2008年 8月2-3日，由加拿大文化部文化信息司主办，加拿大驻华大使馆、加拿大国家文明博物馆和渥太华大学协办的“加中专题研讨会：数字化博物馆和非物质文化保护的技术”（简称“加中数字文化遗产研讨会”）在北京规划展览馆“不列颠哥伦比亚省--加拿大展厅”召开。会议的主题是“通过虚拟技术确保非物质文化遗产保护”，旨在讨论近年来加拿大和中国文化保护和传播的发展趋势，交流两国非物质文化保护及传播的科学技术和管理经验，具体探讨合作的可能性及途径。加拿大是2008年北京奥运会的积极参与者和2010年冬季奥运会的主办者。在北京奥运会期间，加拿大政府在北京规划展览馆设立了介绍加拿大历史文化的 “加拿大厅”。加拿大国家文明博物馆在北京皇城艺术馆举办了 “加拿大原住民” 展览。与之相应，加拿大文化部在北京举办数字文化遗产研讨会,探讨非物质文化保护的技术和管理，以促进与中国的文化学术交流。
在8月2日上午的开幕式上，加拿大驻华大使馆公共事务参赞高柏灵（Patrice Cousineau）先生、中国文化部非物质文化遗产司司长屈盛瑞先生、加拿大奥运会嘉宾特使大山(Mark Roswell)先生、加拿大文化部代表李强博士和罗恩·霍里克（Lorne Todd Holyoak）博士分别致辞。
高柏灵参赞代表加拿大驻华大使馆欢迎与会人员，他在致辞中充分肯定了研讨会召开的重要意义, 在深化加拿大和中国在文化艺术合作方面起到了积极的推动作用。高柏灵参赞说，研讨会在很多方面例证了加拿大政府和不列颠哥伦比亚省在2008年这个历史性的奥运年在北京建立“加拿大展厅”的良好愿望和目标。此展厅为加拿大商业和文化推广提供了聚会地点，加中两国人民可以在此相聚、互动和相互学习。加拿大驻华大使馆从一开始就参与了展厅的筹建。高柏灵参赞指出，使馆还支持加中双边的文化交流活动，比如促成了“加中文化协议”和“加中电影合作生产协议”的签订，使过去几年加中之间开展了许多成功的文化交流活动。截止目前，其中最重要的一件事，就是促成了加拿大国家文明博物馆和中国国家博物馆的长期合作。昨天（2008年8月1日），加拿大国家文明博物馆在北京皇城艺术馆举办了 “加拿大原住民的杰作展览”。先前（2007年5月至10月），“中国国家博物馆馆藏展”在加拿大举行了同样成功的展览。高柏灵参赞介绍说，最近加中之间的文化交流活动频繁活跃，包括：（1）位于多伦多的皇家安大略博物馆目前在中国正在进行一系列的馆藏研究项目，最近接待了由中共中央宣传部副部长翟卫华先生和国家文物局副局长张柏先生率领的中国政府代表团。皇家安大略博物馆和位于卡尔加里市格伦鲍博物馆，与陕西文化遗产促进中心正在商谈把中国馆藏品带到加拿大进行展出的可能性。（2）加拿大Arius3D科技公司也出席了本次数字文化遗产研讨会，为了在文化遗产部门推广加拿大的三维激光扫描技术，Arius3D准备成立全外资的北京分公司。作为该计划的一部分，Arius3D正在商谈在北京成立三维激光扫描中心，这将是首家在中国面向博物馆和文化遗产部门的类似机构。（3）加拿大博物馆协会同时也加强了与中国同行的现存关系。该协会代表加拿大国际文化基金会执行加中博物馆之间的交流项目，此项目是与中国人民友好协会所签订的备忘录的一部分。截止目前，加拿大博物馆协会已经成功组织了三个交流项目，最近的一次是2007年秋天中国的博物馆专家访问了加拿大。2008年12月，加拿大博物馆协会代表团将访问中国。（4）许多与中国业已建立了广泛关系的加拿大高校也参加了研讨会，如凯波布兰顿大学（Cape Breton University）即为其中之一。凯波布兰顿大学最近与中国国家发展与改革委员会国际合作中心签订了合作协定，在教育、产业和政府治理方面发展长期合作关系，双方已经建立了六项交流项目，凯波布兰顿大学将在北京设立办事处来负责与国家发改委之间招募学员和国际合作交流等活动。
开幕式后，加拿大文化部文化信息司司长格伯利奥·玻莱丝（Gabrielle Blais）女士、渥太华大学文化交流研究中心主任马丽·古登（Marie-Francise Guedon）教授分别作了“加拿大博物馆数据库和文化信息网络的建立”、“什么是非物质文化”的主题发言。渥太华大学文化交流研究中心李强博士与加拿大文化部战略政策和管理司罗恩·霍里克（Lorne Todd Holyoak）博士联合主持了研讨会。
在两天的会议期间，加中两国学者和官员交流了两国非物质文化保护及传播的科学技术和管理经验，探讨了两国未来合作的机制和途径。在会上就加拿大范例发言的加拿大代表有：加拿大国家文明博物馆馆长Victor Rabinovithch博士：“加拿大博物馆与非物质文化保护”，不列颠哥伦比亚大学人类学博物馆馆长Antony Shelton博士：“互联网与非物质文化”，加拿大非物质文化保护国家专项主任Richard Mackinnon博士：“加拿大盖尔人（Gaelic）非物质文化遗产的数码化保护”，卡尔加里市格伦鲍博物馆Kirstin Evenden女士和黑脚原住民部落Terence Houle先生：“格伦鲍博物馆原住民文化及数字化遗产项目”，拉瓦尔大学文化遗产学院院长Laurier Turgeon博士：“民俗文化遗产来源”，皇家安大略博物馆Brian John Porter和Arius 3D科技公司Yongjian Zhai：“政府项目与私企合作范例介绍”，加拿大博物馆协会执行主任John Gillis McCavity博士，纽芬兰和拉布拉多基金会非物质文化发展官员Dale Gilbert Jarvis等。在研讨会上发言的中国代表有：中国文联书记处书记白庚胜博士：“中国保护非物质文化的努力”，中国艺术研究院艺术人类学研究中心主任方李莉博士：“中国西部非物质文化的研究和数据库建立”、广西文物局局长兼广西民族博物馆馆长覃浦：“广西博物馆数据库和民族博物馆的建设”，上海社会科学院宗教所王宏刚教授：“中国东北满族的非物质文化保护”等。
8月3日下午，研讨会在圆满完成各项议程后举行了闭幕式，加拿大文化部文化信息司司长格伯利奥·玻莱丝（Gabrielle Blais）女士致闭幕辞，她说，此次研讨会为两国博物馆和文化保护的专家和学者提供一个彼此学习和交流合作的良好机会，在过去两天各大博物馆和文化保护的专家学者聚集一堂，分享他们在运用数字技术保护非物质文遗产方面的经验。她代表加拿大政府感谢中加两国与会人员为此次研讨会的成功举办所作的贡献。渥太华大学文化交流研究中心李强博士、加拿大文化部战略政策和管理司罗恩·霍里克（Lorne Todd Holyoak）博士也在闭幕式上发言，希望今后进一步加强两国文化艺术之间的合作。
共有60余人参加了会议，其中加拿大20余人，来自加拿大文化遗产部、加拿大国家文明博物馆、渥太华大学、不列颠哥伦比亚大学、拉瓦尔大学等机构的博物馆和文化保护部门。中国参会人员40余人来自文化部、国家文物局、国家民族事务委员会、国家博物馆、中国文学艺术界联合会（中国文联）、中国民间文艺家协会、中国艺术研究院、北京皇城艺术馆、北京民族文化宫、陕西历史博物馆、甘肃省博物馆、广西民族博物馆、云南省博物馆、云南民族博物馆、北京舞蹈学院、中国社会科学院民族学与人类学研究所、中国社会科学院少数民族文学研究所、上海社会科学院、北京大学、兰州大学、云南民族大学、云南大学等。会议期间，与会代表还参观了正在北京皇城艺术馆展出的“加拿大原住民展览”，和在北京规划展览馆展出的“不列颠哥伦比亚--加拿大厅”。
Canada-China Digital Heritage Symposium: Securing the Intangible Through the Virtua
A special conference entitled “Canada-China Digital Heritage Symposium: Securing the Intangible Through the Virtual,” which co-organized by the Department of Canadian Heritage, Canadian Embassy in Beijing, Canadian Museum of Civilization, the University of Ottawa on August 2 and 3, 2008, at the BC-Canada Pavilion in the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall in Beijing, China. This symposium addressed recent developments in the field of cultural heritage preservation and dissemination, focused on how heritage professionals and academics, in Canada and China, are using information and communication technology to preserve, to promote and to make accessible intangible cultural heritage.
This event was opened by officials from both countries including Mr. Patrice Cousineau, Counsellor and Head of Public Affairs at Canadian Embassy, Mr. QU Shengrui, Director General, Division of Intangible Cultural Heritage, State Ministry of Culture China. Two keynote speeches by Ms. Gabrielle Blais, Director General, Department of Canadian Heritage “Mobilizing Innovation at Canada’s Heritage Institutions”, and Dr. Marie Françoise Guédon, Director of Interculture Centre, University of Ottawa “What is Intangible Culture?”. The Moderators of this smposium are Dr. LI Qiang, University of Ottawa, and Dr. Lorne Holyoak, Department of Canadian Heritage. Mr. Mark Rowswell (Dashan) ，the Goodwill Ambassador for the B.C.-Canada Pavilion welcomed Chinese participants.
On behalf of the Embassy of Canada in China, in his opening remarks, Mr. Cousineau pointed out that this Canada-China Digital Heritage Symposium exemplifies, in many ways, the ideals and goals that guided the Governments of Canada and British Columbia’s decision to establish this pavilion during this historic Olympic year in China’s capital city. The pavilion provides a venue for Canadian business and cultural promotion, a place where Chinese and Canadians can meet, interact and learn from each other. The Embassy has been involved from the beginning in the establishment of the Pavilion. We are also significantly involved in supporting Canada-China cultural exchanges through bilateral cultural instruments such as the Canada-China Cultural Agreement and the Canada-China Film Co-Production Agreement, pursuant to which many successful initiatives in have been undertaken over the last several years. One of the most successful one to date is the longstanding cooperation between the Canadian Museum of Civilisation and the National Museum of China, cooperation which saw the opening yesterday of a remarkable exhibition on Canadian First Nations masterworks at the Beijing Art Museum of Imperial City, following an equally successful exhibition of Chinese artefacts in Canada. Counsellor Cousineau cited a few examples of Canada-China exchange activities recently. The Royal Ontario Museum, in Toronto, has a number of ongoing curatorial research projects taking place in China, and recently hosted a senior Chinese government delegation led by Mr. Zhai Weihua, Vice-Minister of the Publicity Department, and Mr. Zhang Bai, Deputy Director-General of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage. Currently, the Royal Ontario Museum and the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, together with the Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre, are exploring the possibility of bringing an exhibition from China to Canada. Arius3D, an innovative Canadian company also present at this symposium, is setting up a wholly-owned foreign company in Beijing for promoting Canadian 3D scanning technologies in the cultural heritage sector. The Canadian Museums Association is also deepening existing ties with China. The Association administers Canada-China exchange projects on behalf of the "Canadian Fund for International Understanding through Culture". Three exchanges have been organized to date, the latest having taken place last fall when Chinese museologists visited Canada. This coming December, the next Canadian delegation will be coming to China. A number of Canadian universities with extensive connections in China are represented at this symposium. One example is Cape Breton University, which has just signed a cooperative agreement with the International Cooperation Center of the National Development and Reform Commission in China to develop a long-term relationship for educational, industrial and governmental programs. The university has already had six official exchanges with the commission, and will now open a Cape Breton University Beijing Cooperation Office to support recruitment, international partnerships and exchanges between the two institutions. On a conclusion, Mr. Cousineau believed that this Canada-China Digital Heritage Symposium is a positive step in deepening Canada and China’s cooperation on matters of arts and culture, he encouraged participants to take full advantage of this opportunity to network and promote common objectives.
During the two-day meeting, Canadian scholars shared Canada’s implications with Chinese counterparts in the field of intangible cultural heritage, including Dr. Anthony Shelton, Director, Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia “Web Realities and Intangible Culture”, Dr. Victor Rabinovitch, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation “Canadian Efforts in Intangible Cultural Preservation”, Dr. Richard MacKinnon, Canada Research Chair in Intangible Culture and Director, Centre for Cape Breton Studies “Digitizing Canada’s Gaelic Intangible Cultural Heritage”, Kirstin Evenden, Vice President, Access, Collections, Exhibits, Glenbow Museum, and Terrance Houle, Artist “Digital Heritage and First Nations Cultures at Glenbow”, Dr. Laurier Turgeon, Director, Institut du patrimoine culturel (IPAC), Université Laval “Inventory of ethnological heritage resources”, Brian Porter, Senior Director, New Media Resources, Royal Ontario Museum Royal Ontario Museum, with Yongjian Zhai, Director, Software Engineering, Arius 3D, “3D Digitization Solutions: Arius 3D and the Royal Ontario Museum”. Dr. John McAvity, Executive Director, Canadian Museums Association, and Mr. Dale Jarvis, Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Officer Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador also introduced their programs. Chinese scholars exchanged research findings with Canadian Professors in the field of intangible cultural heritage in China. The Chinese presentations including Dr. Fang Lili, Chinese National Academy of Arts “Documenting Intangible Culture in West China: A National Study Report”, Dr. Bai Gengshen, Chinese National Federation of Artists “Chinese Efforts for Preserving Intangible Culture”, Qin Pu, Director General of Cultural Heritage Division, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (Province) and Head of Guangxi Provincial Museum of Nationalities “Visual Museums and Aboriginal Cultural Museums in Guangxi”, Wang Hong Gang, Professor, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences “Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Manchu People in Northeast China”, etc.
Over 60 participants attended this event, 20 of which came from Canada including Canadian Heritage Information Network Department of Canadian Heritage, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Canadian Museum Association, Glenbow Museum, UBC Museum of Anthropology, Royal Ontario Museum, Arius3D Inc, Université Laval, Cape Breton University, Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador. Chinese attendees came from the State Ministry of Culture, State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Division of Cultural Heritage Guangxi, National Ethnic Cultural Palace, State Commission of Ethnic Affairs China, Chinese Federation of Associations of Artists, Beijing College of Dance, Chinese National Association of Folk Artists, Shaanxi History Museum ,Gansu Provincial Museum, Yunnan Provincial Museum of Nationalities, Guangxi Provincial Museum of Nationalities, Yunnan Provincial Museum, Chinese National Academy of Arts, Beijing Royal City Art Museum, Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall, Beijing Art Museum of Imperial City, National Museum of China, Beijing University, Chinese National Academy of Social Sciences, Research Institute of Folk Arts in China, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Lanzhou University, Yunnan University for Nationalities and Yunnan University etc.
(Written by DU Fachun, CASS)