Xu Wei Art Museum Yuan Yun photo
Eight – character bridge
Shusheng hometown
Huanshan River (Cang Qiao Street)
The character of a city can be best understood by the literati. Walking through Shaoxing city, Wang Anshi once wrote the famous saying “The mountains are evergreen and the waters are white, and the more people grow up, the more mountains and rivers there are”. Wang Xizhi waved his ink to express the sigh that “the mountain path goes up, like the middle reaches of a mirror” … in view of the scenery and feelings, Shaoxing, a “boned Jiangnan”, has been favored by the world since ancient times.
Gou Jian, the king of Yue who built the capital here, may not have thought that this city could last for thousands of years, and its elegance remained the same. More than 500 years’ history of city building and the development theory of constant city site have all endowed this ancient city with endless details.
It is these details that give it the confidence to become a famous historical and cultural city. On February 8th, 1982, the State Council announced the first batch of 24 famous historical and cultural cities in China. Shaoxing, impressively in the column. “In the Spring and Autumn Period, it was the capital of Yue. There are the famous Lanting, the former residence of Qiu Jin Martyrs in the late Qing Dynasty, the former residence of Luxun in modern times, and the ancestral residence of Comrade Zhou Enlai, etc., which are scenic cities in Jiangnan water towns. ” In the naming document, Shaoxing got such an evaluation.
Since then, generations of Shaoxing people have had the same dream. They stood on the bluestone road, looking out at the tender landscape and writing stories of protection.
Nowadays, Shaoxing, a famous historical and cultural city, has entered a new stage of development. It’s still dreaming of the ancient dream of whitewashing, and it’s always full of youthful and promising heart. With the protection, construction, inheritance and innovation, in the 40 years of “competition” with the development problems, Shaoxing has formed a unique ancient city protection system, and “Shaoxing experience” has become a new focus.
Experts recommend that the first batch of famous historical and cultural cities finally meet Shaoxing.
Among the first batch of 24 famous historical and cultural cities announced in 1982, there are only two cities in Zhejiang Province. Besides Hangzhou, it is Shaoxing.
Tracing back to Shaoxing’s experience of becoming a famous historical and cultural city, many people will ask the same question: “Why did Shaoxing get on the list in the first batch?” Faced with such a problem, many literary and historical experts who study Shaoxing’s history always ask, “If Shaoxing is not a famous historical and cultural city, what kind of city can really take on this name?”
In fact, this question was already asked by experts in the industry when it was demonstrated in the first batch of lists in the State Council. “Actually, in the first round of city screening, Shaoxing was not on the list.” Ren Guiquan, editor-in-chief of Shaoxing Zhiyuan and researcher of literature and history, still remembers this. Although the name is not on the list, Shaoxing’s controversy is not small. “When the first draft of the list was consulted by national experts and scholars, the city of’ Shaoxing’ was mentioned many times. Well-known scholars such as Wu Liangyong and Luo Zhewen have suggested that if Shaoxing is not listed, there will not be many cities in China that can be called’ historical and cultural cities’. “
It is not without reason that experts “support” Shaoxing. Looking at the whole country, Suzhou and Shaoxing are the only cities that have remained unchanged for more than 2,000 years under the influence of historical advancement and natural evolution. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Gou Jian, the king of Yue, ordered Fan Li to build a new capital of Yue state centering on the solitary hill settlement of Wolongshan today. With the beginning of Yue city today, after more than 2,500 years of wind and rain, the ancient city of Shaoxing remained untouched. This rare “rooting” made experts see the uniqueness of Shaoxing, and many people called it “the masterpiece of ancient urban planning in China”.
Another reason is due to Shaoxing’s planning foresight. Around the late 1970s, Shaoxing took the lead in other cities and began to compile the overall urban planning of Shaoxing according to the needs of urban construction and development. The development of this work quickly attracted the attention of the industry. For a time, experts and scholars flocked to it.
Zhong Huahua, the former director of Shaoxing Urban Construction Committee and an expert in the protection and utilization of Shaoxing ancient city, also left a special working experience. “In two or three years, experts from the Ministry of Construction, the Cultural Relics Bureau and universities have visited Shaoxing. I am responsible for the reception work. ” Zhong Huahua said that during that time, he followed experts from all over the world to investigate the current situation of Shaoxing city. Even after working hours, they often got together to discuss the way out and future of Shaoxing city protection.
According to the “Road Map of Fucheng in Shaoxing” in Guangxu period of Qing Dynasty, the ancient city of Shaoxing had nine gates at that time. The vertical and horizontal waterways skillfully combine the architecture, landscape, space, production and living elements of Shaoxing in ancient times, forming a typical Jiangnan water city with complementary water and land. “So, experts agree that our city Shaoxing has very high protection value.” Zhong Huahua said.
It is also based on many field visits and demonstrations by experts that Shaoxing was shortlisted as one of the first historical and cultural cities in China, which became an unexpected thing. At that time, the selection of historical and cultural cities must have four conditions: first, it must have a long history of city building or major historical events; Second, there should be more historical and cultural relics; Third, there should be more cultural and traditional content; Fourth, this city has been used and continued to develop for a long time. These conditions are fully available in Shaoxing. After many recommendations and arguments, Shaoxing was sent to the first list by the expert group.
On February 8th, 1982, the State Council officially published the list of the first batch of 24 famous historical and cultural cities in China. A few days later, People’s Daily published an important report with this content in the newspaper office. Seeing that “Shaoxing” is among them, Shaoxing people, including Ren Guiquan, Zhong Huahua and other witnesses, are very excited. “This is not only to set the city of Shaoxing, but also to set the tone for our future work.” Zhong Huahua said that Shaoxing is more clear about the ancient city under its feet. In the future, it needs not only development, but also effective protection.
One more thing is worth mentioning. After the first batch of famous historical and cultural cities were published, Shaoxing was specifically mentioned in the State Council’s approval document. “Considering the heavy task of maintenance and construction of historical and cultural cities at present, with the approval of the Ministry of Finance, Yangzhou, Jingdezhen and Shaoxing have been given a 5% annual commission from the industrial and commercial profits of the previous year since 1982, so as to increase the sources of their maintenance and construction funds.” The special treatment has given Shaoxing the financial foundation and planning confidence for its development and protection. A new chapter in the protection of Shaoxing ancient city officially kicked off.
Formulate laws and regulations, draw a new blueprint for the Millennium ancient city.
Today, 40 years later, Shaoxing has formed a unique model in practice. It has a clear development plan, as well as economic support and think tank support. In the past 40 years of exploration, Shaoxing has indeed faced many “growing pains”.
Relevant data and reports show that in the early 1980s, some cities with a long history in China neglected the protection of historical and cultural heritage in the course of urban development, resulting in some precious ancient buildings and sites being damaged to varying degrees.
In fact, Shaoxing has gone through many detours in the protection of famous cities, which left a profound lesson for Shaoxing at that time. After realizing the seriousness of the problem, Shaoxing increased the scientific planning for the protection of the ancient city, and promoted it step by step from generation to generation, making the context of protection clearer and clearer.
In April, 1998, Shaoxing started the first round of planning for the protection of historical and cultural cities, put forward the protection concept of “keeping the old as it is, so as to preserve its authenticity”, and implemented the hierarchical protection method of “point, line and surface” step by step, which started the “Shaoxing mode” of ancient city protection, and the ancient city was almost preserved intact; In December, 2001, Shaoxing City Master Plan and Shaoxing Historical and Cultural City Protection Plan were approved by Zhejiang provincial government, which further upgraded the protection of historical blocks, preserved the traditional features and inherited the characteristics of ancient cities, and became the first in China.
What kind of area can be called a “historic district”? Shaoxing put forward the concept of “three characteristics” in the qualitative process. First, the authenticity of history, which must be real and documented; Second, the style integrity, the style of a certain area in it needs to be more typical, and the style preservation needs to be more complete; Third, the continuity of life. This must be a “living” neighborhood. No matter in the past, present or future, it needs the breath of someone’s life to keep the pure fireworks of the ancient city residents’ life.
Entering the 21st century, the protection of Shaoxing historical and cultural blocks has ushered in many “highlights”. In March, 2001, the pilot project for the protection and renovation of No.1 neighborhood of Zhijie and Shusheng Hometown in Cang Qiao was officially implemented. In the following ten years, the protection and renovation of several large historical and cultural blocks in the ancient city started in an all-round way, covering an area of nearly 500,000 square meters, with an investment of nearly 1 billion yuan, benefiting about 6,000 households, and the World Bank loan funds were successfully introduced for the protection of the ancient city and the transformation of urban infrastructure.
Recognition from professional fields at home and abroad also followed: In August 2003, Cang Qiao Zhijie won the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Excellence in Cultural Heritage Protection; In 2009, the protection and repair project of Shimen Historical and Cultural Block won the “Outstanding Contribution Award of China National Architecture”; In June 2014, the historical and cultural blocks of Baziqiao and Baziqiao were selected into the World Cultural Heritage List with the successful application of the Grand Canal; In May 2015, Mangshan Historical and Cultural Block won the title of China Historical and Cultural Block.
The influence of Shaoxing ancient city in the whole country and even in the world is gradually opening up. From May 31st to June 2nd, 2006, the Second International Conference on Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development, jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Construction, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, UNESCO and the World Bank, was held in Shaoxing. Sixty-three foreign experts and 188 domestic experts attended the meeting, which was one of the highest standard meetings held in Shaoxing at that time. At the meeting, the protection of famous cities in Shaoxing was approved by these more than 250 representatives, and was praised by experts at home and abroad as the “Shaoxing model” of famous city protection. During the meeting, a Shaoxing Declaration aimed at promoting cultural heritage and sustainable development was born.
Relying on long-term storage power, Shaoxing’s efforts in the protection of ancient cities have become more and more accurate. In 2012, the revised Protection Plan of Shaoxing Historical and Cultural City was approved by the State Council, and the pattern of “one city with eight blocks” was basically formed, and the height of new buildings in the ancient city was clearly defined: the cornice height of new buildings within the ancient city should not exceed 19 meters, and the total height of buildings should not exceed 24 meters. In 2018, Shaoxing completed the Overall Urban Design for Protection and Utilization of Shaoxing Ancient City, and established the overall development framework of “one city, one bridge and three hometowns”, namely Yuezicheng District (one city), Baziqiao District (one bridge), Shusheng Hometown District, Yangming Hometown District and Lu Xun Hometown District (three hometowns).
In the course of the protection of Shaoxing ancient city, 2019 is a very important year.
In January of this year, the much-anticipated Regulations on the Protection and Utilization of Shaoxing Ancient City (hereinafter referred to as the Regulations) was officially implemented, which was the first local regulation for the protection of ancient cities promulgated by Shaoxing. With the specific contents of seven chapters and forty-eight articles, the “Regulations” have strengthened the foundation for the protection and utilization of ancient cities, implemented the protection requirements and measures, promoted the rational utilization of ancient cities, strengthened supervision and inspection, defined legal responsibilities, and provided legal guarantee for the development of specific work.
This year, Shaoxing Historical and Cultural City Protection Office was formally established. As an agency of Shaoxing Municipal Government, it is specially responsible for the research of major policies and measures for the protection and utilization of ancient cities, planning and coordination, supervision of the use of funds and other functions deployed by the Municipal Committee of Famous Cities. This has also become an innovative move in the history of Shaoxing ancient city protection by setting up a specialized agency to coordinate relevant departments and break through institutional barriers.
In this year, Shaoxing further increased its investment in the protection of ancient cities, and set up a special protection fund for ancient cities, which was extracted according to a certain proportion from the land transfer income of Yuecheng District, Keqiao District and Shangyu District, and used exclusively for the protection and construction of cities.
This year, Shaoxing set a “list system”, an annual work list for the protection and utilization of ancient cities, which was jointly promoted by the members of the Famous City Committee according to their functions, and the responsibility for the protection of ancient cities was compacted layer by layer.
This year, Shaoxing officially set a festival for “Ancient City Protection”. Since 2019, Shaoxing has designated July 15th every year as “Shaoxing Ancient City Protection Day”. Participate in the protection of the ancient city of the whole people, and the new form will bring a new atmosphere.
The “four ones” working system of “one regulation, one institution, one fund, one list” and the innovative measures of “promoting protection by festivals” add new vitality to the protection and utilization of Shaoxing ancient city.
Relieve functional vitality, protect the city “old” and “new”
Also in 2019, there was a “qualitative” change in the renovation of Shaoxing ancient city. People were pleasantly surprised to find that this 2500-year-old ancient city had quietly “become shorter” in the era when other cities at home and abroad were constantly building high-rise buildings. Shaoxing Mansion, Zhenyuantang, the high-rise building of the old Shaoxing municipal compound, the former office building of Shaoxing Municipal Taxation Bureau and Urban Management Enforcement Bureau … Some high-rise buildings located in the core block of the ancient city have either been removed or shortened.
For a moment, the eyes of all walks of life once again turned to this small town in the south of the Yangtze River: Shaoxing has become “short”. What kind of “abacus” is it playing?
Compared with the widely mentioned saying of “building cutting”, Xu Juemin, director of Shaoxing Famous City Office, believes that it may be more appropriate to use the word “relief” to explain this work.
In fact, Shaoxing’s “relief” work in recent years is multi-faceted. On the one hand, a number of administrative institutions moved out, which loosened the functions of the ancient city; On the other hand, part of the resident population moved out, optimizing the population structure of the old city; On the one hand, the most hotly debated aspect is the relief of urban spatial pattern by adjusting high-rise buildings and making the ancient city “show mountains and dew” as the main means.
In the 9.09-square-kilometer Shaoxing ancient city, Fushan, Tashan, Mangshan and criss-crossing water systems are the natural spatial geographical marks that distinguish it from other historical and cultural cities. However, in the process of urban development, many high-rise modern buildings block the “shape” of these landscapes, cut off the historical charm of the ancient city, and cut off the spirit of the city.
To make the ancient city “see the landscape” and let people “remember their homesickness” has become an important goal of the protection of Shaoxing ancient city. On the basis of delineating the height constraint of the skyline of Shaoxing Ancient City, the Regulations on the Protection and Utilization of Shaoxing Ancient City clearly stipulates that existing buildings (structures) within the ancient city that do not meet the requirements of the city skyline, traditional pattern and historical features should be gradually lowered, reconstructed or demolished according to the relevant planning of ancient city protection.
Xu Juemin said: “This is a process of abiding by laws and regulations, full research, gradual progress according to one’s abilities, and organic renewal. Every high-rise building will undergo scientific research and analysis, and implement’ the first floor and one policy’. “
When the tall buildings fall, tourists will have a wider vision when they are in the ancient city. The important elements of the ancient city are also in the scientific planning and construction, and can be connected into a line and connected into a plane. At present, the historical and cultural tourism loop with “one city, one bridge and three hometowns” as the core and the ecological landscape leisure loop with the ancient city of Shaoxing as the main part have attracted much attention. The scenic spots are connected with the blocks, and you can take a awning boat to pass by the scenic spots and hometowns for a long time. In the eyes of tourists, Shaoxing is indeed “a beautiful city”.
In the process of urban construction and development, one of the biggest puzzles faced by Shaoxing is how to solve the contradiction between the modernization needs of urban residents and the protection of ancient cities.
For this reason, in the past few years, Shaoxing has established a “think tank” with 47 experts in the fields of famous city protection, planning and design, literature and history research, ancient building craftsmen, etc. On the basis of investigation, through expert discussion, etc., it has put forward an effective scheme that can not only realize the path of ancient city protection, but also meet the needs of people’s livelihood.
“According to the idea of overall protection, living protection and organic protection of the ancient city, we systematically planned the construction of the’ Ancient City Organic Renewal Project Group’.” The main person in charge of the Yuecheng District Committee said that by collecting the thoughts and hopes of the masses from the society, in recent years, practical projects for people’s livelihood, such as sewage interception and management, improvement of inland water quality, renovation of old residential areas, upgrading of historical blocks, and micro-renewal of ancient city infrastructure, have been carried out in Yuecheng District, so that ordinary people can truly feel the changes of the ancient city.
Shen Bo, chief engineer of Shaoxing Wenlv Group, who has experienced the planning and implementation of several projects, is also very touched. “To do projects in the ancient city, we should not only consider the cultural heritage, but also consider the introduction of business format and the needs of residents.”
In 2021, taking the 500th anniversary of Xu Wei’s birth as an opportunity, Shaoxing Xu Wei Art Museum, located at No.33 Houguan Lane, Yuecheng District, was officially opened to the public. The construction task was received in April 2020, and it was successfully completed in May 2021. The renovation and upgrading project of Qianguanxiang historical and cultural block, including the construction of Xuwei Art Museum, the activation and utilization of surrounding platform doors, and the renovation of old houses, is a tight time and heavy task for the construction team of Shaoxing Wenlv Group.
Close to the residential area, the working hours were “white plus black”, but the work was unexpectedly supported and recognized by the residents. To sum up, Shen Bo believes that, in addition to the changes brought about by the renovation of Xuwei Art Museum and surrounding high-end homestays, the renovation project of old residential buildings in the community based on the project has really made it into the hearts of ordinary people. “Qingteng Community is an old community in the urban area. In the past, because there were no sewers in the whole area, residents didn’t use the toilet.” According to Shen Bo, through flying lines into the ground, sewage disposal and other means, the project party has transformed more than 300 households in the community, and the living environment has been improved, so residents can’t mention how happy they are.
“The government and the construction unit have helped us transform the bungalow, and now it is particularly comfortable to live in. In the evening, neighbors can go for a walk and dance in the square in front of Xuwei Art Museum. Now, the residents in our old city are really enjoying themselves. ” Zhu Wenjuan, a resident who has lived in Qingteng Community for 36 years, said happily.
There is another change that makes Shaoxing citizens call “surprise”. On the “Ancient City Protection Day” in 2021, Shaoxing Ancient City Information Exhibition Center was officially opened. The combination of virtual and real Shaoxing ancient city style picture scroll, the country’s first digital sand table of the ancient city, VR panoramic virtual tour system … The trendy digital tour method amazed tourists and citizens, “The ancient city can still play like this!”
This is an innovative move for Shaoxing to explore digital reform and empower the protection of ancient cities. According to Xu Guofeng, deputy director of Shaoxing Famous City Office, according to the Regulations on Protection and Utilization of Shaoxing Ancient City and the requirements of digital reform of the provincial party committee and government, in recent two years, Shaoxing Famous City Office has built a digital ancient city information management platform based on the concept of “digital twinning”, which provides a new digital path for the protection and inheritance of historical and cultural cities. The application was rated as one of the local characteristic application achievements at the press conference of the major application achievements of the provincial digital reform, and the subsystem “Protection and Inheritance Application of Historical and Cultural Cities” was awarded the first batch of excellent applications of the provincial digital culture system.
Highlight the organic renewal of characteristics
The ancient city is ready to apply for a legacy.
In the 40th year when Shaoxing was named as a “national historical and cultural city”, all kinds of new things began to settle in the corners of the ancient city.
At 12 o’clock on April 29th this year, the main line of Shaoxing Metro Line 1 was officially opened, and the Millennium Ancient City ushered in the subway era. Immediately, Shaoxing’s “Shangxin” five creative videos, such as Gou Jian, Fan Li, Lu You, Tang Wan, Lu Xun and other historical celebrities “boarded” the subway and led tourists to “punch in” Shaoxing scenic spots. The creative video of “Breaking the Circle” has been recognized and praised by the masses, and “Shaoxing, a famous city, is getting better and better” is no longer just a development slogan, but also the expectation of the public.
With the subway, the new format in the old city is also welcoming the development of “hot”.
Walking into a small alley in Shusheng’s hometown community, Chai Yanlin’s homestay, a post-90s entrepreneur, is very eye-catching. “July has been basically full.” Chai Yanlin said with a smile that many guests come from Hangzhou and other places now. “They came to the ancient city by subway, which made the tourism in the ancient city a fire, and the business of our B&B also climbed steadily.”
Chai Yanlin chose to start a business in Shusheng’s hometown, which is also because of the protection and development of blocks in recent years. “There are many places of interest, such as Shiva Lane, Tifan Bridge and Jiezhu Temple, which are well preserved and the number of tourists is relatively stable. In the past two years, with the development of projects such as the renovation of the facade of the block, the old street has taken on a new look, giving us greater confidence in its development. At present, we have opened three homestays in the ancient city of Shaoxing. ” He said that in order to better manage and attract young tourists, he combined with the characteristics of the block, and launched activities such as Hanfu punch cards and afternoon tea in Chinese courtyard in his homestay, which really “sucked” a wave of powder.
More and more young people like Chai Yanlin are beginning to have a strong interest in the ancient city of Shaoxing. With their creativity, skills and enthusiasm, they come to the old city and set up homestays, cafes, pubs, book bars and cultural and creative companies to attract more young audiences to Shaoxing. The participation of these “young makers” has injected vitality into the development of ancient city culture and business travel. In order to increase support for these youth forces, focusing on the goal of “gathering place for young fashion with culture, creation and travel as its business form” put forward by Shaoxing Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, Yuecheng District Government, Shaoxing Famous City Office, together with the Municipal Finance Bureau, Municipal People’s Social Security Bureau, Communist Youth League Committee and other units, organized the “Young Maker of Shaoxing Ancient City” project, and planned to promote entrepreneurship and employment through policy support, so as to create an ancient city fashion place.
“Shaoxing will become an urban slow-life experience area with shared host and guest, warm and livable, and full of innovation and vitality.” He Junjie, deputy director of the Propaganda Department of Shaoxing Municipal Party Committee and director of Wenguang Tourism Bureau, said that nowadays, when tourists come to the ancient city, they can drink coffee, eat delicious food, taste old wine, listen to operas, see relics, enjoy cultural relics and walk around bridges and alleys. In the future, there will be more and more such “online celebrity punch-in places”. Shaoxing will also explore more innovative measures to promote the high-quality development of cultural tourism integration.
Visitors are welcome to come in and are happy to “brighten” Shaoxing. Last year, the event “Impression of Shaoxing-2021 Foreign Consulate General Officials in Shanghai Walk into Zhejiang” was held. Twenty international friends from 14 countries came to Shaoxing to visit the ancient city and experience the history. “Shaoxing, a beautiful city, is a showcase for the rapid development of China. We hope to strengthen cooperation and exchanges with Zhejiang and Shaoxing.” Malec Chesherchuk, Consul General of Poland in Shanghai, said.
Looking at home, in recent years, Shaoxing has also promoted famous city resources to sister cities such as Hangzhou, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai with a series of “Shaoxing Week” activities as the carrier. Everywhere, the cultural accumulation and tourism value of Shaoxing ancient city have become hot topics.
It is in the collision between “new” and “old”, “protection” and “utilization” that the “Shaoxing experience” of ancient city protection gradually forms a set of system. On June 11th and 12th, this year, the summit forum of urban and rural historical and cultural protection and the 40th anniversary academic conference of the national historical and cultural city protection system were held in Beijing.
At this meeting, Shaoxing, as one of the seven representative cities, shared its experience and practices in the protection and utilization of ancient cities with the title of “Highlighting Regional Characteristics and Constructing Protection and Inheritance System”. Whether it is the protection and utilization management system of “one regulation, one institution, one fund, one list”, the experience and practice of Shaoxing in planning “organic renewal project group of ancient city” focusing on the needs of people’s livelihood, or the “digital twin” system of ancient city built by big data concept in Shaoxing in recent years, it has been paid attention to and recognized by the industry.
During the development journey of “building a high-level network metropolis and building a new era of common prosperity”, the main person in charge of Shaoxing Municipal Committee proposed to focus on “five firsts” and plan to build “five cities”, that is, to build Shaoxing into a city of innovation, openness, life, quality and good governance. Among them, “improving the quality and taste of the city, building a highland of cultural civilization and polishing the value of mountains and rivers” is an important proposition. This brings new expectation for the protection of Shaoxing ancient city.
Now, following the golden name card of “the first batch of famous historical and cultural cities”, Shaoxing has gained the golden signboard of “the cultural capital of East Asia”. Polishing this new signboard and exploring “the whole city’s application for heritage” has become Shaoxing’s new goal.
After decades and generations of exploration and practice, the increasingly mature “Shaoxing Experience” has written beautiful poems. We believe that the future of Shaoxing ancient city will be more dazzling.
(This version of the picture is provided by Shaoxing Historical and Cultural City Protection Office)