The formation of the concept of historical and cultural blocks can be traced back to 40 years ago. In 1986, when the State Council announced the second batch of national level historical and cultural cities, it required local governments to approve "historical and cultural protection areas" at all levels; In 2002, the revised "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics" adjusted this concept to "historical and cultural blocks", clarifying its legal protection status. In 40 years of practice, the protection of historical and cultural districts has summarized the basic principles of "historical authenticity, integrity of appearance, and continuity of life". At present, the protection of heritage has become a consensus among the whole nation, and the difficulty in the work of historical and cultural districts has shifted to how to improve the living environment and retain smoke and fire while protecting them. The protection of historical and cultural districts requires both tangible and spiritual elements, as well as a combination of form and spirit. To effectively protect historical and cultural districts, it is necessary to scientifically grasp the multi-level values they contain. The material heritage elements such as cultural relics, historical buildings, street textures, natural landscapes, and environmental patterns constitute the external "form". Traditional arts, skills, customs, and other intangible cultural heritage elements constitute the inherent 'gods'. The historical and cultural block also carries the daily life of community residents. On the street corner where children play and under the eaves where tea and games are played, the daily life of the neighbors filled with smoke and fire also inherits local memories, continues people's nostalgia, and enriches the "charm" of the historical and cultural block. Currently, the concept of holistic and systematic protection is increasingly becoming a consensus. This requires us to correctly grasp the interdependence between the elements of material and intangible cultural heritage in historical and cultural blocks, the natural environment, and community life, and promote protection and development work with the overall goal of "combining form and spirit". To preserve the vibrant atmosphere of historical and cultural districts, the focus of work is on 'people'. In the 21st century, the role of "community" in heritage conservation is increasingly valued. In 2007, the World Heritage Global Strategy identified "communities" as one of the five major goals; In 2012, the theme for the 40th anniversary of World Heritage was "World Heritage and Sustainable Development: The Role of Local Communities"; In 2015, "people-centered" became the latest method for the protection of living heritage. The community has become the core object of the spillover effect of heritage protection, reflecting a larger conceptual shift from only caring about heritage protection in the past to seeking the common development of people's well-being and heritage protection. More and more neighborhoods are preserving and updating the indigenous people, continuing the vitality of the neighborhood. In decision-making, greater respect should be given to community wishes and residents' rights, and local residents should be supported to participate in the operation of their own houses, so that community residents can not only remember their homesickness, but also have a real sense of gain. Resolving the tension between protection and development should focus on the needs of people's livelihoods. Historical and cultural districts generally face decision-making pressure between protection and development, and the key to breaking the deadlock lies in people's livelihoods. In traditional neighborhoods, the community lifestyle is facing a transition from traditional to modern, and the shortcomings in infrastructure and public service facilities need to be addressed. Infrastructure such as streetlights, greenery, parking, public restrooms, garbage collection and transportation, fire response, and pocket parks are the hardware foundations that determine whether community life can continue; Reasonably equipped elderly care, medical care, enrollment, as well as community discussion, leisure reading and other public service facilities according to the radius of the living circle are the software foundation to ensure the quality of life of residents; In addition, policy guidance should be provided to support the sustainable operation of livelihood businesses such as vegetable markets, haircuts, and canteens. In recent years, the protection of historical and cultural districts in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and other places has fully reflected the orientation of people's livelihood. Excellent urban renewal cases such as Chaonei Nanxiaojie Vegetable Market, Yuyuan Public Market, and Shuangta Market have emerged. While serving local communities, they have also become new check-in points for tourists. Daily smoke and fire and historical and cultural exhibitions collide in these spaces, creating a unique spark. To improve the micro renovation of the living environment, we need to identify the "cause" and do a good job of micro renovation with the "embroidery" technique that takes advantage of every opportunity. In the work of cultural relic protection, the principle of minimal intervention is often described as "it is better to prolong one's life with illness than to return to old age". As a living heritage, the historical and cultural district should also be like this. The bone breaking demolition and construction have made it impossible for the nostalgia filled with local memories to be attached. The core purpose of the micro transformation of the improvement of the living environment is to accurately activate the "key acupoints" in the block and strive for "more acupuncture and moxibustion and less surgery". In the process of formulating micro renovation plans, it is necessary to seek participation from multiple parties, especially by reflecting the individual needs of the community in the decision-making process. For example, the "Shijia Hutong Landscape Protection Association" in Beijing was spontaneously established by community residents to coordinate with neighbors to establish the "Shijia Community Convention". Professional personnel from universities and social institutions were hired as block planners and architects to discuss and develop micro renovation plans with community residents, exploring a new path of multi-party co construction, co governance, and sharing. In the current emphasis on the overall and systematic protection of heritage, carrying out the protection and renewal work of historical and cultural blocks requires seeing both objects and people, and taking the community residents living in them as the core lever to solve the dilemma of protection and development. The update plan to improve the living environment also needs to be based on people's livelihood, refine policies, and make historical and cultural districts shine with new vitality and brilliance in the new era, better meeting the needs of the people for a better life. (New Society)