Quanzhou city Photo: Courtesy of the culture and tourism bureau in Quanzhou
At around 6 am, the wide and clean Jinyu Alley in Licheng district of Quanzhou, East China's Fujian Province is still shrouded in a light mist as drawn breaks. Some of the local senior residents have already picked up their baskets and headed to the food market. By 10 am, the alley comes alive with the aroma of cooking. Groups of tourists gather at the entrance, snapping photos in front of the exquisite decorative goldfish patterns that adorn the area...
Residents and tourists, the lively food market, and the historically rich cultural relics, all coexist harmoniously within the district, that together with the whole city, is eyeing to build a model zone in national cultural relic protection and utilization.
However, Li Dongsheng, a local resident, told the Global Times that Quanzhou was not always like this. Decades ago, the city was a mess of tangled utility lines, with old and dilapidated houses. On rainy days, the streets were flooded with dirty water. Many original residents chose to move out, leaving the façade of a faded city.
On July 25, 2021, "Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China" was successfully inscribed on the World Heritage List, becoming China's 56th world heritage site.
In the preparation for the heritage application, the Quanzhou city government began the urban renewal of the ancient city following the principle of "minimal interference." This included infrastructure improvements, underground utility installation, and the integration of cultural elements into landscape design.
Currently, the rich historical remains, clear urban texture, and bustling crowds seem to transport visitors back to the prosperous scenes of the Song and Yuan dynasties as Quanzhou was known as an important port city, and crucial starting point for the Maritime Silk Road.
"What we protect is not only the ancient city's buildings themselves but also the living atmosphere that coexists with the city, as well as the cultural heritage nurtured over thousands of years," said He Zhenliang, a cultural expert helping build the Licheng district in Quanzhou as a model zone.
Under a protection plan that has been passed by the National Cultural Heritage Administration, the protection and renewal of Quanzhou's ancient city entered a new stage of development.
He pointed out that the uniqueness of Quanzhou lies in the dispersion of its world heritage sites across various locations in the city.
The protection and revitalization of Quanzhou's ancient city adhere to the concept of overall protection, safeguarding not only the cultural value of historical and cultural resources, but also explores their economic and living values.
In 2024, Licheng district completed numerous cultural heritage protection and restoration projects. The district also successfully advanced the development of Fujian Province's first comprehensive smart safety supervision platform for cultural relics, thereby enhancing the management capacity for cultural relic protection.
Additionally, Quanzhou hosted various cultural activities and intangible cultural heritage (ICH) interactive experiences, such as folk parades and ICH flash mobs, bringing cultural heritages to life and attracting the attention of a large number of both domestic and international tourists.
"In the past, people thought about moving out of the ancient city. But looking at it now, who would want to leave?" said Li, with his eyes twinkling with pride.
Keep living natureThe same sentiment has also been shared by Liao Yiming, a descendant of Thai-Chinese immigrants and witness to the changes in his hometown Chaozhou, South China's Guangdong Province.
Chaozhou, with a history spanning over 1,600 years, boasts seven national key cultural relics protection units and 106 ICH representative projects at the municipal level and above.
A Yingge dance performance in Chaozhou, Guangdong Province is staged during the Spring Festival in 2024. Photo: Courtesy of the publicity department of Chaozhou
At its peak, the city sees over 260,000 visitors in a single day, yet the residents' lives remain orderly and vibrant, earning it the nickname "a living ancient city."
Currently, the culture and tourism bureau in Chaozhou is implementing a construction plan for better development.
Chen Haizhong, director of the Institute of Chaozhou Culture under Hanshan Normal University, told the Global Times that the uniqueness of Chaozhou ancient city protection is its living nature.
To preserve these lively, down-to-earth cultural elements, the 58,000 original residents continue to live and thrive here. Traditional morning and night markets, Kung Fu tea (a type of Chinese tea presentation ceremonies), and other lifestyle elements that have accompanied the people of Chaozhou for centuries are still very much a part of daily life.
Coupled with the new tourism economy that has flourished over the last decade, including inns, guesthouses, cafes and various trendy shops, a harmonious blend of tradition and modernity is evident.
The Chaozhou municipal government encourages the renovation of famous ancient residences and family temples into tourist attractions or cultural activity venues, truly bringing cultural relics to life.
Liao told the Global Times that his family has lived in their ancestral home for five generations. Following the government's initiative to "protect ancient residences on a family basis," about half of the local residents have renovated their ancestral homes and moved back in, while the other half, like him, have turned their homes into guesthouses.
"Protecting ancient residences means preserving our nostalgia," he said, recalling he once organized a 60th-anniversary celebration for his family's move into the ancestral home, with relatives returning from Shantou, China's Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, and other parts of the world.
"Chinese culture is the lifestyle and value pursuits that the Chinese people have accumulated over a long history. Preserving such an ancient city means protecting, continuing, and passing on the lifestyle and value pursuits of the local people," Chen said.