Being among the second batch of national famous historical and cultural cities announced by the State Council in 1986, Wuhan has a municipal history dating 3500 years back to the Panlong City of the Shang Dynasty. Over the years, it has always been a regional political, cultural and military center. In modern times, it has become a national industrial and business metropolis only trailing Shanghai. Its long history of urban development has made Wuhan the origin of Han River Civilization, the heritage land of Chu Culture, and the cradle of the Revolution of 1911, giving birth to its city spirit of “Dare to be first and pursue excellence”. Abundant historical heritage and profound cultural deposits are precious assets to realize the urban revitalization of the grand Wuhan.

　　1. Wuhan History-related Resources Overview

　　The city of Wuhan has vast number of historical and cultural resources, including over 1300 historical sites of various levels featuring ancient sites, ancient tombs, ancient architectures, modern historical sites, relics and typical architectures, as well as stone inscriptions, among which are 492 national-, provincial-, municipal-, and district-level cultural relic protection units, 186 excellent historical architectures (excluding cultural relic protection units), 376 immovable cultural heritage sites (referring to the unclassified sites in the immovable cultural heritage general survey, therefore excluding those classified as cultural relic protection units of various levels and excellent historical architectures), 197 historical protection architectures, 27 first-batch industrial heritage sites (including altogether 18 sites of cultural relic protection units of various levels, excellent historical architectures, and immovable cultural heritage sites), 16 historical and cultural feature street blocks, as well as 51 historical towns and villages rich in resources and unique in styles. In addition, Wuhan’s intangible cultural heritage includes folk literature, folk music, folk dance, folk arts, traditional handicraft, traditional drama, acrobatics and athletics, traditional medicine, folk custom, and folk art forms, among which 15 are of national level, 22 are of provincial level, and 48 are of municipal level.

　　In terms of historical periods, Wuhan is richest of historical sites from ancient times and the Republic of China era. The majority of its ancient ruins are ruin sites from the Neolithic Age to the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, ancient tombs from the Han and Ming Dynasties, as well as ancient architectures from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, largely spread over agricultural ecological areas in Huangpi, Xinzhou and Jiangxia. The majority of its historical sites from the Republic of China era are modern historical ruins and typical architectures, relatively concentrated in the former Hankou concession area.

　　2. Brief Introduction to Wuhan Famous Historical and Cultural City Protection Planning System

　　Revolving round the Wuhan Municipal General Urban Planning approved by the State Council, Wuhan has established a three-layered protection framework system featuring general layout protection, protection of historical street blocks and the protection of cultural relics and historical sites. Its general layout protection has focused on enhancing the natural spatial layout of “two rivers converging and three towns thriving”, and the city image of “the great Yangtze River flanked by Guishan Mountain and Sheshan Mountain”, thus creating a “cross-shaped” mountain and river landscape pattern featuring the Yangtze River as the vertical axis, and the Han River and its east-west mountain chain as the horizontal axis. Protection of historical street block has focused on highlighting the unique culture connotation, architectural style and spatial pattern of each street block, showcasing historical scenic landscape and cultural characteristics of different historical periods, and establishing a regional and systematic protection pattern. Protection of each cultural relic, historical site and historical ruin needs to follow the requirements designated by the “purple line”, according to which their original architectural styles and features are mainly to be restored by means of architectural repairs, thus forming an architectural environment of unique historical characteristics.

　　In recent years, by carrying out comprehensive renovation projects restoring Zhongshan Avenue, the former office space of CPC Central Committee, Jiqing Street, and the Tanhualing district, the city has not only substantially improved its functional quality and the vitality of its street blocks, but has also demonstrated its city operating philosophy of refined design and careful management. In terms of management measures, detailed regulatory requirements concerning historical heritage purple line, architectural height and historical street and alley are implemented by putting into use the “One Map” information system.

　　3. Famous Historical and Cultural City Protection Planning Overview

　　Famous historical and cultural city protection planning comprehensively arranges historical resources within the city for the purpose of showcasing the unique charm of the grand Wuhan. It centers upon turning itself into a city known for its great mountains, rivers and gardens and its profound historical deposits. Through comprehensively sorting out historical and cultural development processes of the city area of Wuhan and its surroundings, studying internal relations between various types of historical and cultural sites and the historical and cultural value of the entire city, and clearing Wuhan’s historical development trajectory, Wuhan’s historical revolution and cultural accumulation processes are understood from multiple aspects such as distribution patterns of municipal historical and cultural sits, overall urban layout of the renowned city, historical and cultural street blocks, historical landscape scenic districts, cultural relics and historical sites, as well as environmental factors, thus tapping into the unique historical and cultural value of the city. In the future, famous historical and cultural city protection planning will continue to expand its protection vision and broaden its protection contents:

　　(1) Step up regional historical and geographical research. Protect Wuhan’s unique scenic mountain and river landscape as well as its natural ecological environment. Highlight its overall spatial layout featuring continuous mountain ranges, numerous lakes and ecological harmony. Regulate the disorderly spreading of urban construction. Protect and enhance the spatial patterns of mountains and rivers formed thousands of years ago. Fully integrate urban and rural building into natural mountain ranges, lake and water systems, as well as into the rural landscape. Connect natural geographical units with historical and cultural site, historical event, celebrity and legend. Promote the creation of tourism routes with history-related themes. Highlight the building of cultural brands such as Hulan cultural complex, the grand Panlong city ruins, the grand Husi kiln ruins. Step up publicity and building of cultural cluster areas such as Jiuzhenshan Mountain friendship culture, Longquanshan Mountain cultural landscape area, and the ancient town of Jingkou.

　　(2) Continuously enhance the natural spatial layout of “two rivers converging and three towns thriving” and the “cross-shaped” mountain and river landscape pattern. Advance the revitalization of historical street blocks such as Yellow Crane Tower scenic area, Wuchang old town scenic landscape district, and Hongshan area, along the city’s east-west axis formed by the two banks of the Han River, in area north of the Guishan Mountain and east-west mountain ranges. Promote the gradual renovation of the former Hankou concession area scenic landscape district, Hanyang old town scenic landscape district, and Qingshan red building area along the two banks of the Yangtze River following the city’s north-south axis. Create historical and cultural axis belts which complement and reinforce the city’s natural layout of mountains and rivers.

　　(3) Promote the overall protection and renewal of historical street blocks. Enhance protection of industrial ruin sites. Priorities should be given to scenic landscape protection projects in historical street blocks such as Qingdao Road area, Yiyuan Road area, site of the CPC August Seventh Meeting in 1927, and Hanzheng Street area. Meanwhile, enhance protection work of industrial ruin sites, and gradually restore the original style and feature of industrial ruin sites such as the Hanyang Iron Plant area and the area north of the Guishan Mountain, so as to showcase the industrial cultural history of the city.

　　(4) Create new ways of protection and utilization, incorporate the building of a quintuple cultural city, build culturally functional cluster area, and carry out the planning and construction of theme and feature museums such as history and knowledge museums, revolutionary and educational museums, as well as natural science popularization museums. Create nationally renowned museum cluster and art gallery cluster against the backing of areas boasting intensive distribution of historical sites. Taking advantage of the spatial distribution of Wuhan’s innovation zones, fully utilize old wharfs, old factory plants, and historical sites in the old town districts as well as existing townships, towns and villages for the purposes of first providing a development platform for “mass innovation” and also injecting new vitality into historical sites so that the past may serve the present. Enhance historical and culture theme building through means of connecting historical sites, applying historical elements and publicizing historical legends, making highly attachable, recognizable, and trackable spatial clues of the city into cultural name cards such as “yellow crane in white clouds”, “the classical allusion of bosom friends spending time together against the melody of lofty mountains and flowing water”, as well as important revolutionary sites. Enhance urban design, showcase historical scenic landscape, comprehensively improve city image, and achieve coordinated advancement and harmonious symbiosis between protection and development.