Source: China Culture Daily October 29, 2021
China's large-scale urbanization and urban construction began in the 1980s and has a history of more than 40 years. After the founding of New China, some hotels, shopping malls, residential buildings and other buildings built in various cities have gradually become old and aging, and with the passage of time, many cities have appeared in contiguous old towns, these places, urban infrastructure is backward, roads are congested, houses are in disrepair, sewer pipelines and natural gas pipelines are damaged, the living environment is poor, and it is urgent to carry out comprehensive upgrading and transformation in order to meet the needs of the people for a better life. Therefore, in the current process of urban construction, the transformation of the old city has become an urgent people's livelihood project.
Old city and new city are the names of different areas of the city built in different historical periods, different levels of productivity and economic conditions. Generally speaking, a city's new urban area has a relatively short completion time, a beautiful environment, a wide road, a neat plan, and a reasonable layout, which represents the level of modern development of a city and shows the new image of the city. The old town of a city is often the area where the population is first concentrated, the commercial and cultural center of the city in the past, and the area where cultural heritage and historical sites are relatively concentrated. The remains of shopping malls, parks, streets, stations and other buildings in the past have left the footprints of citizens, witnessed the development and change of the city, and have cultural accumulation and historical heritage. Although the old town was built earlier and now looks a little shabby, it records the course of urban development, carries the historical memory of the city, and inherits the context of the city. Therefore, the upgrading and transformation of the old city should not only consider the modernization of infrastructure construction, the beauty of the city's appearance, and the improvement of the living environment, so as to meet the needs of the people for convenient and comfortable urban life, but also consider the inheritance of urban culture, retain historical memory, and meet the needs of the people's spiritual life.
First of all, the upgrading and transformation of the old city must attach great importance to the protection of cultural heritage and historical sites. Before upgrading and transformation, strict protection measures should be formulated, and careful planning of demolition and relocation projects should be made to avoid serious damage to cultural heritage and historical sites. All cultural relics recognized by cultural relics departments at all levels, whether they are ancient buildings, ancient ruins, ancient gardens or old houses, old courtyards, and old shops, must be protected in strict accordance with the relevant laws of the state, and the "substantial damage" under the banner of urban "leapfrog" construction and development must be resolutely eliminated. Although some parks, cultural centers and theaters are not cultural relics protection units, due to their long history, special role, or unique architectural style, they have left a deep memory for the public, and they also need to be treated differently and carefully, and they do not have to be torn down and restarted. The upgrading and transformation of old neighborhoods with a long history should be as respectful as possible, maintain the original appearance, and on the basis of good protection and inheritance, follow the principle of "repairing the old as old", and carry out partial reconstruction and repair. Try to avoid the large-scale demolition and construction that hurts the bones and bones, and resolutely puts an end to the blind pursuit of large-scale and modern "face projects" in the transformation of the old city.
Second, it is necessary to unify the upgrading and transformation of the old city with the protection of cultural heritage. Cities, like other things, will slowly grow old with the passage of time, lose their former style, and also need to continue to develop and innovate and maintain strong vitality. However, a city has a city's style, temperament and spirit, these cultural characteristics are reflected in the city's architectural layout, planning and design, can not be easily changed, if destroyed, changed, it is equivalent to cutting off the city's spiritual lifeline, damage the city's cultural characteristics. The upgrading and transformation of the old city and the protection of cultural heritage can be completely complementary, reflect each other and complement each other. Through upgrading and transformation, we can not only consolidate the foundation for protecting the urban cultural context, add more traditional cultural elements, but also inherit and develop China's excellent traditional culture and give it distinctive characteristics of the times. It is necessary to unify the transformation and upgrading of the old city with the protection of historical sites and the preservation of historical context, not only to improve the living environment, but also to retain the historical and cultural heritage, so that history and culture and modern life can be integrated.
Finally, it is necessary to respect the diversity of urban culture and avoid the old city transformation model of a thousand cities. Diversity is one of the essential characteristics of culture, which is the soul of the country and the nation, and also the soul of the city. Culture is the most joyful and the most taboo. Urban culture should be able to reflect the spiritual outlook and stylistic characteristics of a city, and be distinguished from other cities. The architectural style, color collocation, planning and layout of the city should reflect the design concept of ingenuity and ingenuity. Although the transformation of the old city is restricted and influenced by the original pattern, it is necessary to create style and characteristics as much as possible. Some historic districts are quaint, natural and tranquil, with lush trees, bluestone paths, and quaint buildings that don't have to be transformed into a modern look. Some modern neighborhoods are stylish and innovative, with numerous bars and cafes that don't have to be confined to tradition. In short, do not use a city construction style to unify the upgrading and transformation of all old towns, a block, a street, should have their own unique cultural taste, can carry the city's historical memory.
| Li Changgeng is a professor at the Party School of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee of the Communist Party of China (Shaanxi Administrative College) and a researcher at the Beijing Institute of Central Propaganda Culture