Recently, five provincial departments in Sichuan jointly announced the "2023 Annual List of Dual Pilot Sites for Cultural Heritage Protection and Utilization." 

The contiguous area of Enyang Ancient Town in Enyang district, Bazhong, was selected as a "Pilot Area for the Protection and Utilization of Historical Cultural Heritage," while Tongjiang County was chosen as a "Nomination County for the Comprehensive Protection and Utilization of Historical Cultural Heritage."

Enyang Ancient Town [Photo/cnbz.gov.cn] 

The selected pilot counties will receive 20 million yuan ($2.79 million) in financial support from the provincial government. 

The objectives include establishing a cultural heritage resource directory of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, historical cultural towns and villages, traditional villages, historical cultural districts, and place names within the county. 

Additionally, there will be efforts to enhance the grassroots talent teams responsible for the multi-level management of cultural heritage protection in counties, townships, and villages, as well as to promote the implementation of two or more key projects demonstrating functional and exemplary cultural heritage protection and utilization.

The selected pilot areas will receive 5 million yuan in funding from the provincial government. The objectives for these areas include completing the protection and registration of historical cultural towns and villages (historical cultural districts), traditional villages, and historical buildings within the region. 

Efforts will also be made to achieve the full coverage of security facilities for immovable cultural relics within the area, in conjunction with the strategies for rural revitalization, beautiful towns, and the construction of beautiful rural areas. 

Furthermore, there will be a focus on promoting the implementation of one or more key projects demonstrating functional and exemplary cultural heritage protection and utilization, as well as advancing the genuine protection of urban and rural landscapes and the holistic preservation of cultural ecology within the region.

These initiatives aim to promote the protection and utilization of cultural heritage, strengthen the comprehensive protection of historical cultural heritage, and facilitate the preservation of urban and rural landscapes and cultural ecology. This is of great significance for the inheritance and development of local culture and will contribute to enhancing the tourism and cultural appeal of the region.