China’s Zhengzhou Showcases Its Vision For Sustainable Urban Growth With A Strong Focus On Cultural Heritage At The Global Mayors Dialogue

Published on October 27, 2025

Zhengzhou, nan superior metropolis of Henan Province successful China, is emerging arsenic a beacon for urban renewal that seamlessly integrates cultural heritage pinch modern development. From October 22 to 25, 2025, nan Global Mayors Dialogue•Zhengzhou and 2025 International Mayor’s Forum connected Tourism brought together cardinal figures successful nan fields of urban development, tourism, and cultural preservation. The forum, focused connected nan taxable “Preserving nan Cultural Legacy of Ancient Capitals and Driving Urban Renewal,” gathered complete 300 guests, including mayors, metropolis representatives, and experts from countries specified arsenic Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, and New Zealand.

The arena underscored nan value of preserving nan rich | taste practice of ancient cities while pushing guardant pinch modern urbanization. With Zhengzhou astatine nan forefront of this conversation, nan metropolis has go a exemplary for different municipality areas seeking to equilibrium preservation pinch progress. The integration of archaeological discovery pinch urban development was a cardinal chat point, arsenic nan city’s innovative attack is mounting caller standards for really ancient cities tin germinate into thriving modern centers without losing their taste significance.

Key Highlights from nan 2025 Global Mayors Dialogue connected Cultural Heritage and Urban Development

• Urban Renewal and Cultural Preservation: Zhengzhou leads nan measurement successful implementing reforms that prioritize nan protection of taste relics earlier municipality development.
• Zhengzhou Shang City Archaeological Site Park: A unsocial task that blends 3,600-year-old Shang Dynasty metropolis walls pinch modern life done interactive and engaging designs.
• Fuminli Cultural Block: A task that integrates humanities architecture pinch modern taste industries, preserving nan original thoroughfare layout while fostering innovation.
• Global Collaboration: Discussions betwixt world mayors highlighted really cities for illustration Asti, Palomeque, and Rotorua tin study from Zhengzhou’s integration of taste practice and modernity.

Zhengzhou’s Leadership successful Cultural Heritage and Urban Development

As 1 of China’s astir historically rich | cities, Zhengzhou has not only preserved its ancient roots but has besides embraced modernity to style a sustainable future. The city’s forward-thinking attack to urban development ensures that cultural heritage is preserved and celebrated. A halfway constituent of this strategy is archaeological discovery, which has been fixed privilege successful municipality planning. In Zhengzhou, nan rule of “archaeology first, building later” is simply a guiding norm that provides organization safeguards for nan protection of cultural relics during improvement projects.

The Zhengzhou Shang City Archaeological Site Park exemplifies this innovative approach. The parkland is an interactive abstraction wherever visitors tin prosecute pinch nan Shang Dynasty metropolis walls, which are complete 3,600 years old. The creation squad down nan parkland emphasized a hands-on acquisition that allows nan ancient walls to coexist pinch modern municipality spaces, providing a unsocial blend of history and modern life.

In nan bosom of Zhengzhou, nan Fuminli taste block follows nan rule of “preserving nan original thoroughfare layout”, while fostering a abstraction for taste industries. This area creates an authentic experience that integrates nan aged and nan new, making it a destination wherever tradition and modernity complement each other. Visitors tin research this move municipality abstraction that showcases nan city’s rich | practice while enjoying nan benefits of modern development.

International Perspectives connected Zhengzhou’s Approach to Urban Renewal

International mayors and metropolis leaders who participated successful nan Global Mayors Dialogue were impressed by Zhengzhou’s attack to urban renewal and cultural preservation. Maurizio Rasero, politician of Asti Province successful Italy, shared really his metropolis has transformed humanities sites into cultural centers that thrust some tourism and section economies. He noted, “We person successfully turned our winemaking tradition into a driving unit for experiential tourism, which not only protects our practice but besides breathes caller life into it.” His comments resonated pinch Zhengzhou’s approach, arsenic some cities admit nan value of utilizing taste practice to foster economic growth.

Juan de Dios Perez Garcia, politician of Palomeque, Spain, praised Zhengzhou for preserving nan charm of its ancient quarters while embracing modern creation elements. He projected nan thought of “proactive protection”, suggesting that modern cities should merge new elements into traditional streetscapes, ensuring nan sustainability of historic districts. This conception aligns pinch Zhengzhou’s activity successful creating spaces that observe some nan past and nan future.

Tania Arihia Tapsell, politician of Rotorua, New Zealand, highlighted nan economical benefits of Zhengzhou’s integration of modern technology pinch traditional culture. She noted that nan city’s attack not only supports employment and economic growth but besides promotes nan preservation of its rich | taste identity. This benignant of urban renewal, driven by cultural innovation, tin person lasting affirmative impacts connected a city’s economical and societal fabric.

The Role of Technology successful Reviving Traditional Culture

A cardinal taxable of nan forum was nan domiciled of modern technology successful revitalizing traditional culture. Zhengzhou has been astatine nan forefront of this movement, utilizing exertion to revive ancient customs and practices while integrating them into nan city’s modern framework. This blending of digital innovation pinch cultural heritage offers a glimpse into nan early of municipality development, wherever history and advancement are not seen arsenic opposing forces but arsenic complementary elements that tin coexist and thrive together.

By leveraging technology, Zhengzhou has not only preserved nan physical remnants of its ancient past but has besides brought them into nan coming successful ways that prosecute and animate modern audiences. Whether done interactive experiences astatine nan Shang City Archaeological Site Park aliases nan improvement of taste industries successful nan Fuminli taste block, Zhengzhou is mounting nan modular for really technology tin beryllium utilized to respire caller life into humanities traditions.

Zhengzhou’s Balanced Approach to Urban Renewal: A Model for Future Cities

An Wei, a cardinal fig successful nan Zhengzhou Municipal Party Committee, summed up nan city’s attack to municipality renewal during nan forum: “Urban renewal is not simply astir restoration aliases reconstruction, but astir nan integrated maturation of a city.” This connection encapsulates Zhengzhou’s vision for nan future—a imagination wherever cities tin evolve organically while maintaining a heavy respect for their taste and humanities roots.

Zhengzhou’s way of cultural innovation offers valuable lessons for different cities worldwide. The metropolis has recovered its ain unsocial equilibrium betwixt preserving heritage and embracing modernity, showing that urban renewal tin beryllium some respectful of nan past and forward-thinking. The city’s committedness to cultural sustainability is evident successful its public policies, which stress nan request for holistic municipality planning that considers some historical preservation and future growth.

Conclusion: Zhengzhou Leads nan Way successful Integrating Heritage and Modern Urban Development

As cities astir nan world look nan challenges of urbanization, Zhengzhou offers an inspiring exemplary for really to incorporated cultural heritage into nan early of municipality living. The city’s activity successful cultural preservation and urban renewal is transforming it into a world hub wherever nan past and future coexist successful harmony. The 2025 Global Mayors Dialogue served arsenic a pivotal infinitesimal for international collaboration, allowing cities from astir nan world to study from Zhengzhou’s attack and use these insights to their ain urban development strategies.

Zhengzhou’s committedness to sustainable municipality development ensures that it will proceed to beryllium a global leader successful preserving taste legacies while paving nan measurement for future innovations. The city’s occurrence proves that pinch observant planning, modern cities tin turn while preserving their unsocial taste identities, offering a exemplary that different municipality centers tin travel successful nan years to come.