Policy Interpretation of the "Regulations for the Identification and Registration of the Protection Objects of Historic and Cultural Cities in Beijing (Trial)"

Recently, in order to implement the requirements of policies and regulations such as "Opinions on Strengthening Historical and Cultural Heritage in Urban and Rural Construction" and "Regulations on the Protection of Beijing's Historical and Cultural Heritage", the Beijing Municipal Commission of Planning and Natural Resources, together with the Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Commission, the Water Affairs Bureau, the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Bureau, the Culture and Tourism Bureau, the Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics and the Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Greenery, jointly issued the "Regulations on the Identification and Registration of the Protection Objects of Beijing's Famous Historical and Cultural Cities". The document refines the criteria for identifying the protection objects of various historic and cultural cities at all levels, clarifies the process of identification and registration, and standardizes the protection list system, which provides important basic support for the protection system of famous cities with "full spatial coverage, full inclusion of elements, full process of protection, and full social participation".

I. Working Background

In September 2021, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council issued "the Proposal on Strengthening the Protection and Inheritance of History and Culture in Urban and Rural Construction".All departments in Beijing are required to establish a long-term mechanism for the investigation and evaluation of historical and cultural resources, continuing to carry out the investigation, evaluation and identification work, expanding the objects of protection in time and enriching the list of protection.The Regulations on the Protection of Beijing's Famous Historical and Cultural Cities (hereinafter referred to as "the Regulations"), which were rewritten in 2021, have established a protection system of famous cities with "full spatial coverage, full inclusion of elements, full process protection, and full social participation". The Regulations clarify the categories of protected historic and cultural cities in Beijing and propose to implement the protection list system.

From the practice of historic and cultural city protection, it can be seen that giving legal protection status to various protection objects through the establishment of the protection list system is the basic work of the protection of famous cities. At present, Beijing's cultural relics, underground cultural relics burial areas, intangible cultural heritage, ancient trees, historic and cultural towns and villages, and other protection objects with special laws and regulations have established a more complete protection list system, while the rest of the protection objects still need to further improve the protection list system and the registration process. In recent years, Beijing has been actively exploring the registration mechanism of protection objects, and has published the first batch of historical gardens, the first batch of municipal traditional villages, the first to third batches of historical buildings, the first batch of characteristic areas, the first to second batches of revolutionary cultural relics, the first batch of water conservancy heritage, and the first batch of traditional place name protection lists in the core area of the capital. On the whole, Beijing's cultural heritage is rich in types of protection objects and involves many management departments. It is urgent to refine the identification criteria, clarify the process of identification and registration, and standardize the protection list system in accordance with the unified requirements through coordination.

II. Overall Progress of Work

In September 2021, the Beijing Municipal Commission of Planning and Natural Resources, together with the Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Municipal Bureau of Water Affairs, the Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, the Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics, and the Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Greenery, launched a study on the criteria for identifying the objects of protection and the mechanism for registering the protection list of Beijing's historic and cultural cities.In this process, the opinions of various district governments, departments and experts were fully listened to, the issues of status determination criteria and registration mechanism were sorted out and summarized, and a study report was formed.In March 2022, the "List of Traditional Geographical Names Protection in the Core Area of Capital Function (The First Batch of Street and Alley Category)" led by the Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Commission became the first list released in accordance with the requirements of the Regulations, which carried out useful exploration and practice for promoting related work.

From February to June 2022, based on the study report, the first draft of the "Regulations on the Identification and Registration of Protection Objects in Beijing's Historical and Cultural Cities" (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations") was formed by further refining and summarizing, and referring to the approval process of established protection lists at home and abroad. In July 2022, the People's Government of each district and the relevant members of the Committee for the Protection of Historic and Cultural Cities of Beijing (hereinafter referred to as "the Committee") were fully consulted on the Regulations, and the suggestions were adopted or partially adopted to form the draft of the Regulations for public comments. From September to December 2022, the Regulations have completed the work of expert verification, consultation, public announcement and collective deliberation. Recently, the "Regulations" by the municipal government agreed to formally issued and implemented.

III.The main content

The "Regulations" consists of nineteen articles and four annexes, mainly regulating the following content:

(A) Refine the development of the protection list, the approval process

The process of registering the protection objects includes: the office of the famous city committee proposes the census plan, the district people's government proposes the preliminary list, the office of the famous city committee organizes experts to review and draw up the protection list, the municipal government approves and publishes the protection list and other stages. It standardizes the working methods, requirements and time limits of each link, and enhances the efficiency and standardization of the protection list.

(B) Deepen the protection object identification criteria

Fully connected to the "Regulations" and other relevant standards and norms, the protection of the object of identification criteria are divided into three types of continuation, optimization and reformulation. For example, the historical and cultural districts and other protection objects that have more mature identification standards, continue their standards; historical gardens, traditional villages and other related identification standards are not perfect or do not adapt to the concept of protection of the new era of the city, further optimize its standards; traditional alleys, historical streets, special areas, landscape patterns and other protection objects that do not yet have identification standards, standards should be reformulated after study.

(C) Strengthen the advance protection measures and ways

It should be clearly declared that any unit and individual can follow the prescribed procedures to the local district people's government, recommend the object of protection, the receiving units and departments should be identified as pre-protection objects, so that they will not be damaged, relocated or demolished in the approval process.

(D) Expansion of experts and social participation in ways and channels

It is clearly that protection objects in the process of identification should be fully consult experts and the public, and requires that the preliminary list stage should be carried out not less than thirty days of public work. In accordance with the requirements of the "Regulations", further clarify that for the protection of the preliminary list is not included in the list, but after the expert group assessment and demonstration that meet the criteria of protection, the Office of the City Commission can directly propose to the municipal people's government to include the protection of the list.

(E) Clarify the exit mechanism of the protection list

In accordance with the requirements of the Regulations, the protection of objects due to force majeure damage, loss or change in the level or type of protection, the local district people's government shall propose the protection of the list adjustment program, to fulfill the approval procedures to adjust the protection list.

Source:<//www.stufic.com/news/view?id=13919&cid=12>

Translated by GongYe