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China to curb demolitions, chopping of old trees to preserve heritage
The new guidelines are expected to “systematically protect and pass on” the country’s cultural heritage and “tell the stories of China and the Communist Party comprehensively and accurately”.
China will step up preserving historical buildings and prevent large-scale demolitions in cities, a set of new guidelines on the inheritance and protection of cultural heritage says.
Issued late on Friday by China’s cabinet, the State Council, the guidelines are an attempt to better tell the story of China and the ruling Communist party.
“A new set of guidelines issued by the general offices of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council call for efforts to establish scientifically designed and effective heritage protection systems in urban and rural areas to provide strong support for developing a great socialist culture in China,” the Xinhua news agency said in a report on the new rules.
The new guidelines are expected to “systematically protect and pass on” the country’s cultural heritage and “tell the stories of China and the Communist Party comprehensively and accurately”.
The guidelines prioritise protection efforts, while demanding coordination between protection, utilisation and the continuation of historical and cultural heritage.
Besides prohibiting large-scale demolition, the guidelines direct authorities not to “destroy topography…do not cut down old trees, do not destroy the traditional style (of architecture), and do not change the names of old places at will”.
Construction of “fake” new buildings has also been banned. “Greater efforts should be made to address prominent problems, such as the damage and demolition of historical and cultural heritage sites during urban and rural construction,” the document says.
It said effective measures should also be put in place to protect buildings that “reflect important historical events and bring together the emotional memories of the public”.
