage impact assessment, monitoring planning and standardized periodic report compilation for transboundary heritage sites.
• Cooperate with universities, research institutes and international experts to complete national and ministerial-level heritage research projects, and publish authoritative professional documents such as Selected International Cultural Heritage Conservation Documents.
4. Silk Roads Heritage Information & Digital Archive Operation
Functioning as the official Silk Roads Information Centre, the Centre builds and operates the exclusive big-data-based Silk Roads Archives Information Management Platform: https://www.silkroads.org.cn
• Develop, maintain and iterate the integrated digital platform for collection, storage, analysis, sharing and visualization of all Silk Roads cultural heritage data, which has been listed as a recommended case of the World Internet Conference.
• Offer one-stop consultation and technical services on archaeological documentation, cultural heritage digitization, spatial monitoring and digital archive construction for heritage institutions worldwide.
5. Regional Academic & Collaborative Services
Rooted in Xi’an, the starting city of the ancient Silk Roads, the Centre links domestic cultural heritage authorities, academic bodies and global ICOMOS network partners:
• Strengthen interdisciplinary cooperation with universities, research institutions and international heritage experts to promote joint conservation research and standard formulation.
• Undertake academic publication, document compilation, conference organization and cultural heritage publicity work to spread international conservation doctrines and boost long-term coordinated communication on cultural heritage along the Silk Roads and the Belt and Road Initiative.
