Two historical sites are expected to be included in a private collection of world-class heritage sites entitled to special protection to be published next year.
A village in Wangan, Penghu, and a cluster of private houses in Anping, Tainan have been nominated to be included in a book on 100 cultural sites around the world to be published under the World Monument Watch project.
The project, established and funded by the American Express Foundation, is considered by world-renowned historians, artists and archaeologists as the private version of UNESCO's Preservation of World Cultural Heritage.
According to Chiang Pi-wen, a foundation representative in Taiwan, every two years since 1995 the World Monument Watch has listed 100 of the world's most famous and treasured historical sites in an effort to urge people to recognize the importance of respecting and preserving ancient culture and relics, many of which have been looted or destroyed.
Chiang said that as of the end of last year, 400 heritage sites from more than 100 countries that were not included in the UNESCO Preservation of World Cultural Heritage list have been listed by the watch's biennial collections as entitled to special attention and protection.
Chen Shu-fen (陳淑芬), public relations manager for American Express Taiwan, said the listing is meant to remind people, particularly travelers and tourists, that many cultural and historical heritage sites are endangered and in need of financial and technical help to be preserved.
The goal of the World Monument Watch listing is to save invaluable heritage sites from being further damaged because of tourism and other factors, Chen said.
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