On April 29th, the main construction of the organic renewal project of Xichang Historical and Cultural Famous City in Sichuan, undertaken by China Communications Second Navigation Bureau, was fully completed. This Jianchang Ancient City, with a history of more than 600 years, has once again revealed its unique and profound historical charm to the world under the meticulous construction of its builders.
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Xichang, a historical and cultural city. Image provided by the interviewee.
Jianchang Ancient City was built in 1387 (the 20th year of the Ming Hongwu period) and is a profound historical and cultural relic of Xichang City, Sichuan Province. It still retains a vast complex of ancient buildings composed of city walls, streets, shops, temples, and residences. This is also the largest wooden city cluster in Sichuan Province. After enduring the fires of the Ming and Qing dynasties, some ancient buildings are now partially damaged. In 2021, Xichang City initiated the Jianchang Ancient City renovation and organic renewal project. Based on the historical and cultural heritage of Jianchang Ancient City and combining the cultural characteristics of its ancient streets and alleys, the project aims to restore the authentic features of Ming and Qing dynasty buildings, integrating cultural heritage and historical memory to create a "Jianchang Ancient City Cultural Memory Route," blending heritage with intangible cultural heritage, allowing Jianchang Ancient City to recreate its historical appearance from 600 years ago.
The project is divided into three phases with a total construction area of approximately 100,000 square meters, including 263 individual imitation ancient buildings. Among them, the restoration and repair of a large number of representative traditional architectural relics such as Xia Family Courtyard, He Family Courtyard, Jingzhong Shiqing, Tao Family Ancestral Hall, and Nine Dragon Screen are the core symbols of Jianchang Ancient City's revival of its historical splendor.
During the construction process, to achieve the "4.30" main project completion goal set by the Xichang Municipal Party Committee and Government, the project team overcame challenges such as insufficient funds, material shortages, tight personnel, and difficult construction organization. They anchored the target, accelerated the pace, and coordinated resources such as manpower, machinery, and materials to ensure supply while focusing on safety and quality. The project team took on responsibilities in sections, conducted supervisory battles, maintained on-site construction command coordination, and daily "cleared items" to ensure high-quality performance. After a hard-fought battle by the project team, the project successfully achieved its milestone goals.
Upon completion, the project will further restore the historical appearance of the ancient city, playing a significant role in actively creating a "Chinese historical and cultural city" tourism business card, developing the local cultural and tourism economy, and showcasing and promoting the city's image.
