Suzhou has released a water town protection and conservation guideline in support of a joint application by 14 Chinese water towns in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
To take effect from March 1, the guideline sets standards to preserve ancient water towns in Suzhou, which is home to nine of the 14 water towns included in the application.
The new application expands on previous applications, which included six water towns in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, including Zhouzhuang, Tongli and Wuzhen in 2001.
The application is expected to be evaluated by international experts in 2020. The guideline will serve as a legal framework for the preservation of water towns in accordance with standards as a world heritage site, according to Li Jie, director of the joint application office based in Suzhou.
The guideline governs areas such as the restoration of ancient buildings, prohibits overexploitation and encourages residents to continue their long-observed traditions.
Features of water towns include bridges, narrow stone lanes and traditional ancient houses built along canals and local traditions such as festivals, handicrafts and foods, some of which have a history of more than 1,000 years.
As of last year, China is home to 52 heritage sites, ranking only second to Italy’s 53.