Event explores protection, vitalization of 20th-century heritage

Mobilizing forces to sustain the heritage

Zhang Bo, Party secretary of the School of Architecture and Art at North China University of Technology, highlighted the role of universities in heritage protection in speech. His school has launched a university-wide general education course titled "Introduction to 20th Century Heritage," with a textbook scheduled for publication soon.

"The 20th-century heritage is the closest to us," Zhang said. "It witnessed our country's transformation and modernization. Students living among these buildings must shoulder the responsibility to carry forward this legacy for future generations."

Xuan Feng, an associate professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, urged students to engage with heritage sites using all their senses rather than merely taking photos. Chongqing-based veteran architect Chen Gang stressed the importance of public engagement. He praised the exhibition's social media campaign on Xiaohongshu, organized by the students from North China University of Technology.

Associate Professor Qian Yi of Beijing University of Technology criticized the mismatch between current cultural relic laws and the living nature of 20th-century buildings. Routine upgrades of 20th-century heritage sites, such as adding elevators, often face long delays as they are often managed as ancient cultural relics. He called for architects and urban planners to participate in drafting practical guidelines based on successful heritage vitalization cases.

Professor Chen Li of Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture warned against urban aesthetic fractures and the loss of industrial heritage. He lamented that many historical districts in Beijing show stark contrasts between old structures and new high-rises, while old factories are often torn down or their equipment is stripped away, erasing their core historical value. He urged stronger protection for everyday buildings such as schools, housing, and factories.

Du Lindong, an assistant professor at Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, called for protecting and vitalizing ordinary 20th-century heritage sites before they are officially given heritage status, suggesting artistic interventions as starting points.

He cited two examples of art's power in vitalizing mundane heritage.

First, the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture of Shenzhen and Hong Kong, a biennale founded in 2005 specifically focused on urbanization, has staged its exhibitions many times in the dense, vibrant urban villages within the southern metropolis of Shenzhen, prompting the local authorities to realize that the grassroots side of the city's miracle growth can be the its valuable heritage with huge potential.

Second, Chinese artist Cao Fei's major multimedia research project Hongxia (HX) centers on the Hongxia Theater in Beijing's Jiuxianqiao area, a 1960s building with ties to early Chinese electronics, computer history and the surrounding industrial district. The internationally shown project has piqued wide interest in the early industrial heritage sites of New China and their fate amid rapid urban transformation.

Experts concluded that 20th-century heritage is abundant, everyday, and closely tied to national development. Conservation must reject both rigid freezing and unchecked commercialization. Through respect for authenticity, dynamic adaptation, public involvement, policy reform, and education, these buildings can move from academic study into people's lives, supporting urban renewal, enriching tourism, and strengthening national identity.