China promises to curb urban demolition and preserve cultural heritage

SHANGHAI, Sept 4 (Reuters) – China will end large-scale urban demolition and preserve ancient historic buildings as part of a program to protect its cultural heritage, new guidelines said on Friday afternoon .

China’s rapid economic development has been based on dizzying rates of urban expansion and renewal, destroying entire neighborhoods and replacing thousands of old buildings with tower blocks and shopping malls.

The Council of State, China’s cabinet, said the aim of the new guidelines was to “systematically protect and transmit” the country’s cultural heritage and “tell the stories of China and the Communist Party in a comprehensive and comprehensive manner.” you need “.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said in June that China needed to improve its way of telling stories about itself to better reflect its situation on the world stage. Since then, the phrase has appeared in various government statements and policy documents. Read more

The new town planning guidelines said it was now forbidden to “tear down the real and build the fake,” cut down old trees, randomly change old place names, or make changes to lake or river systems.

He said effective measures should also be put in place to protect buildings that “reflect important historical facts and bring together the public’s emotional memories.”

Report by David Stanway Edited by Shri Navaratnam

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