Lijiang celebrates 20 years as World Heritage

The 20th anniversary of Lijiang's Old Town being included on the World Heritage List was celebrated on Dec 18, looking back on some of the highlights in its development over the past two decades.

The Old Town of Lijiang was listed as a World Cultural Heritage site on Dec 4, 1997. After which, the city explored a unique mode of tourism emphasizing development but also protecting its traditional cultural heritage.

Li Xiaojie, a former Vice Minister of Culture, said the town has made sure to appreciate the great value of its heritage. "Lijiang has invested in building 20 cultural courtyards and cultural exhibition projects such as the Snow Mountain Academy, Dongba Paper Workshop and in the traditions of the Naxi People, to gradually establish an original protection system for local ethnic culture."

Li Xiaojie, former Vice Minister of Culture, delivers a speech at the Forum on the 20th Anniversary of Old Town of Lijiang's Inscription on the World Heritage List on Dec 18. [Photo by He Zhanhui/xinhuanet.com]

At the commemorative event, the People's Government of Lijiang signed a cooperation framework agreement with the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage to further push heritage conservation in the area.

In the past 20 years, Lijiang has enacted about 20 regional laws and regulations to provide legal guarantees and management support for the town's sustainable development.

The People's Government of Lijiang signs a cooperation framework agreement with the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage. [Photo by He Zhanhui/xinhuanet.com]

Over 6 billion yuan ($910 million) has been spent on building infrastructure including sanitation, communication, power supply, water supply and traffic. And that investment has paid dividends. Cui Maohu, chief of Lijiang municipal committee of the CPC, said, "The tourist brand of the town accounts for more than 63 percent of Lijiang's economy."

Statistics show that Lijiang's tourist volume increased to 35.2 million in 2016 from 845,000 tourists in 1995, while the total income from tourism increased to 60.8 billion yuan. The added value of Lijiang's cultural industry in 2016 reached 1.85 billion yuan at an increase of 10 percent year-on-year.

Dan Qing (R), vice chairman of the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and the Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO, presents a calligraphy work to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Old Town of Lijiang's inscription on the World Heritage List on Dec 18. [Photo by He Zhanhui/xinhuanet.com]