Regulation to protect Kashgar's old city

Business owners and residents of Kashgar's old city in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region hope a regulation on its preservation will better protect the traditional neighborhood with its distinctive

Uygur architecture and prevent it from being excessively commercialized.

The old city of Kashgar, in southern Xinjiang, is one of the largest surviving collections of earthen buildings in the world. Within seven years of the launch of a renovation project in 2010, the dilapidated houses were rebuilt, without changing their architectural characteristics or traditional Uygur lifestyles.

With improved infrastructure, residents of the old city, which has a history of more than 2,000 years, have started to lead safer and more comfortable lives and have also been placed in a position more suitable for boosting tourism.

But issues have surfaced during the rapid development of tourism in the old city, Li Xuejun, a member of the legislative committee of the Xinjiang regional people's congress — the local legislature — told a news conference on Monday.

"Because the responsibilities for the preservation of the old city have been unclear, some people are able to deliberately change the architectural appearance of the houses without gaining approval from the authorities," Li said. "It's necessary and urgent to introduce a regulation to protect the old city."

A regulation on the development of the old town covering the preservation of traditional culture, the promotion of traditional craftsmanship and the prevention of excessive commercialization will take effect on May 1.

The regulation bans people from changing and damaging the structure of historical buildings. Any decorative works on houses along the main streets must gain approval from the city government. It also encourages residents of the old city to take part in preservation activities and showcase local culture.