From 5th to 6th Nov 2015,“Seminar of China-France cooperation on rural culture heritage - Protection and development of old villages in Wannan”was successfully held in Huangshan. The seminar was hosted by Office of Housing, Development and Rural of Anhui Province, WHITRAP, China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, the Municipal Government of Huangshan, and Cities of Heritage and Architecture (France), and organized by Huangshan Urban and Rural Planning Bureau, Shanghai Tongji Urban Planning and Design Institute, and Academic Committee of Historic and Cultural Cities in Urban Planning Society of China.

In the Seminar, there were nearly 40 participants and over 30 hearers who are the managers of local heritage in Huangshan.Meanwhile, Alain MARINOS,Director of Ministry of Culture and Communication, WU Xiaoqin, Member of the Leading Group of the Party of the Housing Authority and Urban-Rural Development of Anhui, ZHANG Bing, Chief Planner at the China Academy of Urban Planning & Design (CAUPD) andPresident of the Research Committee on Protection of Historic and Cultural Cities in the China Academy of Urban Planning,Aude CARPENTIER, Environment and Sustainable Development Project Officer in Embassy of France in China, ZHOU Jian, Professor in Tongji University and Director of WHITRAP Shanghai Centre, and LIU Xiaohua, Member of the Standing Committee for the Municipality of Huangshan, and Vice Secretary of the Leading Party Group and Vice Mayor of the Municipalityof Huangshan.

In the conference, the China-France participants discussed about measures and achievementsof their effort on rural heritage conservation, as well as the hot topic “sustainable tourism”. Furthermore, in the discussion part, experts of both sides exchanged the problems they met in conservation and development of heritage, especially the importance of improvement on livability. Before and after the conference, French participants had a field trip to Xidi Village, Hongcun Village, Shexian, Chengkan Village, Tangmo Village, and Mount Huangshan. The conference is a key step in deep communication which well presents good examples, methodology, and successful or unsuccessful experience.