“文化财产”与“文化遗产”辨:一种国际法的视角

Distinguishing 'Cultural Property' and 'Cultural Heritage' from a Vision of International Law

从国际法的视角来看,"文化财产"一词混淆了现代文化财产与历史文化财产的区别,抹杀了保护对象的历史性和传承性,且含义较窄,通常限于具有商业价值的有形财产;"文化遗产"一词则突出了保护对象的历史性和传承性,避免过分强调物品的商业价值,且含义更丰富,涵盖了不具有高商业价值但又需要法律保护的各种文化表现形式,比"文化财产"更可取。为更好地履行国际义务并传承中华文明,我国现行立法应将保护对象从"文物"扩大到"文化遗产",将有关立法整合为一部《物质文化遗产保护法》,并在时机成熟时制定《文化遗产保护法通则》。

After a careful examination of the relevant international conventions and recommendations,a conclusion may be drawn that the term'cultural heritage'is more appropriate than'cultural property',for the former introduces a temporal dimension to the concept that refers to something to be preserved for the next generations,and therefore,is more meaningful.The term'cultural relics'employed by Chinese laws covers a relevant smaller range than the term'cultural heritage'and shall be replaced by it.Furthermore,current laws related should be integrated into'Tangible Cultural Property Law',and'General Provisions of Cultural Heritage Preservation' should be adopted in the long run.