Educational Exchange

Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation

The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation provides direct grant support to cultural heritage preservation projects in developing countries.

The program was established by the U.S. Congress in 2001. To date, the Ambassadors Fund has supported more than 500 projects worldwide, totaling more than $13.4 million. Funded projects include technical support for the restoration of historic buildings; assessment and conservation of museum collections; archaeological site preservation; documentation to save threatened traditional crafts; improved storage conditions for archives and manuscripts; and documentation of indigenous languages.

In China, the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation has provided funding for eight projects.  A ninth project is pending.  The eight funded projects are as follows:

• Preservation and salvation of artifacts from the Shu Kingdom in Jinsha, Sichuan.  The artifacts date from before 1000 BC and include some of the earliest evidence of processing of figurines in gold, ivory and jade.
• Excavation, preservation and exhibition of Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) relics at the Guangxi Hepu Han Dynasty Tomb Museum.  The project also provides site protection to prevent looting at the Hepu Tombs.
• Exhibition of Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) relics at the Number 1 Exhibition Hall of the Fujian Minyue Kingdom Capital Museum.
• Refurbishment of the San Shan Guild Hall in Shanghai.  The hall was built in 1909 and represents Shanghai’s unique place as a hub of international trade.
• Preservation of the Dege Sutra Printing House, an almost 300 year old wooden structure in which 270,000 hand-carved wooden blocks are stored.  The sutras preserve traditional Tibetan literary culture.
• Conservation of a collection of 80 Buddhist Sutras from the Ming and Qing dynasties originally found in temples from the same era. Volumes contain blood writing, painted illustrations and calligraphy representing the history and culture of Buddhist temple life in 15th and 16th century Beijing.
• Documentation of traditional Tibetan festivals and rituals in Qinghai through the production of a nine volume book and DVD set.
• Preservation and exhibition of a large collection of intact silk embroideries dating back to the Warring States Period (475 B.C. – 221 B.C.) at the Hubei Provincial Museum.

More information about the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation is available at http://exchanges.state.gov/afcp/index.html.  Organizations interested in suggesting projects for consideration may contact Hu Hejuan (huhx@state.gov) in the Public Affairs Section of the United States Embassy in Beijing.