Tianjin's efforts offer a glimpse of China's broader push to advance urban renewal while strengthening the protection and inheritance of historical and cultural heritage.

　　China has proposed to broaden historical and cultural heritage protection from single-building repairs to block renewal, and from preserving physical structures to introducing suitable new functions, integrating it ever more deeply into urban development.

　　"We will continue to tap the potential of historical and cultural resources, explore more approaches to adaptive reuse suited to the architectural features of these buildings, breathe new life into old buildings, and carry the city's cultural legacy forward in contemporary life," said Peng Peng, director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Heping District in Tianjin.■

　　This photo taken on Aug. 7, 2026 shows an interior view of the renovated former residence of renowned modern Chinese diplomat Wellington Koo in north China's Tianjin Municipality. (Xinhua)

　　Visitors watch an immersive performance at Zhangyuan, or Zhang's Garden, in north China's Tianjin Municipality on May 5, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo)