On the back of rapidly growing tourist visitation, cultural links between Tasmania and China are being further strengthened this month as part of an ongoing relationship that started nearly a decade ago.

A delegation of four senior staff members from the Dunhuang Academy, home of the World Heritage-listed Mogao Grottoes, is visiting the Port Arthur Historic Site. They will observe management practices at Port Arthur, including human resources, marketing, heritage conservation and tourism management processes.

The eleven day visit being hosted by PAHSMA coincides with a Board Meeting providing further interaction between the PAHSMA Board and the Chinese guests.

The Dunhaung Academy representatives will also have opportunity to spend time at the Coal Mines and Cascades Female Factory Historic Sites together with visits to TMAG and Mona and various other tourism related businesses in Southern Tasmania.

The Mogao Grottoes site, located on the ancient Silk Route in Gansu province, consists of nearly 500 caves, many containing elaborate painted sculptures and wall paintings depicting aspects of Buddhist history and legend. The oldest are believed to date back to the fourth century AD.

Chair of the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority, Professor Sharon Sullivan AO, said that the visit provided an opportunity for a valuable cultural exchange.

“The purpose of their visit is partly to observe our management and operational practices, but there will also be benefits to the Port Arthur staff in terms of cultural awareness, with tourism from China to Australia growing as rapidly as it is,” said Professor Sullivan.

More than 12,000 visitors from mainland China have visited the Port Arthur Historic Site since the start of July last year. This compares with around 4,000 last financial year, and is nearly six times the visitation from Port Arthur’s next biggest inbound market, the UK.

This visit builds on a number of previous visits to Port Arthur by staff from the Dunhuang Academy, and several Port Arthur personnel have been able to visit Mogao. The relationship was established by Professor Sullivan, who has been a consultant on conservation projects at Mogao for many years.

“This relationship has grown and developed as visitation to Australia and especially to Tasmania from China has risen,” said Professor Sullivan.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the relationship and the understanding that has grown up between our personnel, has helped the team at Port Arthur to be on the front foot in terms of providing quality interpretation and visitor service for our increasing numbers of Chinese visitors.”

“Our staff also look forward to showing our guests some true Tasmanian hospitality.”

The delegation will be at Port Arthur until a few days before Easter. They will also visit Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney, as well as a range of other cultural sites and activities in southern Tasmania, before returning to China.

Background

Port Arthur’s relationship with Dunhuang Academy

The Dunhuang Academy is the Chinese Government authority responsible for the conservation,
management and research of the Mogao Grottoes, a World Heritage Site on the former Silk Road,
near the ancient town of Dunhuang in north-western China.

The Mogao Grottoes are a series of caves containing Buddhist paintings going back to the 4th
century. The Academy has responsibility for over 420 caves in Gansu Province.

The Getty Conservation Institute (GCI), a part of the J. Paul Getty Trust, works internationally to
advance the field of conservation through scientific research, field projects, education and training.
Under a collaborative agreement with China’s State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the GCI
has been working with the Dunhuang Academy since 1989 on conservation at the Mogao Grottoes.

PAHSMA Chair Professor Sharon Sullivan AO in her capacity as an international heritage
consultant working with the Getty Conservation Institute has been instrumental in developing a
relationship between the Dunhuang Academy and PAHSMA going back to 2006.

This has involved a number of exchanges between colleagues from PAHSMA and the Academy:

 The visit of a Chinese delegation to Port Arthur in May 2006 for a workshop series entitled
the China Principles Workshop, which was sponsored by the GCI in conjunction with the
Australian Department of Environment & Heritage. The China Principles Workshop was
held over three weeks, in Beijing and Mogao in China, and Port Arthur Historic Site in
Australia. The Workshop provided training for a select group of Chinese heritage
professionals to promote the implementation and dissemination of the China Principles
heritage guidelines throughout China. PAHSMA was used as a case study for best practice
in heritage tourism management, with sessions presented by PAHSMA staff.

 The visit to the Dunhuang Academy by PAHSMA’s Conservation Manager, Jo Lyngcoln, in
2006.

 A visit to the Port Arthur Historic Site in 2007 by a delegation of senior Dunhuang staff, to
participate in a serious of workshops covering best practice tourism and heritage
management.

 A four week residential program at the Port Arthur Historic Site in Feb 2008 involving three
senior Visitor Services staff from Dunhuang Academy.

 PAHSMA’s Director Tourism Operations Maria Stacey and Marketing Manager Andrew
Ross being invited to present at a conference hosted by the Dunhuang Academy on Visitor
Management Strategies at the Port Arthur Historic Sites.

 A visit to the Dunhuang Academy in 2010 by Dr Jane Harrington, PAHSMA’s Director
Conservation & Infrastructure. This followed a UNESCO World Heritage forum in China.

 A second four week residential program at the Port Arthur Historic Site in Feb 2012
involving three senior Visitor Services staff from Dunhuang Academy.

 PAHSMA’s Chair Professor Sullivan and CEO Stephen Large being invited to present
papers at a Colloquium in May 2013 organised by the Dunhuang Academy and the GCI
looking at Visitor Carrying Capacity at World Heritage Sites.

 A delegation of four senior Dunhuang Academy staff visiting Port Arthur in April 2014:
Mr Han Yanjun, Head of Personnel Department, Dunhuang Academy
Mr Cheng Liang, deputy Director of the Dunhuang Academy Director’s Office
Mr Luo Yao, Deputy Director of the Visitor Reception Department
Mr Mao Lei, Staff member from the Visitor Reception department
Andrew Ross Marketing Manager Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority