West Lake Photo: VCG

The total area of the West Lake scenic area in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, is set to be expanded, with several historical and cultural sites brought under its protection. And more public open spaces are set to be created around the lake, allowing residents and visitors to better experience its cultural charm, according to a new development blueprint for the scenic area. 

Under the new blueprint recently approved by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the West Lake scenic area will, for the first time, be organized into nine scenic districts, covering a total area of 59.64 square kilometers, including a 33.23-square-kilometer core scenic area. 

Historic and cultural sites such as the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) Imperial Temple Site, Southern Song Imperial Street, and the Jiahui Gate site have been officially incorporated into the scenic area's protected boundaries.

The incorporation of historical sites into the scenic area represents a practical implementation of the principle of systematic cultural heritage conservation at a World Heritage site, Dong Hongmei, an expert with the China Association of City Planning, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The heritage value of the West Lake was shaped by the interplay between its natural landscape design and the civilization of the ancient capital. The previous protection boundaries artificially separated the surrounding lake-and-mountain landscape from important remains of the Southern Song imperial city, resulting in a disconnect in the interpretation of its heritage, Dong noted. 

By integrating Southern Song government offices, city gate ruins, and historical streets and neighborhoods into a unified protection framework, the new approach reconnects the landscape, urban planning and historical urban fabric, preserving the authenticity of the heritage site and the integrity of its value chain, which is a core principle of World Heritage conservation, she said. 

The West Lake stands as one of China's most celebrated cultural landmarks, with its beauty enshrined in poetry and its mist-shrouded waters whispering legends of love.

In 2011, the West Lake was included on UNESCO's World Heritage list, becoming China's only lake-based world cultural heritage site. The scenic spot has been a hot destination for foreign visitors. 

The West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou, comprising the West Lake and the hills surrounding its three sides, has inspired famous poets, scholars and artists since the 9th century. It comprises numerous temples, pagodas, pavilions, gardens and ornamental trees, as well as causeways and artificial islands, according to UNESCO.

The new blueprint places a strong emphasis on preserving West Lake's millennia-old landscape of "hills on three sides and the city on the fourth." It prohibits the construction or expansion of any buildings within the scenic area that could compromise the protected landscape, ensuring the integrity and continuity of the surrounding ridgelines.

Meanwhile, the plan calls for continued digital transformation of the scenic area, providing the "West Lake experience" as a model for the digital development of scenic areas across China. The scenic area will adopt smarter management systems in areas, including ecological conservation, visitor services, and facility management, making the travel experience more convenient and enjoyable for tourists.

Dong noted that digital transformation should serve heritage protection. She suggested that high-precision 3D scanning and modeling be carried out for cultural relics, historic buildings, cliff inscriptions, ancient trees, and other heritage elements in the newly incorporated areas of the West Lake, creating a permanent digital record of "one archive for each heritage item."