Guangzhou Consensus on Protection of Historical and Cultural Cities Released: Let's Create a New Future with History, and Pass on Our History to the Future

GUANGZHOU, China, June 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 19, the Guangzhou Consensus on Protection of Historical and Cultural Cities, which embodies the consensus on the high-quality development of China's historical and cultural cities, was released at the Guangzhou Historical and Cultural City Protection and Development Summit focused on New Vitality to the Historical City.

Witnessed by more than 200 academicians, experts and media representatives, representatives from Nanjing, Jiujiang, Zhangzhou, Yangzhou, Langzhong, Foshan, Zhongshan and many other China's historical and cultural cities gathered at the summit, and jointly shouted with Guangzhou's representatives: Let's work together to explore a new path for the people's well-being through mutual support and common progress. Let's create a new future with history, and pass on our history to the future!

The Consensus pointed out that to understand China today, one needs to first understand its history. Guangzhou, known as the millennial commercial capital and the originating port of the Maritime Silk Road, is China's southern gateway to the world. The city is home to melodious Cantonese Opera and distinct local customs, while the iconic Baiyun Mountain and the Pearl River have witnessed the local people's ceaseless pursuit of maritime dreams over the past two thousand years. With a pioneering spirit, Guangzhou has upgraded its "Baiyun Mountain and Pearl River" urban pattern into a new framework of "mountain, water, city, farmland and sea". Meanwhile, it has established a systematic, innovative and fruitful mechanism in protection of historic city, fostering an inspiring environment for carrying forward the Chinese civilization.

The Consensus emphasizes that over the past four decades, the protection of China's historical and cultural cities has been steadily promoted. Cultural relics are preserved and made "alive", and the old historical districts are starting to thrive, injecting new vigor and vitality into the old city... With innovative mindset and after many twists and turns, we have explored a path to success and achieved fruitful results. Yet there are still many new challenges and tests ahead.

The Consensus advocates that to take people's well-being as the starting point and final goal, to make the city a memorable hometown for the people; to pursue development through protection and promote protection through development; to protect the historical and cultural cities means to safeguard the genes and blood of the Chinese nation; to tell the stories of the historic city is to tell the stories of China and so on.

According to the relevant person in charge of the Guangzhou Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau, in recent years, Guangzhou has strengthened its planning leadership, compiled the famous city protection plan and the urban design of the historic city for 2035, and promoted the extensive participation of the whole society in the protection and development, formulated a five-year action plan for the protection of famous cities, vigorously promoted the activation of historical and cultural heritage, promoted the construction of digital cities and smart cities, taken into account the preservation of old cities and the construction of new cities. Not only inheriting and carrying forward the traditional construction wisdom and architectural art of Lingnan, but also striving to integrate into the new characteristics of the times, Guangzhou will encourage innovation, attach importance to the use of new technologies, new materials and new processes, and adhere to the connection between the protection of famous cities and organic renewal.

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Caption: On June 19, the release ceremony of the Guangzhou Consensus on Protection of Historical and Cultural Cities at the summit