Recently, a side event themed "World Heritage Education Towards the Future—Youth-oriented Innovation," was held in Busan, South Korea, as part of the 48th Session of the World Heritage Committee. At the event, Zhangjiajie's "Walking World Heritage – Education Innovation and Sustainable Practice of Zhangjiajie Qixing Mountain Outdoor Challenge (China)" was successfully selected as one of the 2026 Global Challenge for World Heritage Education Innovative Cases and awarded the title of "Star of Discovery." By showcasing localized innovative practices on the international stage, it has established a Zhangjiajie model for global heritage education innovation.

The event was co-hosted by the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and the Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO (WHITR-AP) and the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centres and Associations (WFUCA). It is one of the most authoritative and exemplary international exchange platforms in the field of global heritage education. Competition for this edition was fierce, with nearly 90 entries from around the world, and ultimately only 30 outstanding cases were selected for the annual innovation list.

For many years, Zhangjiajie's Qixing Mountain project has been dedicated to exploring its deep value and models, promoting collaborative innovation in heritage education tailored to local conditions, and developing practical experience that serves as a global model. This year, Qixing Mountain project won the award of "Star of Discovery" at a side event of the 48th Session of the World Heritage Committee. This fully demonstrates the practical vitality of the world heritage site in embracing innovation and actively exploring new approaches, thereby enriching the global landscape of innovation in natural heritage education. 

The Global Challenge for World Heritage Education Innovative Cases are divided into three major categories: Star of Outstanding, Star of Discovery, and Star of the Future. Among them, the Star of Discovery focuses on encouraging differentiated exploration, localized innovation, and deep value exploration, and serves as a high recognition of innovative local heritage education practices.

Going forward, Zhangjiajie will continue to leverage its world heritage resources, deepen its innovative exploration of heritage education, amplify the exemplary impact of Qixing Mountain as the Star of Discovery, and consistently share high-quality examples of innovation in China's heritage education, effectively telling the world Zhangjiajie's stories of world heritage conservation and inheritance.

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn. 

Translator: Xiao Juan

Chinese source: hunantoday