Writer Feng Jicai said: "A city, like people, also has memories because it has a complete life history. ”
The moat and liberation pavilion of the old city of Jinan Photo: Wang Xiao
Historical and cultural districts are the most faithful observers and recorders of a city, which completely and accurately reflect the cultural and architectural styles precipitated by a city over a long period of time, and reflect the living conditions of local people.
How to tap the productive forces hidden in historical and cultural districts is the key to deepening reform and developing the economy.
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Baihuazhou Photography|Wang Xiao
Historical and cultural districts often carry many stories and are the "living fossils" of local folklore. For example, the Furong Street-Baihuazhou Block in Jinan City is the core area of the ancient city that is the most intact in Jinan and can reflect the idea of "Shanshui Yingcheng", and it is also an important area that can best reflect the "spring culture" of Jinan; Qixia Street in Weihai City is the only century-old street in the central city of Weihai that has been preserved intact; Zhoucun Ancient Mall in Zibo City is known as "China's living ancient commercial museum group", and its construction history can be traced back to the eighth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1410)......
These market fireworks blocks, which gather intangible cultural heritage skills and farmers' markets, shoulder the important mission of local historical and cultural inheritance, and record the customs accumulated in the long history with their distinctive historical buildings and a wide variety of folk activities, which are an important part of the history and culture of various places.
Unfortunately, with the passage of time, many historical and cultural districts have gradually become "urban scars" for various reasons, standing at the fork in the road of "preservation or reconstruction". In the process of repair or reconstruction, many historical and cultural districts have fallen into the following circles:
For example, some neighborhoods have unwittingly moved towards a homogeneous "dead end", and the cookie-cutter commercial attractions have lost their unique charm. Ignoring regional characteristics and blindly pursuing a trendy development path may make the neighborhood hot for a short time, but it will be difficult for it to prosper in the national characteristic and differentiated competition for a long time.
For example, some neighborhoods have a strange style and low quality, the "remodeled" buildings are mixed with too many foreign elements, and the store decoration is full of Internet celebrity style, "local is not foreign", and it has been transformed into an "urban studio" under the banner of historical buildings. In the past few years, the popular "I miss you very much in XX" brand as an example, whether it is a small bridge and flowing water block in the Jiangnan style, or a desert lonely smoke ancient city in the northwest style, you don't need to deliberately look for it, you may not know where it will appear.
For example, some historical and cultural districts have nothing to show for themselves, demolishing the old and building the new in the wave of urbanization or the transformation of the old city, and there is no soul in the form. Tourists enter the neighborhood, only to find that the renovated neighborhood is empty, with no voices or landscapes to see, and it has nothing to do with historical records.
The problems in the process of development and transformation seriously restrict the release of the productivity of historical and cultural districts, and need to be solved urgently.
Tourists play in Qushuiting Street, Jinan Photography|Zhu Zheng
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For both local residents and visitors, historical and cultural districts have their own special significance.
For local residents, the historical and cultural district is their important spiritual sustenance, and for foreign tourists, walking into the historical and cultural district can feel the unique temperament of the city.
The "activation" of historical and cultural districts should be based on respecting history, digging deep into cultural resources, highlighting individuality and characteristics.
Dig deeper into the historical and cultural value of the neighborhood.
The traditional buildings, historical relics, cultural and folk customs of the historical and cultural districts are deeply excavated and sorted out to form a unique and attractive "block brand".
Beijing Yangmeizhu Xiejie Photography|Luo Xin
For example, Yangmeizhu Xiejie in Beijing was a famous bookstore street during the Republic of China, and seven well-known bookstores such as the World Book Company were opened here. On the basis of the classification and evaluation of the buildings in the block according to the historical and cultural value, most of the original shops are retained, and new shops are implanted in line with the cultural characteristics of the block, so as to enhance the cultural atmosphere and avoid the embarrassing situation of "demolishing what should not be demolished and building what should not be built" in the old street.
Optimize the industrial structure and introduce emerging industries.
Historic districts are the "birthplace" of creativity, with architecture, culture, and history providing endless inspiration for creatives. By protecting and harnessing these resources, many new creative industries can be fostered, such as design, art, media, etc. Therefore, it is necessary to encourage the integrated development of traditional industries and cultural and creative industries in the old streets, form an industrial chain with local characteristics, and enhance the added value of the industry.
Source: Wen Wei Po
For example, a large number of factories were built in the Tianzifang neighborhood of Shanghai, but later because most of the enterprises were closed or restructured, most of the workshops left behind were idle because they were not suitable for living. With the arrival of a group of artists and the establishment of studios one after another, the original factory block gradually blew the wind of art. Bookstores, restaurants, cafes, and fashion stores in the neighborhood are thriving. The renovation of Tianzifang block not only protects the old buildings full of historical and cultural heritage of the city, but also provides space for artists to create, achieves good social benefits, and also realizes the re-appreciation of the city center.
The development of historical and cultural districts should be incorporated into the overall development of the city, and the protection, inheritance and development of historical and cultural districts should be promoted by comprehensive means such as administration, market, and public welfare.
For example, according to the concept of ecological museum and community museum, the traditional culture and cultural environment such as the architectural pattern, overall style, production and life of the block are comprehensively protected and displayed. Introduce the system of community architects and community planners to provide professional and technical services for the micro-renewal and micro-transformation of community residents and other users. Formulate technical standards applicable to historical and cultural districts, and introduce new protection technologies and display and interpretation technologies, such as transportation, municipal, and fire protection systems that adapt to the characteristics of traditional blocks, and display and interpretation methods such as virtual reality, network interaction, and artificial intelligence.
For example, the historical and cultural district is digitally reconstructed, and AR and VR technologies are used to allow visitors to experience the historical changes of the ancient district in an immersive way.
In addition, online promotion is carried out in the form of short videos and live broadcasts, presenting the characteristic buildings, cultural heritage, and traditional crafts in the neighborhood to young people from a new perspective, which can stimulate their interest in historical and cultural districts.
For the old neighborhood, it is very important to expand and strengthen a number of leading backbone enterprises with great industrial relevance and strong competitiveness and eco-leading enterprises with industrial chain control, which can strengthen the characteristics of the neighborhood. In today's society, productivity is characteristic.
This requires fully combining the needs of urban economic development and the needs of local residents, accurately grasping the historical value of the block, and promoting the renewal of the business format, economic development and cultural protection and inheritance of the block through the all-round transformation of the architectural style, business format, folk customs, landscape texture and ecological environment.