The People’s Government of Anhui Province has recently approved the Conservation Plan for Jiuhua Town, a Historic and Cultural Town in Jiuhuashan Global Geopark (Chizhou). This milestone marks a new phase of standardized and law-based heritage protection for Jiuhua Town.
The plan focuses on safeguarding historical continuity, improving living environments, and achieving a balanced approach between conservation and sustainable use of cultural resources. It sets a timeline extending to 2030 in the near term and 2035 in the long term. The designated conservation area covers 98.8 hectares, divided into two main zones: Jiuhua Street and Minyuan. Each zone is further classified into core protection areas and construction control zones, with tiered and targeted conservation measures.
Within the Jiuhua Street zone, the core protection area centers around four nationally protected heritage sites—Huacheng Temple, Flesh Body Hall, Zhiyuan Temple, and Baisui Palace—ensuring precise safeguarding of key cultural assets. In the Minyuan zone, the focus is placed on the surroundings of Huiju Temple and the Guanyin Peak Lower Courtyard, identifying and preserving essential heritage carriers.
The plan outlines a comprehensive protection framework covering both tangible and intangible cultural heritage. For tangible heritage, it includes the systematic conservation of:
• 22 officially designated cultural relic sites
• 76 undocumented immovable heritage sites
• 7 historic buildings
• The ecological environment of the Longxi River
• 366 ancient and notable trees
• Traditional structures such as Furong Bridge and Taibai Well
For intangible heritage, priority is given to safeguarding and transmitting the Jiuhuashan Temple Fair, a national-level intangible cultural heritage, along with two provincial-level heritage items.
In terms of management and control, the plan strictly adheres to the Regulations on the Protection of Historic and Cultural Cities, Towns, and Villages. Destructive construction is strictly prohibited within core protection zones, and restoration must meet rigorous standards. In construction control areas, existing buildings must generally retain their original height, while new structures are limited to a maximum ridge height of 12 meters.
A classified approach will be applied to conservation and renovation, covering four categories: cultural relic protection units, historic buildings, traditional-style buildings, and other structures. Large-scale demolition and reconstruction, as well as “fake heritage” developments, are strictly forbidden—ensuring the authenticity and integrity of Jiuhua Town’s cultural legacy within Jiuhuashan Global Geopark.
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