Drafting: Zhang Fangman.
**During his visit to Shanghai in 2023, the general secretary emphasized that "we should pay attention to the inheritance of the city's cultural context" and called for "strengthening the protection of cultural relics and cultural heritage". On the eve of the Spring Festival this year, during his inspection in Tianjin, he pointed out: "It is necessary to protect and make good use of historical and cultural districts, so that they can shine in the construction of a modern metropolis." "Historical and cultural heritage carries the genes and blood of the Chinese nation and is our precious spiritual wealth. Cultural function is one of the main functions of the city, and urban culture is the foundation of urban modernization, and the temperament and soul of the city. We must thoroughly study and implement the best cultural thoughts, inherit the historical context of the city in line with the attitude of being responsible for history and the people, handle the relationship between urban transformation and development and the protection and utilization of historical and cultural heritage, and earnestly achieve development in protection and protection in development. This issue of Observation focuses on this theme**.
Editor. Highlight local characteristics and pay attention to the inheritance of civilization.
Ho Jing Tang. Urban context is a collection of organic connections between the natural environment, social environment and historical and cultural background of the city in the process of historical development. The historical evolution behind the urban context reflects the process of human social and cultural development, condenses the wisdom and painstaking efforts of generations of unremitting exploration, and is an important embodiment of the city's characteristics and vitality. The Chinese civilization is the only great civilization in the world that has continued to develop in the form of a state, and the city is one of the important carriers to record and continue the Chinese civilization. In urban construction, we must protect and carry forward the excellent traditional Chinese culture, continue the historical context of the city, and inherit the Chinese cultural genes.
**The general secretary attaches great importance to the protection and inheritance of urban history and culture, and makes a series of important expositions on related work, which points out the direction of progress and provides fundamental guidance for the protection and inheritance of the work. On October 24, 2018, the general secretary emphasized during his inspection in Guangzhou: "Urban planning and construction should attach great importance to the protection of history and culture, not rush for quick success, and not demolish and rebuild." It is necessary to highlight local characteristics, pay attention to the improvement of the living environment, adopt more micro-transformation of this kind of 'embroidery' effort, pay attention to the inheritance of civilization and cultural continuation, let the city leave memories, and let people remember nostalgia. On October 12, 2020, the general secretary emphasized during his inspection in Chaozhou: "In the process of transforming the old city and developing the new city, it is necessary to protect the historical and cultural relics of the city, continue the urban context, and make history and contemporary complement each other." In 2021, the General Office of the Communist Party of China issued the "Opinions on Strengthening the Protection and Inheritance of Historical and Cultural Heritage in Urban and Rural Construction", pointing out that systematically protecting, utilizing, and inheriting historical and cultural heritage in urban and rural construction is of great significance to continuing the historical context, promoting the high-quality development of urban and rural construction, strengthening cultural self-confidence, and building a socialist cultural power. This is the first time that China has issued a document on the protection and inheritance of urban and rural history and culture in the name of 1982 since the establishment of the protection system for famous historical and cultural cities in China.
The inheritance of the city's cultural context should be based on local historical and cultural traditions, combined with the actual situation, and highlight its own characteristics and advantages. Take some cities in Lingnan as an example. Lingnan is located at the southern tip of the East Asian continent, backed by Wuling, facing the ocean, rich in products and outstanding people. Lingnan culture is a fusion of various cultures, forming an open, inclusive, pragmatic and innovative temperament and spirit, and becoming an important part of Chinese culture. For example, in Guangzhou, in the more than 2,000 years of development, the center has not changed, the city site has not been moved, the cultural context of the thousand-year-old city has been inherited, and the history and culture have been integrated into the city's bloodline, becoming a valuable resource for enriching the urban texture and cultivating humanistic feelings. At present, Guangzhou is actively promoting the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and continues to play a leading role in high-quality development. In Chaozhou, the Guangji Bridge, which was built in the Southern Song Dynasty and has been rebuilt and repaired several times, embodies the ingenuity and wisdom of working people in different periods, and witnesses the development of Chaoshan culture. Nowadays, the display of intangible cultural heritage skills such as wood carving, tide embroidery, and hand-drawn vermilion clay pots has become a regular activity. In Shantou, the small park opening area, the birthplace of the commercial port, is a window to look back at the development of Shantou for more than 100 years. The unique and diverse cultural context of Lingnan City has never been broken.
For the history and culture of the city, protection is the premise, inheritance is the foundation, and innovation is the key. First of all, it is necessary to fully understand the importance of preserving history and culture. History and culture are the soul of a nation and a society, and the crystallization of wisdom that has been precipitated over the years. The inheritance and development of the culture of any country and nation is carried out on the basis of the original culture, and if we leave the tradition and cut off the bloodline, we will lose our way and lose our roots. While preserving history and culture, we should also pay attention to inheritance. Inheritance is the key to the continuation of cultural life, on the basis of protection, we should strengthen the research and interpretation of various historical and cultural heritages, comprehensively and continuously excavate their historical stories, cultural values, and spiritual connotations, integrate all kinds of historical and cultural heritage, and highlight the cultural heritage and spiritual outlook of the city in urban construction, so that the broad masses of people can imperceptibly accept cultural edification in their daily lives. At the same time, we should pay attention to innovation in inheritance. Innovation is the driving force of cultural development, and only through innovation can history and culture better adapt to the needs of modern society, play a greater value, and demonstrate vigorous vitality. This requires the integration of modern elements on the basis of retaining the essence of history and culture, and carrying out creative transformation and innovative development.
For important historical and cultural heritages, it is necessary to form a distinctive cultural identity in urban construction. Let the historical and cultural heritage become the city's business card and the cultural memory of the public in the effective use, so that the historical culture and modern life can be integrated. Under the premise of full protection, cultural relics and buildings with conditions can be used as public cultural facilities such as museums and exhibition halls, making them important carriers for disseminating history and culture. For example, the Museum of the Nanyue King of the Western Han Dynasty in Guangzhou is built with the tomb of Zhao Yuan, the king of Nanyue, an important cultural relics and monument, as the core, with reference to the stone que of the Han Dynasty, and the red sandstone used in the tomb is used as the main material, and the Nanyue cultural relief is carved on the stone que, which not only interprets the connotation of traditional culture, but also reflects the spirit of the times. Today, the Nanyue King Museum has become a cultural window for people to understand the history of Guangzhou and feel the cultural Bay Area.
For historical and cultural districts and historical lots, it is not allowed to demolish and rebuild, demolish real and fake buildings, and do not destroy the texture and traditional features of the block. Historical and cultural districts often reflect the specific development stage of the city, reflect important historical events, and embody the memories and emotions of the public. Micro-transformation methods such as "embroidery" and "weaving" can be used to integrate historical and cultural blocks and historical areas with specific functions into the urban spatial layout, integrate into urban construction, highlight urban characteristics, and avoid "one face of a thousand cities and one appearance of ten thousand buildings". It is also necessary to protect the intangible cultural heritage and the cultural ecology on which it depends, and give full play to the social function and contemporary value of the intangible cultural heritage. For example, Guangzhou's Enning Road Historical and Cultural District is one of the 26 historical and cultural districts in Guangzhou, and the Enning Road Qilou Street in the block was born in 1931 and is known as "the most beautiful old street in Guangzhou". However, with the passage of time, there is a dense concentration of dilapidated houses in the area, and the potential safety hazards of residential safety are gradually revealed. After research, Yongqing Fang on Enning Road adopts the method of micro transformation, which not only retains the old city style of Yongqing Fang, but also introduces maker space, cultural creativity and other industries, so that the historical district can be revitalized and become a vivid case of "new vitality of the old city".
The design of new buildings should fully consider the regionality, culture and epochality of the building. Regionality is the foundation of architecture, culture reflects the connotation and taste of architecture, and the era reflects the development trend of architecture. The design of new buildings, especially important cultural buildings, is itself a reflection of the city's heritage. To continue the urban context, it is necessary to show the style of the times on the basis of taking root in the region and tradition. Inheritance and innovation are two sides of the same coin, and the design of the Guangzhou branch of the National Library of China reflects both aspects. With the overall design concept of "Chinese Collection, Lingnan Landscape, New Rhyme of the Times, and Lighthouse of Civilization", the Guangzhou Branch of the National Version Museum of China abstractly refines some traditional buildings in Guangzhou, such as Zhenhai Tower and Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, and draws on Lingnan garden techniques, so that the humanistic atmosphere of the building is highly compatible with the Lingnan landscape environment, fully demonstrating the profound Chinese cultural heritage, distinctive Lingnan characteristics and the atmosphere of the times. Another example is the Baietan-Dawan Art Center in Liwan District, Guangzhou, which is the location of the old Thirteen Lines, and is currently building the Guangdong Museum of Art, the Guangdong Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Center, and the Guangdong Literature Museum, creating a large-scale cultural public space open to the waterfront and showing the vitality of the riverside city.
In general, based on regional characteristics, adhere to the inheritance in protection, innovation in inheritance, integrate the inheritance and innovation of historical and cultural heritage into modern life, and integrate history and culture with urban development, so that the urban context can be better inherited and continued, glow with new vitality in the dialogue between tradition and modernity, and continue to meet the people's growing needs for a better life.
The author is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a professor at South China University of Technology).
Evolve in Conservation Protect in Evolve.
Rong Yueming. Cities are the locomotive of modernization and an important carrier of high-quality development. At present, the people-centered new urbanization is making solid progress, empowering economic and social development. **The general secretary pointed out: "In the spirit of being responsible for history and the people, we should inherit the historical context, handle the relationship between urban transformation and development and the protection and utilization of historical and cultural heritage, and earnestly achieve development in protection and protection in development." "In today's rapid development of urban construction, how to protect and inherit the urban context and let the people enjoy a higher quality of life is an important issue in the process of urbanization. To answer this important topic well, we must adhere to the guidance of the socialist thought with Chinese characteristics in the new era, thoroughly study and implement the cultural thought, and handle the relationship between protection and development.
Urban context has rich connotations, which generally refers to the historical accumulation and cultural inheritance formed by a city in the process of development and change, and is the result of the comprehensive effect of various factors such as economy, politics, and historical reality in urban development. The urban context is reflected in all kinds of ruins, relics and buildings, as well as in the city's cultural spirit, artistic style and fashion of the times. The architecture, literature, art, food, customs, and way of life that mark the characteristics of the city are all important manifestations of the city's cultural character and spiritual temperament, such as the Forbidden City and courtyard houses in Beijing, Shikumen and the Bund in Shanghai, and Wuhou Temple and Kuanzhai Alley in Chengdu. A series of historical locations, natural landscapes, cultural environments and intangible cultural heritage are connected in series to become the root and soul of a city, the cultural foundation of urban development and evolution, and the precious wealth that has been passed down endlessly, so that the charm and spirit of the city continue to emanate.
The formation and accumulation of urban context in different historical stages of urban development and evolution has multi-dimensional and multi-level connotation characteristics. Personnel have metabolism, and exchanges have become ancient and modern. The history and culture of a city in different periods have their own characteristics, and the culture of the same period is often all-encompassing and has its own merits. With the development of cities and the changes of the times, culture will also undergo content updates, concept changes, and form evolution, and different types of culture will either be precipitated and inherited, or annihilated, but they often leave a unique spiritual connotation and temperament customs, carrying people's long-term memories and deep attachments. In fact, the urban context reflects the internal logic of the cultural development and evolution of a city in different historical periods, and reflects the position and attitude of contemporary people towards the history and culture of the city, which not only shows the history, but also affects the future direction of urban development.
History is the unique memory of a city, and culture is the blood of a city. **The general secretary pointed out: "In the process of renovating the old city and developing the new city, it is necessary to protect the historical and cultural relics of the city, continue the urban context, and make history and contemporary complement each other." "To protect and inherit the urban context, we must adhere to the guidance of the socialist thought with Chinese characteristics in the new era, fully implement the cultural thought, comprehensively strengthen the excavation, sorting and protection of the city's history and cultural heritage, vigorously promote the creative transformation and innovative development of China's excellent traditional culture, deeply explore and interpret the contemporary value of urban history and culture, and integrate history and culture into contemporary life in urban construction and renewal, so as to create a higher quality for the better life of urban residents. More space and more value. Urban construction and renewal is a systematic project involving multiple subjects and forces in society, involving economic, political, social, cultural, ecological and other aspects, and various contradictions and challenges will inevitably arise in this process. To protect and inherit the urban context, it is necessary to plan and promote it with a higher position, a larger pattern and a wider vision, unify the present and the future, handle the relationship between the short-term and long-term goals of urban development and cultural inheritance, and balance the interests of all parties. Pay attention to the use of modern technology and a variety of means, the integration of history and culture with urban development, development in protection, protection in development, give play to the social and educational role of historical and cultural heritage, and constantly meet the people's growing needs for a better life.
In the process of urban construction and renewal, we should protect and inherit the urban context, continue to promote the modernization of urban governance, and strive to create a high-quality life for the people. ** The chairman once said to American middle school students: "If you want to see a thousand years of China, go to Xi'an, see a 500-year-old China go to Beijing, and see a hundred years of China go to Shanghai." Since the opening of the port in 1843, a large number of industrial facilities such as factories, docks and warehouses have gradually gathered along the Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek in Shanghai. With the adjustment and upgrading of the city's economic structure, a large number of industrial facilities are idle and abandoned. At the beginning of the new century, Shanghai launched the comprehensive development of both sides of the Huangpu River and the renovation of the Suzhou Creek shoreline. In the renovation and management of the waterfront space of "one river and one river", attention should be paid to the inheritance of the historical context and the continuation of the historical pattern, and the historical buildings and industrial relics in the coastal areas should be systematically sorted out, and the appearance and function should be renewed and reshaped. After more than 20 years of renovation and renewal, many historical and cultural heritage sites along the coast have been preserved and integrated into the daily life of the people, becoming an open public space with a variety of new functions and landmark significance. Some of them have been transformed into museums, art galleries, libraries, etc., becoming public cultural spaces that tell the history of Shanghai, display cultural heritage, and preserve historical memories, and some have become new spaces to meet the needs of citizens for leisure, fitness, entertainment, etc. The former industrial rust belt has been transformed into today's life show belt, adding a beautiful scenery to the city.
Protecting and inheriting the urban context is an effective way to highlight the spirit of the city and show the character of the city, and it is also an important cultural support to promote the high-quality development of the city. It can be said that the protection and inheritance of urban context not only has historical and cultural value, but also has important social and economic value. At present, cutting-edge technologies such as cloud computing, blockchain, artificial intelligence and quantum computing are reshaping people's production, life and communication methods. Whether it is the integrated development of culture, commerce, tourism and sports, or the empowerment of urban development with cultural prosperity, the integration of culture and economy, science and technology, and society is being carried out in depth. With the help of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, metaverse technology and other digital technology innovations and rich cultural presentation methods, it can not only fully display the value connotation and artistic characteristics of historical and cultural relics, better display the historical development of urban culture, but also help to create new scenes of digital cultural consumption, bring new cultural experiences to people, boost consumption upgrading with cultural industry upgrading, and further stimulate the vitality of urban development. In the process of digitally-driven urban development and transformation, it is necessary to coordinate development and protection, protect the historical and cultural relics of the city, and pay more attention to strengthening the activation and utilization, optimizing its actual functions, and fully stimulating the material and spiritual power contained in the urban context, so that the urban history can be extended, the urban context will be continued, and the people's lives will benefit.
The author is a researcher at the Shanghai Research Center for Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era).
Let history and culture be integrated with modern life.
Zhang Jie. Cities are the centers of production and life in modern society. **The general secretary pointed out that urban development has led to the development of the entire economy and society. To promote Chinese-style modernization, we must grasp the city as the locomotive and make the city an important carrier and driving force for modernization. Culture plays an important role in this. A city has a city's cultural heritage, and better inheriting the city's historical context and revitalizing historical and cultural resources will help release the city's new vitality and cultivate new momentum for development.
Judging from the experience of urban development in some countries, after urbanization reaches a certain level, urban development will pay more attention to connotation and quality. For example, since the 70s of the last century, in order to meet the development needs of emerging industries and improve the livability level of cities, high-end services, education and other industries have become the key industries for the development of cities in some developed countries. The foundation of the knowledge economy is innovation, which requires talents and a comprehensive urban environment that adapts to it, including a high-standard market system, high-level intellectual property protection, flexible talent incentive mechanism, etc., as well as a cultural environment that adapts to it. In this case, the distinctive and dynamic urban culture is no longer a dispensable decoration and façade, but an important resource for high-quality development.
With the development of society, the functional structure of modern cities has taken on new characteristics. Some new types of areas that integrate office, commercial, residential, leisure and other functions have emerged. These areas are distinctive, open and inclusive, and have a beautiful environment, which greatly enhances the innovation and livability of the city. The city's history and culture, modern functions, and production and living atmosphere together constitute a comprehensive environment that can be experienced, which has become the charm and attraction of a city.
China has a long history of urban construction. As early as the Western Zhou Dynasty, the camp city system was formed, and the overall layout of the city was incorporated into the ritual system, forming a unique spatial order. In many aspects, China's urban construction embodies the concept of Taoism, nature, and the unity of nature and man. For example, the hutongs in Beijing, the stilted buildings in Xiangxi, the Sishui Guitang in Anhui, and the tulou in Fujian, etc., these unique buildings are not only compatible with the local climatic conditions, customs, and living customs, but also have a profound historical and cultural heritage.
To promote urban modernization today, we must not only inherit but also innovate history and culture. While improving the living environment, it also protects the historical and cultural heritage, gives full play to the urban function, and integrates history and culture with modern life. In 2023, China's urbanization rate will be 6616 percent, compared with the level of about 80 percent in advanced economies, there is still room for development. In the past five years, China's urbanization rate has increased by 0 per year93 percentage points, more than 10 million rural residents move into cities and towns every year, bringing a large number of new material and cultural needs. At the same time, there are still many old neighborhoods in China's cities that are facing comprehensive problems such as housing disrepair, poor living environment, and weak development momentum. How to build consensus and gather joint efforts to continuously improve people's livelihood and meet the people's yearning for a better life, while protecting the city's history and culture, inheriting the city's historical context, and thereby promoting the improvement of the city's quality is a must-answer question to promote urban modernization.
**The general secretary pointed out: "Protecting traditional neighborhoods, ancient buildings, and cultural relics is to preserve the history and context of the city." Treat ancient buildings, old houses, and old neighborhoods with a cherished heart and a heart of respect. "In 1982, China established a system for the protection of famous historical and cultural cities. As of September 2023, there are 141 national historical and cultural cities, 799 famous historical and cultural towns and villages in China, 8,155 traditional Chinese villages, 1,274 historical and cultural districts, and 6 historical buildingsMore than 30,000 places. The concept of historical and cultural protection in China has been continuously improved, and the objects of protection have been continuously expanded. From large-scale demolition and construction to "embroidery", from decentralized protection to collaborative protection, the protection concept has kept pace with the times. In recent years, China has introduced a series of institutional regulations and supporting policy measures. In 2021, the General Office of the Communist Party of China issued the "Opinions on Strengthening the Protection and Inheritance of Historical and Cultural Heritage in Urban and Rural Construction", proposing to "establish a system for the protection and inheritance of urban and rural history and culture with scientific classification, strong protection and effective management", emphasizing "the protection of the historical texture, historical streets and alleys, spatial scale and landscape environment of historical and cultural blocks, as well as environmental elements such as ancient wells, ancient bridges and ancient trees, and the rectification of uncoordinated buildings and landscapes, and the continuation of historical features". In August 2021, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development issued the Notice on Preventing Large-scale Demolition and Large-scale Construction in the Implementation of Urban Renewal Actions, proposing to "insist on preserving as much as possible and make every effort to maintain the memory of the city", drawing a "bottom line" for the protection of historical context. The promulgation of these regulations provides conceptual guidance and institutional guarantee for the protection of urban historical and cultural relics.
**The general secretary pointed out: "It is necessary to deal with the relationship between tradition and modernity, inheritance and development, so that our urban architecture can better reflect regional characteristics, national characteristics and the style of the times." "The city is the carrier of culture, and culture is the soul of the city. The city is not a simple pile of steel and concrete, but an organic and complex "living system". In formulating urban development plans, it is necessary to comprehensively consider various factors such as the functional orientation and cultural characteristics of the city. Strengthen the planning and management of the city's spatial three-dimensionality, plane coordination, style integrity, cultural continuity, etc., and coordinate development and protection, which not only retains the city's unique regional environment, cultural characteristics, architectural style, etc., but also gives full play to the city's modern functions, so that the general public can live in the city more conveniently, comfortably and safely, and enhance the sense of identity and belonging of citizens. In this regard, there have been quite a few successful explorations. For example, the historical and cultural district of Fuzhou, known as the "living fossil of the Lifang system" and the "Ming and Qing Dynasty Architectural Museum", on the one hand, retains the charm of the ancient tune as much as possible by repairing the old as the old; On the other hand, through moderate development, efforts will be made to introduce dynamic formats that can display Fujian's intangible cultural heritage, create immersive cultural tourism and performing arts projects, fully explore the intrinsic value of ancient houses, and make ancient neighborhoods become a beautiful business card of the city. In Jingdezhen, the thousand-year-old porcelain capital, a number of heritage protection and revitalization projects such as the Imperial Kiln Factory, Taoxichuan and Taoyangli have been gradually completed, the old porcelain factory area and the traditional handicraft workshop area have achieved a gorgeous turn, Taoxichuan has become a creative community with important influence, the traditional handicraft industry has become a way to start a business, and the ancient industry that has lasted for thousands of years is full of vitality.
In the new era and new journey, we must adhere to the guidance of first-class cultural thought, continue the historical context of the city, protect the historical and cultural heritage of the city like cherishing our own lives, continue to develop beautiful towns with historical memory, cultural context, regional features and national characteristics, and form an urbanization development model that conforms to reality and has its own characteristics, so that the ancient city will glow with new vitality, let people remember the history, remember the nostalgia, and cultivate the feelings of the family and the country.
The author is a professor at the School of Architecture, Tsinghua University).
People** 2024-02-09 09 Edition).