The seventh list of key national cultural relics, recently published by the State Council, includes five spots in the city of Wuhu, Anhui province, bringing the total number of key national cultural relics in the city to nine, which reflects the depth of its culture.

It might seem strange to newcomers that three of the new five are Western-style buildings, but they are in fact closely related to Wuhu's role in history as one of China's earliest treaty ports, Wuhu is justifiably famous for this architecture and these buildings, mostly along the Yangtze River, embody an urban modernity, or even reflect a modernizing Anhui province.

Some of the buildings are still in use, although some worry about the possible damage this might do the cultural aspects. This is unnecessary, however, because they have been preserved by the government and by the occupants, and one million yuan ($162,600) has been budgeted by the government annually for their upkeep.

In fact, one of the best ways to protect cultural relics such as these, might be to keep it alive, which is what the city has done, with many of these historical buildings still playing their original role. And, when you enter them, they can give you a sense of history and cause you to wonder about their past, which is exactly where the value of a cultural relic should be.

By Guo Chang

Edited by Roger Bradshaw