Rebuilding the Ancient City of Lijiang and Protecting Ethnic Cultural Heritage
This article discusses the aftermath of the Lijiang earthquake and the international attention it drew, highlighting the unique cultural value of Lijiang Ancient Town, home to the Naxi and other ethnic groups in Yunnan. It traces Lijiang's history over 1,000 years and describes its distinctive urban form—mountains, rivers, stone bridges, and wooden dwellings integrated harmoniously—embodying Naxi culture, Dongba tradition, and Tea-Horse Road heritage. Designated a National Historic Cultural City and later nominated for UNESCO World Heritage status, the town survived the earthquake with its core structures, canal system, and cultural bearers largely intact. However, the authors argue that human interventions (concrete buildings, roads, tourism development on Yulong Snow Mountain) pose greater threats than the quake itself. A subsequent scholarly meeting identified five essential elements of the old town's spatial and cultural layout and proposed eight concrete measures for post-earthquake reconstruction and heritage protection, emphasizing preservation of authenticity amid rebuilding.
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