Ancient Chinese architecture integrates wisdom, culture, idealism and craftsmanship, and it holds a unique position in the world's history of art. But, urbanization and modernization have threatened many time-honored buildings. With this in mind, a number of experts and architects gathered in Beijing last Saturday, to look for new ways to PRESERVE architectural HERITAGE.   

Four plenaries were held during the one day forum, and the topics were "Ancient Architecture as Part of Chinese Cultural Heritage", "Modern Metropolis and the Protection of Historic Architecture", "Revitalizing Historic Architecture with the Support of Financial Capital" and "Integration and Symbiosis Between Ancient Architecture and Cultural Tourism." Director of the Palace Museum Shan Jixiang delivered a keynote speech, detailing the ongoing renovation and protection projects at the museum, which was China's imperial palace from the first half of the 15th century to the early 20th century. Shan talked about the museum's efforts to rebuild palaces destroyed by fires, carry out environmental and construction work, as well as reopen and rearrange exhibition spaces. And the use of modern technology was a key topic.  

SHAN JIXIANG, DIRECTOR THE PALACE MUSEUM "Mr. Zheng Xinmiao was appointed the director of the Palace Museum in 2002, and he started the project that year. He wished to repair all the 1,200 buildings of the Forbidden City over 18 years. We are using the Internet to interact with our tens of millions of visitors every year. Last year, our official website received nearly 800 million views. We presented all of our 1.86 million cultural relics on the website, and our weibo and wechat platforms are very popular. We have set up the world's best digital museum. The Palace Museum will turn 600 in 2020, and we will present a magnificent Forbidden City to you! Thank you!"  

Some tourist areas in China have been criticized for their low-quality duplications of famous architecture and man-made sabotage. Marco Dezzi Bardeschi, who's been dubbed Italy's godfather of heritage preservation, explained his perspective.  

PROF. MARCO DEZZI BARDESCHI POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF MILAN "We live in the transformation period in Europe's protection of history and culture. We used to put too much emphasis on simple recovery. Gradually we realized that we are not able to regain the original looks of ancient architecture, because they no longer exist. Sometimes we have to simulate or duplicate in a bad way, trying to make them reappear. But it is inappropriate. We should pay attention to the original, and respect history."

The Beijing forum also aimed to give an in-depth interpretation of the value of ancient Chinese architecture, as well as highlight innovative technologies and their means of application. YR, CGTN.