[Editor's Note]

Small bridges over flowing streams, blue bricks and black tiles, the bustling ancient town was once a collective travel memory for several generations.

With the change of times, the travel concepts and methods of young people have undergone drastic changes. More and more ancient towns are at a \crossroads\, whether to continue to endure the sparseness of visitors or to make a desperate attempt to upgrade and transform, the transformation of ancient towns is imperative.

What's more, many ancient towns have been accused of being \fake ancient towns\ or \man-made ancient towns,\ characterized by uniformity and mass replication, possessing only a \shell\ but lacking a \soul.\ These types of ancient towns face greater operational pressures, and may even struggle to cover their costs. How can these \man-made ancient towns\ avoid the fate of closing down? To address this, during the peak summer travel season of 2025, the Politics Desk of The Paper News Studio specially launched a feature series titled \Ancient Towns at the Crossroads,\ systematically exploring the contemporary question of \where should ancient towns go?\

Of course, there are also some ancient towns with operational standards and successful transformations, becoming models that other ancient towns are eager to emulate. What is the secret to their successful transformation? This is also the focus of our special topic exploration.

Today, we have invited Zhang Guanghan, the Deputy Chief Planner of the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, to systematically deconstruct the logic of the transformation of ancient town development from overheating to rationality. In Zhang Guanghan's view, when the Dayong Ancient City, with an investment of 2.5 billion, has an average daily traffic of less than 20 people, and when \fake ancient towns\ fall into vacancy and desolation, it also means that the development of ancient towns in China is facing a critical moment of rational transformation. He stated that the real charm of ancient towns lies in the survival of cultural genes and the vitality of human life, rather than uniform commercial replication. Rejecting \demolishing the real and building the fake,\ exploring local culture, scientifically planning business formats, and allowing residents and tourists to coexist and prosper is the core of sustainable development.

Design: Zhou Huan

When the 2.5 billion yuan investment in Hunan Dayong Ancient City faces a daily passenger flow of less than 20 people, and when \fake ancient towns\ across various regions fall into the dilemma of suspended investment attraction and vacant shops, the development of ancient towns in China is facing a historic turning point.

In this \town-making movement\ that has lasted for more than two decades, people have witnessed too many cultural specimens being alienated: Changde Peach Blossom Spring Ancient Town invested 5 billion to create \Peach Blossom Spring,\ but now it has become a \ghost town\ overgrown with weeds everywhere; Shaanxi Hancheng Ancient City was criticized by multiple departments for \demolishing the real and building the fake\; Tianshui Ancient Town invested nearly 900 million in development, but it led to large-scale destruction of historical sites... Among the hundreds of national-level historical and cultural towns and villages announced by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, some have fallen into the paradox of \protective destruction,\ and we have to ask: what is the original intention of ancient town development?

Recently, The Paper (www.thepaper.cn) systematically deconstructed the logic of the transformation from overheating to rationality in the development of ancient towns through a dialogue with Zhang Guanghan, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Deputy Chief Planner of the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design.

Zhang Guanghan believes that the current situation of Dayong Ancient City is the natural result of the industry's maturation process through natural selection. Ancient town tourism is still in its development phase with broad prospects, but the extensive development model can no longer meet market demands. True protection and development of ancient towns should be carried out under the premise of respecting history, residents, and authenticity, focusing on exploring local culture and intangible cultural heritage, avoiding uniform commercialization and architectural styles, and reasonably planning commercial spaces to ensure that ancient towns can attract tourists without losing their unique cultural charm and social vitality.

In addition, Zhang Guanghan also emphasized the importance of scientific planning in the development of ancient towns. He pointed out that localities must combine their actual conditions, conduct in-depth research on the needs and development potential of the target market, and formulate development strategies that are in line with local characteristics. For those man-made ancient town projects that lack historical and cultural foundations, they should be approached with caution to avoid blindly copying successful cases from other regions while neglecting their own uniqueness.

Zhang Guanghan stated that, standing at the crossroads of cultural heritage protection and local economic development, we need to establish a new evaluation system: the criteria for measuring the success of ancient towns should not be the number of visitors and revenue data, but rather the survival rate of cultural genes, the stability of community structures, and the continuity of spatial memory. When more and more cities use \ancient towns\ as cultural calling cards, it is even more important to be vigilant against the dilution of regional culture by homogenized development. After all, the true charm of ancient towns lies in the irreplaceable historical texture and the warmth of human life.

Deputy Chief Planner of the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, Zhang Guanghan. Photo provided by the interviewee.

Below is the conversation between The Paper and Zhang Guanghan:

The Paper News: In recent years, the development of ancient towns (cities) has gradually shifted from a \fever\ to a \cooling down,\ with many places facing issues such as fake ancient towns, excessive commercialization, lack of popularity, and broken funding chains. Taking the ancient city of Dayong in Hunan as an example, the 2.5 billion yuan investment contrasts sharply with the daily average of less than 20 visitors. What is your view on this phenomenon? Is this an isolated case or a general trend?

Hunan Dayong Ancient City CCTV News Image

Zhang Guanghan:Firstly, it needs to be clarified that ancient town tourism is still in its development phase with broad prospects. Tourists' interest in natural scenery and historical and cultural famous cities, towns, and villages continues to surge. From the overall trend, it is estimated that the \golden period\ for the development of ancient town tourism can last about 20 years.

In recent years, the craze for developing ancient towns has gradually cooled down. To some extent, this is the market's natural selection against the extensive development model, and it also indicates that the industry will enter a new stage of refined and specialized development.

In fact, the ancient towns that are truly well protected have not seen a decrease in tourism popularity due to the overall market cooling down; the number of visitors remains at a relatively stable level. However, a significant portion of the market's development of ancient towns does indeed have substantial flaws, and it is an inevitable trend that they are now heading towards a dead end.

For instance, some ancient towns, during their development process, have neglected the in-depth exploration of local culture and the display of intangible cultural heritage, instead pursuing mass-produced, standardized cultural and tourism products. A large number of tourist souvenirs wholesaled from the Yiwu Commodity Market flood the market, and even \specialty snacks\ have become highly homogenized, lacking local characteristics. This uniform commercial format and architectural style have led to a decline in the visitor experience, resulting in a weakened appeal of ancient towns.

It is worth mentioning that ten years ago, the real estate industry was on the decline, and many real estate companies transformed into the main force in the development of cultural tourism. Nowadays, the real estate industry is facing a deep reshuffling, and corporate investments are becoming more cautious. Especially in the early stages of project decision-making, companies have a profound understanding of the problems exposed in the development and operation of ancient towns, realizing that this development model lacks sustainability and is difficult to maintain in the long term. Investments cannot be effectively recovered, so they simply avoid this field.

From the perspective of tourists, in recent years, their aesthetic abilities have improved, and their discernment has been enhanced. They are no longer satisfied with superficial仿古 experiences, but prefer to delve into real-life scenes and cultural atmospheres rich in the essence of life. They wish to understand different regional cultures, folk customs, and ways of living. With the increased demand for travel quality, ancient towns developed in the past have gradually been abandoned by tourists due to their inability to continue improving.

Hunan Dayong Ancient City is a very typical example of being abandoned by tourists. This ancient city originally had real historical street resources (such as the original historical street area outside the south gate of Dayong Ancient City), but the infrastructure was backward and the houses were dilapidated. The local government did not take protective measures, but instead chose a simple and rough method - to demolish the 300-year-old Nanmen Old Street and relocate all the original residents, replacing it with a newly built ancient-style cultural tourism and commercial integrated block. This construction did not follow the local traditional residential and shop layout, and was completely designed according to the logic of tourism development, directly deviating from cultural value, market demand, and the lives of the people, lacking cultural authenticity and life atmosphere, and is bound to be punished by the market.

The Paper: Many ancient towns have similar architectural styles and highly similar business formats, and even \man-made ancient towns\ without historical roots have emerged. Where is the root of the problem with this development model? Are there any flaws in the planning process?

Zhang Guanghan:Regarding the current phenomenon of constructing a large number of ancient-style towns, we should approach it rationally. In some places where there are no real ancient towns left, new ancient city scenic areas are being built around the county towns. Although these do not possess historical and cultural authenticity, as tourist products, they do enrich the local cultural supply to a certain extent and have some practical significance. However, such projects often involve a significant amount of national fiscal funds. Without scientific research, standardized approval, and continuous supervision, they can easily become \image projects\ or \performance projects,\ ultimately making it difficult to recoup investments, with the losses being borne by the public.

Some places, without systematic assessment, blindly copy the \ancient city model\, which not only wastes resources but also fails to bring substantial welfare improvement to the people.

I am particularly opposed to the practice of demolishing and rebuilding \pseudo-ancient buildings\ on the basis of existing ancient towns and villages, under the guise of \protection and development,\ which in reality destroys history. This is not only a waste of financial resources but also an irreversible harm to cultural heritage. We must resolutely put an end to such behavior and uphold the cultural baseline.

In summary, the protection and development of ancient towns should be based on respecting history, respecting residents, and respecting authenticity. It should be scientifically planned and reasonably guided to avoid excessive commercialization eroding the cultural essence, and explore a sustainable path that balances protection, inheritance, and development.

As for the \thousand towns with one face\ phenomenon you just mentioned, it is backed by multifaceted structural issues. In the planning and design phase, some local governments hire design units that lack qualifications and professionalism, failing to delve into the local historical and cultural characteristics, and instead directly apply mature styles from other regions, leading to a highly homogenized trend in ancient town construction. For instance, the horse-head wall in Hui-style architecture is widely used in antique blocks across the country, but in reality, Hui-style architecture is mainly distributed in the southern part of Anhui and has a certain influence in Wuyuan, northern Jiangxi, and does not have a historical and cultural foundation in other areas. This practice of indiscriminate copying without regard to regional differences causes ancient towns to lose their distinctive local characteristics and cultural recognizability.

From the perspective of the inherent characteristics of architecture, traditional buildings in different regions have developed distinct regional differences due to factors such as the natural environment and cultural customs. Even within the same province, the architectural forms of each county and city have their own unique features in terms of eaves treatment, roof slope, upturning methods, ridge styling, and decorative styles. However, in the process of creating ancient towns, these important characteristics that can reflect regional cultural differences are often overlooked. Developers, in pursuit of construction efficiency and cost reduction, often use a unified standardized template for construction, causing the ancient town buildings to lose their original personality and charm.

Additionally, the true historical and cultural towns and villages are naturally formed over hundreds of years of development. Taking ancient towns from the Ming and Qing dynasties as an example, they have undergone several generations of life accumulation and continuous repairs, forming a unique style that is both harmonious in its entirety and rich in variation. Each household constructs and decorates based on their own economic conditions and aesthetic preferences, ultimately forming a historical space that is both unified and diverse, harmonious and vivid.

In contrast, many newly built or renovated \ancient towns\ are planned in one go by design units, lacking the detailed differences formed in the real historical evolution process. This industrialized, standardized construction method makes the architectural clusters appear monotonous and rigid, lacking a sense of historical depth and cultural vitality. In addition, mutual imitation between different places further intensifies the trend of homogenization in ancient town landscapes, making tourists feel as if they have seen the same ancient town wherever they go.

It can be said that the current prevalent \copy and paste\ construction model in ancient town development essentially reflects the developers' lack of understanding and emphasis on local culture and architectural diversity, which is very short-sighted. To achieve sustainable development of ancient towns, it is necessary to adhere to the principle of adapting measures to local conditions, increase the in-depth exploration and rational use of local historical and cultural resources, and resolutely eliminate blind copying and homogenized development.

The Paper News: Over-commercialization has also been criticized as one of the reasons for \killing ancient towns.\ So, in planning, how can we avoid commercial erosion of cultural foundations?

Zhang Guanghan:The ancient town itself does not completely reject commerce; its historical development includes economic functions such as markets, settlements, and trade. Many ancient towns initially rose due to commercial activities, evolving from villages into towns that took on functions like taxation and commodity transactions. The main streets are mostly commercial streets, while the back alleys are primarily for residence, forming a certain proportion of commercial space.

However, with the development of the tourism industry in modern society, commerce has gradually spread throughout the entire ancient town area, with almost every household trying to gain economic benefits by opening shops, leading to a sharp increase in commercial density and the compression or even disappearance of the original living functions, resulting in the phenomenon of \the whole town being commercialized.\ This trend can greatly damage the authenticity and cultural atmosphere of the ancient town, and also exacerbate the imbalance of interests among residents - households along the street increase their income rapidly due to commercial advantages, while those in the back streets cannot enjoy the same benefits, thus triggering social conflicts.

How can we achieve a balance between commerce and culture in planning? We can draw on the experience of successful cases in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and other places: on the one hand, allow moderate business activities in non-main streets or within courtyards, such as homestays, agricultural product sales, etc., which not only retains the atmosphere of life but also achieves the functions of tourism reception and cultural dissemination; on the other hand, strictly control the transformation of street facades to prevent the overall conversion of residences into commercial use and avoid damaging the original architectural style.

For example, in ancient towns such as Zhouzhuang and Tongli, the government will set up booths in the entrance area for centralized management, providing local residents with business opportunities, or absorbing them into the ancient town protection and operation company, thereby providing them with a stable source of income. This approach not only ensures the livelihood of residents but also effectively controls the boundaries of commercial expansion.

Tongli Ancient Town Visual China Image

In addition, after some ancient towns are managed by professional operation companies, although they perform well in terms of infrastructure maintenance and daily management, if there is a lack of supervision, there may also be a tendency to \seek profit at all costs\, pursuing short-term economic benefits while neglecting long-term cultural value. Therefore, it is essential to establish clear development boundaries and institutional arrangements to ensure that a certain proportion of the original residents are retained during the cultural and tourism development process, achieving coexistence and prosperity between tourists and local residents, which is the key to the sustainable development of ancient towns.

The Paper: Some ancient towns have made huge investments in the early stage, but their later operations are weak, leading to financial burdens. How should we assess the reasonable investment scale and return period of ancient town development in the early stage?

Zhang GuanghanFrom a planning perspective, it is essential to assess the reasonable investment scale for the construction of ancient towns before they are built. At the same time, it is also necessary to clarify the return period - is it 10 years, 20 years, or 30 years? This requires scientific calculation and systematic demonstration before the project is initiated.

I believe that during the initial planning phase, it is essential to conduct thorough research and analysis. Due to the differences in urban scale, geographical location, and development foundation across various regions, the tourism market demands will also show significant variations. Therefore, it is not feasible to simply copy the development models from other areas; instead, one should combine the local reality, study the target customer market and their consumption behaviors, future development prospects, as well as the sustainable operation capability of the project.

In addition, when formulating plans, it is also necessary to delve into local historical and cultural resources, especially conducting a comprehensive survey of buildings from different periods (such as Ming and Qing Dynasties, Republic of China, and the early period of the founding of the People's Republic of China) in ancient towns or historical blocks, and preserving and repairing them as much as possible. These historical remains are not only cultural carriers but also important resources for attracting tourists.

In terms of functional layout, it is also important to focus on protecting the diverse functions carried by the original streets, including the basic attributes of commerce and residence. We should identify the current problems on the basis of respecting history, and carry out planning work based on the principle of \problem orientation\.

Among them, the primary task is to address the basic living needs of residents, such as improving infrastructure and enhancing public service support; secondly, consider how to drive regional development through tourism development, for example, by repairing cultural relics, displaying intangible cultural heritage, and cultural activities to enhance attractiveness; finally, it is the construction of tourism reception facilities.

To be honest, there are not many ancient towns with huge investments that achieve effective returns. Taking Chengdu's Wide and Narrow Alleys as an example, the project has a certain historical background—it was originally the garrison of the Qing Dynasty's Eight Banners, and it was still a residential area in the 1990s. However, during the renovation in the early 2000s, all the original residents were relocated, and the area was redesigned and uniformly constructed into a cultural and tourism commercial district. Although the scale of some streets and greenery has been preserved, most of the buildings were demolished and rebuilt, with each house designed in a unified style, resulting in a highly uniform overall appearance.

Chengdu Kuanzhai Alley Visual China Picture

Due to the lack of real-life scenarios and cultural accumulation, the project suffered from low popularity in the first three years after its completion. Even though Chengdu is a well-known tourist city with abundant surrounding tourism resources, it failed to drive the popularity of the district. Later, the government gradually increased the popularity through various means such as issuing consumer vouchers for citizens and reducing rent for merchants, and now it has become quite popular.

The Paper News: Are there any ancient town cases in China that you think are well-operated? What are the key factors for the success of their planning philosophy and operation model?

Zhang Guanghan:Zhejiang has many great places, such as the Songyang I just visited. The old town of Songyang is a famous historical and cultural town in China, with significant achievements in protection and development. Local residents still live in the ancient town, continuing their original lifestyle. The government has also adopted a localization strategy in terms of repair and maintenance, by introducing 5 local construction units to provide professional support for residents. When residents have housing repair needs, these construction units can undertake the construction tasks, and the government is responsible for the unified management of these units to ensure the consistency of repair quality and style. This approach not only improves the efficiency of repairs but also enhances the sense of participation and identity of the local community.

Moreover, along the streets of the ancient town, there are not only small shops run by the local residents, but also cultural commercial projects established by external investors. The overall atmosphere maintains a strong sense of life and cultural charm, without the occurrence of large-scale demolition and construction or \demolishing the real and building the fake\ phenomenon.

Although Song Yang Ancient Town is not a popular tourist destination swarmed by visitors at present, it has a clear protection concept and a steady implementation pace. After more than ten years of continuous improvement in infrastructure and architectural style, it has formed a relatively mature sustainable development model.

Overall, the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas generally perform well in the protection and development of ancient towns, mainly due to a strong economic foundation, early start in the tourism industry, and high market maturity. The Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta regions have high tourism popularity, making ancient towns have strong appeal and sustainable operation capabilities. In contrast, the western regions, due to limited financial investment, some ancient towns, although maintaining a better original ecological appearance, still have certain gaps in terms of popularity, tourist volume, and economic benefits.

In the north, the protection of ancient villages and towns around Beijing is relatively good. For example, places like the Hebei Stone City along the Taihang Mountain line and Chuan Di Xia Village in Mentougou, Beijing, have preserved traditional architectural styles and original ways of life. Although these villages do not have the conditions for commercial operations, they are relatively intact from a protection perspective. Local governments can encourage the development of a moderately scaled homestay industry while improving infrastructure, which can meet the needs of tourists for experience without disturbing the lives of the original residents.

Regarding the development model for such projects, I have studied some small towns in France and found their approach to be worth emulating. Locally, they usually control the number of homestays, for example, setting up only two or three in a village, ensuring reception capacity while not disrupting the original community structure. In addition, tourist supporting facilities are mostly laid out on the outskirts of ancient towns, such as building hotels and parking lots, allowing tourists to return to the outskirts for accommodation after visiting, forming a \visit-return\ circulation model. This method effectively reduces the impact of tourists on the internal life of ancient towns, reflecting a high level of respect for historical and cultural heritage.

The development philosophy behind this reflects the differences in social cognition at different stages of development. At present, most regions in our country are still in the primary stage, focusing more on the tourism economic value of ancient towns; while in developed countries, people have recognized the historical and cultural value of ancient towns earlier and prioritize protection. With the improvement of the level of socio-economic development, the cognition of ancient town protection among the public in our country is also gradually deepening, and it is hoped that in the future, the transformation from \cultivating culture with tourism\ to \promoting tourism with culture\ can be truly realized.

Regarding the issue of development awareness, I believe it is necessary to grasp the \degree\. On the one hand, some declining ancient towns need to be revitalized through tourism, and the appropriate introduction of business forms such as homestays and cultural experiences can help restore vitality; on the other hand, if development is excessive, it will destroy the original living texture and cultural atmosphere of the ancient town. Therefore, \sustainable tourism management\ should be advocated to balance the needs of tourists and the interests of residents, and to avoid the negative impacts brought by excessive commercialization in the short term.

In addition, the allocation of tourism facilities must be matched with the carrying capacity. Taking Lijiang as an example, the ancient city has a large capacity, but due to the influx of tourists from all over the country, the pressure on the tourism environment has increased dramatically. In response, the development strategy of all-domain tourism should be promoted, guiding tourists to disperse to surrounding towns and villages, and driving regional collaborative development. This is not only a protection of the ancient town itself but also an important path to achieve rural revitalization.

Yunnan Lijiang Ancient Town night view. Visual China Photo

In summary, regarding the question of \how to do a good job in ancient towns,\ I believe the key lies in adhering to the principle of \protection first, rational use, and people-oriented.\ A good ancient town should have the following elements: First, it should have a clear self-positioning and develop development strategies according to local conditions. For ancient towns on the edge of cities, tourism facilities can be moderately increased on the basis of protection; whereas for ancient towns in remote areas, blind investment should be avoided to prevent high vacancy rates.

Secondly, focus on the planning and implementation of cultural and tourism products. Not all ancient towns must rely on the cultural and tourism industry, but appropriate cultural and creative exhibitions, intangible cultural heritage experiences, and festive events can enhance visitor appeal and enrich travel content.

Thirdly, it is about building a diversified industrial support system. In addition to the tourism industry, industries such as agricultural product processing, handicraft manufacturing, and the internet economy can also be developed to enable the ancient town to have self-sustaining capabilities, reducing dependence on a single source of tourism revenue.

For example, Wuzhen has combined the World Internet Conference to create a digital cultural industry, exploring a new development model of \ancient town + technology\. These are all successful experiences worth learning from.

Four is to achieve harmonious coexistence between residents and tourists. By moderately developing forms of business such as homestays and agritourism, local residents can become beneficiaries of the development of ancient towns, thereby enhancing their enthusiasm for participation in protection and avoiding the occurrence of \hollowing out\ phenomena.

The Paper News: For projects similar to Dayong Ancient City, if you were to get involved during the planning stage, what strategies would you propose to avoid risks?

Zhang Guanghan:As you mentioned, we have also made suggestions for similar projects in the past, such as the Dayong Ancient City in Zhangjiajie. This development model of \man-made ancient towns\ is not uncommon across the country. If I could be involved in the early planning stage, I would offer the following core suggestions:

Firstly, Zhangjiajie is a tourism city centered around natural landscapes, with visitors primarily heading to scenic areas such as Wulingyuan to appreciate the natural scenery. The local government's desire for tourists to stay longer and spend more locally is understandable.

From a planning perspective, achieving this goal by demolishing existing neighborhoods and building new仿古 buildings is not appropriate. The correct approach should be to delve into and showcase the local authentic historical and cultural resources, repair and revitalize the existing historical neighborhoods, and create tourist destinations with local characteristics, cultural recognition, and a sense of life.

Secondly, it is understandable to have supporting cultural and tourism facilities. For instance, night performances and cultural experiences can create a synergistic effect with ancient towns, increasing tourists' stay time and willingness to spend. However, if the entire ancient town is operated entirely on a commercial basis, detaching from real-life scenes and cultural roots, it can easily evolve into the \fake ancient city\ phenomenon—neither fish nor fowl, stylistically chaotic, and lacking a sense of cultural identity, ultimately making it difficult to attract tourists and lacking sustainability.

From the perspective of planning philosophy, there was a directional mistake from the beginning in such development: instead of repairing and utilizing the existing old streets, they were all demolished and rebuilt, resulting in huge financial waste and social controversy. In fact, truly effective protection and development of ancient towns should be carried out on the basis of retaining the original residents with moderate updates, allowing residents to continue living in them, and guiding them to participate in tourism services, cultural exhibitions, and other segments through policies, achieving symbiosis and prosperity of \people and space.\

However, the Dayong Ancient City has been completed and put into use, and the established facilities should not be easily demolished. Instead, the path to their reuse should be explored as soon as possible, which is an urgent issue that the current government needs to address.

From a cost-benefit perspective, it was originally only necessary to invest between 100 million to 200 million yuan for infrastructure improvement and house renovation to complete the protection and revitalization of the existing historical blocks. Now, the investment has soared to 2 billion yuan, which not only puts great financial pressure on the government but also entails extremely high subsequent operational and maintenance costs. Therefore, it is recommended to introduce a professional operation team to adjust the functions of existing buildings and optimize the business formats. For example, by offering low-cost leases to attract cultural and creative enterprises, intangible cultural heritage inheritors, and small homestay operators to settle in, the spatial value can be gradually activated.

Additionally, it is possible to draw on the approach of Chengdu's Wide and Narrow Alleys, cultivating popularity and a commercial ecosystem through government guidance and market operations in a phased manner. Of course, while the Wide and Narrow Alleys have certain successful experiences, they also face issues such as excessive renovation and cultural distortion, from which lessons must be learned.

It should be pointed out that vacant assets not only fail to generate income but also accelerate aging and increase maintenance burdens. Only through continuous use and operation can the preservation and appreciation of assets be achieved. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a feasible revitalization plan as soon as possible.

The Paper: From the national to the local level, how should the top-level design for the development of ancient towns be improved? Is it necessary to establish stricter approval or exit mechanisms?

Zhang Guanghan:From the national perspective, the protection and development of ancient towns and villages have long been incorporated into the policy system. The issue is not the lack of top-level design, but rather the more prominent problem of inadequate implementation and supervision. The key at present is not to formulate new policies, but to strengthen the implementation and supervision within the existing institutional framework.

As early as 1986, the State Council proposed to strengthen the protection of historical and cultural towns and villages. The \Cultural Relics Protection Law of the People's Republic of China,\ revised in 2002, also clearly stipulated the protection requirements for cultural relics, historical and cultural blocks, and towns and villages, and gradually announced the list of \China's Historical and Cultural Towns\ and \China's Historical and Cultural Villages.\ Up to now, there are already 312 national-level historical and cultural towns across the country, and the number of provincial-level historical and cultural cities, towns, and villages has reached several hundred.

In 2012, the General Office of the State Council issued the \Opinions on Further Doing a Good Job in the Protection of Cultural Relics in Tourism and Other Development and Construction Activities,\ which clearly pointed out that in tourism and other development and construction projects, it is necessary to strictly implement the basic construction approval procedures. For construction projects involving cultural relics protection units, historical and cultural blocks, towns and villages and their surrounding environments, it is necessary to obtain the consent of the cultural relics administrative department in advance and to be approved by the urban and rural planning department. Projects that have not been approved by the cultural relics department shall not be established, and shall not be started without authorization.

Additionally, for historical and cultural blocks and towns with severe destruction, the document stipulates that the original approving authority may revoke their titles; at the same time, it requires the correction of the practice of transferring the entirety of historical and cultural blocks and towns to enterprises for operation, and if a delay in rectification is truly needed, the provincial people's government must explain the situation to the State Council.

In September 2021, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the \Opinions on Strengthening the Protection and Inheritance of Historical Culture in Urban and Rural Construction,\ further emphasizing the need to systematically protect the traditional patterns, historical features, and cultural environments of historical and cultural cities, towns, villages, and traditional villages, focusing on the overall protection and the harmonious unity with natural landscapes, and prohibiting actions such as large-scale demolition and construction, demolishing the real and building the fake, and using the fake to confuse the real. These contents are clearly stipulated in policy documents.

Regarding the approval mechanism and exit mechanism, they are also in place. The \Cultural Relics Protection Law of the People's Republic of China\ and related State Council documents have all set corresponding approval processes and penalties. For example, for actions that seriously damage historical and cultural resources, the competent authorities have the right to cancel their historical and cultural titles according to the law; for projects that violate regulations, relevant responsibilities can also be pursued according to the law.

However, despite the robust system, there are still numerous issues in reality, primarily due to inadequate enforcement at the local level. Some local governments still prioritize economic interests, using the development of ancient towns as an important means of attracting investment, and even promoting it as a performance project.

The next steps should focus on addressing the following aspects: first, strengthen unified supervision and establish a cross-departmental collaboration mechanism to ensure that departments such as cultural relics, housing and urban-rural development, and culture and tourism form a joint force; second, improve the approval process, strictly control the preliminary demonstration, expert review, and public participation links to prevent blind project initiation; third, strengthen post-event supervision and accountability mechanisms, and legally hold accountable those who operate in violation of regulations and damage cultural heritage; fourth, promote transparency in the use of funds, standardize the investment and financing management of development projects, and avoid fiscal risks and waste of social resources.

The Paper News: What are the future development directions for ancient towns? If a local government still plans to invest in ancient town projects, what suggestions would you offer?

Zhang Guanghan:Here, I will continue to provide a few examples: In a Miao village in a certain area of Guizhou, although it has been included in the scope of protection, the overall protection of the ecological environment and agricultural landscape is often neglected in the actual tourism development process, leading to the destruction of the original natural texture and human relationships of the village.

Taking this Miao village as an example, although the village itself has not been demolished, the surrounding environment has undergone significant changes due to overdevelopment. If a scientific protection plan could be formulated before development, specifying the construction control zone and the buffer area, and reasonably arranging tourism facilities, it would be possible to achieve a balance between development and protection.

Similarly, Lijiang Ancient Town warrants vigilance. Its original spatial layout is highly integrated with the natural landscape, with no walls and seamlessly blending with the surrounding farmland and villages, which is a significant value of the World Cultural Heritage. However, due to the continuous advancement of real estate development adjacent to the ancient town, it once triggered warnings from the World Heritage Organization. It was only after redefining the buffer zone and formulating protection plans that the trend of destruction was gradually curbed. This is a typical negative example, reminding us that the protection of ancient towns must be planned in advance and strictly supervised.

From a national perspective, the protection and development of ancient towns are undergoing a process from blind expansion to rational return. Although there will be some detours in the early stages, this is closely related to the cognitive level of local governments and the strength of policy implementation. Planners engaged in the protection of historical and cultural heritage always adhere to the correct concept and are committed to promoting scientific protection and sustainable development. It is hoped that more local governments can truly value the protection of historical and cultural cities, towns, and villages, achieving both inheritance and development.

Of course, there are also many successful cases worth promoting. Langzhong in Sichuan is one of them.

Langzhong started its protection work since 1998. At that time, it was in the decline period of the ancient city, with outdated infrastructure, dilapidated houses, and frequent water disasters caused by the Jialing River during the flood season. Some residents hoped to improve their living conditions by demolishing the old and building new, and the local government also intended to carry out renovations.

At this critical moment, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development attached great importance to the issue, dispatched a team of experts for field research, and stopped the large-scale demolition. I was personally invited to participate in the formulation of the protection plan for the Hua Guang Lou historical district and to promote the implementation of the subsequent overall city protection plan.

We propose the strategy of \developing new areas and protecting the ancient city\: relocate government agencies and administrative offices to the Qili New District on the opposite bank of the Jialing River, avoiding the expansion of high-rise buildings within the ancient city, thereby reducing human interference. At the same time, gradually promote the transformation of infrastructure and the repair and construction of houses, improve the quality of life for residents, and enhance their sense of identification with the protection of the ancient city.

With the development of the tourism industry, especially the rise of self-driving tours after 2000, more and more visitors from Chongqing and Chengdu have come to Langzhong, and the ancient city has gradually regained vitality. The local government then hired me as a consultant to further improve the protection mechanism, adopt a unified planning, and gradually implement the concept of government-led and public participation. When conditions are ripe, the concept of \ancient progress and new retreat\ will be adopted - that is, gradually demolish the discordant new buildings and restore the traditional residential style.

May 31, 2025, Langzhong Ancient City. Visual China Photo

Now, Langzhong has more than a hundred characteristic homestays, with tourism revenue accounting for more than half of the GDP, becoming a model that balances protection and development. This achievement is hard-won, thanks to early intervention, scientific planning, and continuous implementation.

However, many ancient towns across the country have not been spared from destruction. In some places, the old city was demolished during the previous government's term, and the next government tried to rebuild \antique-style blocks,\ resulting in something that is neither a genuine historical relic nor capable of forming cultural identity. These \fake antiques\ cannot restore the true appearance of ancient towns, and it is difficult to gain public recognition.

At present, there are a total of 799 famous historical and cultural towns and villages in China, which are still being continuously applied for and announced. The focus of future work lies in legal protection and classified management, to put an end to the vicious cycle of \destroy first, rebuild later\.

In summary, the future direction of ancient town development will be:

Prioritizing authenticity: Respect the original appearance and avoid extensive demolition and reconstruction; In-depth cultural exploration: Combine intangible cultural heritage and folk resources to create culturally rich tourism products; Clear functional zoning: Alleviate the pressure on the old city through the construction of new areas; Ecological overall protection: Pay attention to the relationship between ancient towns and their surrounding natural and agricultural environments; Institutional guarantee implementation: Strengthen the enforcement of laws and regulations, and establish an exit mechanism; Multi-party collaborative advancement: Governments, businesses, residents, and tourists participate together in the protection and revitalization of ancient towns.

As long as we adhere to the correct philosophy and methods, the protection and development of ancient towns in China will surely get better and better, truly achieving the goal of \letting history speak and bringing culture to life.\

Design: Zhou Huan