LCCHP is an 18-month project whose goal is to improve U.S.-China relations in the areas of awareness, understanding, and respect for cultural diversity and heritage. The project provides orientation and training to Chinese cultural heritage professionals in the maintenance, protection, preservation, and promotion of local cultural heritage in Chengdu Municipality, Sichuan, China; and focuses on Han, Hui, Tibetan, Daoist, and Hakka cultures.
The Office of Cultural Exchange and Cooperation with Foreign Countries, Bureau of Culture, Chengdu Municipality, LCCHP's China Coordinator, said, “Culture protection and diversity are becoming the main concern of local cultural authority in China. We are interested in the LCCHP project because Chengdu, and China as a country, can learn a lot from the U.S. in the areas of cultural protecting and diversity respecting." In fact, the U.S. and China can learn much from each other, and mutual sharing of knowledge and experience is a major goal of the project.
In November 2005 LCCHP provided practical training, internships, workshops, site visits, and experiential learning to eight cultural heritage professionals who traveled to the U.S. They were trained by U.S. experts and professional organizations; enjoyed home stays with American families and a cultural and social program; and created a resource reference manual for participants and their colleagues. Since then participants have been implementing cultural heritage action plans developed during their U.S. trip
In June and July 2006 U.S. consultants will travel to Chengdu to provide monitoring, consultation, evaluation and assessment. They will provide orientation and training to LCCHP participants; colleagues; faculty and students at Sichuan University's College of History & Culture; Sichuan University Museum; and the general public. LCCHP will also encourage post-project linkages between partners and participants.
LCCHP is funded by the U.S. Department of State.