Karl Marx got his inspiration for Das Kapital from reading a description of slum housing in England written in 1848 by a young social worker named Frederick Engels. That simple written account of public housing in London and Manchester changed the world.

Hangzhou is a model of how urban redevelopment can be balanced to meet the demands of society on one hand, and cultural lifesthle and history on the other.

China's Vice-Minister of Culture Zhou Heping announced at the Tenth National People's Congress that China would continue to cherish its tangible and intangible culture and stop it being destroyed or exported to foreign museums.

I see how that cherishing is happening every day as I come home from work through Wu Shan Square, where the public garden is being built so more people can enjoy the history and beauty of Hangzhou's old heart.

Cycling through old Daqing Lane I see the heritage notices now on historic buildings dating them to the Qing dynasty. My local park at Tai Miao iso full of well-documented Song dynasty history.

I commend the City government for the services it provides - the excellent transport system, the road modernization program and the vision to make Hangzhou an international centre through the World Leisure Expo, which will bring the world to its doorstep.

But I also have unbounded admiration for its preservation of its historic landmarks. Hangzhou's Antiquities and Culture Departments are models for the rest of China. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have a city to dedicate my book to.

By Kate Collins from Australia

Source: City Express

Editor: Feng Hui