UNIT 9: TRAVELING AND CULTURE
My name‿ is Grace. I studied history,│ so I visit sites with‿ a set‿ of‿ uncomfortable questions,│ an(d) the firs(t) one‿ is how much‿ of what‿ I am looking‿ at was rebuil(t) las(t) century.
Reconstruction‿ is not dishonest,│ but‿ it mus(t) be labelled. A temple restored with modern concrete‿ is‿ a different‿ objec(t) from the ruins‿ it replaced,│ and‿ authenticity is not‿ a sentiment;│ it‿ is‿ a claim that has tohasta be defended. The site‿ I visited‿ in the mountains was left‿ in ruins for four hundred years,│ an(d) the restoration that began with‿ a local teacher‿ and‿ a group‿ of volunteers‿ is documented‿ in‿ a small‿ exhibition,│ which‿ I foun(d) more‿ interesting than the temple‿ itself.
Preservation‿ and‿ accessibility also pull‿ in‿ opposite directions. Every visitor damages‿ a surface slightly,│ and‿ every ticket contributes to funding the repairs. I would rather see a site with‿ a limited number‿ of daily visitors‿ and‿ a high price than‿ an‿ unlimited number‿ of visitors│ an(d) no restoration budget. And‿ a landmark that‿ is preserved│ but not‿ interpreted‿ is merely a wall:│ if we do not‿ explain the provenance‿ of what we are showing,│ we are preserving‿ an‿ object‿ an(d) losing the meaning,│ which was the only reason to keep‿ it.