Wang Kai

The historical and cultural heritage of a city embodies the historical sentiments and memories unique to it. Over the years, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has been concerned about the protection and continuation of history and culture in the process of urban development and planning.

In 2002, when Xi served as governor of Fujian Province, he wrote the foreword for a book about old houses in Fuzhou, saying that "protecting ancient buildings and cultural relics is about preserving history and cultural heritage and keeping the intangible fine traditions of famous historical and cultural cities alive."

In October 2018, General Secretary Xi stressed that more importance should be attached to preserving history and culture in urban planning and development, during his visit to Xiguan historical and cultural community in Liwan District of Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province. "We should not blindly pursue rapid growth, or engage in large-scale demolition and construction," he said. "Efforts should be made to underscore local characteristics and improve the living environment. Renovate the city gradually while making sure its cultural heritage is kept intact."

China has put in place a system of protecting famous historical and cultural cities for 40 years since the list of the first batch of 24 cities was released by the State Council in 1982. So far, the country has put 140 historical and cultural cities under national-level protection in addition to 799 towns and villages, and 6,819 village clusters that have formed the world's largest heritage protection group of agricultural civilizations. It can be said that the system has rescued and preserved a wealth of precious heritage in the course of China's rapid urbanization, and has performed a key role in preserving the national history, culture and landscape features.