Society

Relics in cities must be saved, historians say

By Shi Yingying (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-14 10:30

SUZHOU - With nearly half of UNESCO world heritage sites located in cities, experts attending a forum over the weekend called for better conservation of cultural relics in Chinese cities.

Historic buildings should be a "sacred and inviolable" part of the urban landscape, Ruan Yisan, an expert on ancient buildings at the school of architecture and urban planning in Shanghai's Tongji University.

"The important cultural heritage of a city should be the city's Himalayas - sacred and inviolable. You should not dig a hole through it or pass over it," he said.

Ruan said many ancient Chinese cities have unique cultural characteristics, but some have suffered prolonged damage due to a lack of awareness.

"The most imperative thing is to transform some officials' concepts of conserving cultural heritage. Some are not fully aware of the importance of cultural heritage in city planning," Ruan said.

About 110 cities, 143 towns and 108 villages have been included in the Historical and Cultural Cities protection program since it launched in 1982. However compared to what Europeans are doing with their treasured heritage, that is still not enough, he said.

Suzhou set a good example of conservation with its regulation of a maximum height of 24 meters for buildings in its old downtown area, he said.

"Height control is critical in conserving historic and cultural cities," Ruan said. "We don't want each city in China to look the same with high-rises dotting the city's skyline. We want each of them to have unique local character. "

Public participation is also important to preservation and could give "dignity" to cultural heritage, said Shan Jixiang, head of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

At the forum, 17 historic cities across the world issued a declaration to establish an alliance for the protection of cultural heritage.