The Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development has mandated that all localities earnestly strengthen the protection and utilization of historic buildings.
分类： News Updates
发布时间：2017-09-22 15:37
The Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development recently issued a notice requiring all localities to strengthen the protection and utilization of historic buildings, including the identification, signage, and documentation of such buildings, in order to maximize their functional value. The notice also stipulates that historic buildings shall not be demolished or damaged, and that no high-rise buildings are to be constructed in areas where historic buildings are concentrated in contiguous clusters.
The notice points out that the Party Central Committee and the State Council have always attached great importance to the protection of historic buildings. Strengthening the protection and rational utilization of historic buildings helps showcase a city’s historical character, preserve its architectural style and cultural identity, and constitutes an important task in implementing the new development philosophy and fostering cultural confidence. All localities are required to further enhance the protection and utilization of historic buildings in accordance with the provisions of this notice, ensuring that both ancient and modern buildings are protected, and that individual structures as well as historic and cultural districts and urban layouts are all safeguarded.
The notice stipulates the following: First, it is essential to identify, designate with plaques, and establish archives for historic buildings. Efforts should be accelerated to conduct a comprehensive survey and identification of historic buildings, with priority given to preserving as many as possible from different periods and of various types. Particular attention must be paid to the protection of the city’s modern and contemporary architectural heritage, ensuring that all buildings that should be protected are indeed protected. A roster of protected historic buildings and corresponding archival records shall be established, and each historic building shall be officially designated for protection by affixing a plaque.
Second, we must maximize the utilitarian value of historic buildings. We should support and encourage their rational use. To this end, we need to adopt conservation approaches that differ from those applied to cultural-relic buildings: while preserving the historic buildings’ height, massing, exterior appearance, and overall architectural character, we should promote their appropriate utilization, diversify their functions, and revitalize their roles, thereby achieving a harmonious integration of preservation and utilization and fully realizing their potential for cultural display and heritage transmission. We should also actively engage social forces in the protection and adaptive reuse of historic buildings, encourage localities to launch pilot projects in this area, and develop replicable and scalable best practices. At the same time, we should explore the establishment of planning standards, technical specifications, and institutional mechanisms for the protection and utilization of historic buildings.
Third, historical buildings must not be demolished or damaged. All localities should strengthen the stringent protection of historical buildings, strictly prohibiting the arbitrary demolition or destruction of old houses, modern and contemporary buildings, and industrial heritage that have been officially designated as historical buildings; genuine historic remains must be preserved, and fake antiquities must not be constructed.
Fourth, no high-rise buildings shall be constructed in areas where historic buildings are concentrated in contiguous blocks. In historic and cultural districts and other areas characterized by a dense concentration of historic buildings, the construction of high-rise buildings and architecturally ostentatious structures that would adversely affect the area’s historic character is prohibited. New constructions must be harmonized with the existing historic buildings and their historical setting, carefully preserving the historical fabric and historic appearance of the areas surrounding these buildings, and strictly adhering to the height restrictions stipulated in the preservation plans.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development has mandated that all localities submit reports on the implementation of this notice by the end of 2017 and will conduct timely supervisory inspections as appropriate.
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