Wuxi makes efforts to protect historical and cultural sites

Wuxi released a new plan to better protect the city's historical and cultural sites, according to a statement by the city's natural resources and planning bureau on Dec 14.

The new plan improves the protection system and expands the protection area to 7.66 square kilometers, according to officials. Historical and cultural sites in Jiangyin and Yixing, two prefecture-level cities in Wuxi, are also included in the plan.

The plan builds a five-level protection framework which covers historical and cultural blocks and towns along the city's rivers and lakes, especially the Grand Canal, Wuxi-Jiangyin Canal, and Bodu Port.

The expanded protection area includes Sanli Bridge, Qingming Bridge, Huishan Ancient Town and Xishan district, where many local residents have lived or owned their precious memories, officials said.

In order to make good use of cultural heritages scattered throughout the city, experts said a "water" ring road and a "land" ring road will be promoted.

The "water" ring road will consist of waterfront spaces and uninterrupted walking paths along the Grand Canal and surrounding rivers. The "land" ring road will connect the main downtown cultural spaces along Jiankang Road (Tao Alley, Maoziqiao Alley), Qianxixi, Xinjie Alley, Muqinfang Alley, Xueqian Road, Qinxue Road (Xuefo Road), Nanshiqiao Alley, Xinsheng Road, Xiaolou Alley, Sujia Lane, Denghou Lane, and Lianyuan Street.

A total of 34 historical areas, old streets and ancient villages as well as 376 cultural relics and historical sites are included in the new plan, along with three underground cultural relic areas in Helyu, Hongshan, and Yangshan.

Unlike the old plan, which focused on the protection of historical and cultural cities in the downtown area, the new plan focuses more on those in remote areas to inherit the traditional customs and culture of Wuxi, said an expert from the city's natural resources and planning bureau.