[Cultural] Can Literary Websites Apply for UNESCO Heritage Status?

Author: JEFFI CHAO HUI WU

Time: July 3, 2025, Thursday, 3:00 PM

········································

[Cultural] Can Literary Websites Apply for Heritage Status?

I have been pondering a question: Does a Chinese pure literature website that has been continuously operating for over twenty years qualify for "cultural heritage"? In this era dominated by social media and smartphones, traditional websites are disappearing in large numbers, especially Chinese literary forums, which have almost vanished overnight in the flood of information. Initially, this question was merely a sentiment, but now it weighs heavier—because I realize that what we are doing is not just a writing practice in cyberspace, but an empirical response to "how civilized information persists."

What we uphold is not just the technical maintenance of a website, but a collection of texts, countless souls, and the literary embodiment of an era. The Australian Longwind Information Network and the Australian Rainbow Parrot Writers' Association are still operating online, which is a rare phenomenon in the global Chinese literary network.

I often ask myself, what we leave behind is not just works, but the very path of how literature endures. This path is a structure, as well as a way of continuing civilization. If today there are still hundreds of original works, systematically preserved, traceable, and continuously updated, have we already transcended individual expression and become nodes of collective memory?

If this route can be sustained for fifty years or a hundred years, does it already possess the inherent value for heritage application? Cultural heritage has never been limited to monuments, crafts, dances, and festivals; it can also be a place of expression, a way for words to survive. In this sense, I truly believe that a literary website can be considered for heritage application.

I. Duration of more than twenty years, possessing "history and continuity"

Our website was founded at the beginning of the millennium and has persisted to this day. It initially used ASP+Access, and the forum structure has been continuously updated and optimized. In the era of transitioning from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0, it has been like a silent post office with a light always on—there are always people here writing letters, sending them, and replying, maintaining the emotions and culture that connect people across time and space.

II. Cultural Uniqueness: Diverse Immigrant Expressions in the Chinese Language Context

In the expression of global Chinese prose poetry, overseas Chinese websites are already scarce. Our platform has long supported cross-cultural writing by local and international writers, not only carrying the tradition of Chinese literature but also integrating into the Australian cultural environment, truly reflecting the existence of "cross-context literary creation" in an era. This kind of hybrid literary community is extremely rare.

III. Living Heritage: The Release of Works is Ongoing

We still have new works being released, and our members remain active, with some writers having serialized for over ten years. Compared to certain museum-like heritage projects, this is not a "static display," but rather a living writing scene that is still breathing. This vibrant creative ecology is precisely the "living" core of the intangible cultural heritage standards.

IV. Community Identity: Spontaneous Construction, Self-Management, and Self-Operation

We are not an institutional project, nor do we have any government funding; rather, we are a completely self-sustained literary space. From server maintenance, website architecture, content management, literary quarterly editing, to physical publishing… all processes are autonomously managed by core writers. In terms of cultural independence, community cohesion, and content creativity, this is irreplaceable by any commercial website.

V. The "Survival Miracle" Under Technological Replacement

In an era when countless blogs, literary forums, and portals have shut down, our website is still here! We do not rely on algorithmic recommendations, do not place advertisements, and do not chase traffic, but instead uphold a steadfast belief in the "value of words"—this is no longer merely a literary act, but a form of cultural preservation.

So I am asking: If an ancient song, a legend, or a dance from a certain place can be included in the heritage list due to "oral transmission and heart-to-heart teaching"; if a academy, a craft process, or a traditional festival can be included in the World Cultural Heritage for its "cultural function"; then does a complete, existing, and actively operating Chinese literature website also qualify to be taken seriously?

Perhaps the cultural heritage of the future will not only be sites or festivals, but also such "spiritual spaces" and "linguistic fields." What we are doing is leaving a way for literature to survive in the digital age. We are preserving works, but more importantly, we are preserving the possibility of expression. In this sense, I believe that literary websites are not just able to apply for heritage status—they should become important candidates for "intangible cultural heritage in the digital age."

Source: http://www.australianwinner.com/AuWinner/viewtopic.php?t=696654