An international symposium on sustainable conservation and development of historic cities was held at the Laomendong ancient historic and cultural block in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province on December 4 and 5.

The symposium, also the first event for the 9th World Historic and Cultural City in Nan, attracted scholars and experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing University and Southeast University.

The event also saw the unveiling of the Asian Heritage Archive Centre and the Secretariat of the Asian Academy for Heritage Management (AAHM). The AAHM was founded under the aegis of UNESCO and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM).

Alongside with the event is the Asia-Pacific Cultural Heritage Exhibition, which will run until December 26 and features 21 heritage preservation cases and six cases recognized for innovation.

(Photo/Liu Chun)

The exhibition also highlights cases showing China’s protection of UNESCO world heritage sites as well as local achievements in Nanjing, such as the protection of the imperial Xiaoling Mausoleum, the burial site of the Ming Dynasty's (1368-1644) founding emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.