How can urban renewal achieve deep integration with the cultural and tourism industries? Representatives and committee members suggest enriching old streets and historic buildings with new business models that align with market demand.
An urban area is an organic living entity, whose renewal connects the past to the future. How can cities unearth excellent cultural and tourism resources during urban renewal, further promote the deep integration of urban renewal with the cultural and tourism industries, and enhance the city's intrinsic value? On January 24, interviews were conducted with representatives and committee members attending this year's Provincial Two Sessions.
Adhering to the principle of developing through protection and protecting through development, revitalizing old streets and historic buildings to radiate new vitality and charm has become a strategic approach for many cities in the province to break new ground. Baoding is a nationally recognized historical and cultural city. In its urban renewal efforts, the city has promoted the protection and renewal of its historical urban areas as a major systematic project. Particularly in the protection of West Street, guided by the principles of "micro-renewal and gradual progress," it insists on maximum protection and minimal intervention to restore the basic features of the historical and cultural block. In early 2025, West Street was selected for the fourth batch of National Tourism and Leisure Street lists.
"In urban renewal, we must not only safeguard the historical and cultural lineage of the old city, bringing streets like West Street to life, but also actively explore ways to showcase industrial heritage sites like the 'Eight Major Factories in the Western Suburbs'," said Yan Jihong, a Provincial People's Congress representative and Mayor of Baoding. Baoding City will adhere to the concept of "activation through utilization and organic renewal," revitalizing industrial heritage resources such as the old thermal power plant and Lucky factory areas. It plans to market-integrate new business models like "consumption+," "sci-tech innovation+," and "sports and culture+," injecting contemporary vitality while preserving the city's industrial memory, thereby creating new cultural tourism IPs and systematically transforming "industrial rust belts" into "vibrant life belts."
Urban renewal in the province has given rise to a number of popular destinations, such as Zhiyin 1953 Park in Shijiazhu, Jianguo Li Block in Tangshan, Nanchuan Old Street in Cangzhou, Handan Dao in Handan, and Haonanguan in Xingtai. Walking through the cities, more and more people are falling in love with a city and making a special trip because of a particular street or a unique local flavor.
Cao Shengxi, a Provincial People's Congress representative and Chief Architect at China North Industries Group's Northern Engineering Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd., stated that urban renewal is not merely a physical transformation of space but a transformation of urban development models. It involves the re-creation of urban space, the improvement of functions, an enhancement in the quality of life, and the inheritance of historical culture. In recent years, she has led the design of several key urban renewal projects including Zhiyin 1953 Park, ZhengTai Square, and Dongyuan Ancient City, transforming industrial factories and idle squares that carry urban memory into various leisure spaces. She has also participated in the planning reviews and promotion of exemplary cases for multiple urban renewal projects.
"The integration of urban renewal with the cultural and tourism industries must always adhere to the core principles of 'protecting the urban fabric, meeting public livelihood needs, and balancing long-term development'," Representative Cao Shengxi suggested. She recommended that localities keep pace with the times and innovate during urban renewal, providing new utilization ideas for spaces like old city cultural sites and cultural buildings. By enriching old streets and buildings with market-aligned new business models, cities can shape unique cultural identities, seamlessly connecting history with modernity, and antiquity with fashion, thereby providing new momentum for the development of old urban areas.
If the cultural and tourism industry injects new momentum into urban renewal, then urban renewal provides a new carrier for cultural and tourism development. In the view of Jia Fengsuo, a Provincial CPPCC committee member and General Manager of Hebei Construction Engineering Group Co., Ltd., the substantial存量资源 accumulated through urban development is both a valuable material asset and a key element for overcoming the bottlenecks in urban development space. Urban renewal stimulates new growth by revitalizing existing assets, opening up new spaces for emerging industries and business models. Over the past few years, Hebei Construction Engineering Group has participated in a series of projects integrating urban renewal with the cultural and tourism industries, including Baoding's West Street, Cangzhou's Nanchuan Old Street, and the restoration of ancient structures in Shanhaiguan, Qinhuangdao.
Committee Member Jia Fengsuo indicated that in the new year, Hebei Construction Engineering Group will leverage the key urban renewal projects it undertakes, actively integrating new technologies such as green construction and smart construction. It aims to drive the rejuvenation of urban spaces through construction innovation, striving to create public spaces that not only serve urban functions but also possess strong tourism appeal.
Looking across the province, "rust belts" are turning into "show belts," old streets are gaining a lively atmosphere, and ancient streets are acquiring a new charm. The integration of urban renewal with the cultural and tourism industries brings not only changes in the physical form of urban spaces but also a transformation in development momentum.
As a representative from the grassroots level, Hao Jing, a Provincial People's Congress representative and Director of the Talent Service Center of the Organization Department of the Xinhua District Committee in Shijiazhuang, experiences the changes that urban renewal brings to daily life. She has visited Wanli Temple Pedestrian Street, feeling the new trendy vibe of the old commercial street; she has also walked on the ring-city greenway, enjoying the pleasure of unimpeded travel; and she often encounters tourists from other places, witnessing the rising popularity of Shijiazhuang.
Beyond the current popularity, Representative Hao Jing offers sober reflection. She stated that urban renewal should not stop at attracting crowds; it must also form institutional synergy in aspects like preserving historical风貌, cultivating business formats, and encouraging public participation to prevent a scenario of "initial buzz followed by subsequent乏力". She suggested researching and introducing more systematic and operable supporting policies tailored for urban renewal projects to accommodate new business models and development needs. Furthermore, she recommended actively planning and organizing major events with national benchmark significance and international influence to promote the transformation of traditional cultural tourism into deep experiential consumption. This would truly turn the integrated development of urban renewal and cultural tourism into a "traffic password," continuously enhancing the city's attractiveness.
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