This aerial photo taken on June 10, 2023 shows a boat sailing on the Qinhuai River in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)
NANJING, June 15 (Xinhua) -- On a summer night 100 years ago, Zhu Ziqing and Yu Pingbo, two prominent Chinese writers, took a boat ride along the Qinhuai River and each wrote an essay in the name of the river. Both pieces became classics in the history of modern Chinese literature.
Walking along the undulating riverbanks of the Qinhuai, a major waterway of Nanjing, capital city of east China's Jiangsu Province, visitors can easily soak up the history that envelops them. The humble tributary of China's Yangtze River is known as a river full of history and culture.
"What attracts me most is the perfect combination of ancient history and culture and urban development here," said Japanese director Ryo Takeuchi, who has been living in Nanjing for years.
The ancient city, with a history of around 2,500 years, has started many renewal projects along the Qinhuai River in recent years. This has helped bring the old and new together to create a brighter future of the city.
This aerial photo taken on June 13, 2023 shows a view of the Yuejiang Tower in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
The Xiaoxihu neighborhood, a block that has stood for over 600 years, has abundant historical remains. The 46,900-square-meter block was once a run-down area in Nanjing, with narrow roads, old buildings with no kitchen and bathroom facilities, and poor access to utilities like water, electricity, and the internet.
After several rounds of surveys, the local government adopted a new approach to improve living conditions in 2019, while also looking to preserve the historical elements. Apart from necessary renovations, many original features remained unchanged, from the general layout to the brick walls.
Adam Brillhart, an American architect, was impressed by how the renovation team treated a loquat tree in an old residence of the neighborhood.
The tree has been planted for more than 40 years at local resident Xu Qing's backyard, and when the renewal project began, the renovation team tried every means to keep the tree untouched, satisfying the emotional needs of the 80-year-old owner.
"This is an excellent example of protecting historical features and improving people's livelihoods," said Brillhart.
Since the renewal, coffee shops, homestays, libraries, restaurants, and other kinds of businesses have opened up in the area.
"The renovation of run-down areas should protect their historical elements, while at the same time, more convenient and complete public facilities should be built," said Han Dongqing, a professor from the Southeast University in Nanjing.
Such urban renewal projects have also led to the prosperity of the cultural sector in the ancient city. In 2022, the added value of Nanjing's cultural industry reached 112 billion yuan (about 15.6 billion U.S. dollars), accounting for 6.6 percent of the city's gross domestic product.
Tourists visit the Fuzi (Confucius) Temple scenic area in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, June 12, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Bo)
In 2019, Nanjing was recognized as a city of literature by UNESCO because of its literary history and heritage. The city also strives to create an atmosphere that encourages reading for the citizens and visitors.
Currently, Nanjing has nearly 900 reading organizations, and more than 15,000 reading activities are annually held across the city. It has also launched 50 well-built outdoor facilities in the downtown area, where people can read and relax while sipping some tea or coffee.
Zein Ali, a Syrian doctoral student who majors in design and has lived in Nanjing for years, has been enchanted by the cultural atmosphere shown everywhere in the ancient city.
"Nanjing always reminds of my hometown Damascus which is also rich in history, and it has now become my second home," Ali said. ■
