22 buildings and 8 square fronts, spanning over 400 years of history, witness the exchange and collision of Eastern and Western cultures, and confirm the inclusiveness and openness of Chinese culture. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the successful application of the Historic Center of Macao for World Heritage. On this 1.23 square kilometer land, not only are diverse cultural imprints and historical features preserved, but a new chapter of cultural exchange and communication between China and foreign countries is also being written. Looking back: After 20 years of successful application for World Heritage status, it stretches from Yangshan in the east to Xinma Road and Neigang Port in the west, from Mage Mountain in the south to Baige Nest Park in the north. The 22 historical buildings and 8 square fronts together form the core area of the Historic Center of Macao, which has preserved the historical traces of more than 400 years of cultural exchanges between China and the West in Macao. On July 15, 2005, the 29th World Heritage Conference held in Durban, South Africa decided to include "the Historic Center of Macao" in the The World Heritage List. This is China's 31st World Heritage Site. Before returning to the motherland, Macau had plans to apply for World Heritage status. After the return, this idea immediately received support from relevant departments of the central government and experts were dispatched multiple times to assist. In February 2005, the "the Historic Center of Macao" World Heritage application project passed the assessment and was submitted to the 29th World Heritage Conference for consideration. This was the only project that China applied for as a World Cultural Heritage site back then. Wu Zhiliang, president of the Federation of Cultural Circles of the Historic Center of Macao, recalled that there were many difficulties in the process of applying for the World Heritage. The first was how to define the universal values and core values of Macao's historical city zone. "Compared with other regions, the single building in the Historic Center of Macao is not necessarily the top. But as a whole, Chinese and Western architecture coexist ingeniously here, and different ethnic groups live in harmony here, which is very rare." Finally, the World Heritage Committee gave high praise to the value of Macao's historical city zone: "the comprehensive embodiment of eastern and western architectural art", "the unique reflection of the coexistence of Chinese and western cultures", and "the combination of distinctive features in Chinese historical cities". Witness: The renowned cultural and tourism business card has always been among the popular destinations for mainland tourists traveling abroad, and has been awarded the titles of "Creative City of Food" and "East Asian Cultural Capital". After years of development, Macau has become a charming tourist city. According to data from the Statistics and Census Bureau of the Special Administrative Region Government, there were a total of 16327537 inbound tourists in the first five months of this year, an increase of 15.2% year-on-year. As the top brand of cultural tourism in the Historic Center of Macao, it is very attractive. Wen Qihua, Director of the Tourism Bureau of the SAR Government, said that according to the survey of tourists, the World Heritage is one of the important tourism products to attract tourists to visit Macao. "The the Historic Center of Macao is not only an important engine to promote the sustainable development of Macao's tourism industry, but also a bright card to highlight Macao's cultural heritage; The A-Ma Temple is just a stone's throw away from the Saint Lawrence Church; Beside the land in front of Yapo Well, a Portuguese settlement, the Zheng family mansion of modern Chinese philosopher Zheng Guanying stands tall... Byron Miller from the United States and his Chinese friend Huang Yongzi live in Zhuhai and come to Macau for a walk in their leisure time. He said, 'Here you can see fortress buildings from the West, as well as traditional Chinese temples. The cultures of different regions are highly concentrated.' Huang Yongzi compared it to a 'salad bowl', where multiple 'cultural raw materials' are harmoniously matched. Wen Qihua introduced that in recent years, the Tourism Bureau has been committed to promoting the cross-border integration of "tourism+events", combining world heritage and tourism events to create unique tourism experiences, and continuously showcasing Macao's World Heritage elements through various activities, exerting the "tourism+culture" effect, and attracting tourists to understand the cultural stories behind the attractions. Macao has a strong local culture, and the genes of traditional Chinese culture are well preserved, while also having many Western imprints. ”Wu Zhiliang said that if Macau is compared to a cultural business card, we can understand it ourselves, and Westerners can also understand it, which is exactly what makes it special. Expectation: Continuing to write a new chapter on cultural exchange in conservation and revitalization. World Heritage sites are not "lifelong", and if their value is damaged due to excessive development or inadequate protection, they may be removed from the list. After the successful application for World Heritage status, Macau accelerated the legislative process for cultural heritage protection: in 2006, a drafting group for cultural heritage protection legislation was established; Public consultation on the draft of the 2009 Cultural Heritage Protection Law; In 2014, the Law on the Protection of Cultural Heritage officially came into force, and the Historic Center of Macao has an independent chapter; In 2024, the "the Historic Center of Macao" Protection and Management Plan will come into force. At the same time, Macau is actively exploring ways to protect world heritage sites in a smarter, more standardized, and systematic manner. The Director of the Cultural Heritage Protection Department of the Cultural Heritage Department of the Special Administrative Region Government, He Zhuofeng, introduced that the Macao World Heritage Monitoring Center will be completed and put into use in 2022. Monitoring instruments will be set up to collect and record changes in heritage, and the platform will comprehensively analyze and handle them according to warning levels. In Macau, world heritage sites have long been integrated into people's daily lives: the Ho Tung Library has transformed into a public cultural space, the Zheng Family Mansion has become a youth education base, and the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary plays a colorful melody... Historical relics are being revitalized and revitalized. Since 2011, Macau has staged large-scale parades almost every year. Performers from different countries and regions set out from the memorial archway of Dasanba and passed through many scenic spots in the Historic Center of Macao, presenting colorful culture during their walk. The deeper meaning is that under the urban atmosphere of cultural integration between Chinese and Western cultures in Macau, Chinese and foreign parade teams gather together and exchange ideas with each other. ”Director of the Cultural Bureau of the Special Administrative Region Government, Leung Wai Man, said. (New Society)