Suzhou issues guideline in water towns' UNESCO heritage bid

Suzhou has released a water town protection and conservation guideline in support of a joint application by 14 Chinese water towns in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The guideline, which will become effective on March 1, sets a standard to preserve ancient water towns in Suzhou. The city is heading the application as it is home to nine water towns included in the joint application.

The application, first started in 2001 by six water towns in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces including Zhouzhuang, Tongli and Wuzhen, has now expanded to include 14 water towns.