To mark China’s 20th annual Cultural and Natural Heritage Day, reporters visited three of Hangzhou’s UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites—West Lake, the Grand Canal (Hangzhou section), and the Liangzhu Ancient City Ruins—to explore how the city is innovating in the protection, inheritance, and revitalization of its cultural heritage.

For centuries, West Lake has enchanted visitors with its poetic charm, famously captured by Song dynasty poet Su Shi: “The shimmering lake delights on sunny days; the misty mountains enchant in the rain.” Today, this storied landscape continues to inspire. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, West Lake draws over 20 million visitors each year.

West Lake at dusk, bathed in evening light

According to Chen Yunfei, Director of the West Lake World Heritage Monitoring and Management Center, West Lake has become a model for smart heritage tourism by leveraging technologies such as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence.

For instance, to safeguard water quality, the West Lake Water Authority has deployed automated monitoring systems at key locations including the Mid-Lake Pavilion (湖心亭), Prince Bay (太子湾), and Shengtang Sluice (圣塘闸). These devices issue real-time alerts to detect anomalies and ensure that water clarity is maintained at an average annual transparency of more than 80 centimeters—allowing visitors to see the lake’s famed “underwater forest.”

“We’ve capitalized on Hangzhou’s leadership in the digital economy to build an integrated and intelligent public data platform,” said Chen. “Our IoT sensing hub, intelligent computing center, operations management center, and spatial-temporal geographic information system now support more than 20 functional applications—including heritage protection, ecological monitoring, and emergency response. Together, they form a comprehensive digital governance system that we call the ‘West Lake Model.’”

Scenery of West Lake in Hangzhou

Recently, the reporter boarded a boat to experience the lake at twilight. As the evening breeze brushes across the lake, carrying with it the coolness of the water and the scent of surrounding greenery, visitors feel their minds ease and spirits lift. Indeed, many say that the magic of West Lake lies in its ability to soothe life’s daily stresses.

As the boat glided across the water, it was easy to imagine historical scenes: Bai Juyi overseeing the construction of the Bai Causeway, Su Shi composing verses along the shore, and countless scholars and poets leaving behind their cultural imprints over the ages.

According to Zhao Yun, Director of the China World Cultural Heritage Center at the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage, “The West Lake Cultural Landscape has pioneered heritage impact assessment practices. Its experience serves as a valuable model nationwide and provides meaningful references for future conservation work.”

“Cultural heritage is the soul of a city. To protect it is to safeguard our roots and spirit,” said Gao Xiaohui, Party Secretary and Director of the Hangzhou Bureau of Gardens and Cultural Relics. He expressed hope that Hangzhou can work hand-in-hand with fellow cities across China to serve as guardians, inheritors, and storytellers of cultural heritage—contributing more of Hangzhou’s practices to the nation’s efforts in heritage protection.

West Lake at dusk, bathed in evening light

Today, Hangzhou is actively sharing its conservation successes with the world, helping foster mutual understanding and dialogue between civilizations.

On this special Cultural and Natural Heritage Day, West Lake once again affirms a timeless truth:
True cultural heritage carries the weight of history—and shines with the vitality of the present. (End)

译文：

 杭州西湖：与历史文人墨客“共享”人文之美

时值中国第20个“文化和自然遗产日”，记者于近日走进西湖文化景观、中国大运河（杭州段）、良渚古城遗址三大世界文化遗产，了解杭州在文化遗产保护、传承与利用的创新路径。

千百年来，杭州西湖以“水光潋滟晴方好，山色空蒙雨亦奇”的画卷倾倒世人。作为世界文化遗产地，西湖每年吸引游客超2000万人次。

杭州西湖世界文化遗产监测管理中心主任陈云飞介绍，西湖依托物联网、人工智能等前沿技术，打造了智慧景区建设的“西湖样本”。

以保护西湖水质为例，西湖水域管理处在湖心亭、太子湾、圣塘闸等点位布设的自动监测设备可实时预警异常，确保西湖水体年均透明度常年保持在80厘米以上，“水下森林”清晰可见。

“我们充分发挥杭州‘数字经济第一城’的优势，建成了一体化智能化公共数据服务平台。”陈云飞说，“物联感知中心、智能算力中心、事件运行中心、时空地理信息中心等中心覆盖了文遗保护、生态监测、应急管理等20余个应用场景，为全国景区数字化建设提供了宝贵的‘西湖经验’。”

近日，记者登上游船，在暮色中感受西湖的独特魅力。晚风轻拂，裹挟着湖水的清凉与草木的芬芳，让人顿觉神清气爽。或许正如人们所言，西湖的魔力，便在于能治愈世间一切烦忧。

记者仿佛看到了白居易修筑白堤的身影，听到了苏轼吟诵诗词的余韵，感受到了历代文人墨客在此留下的文化印记。

中国文化遗产研究院中国世界文化遗产中心主任赵云表示：“杭州西湖文化景观在遗产影响评估方面进行了开创性探索，其成果和经验在全国具有示范意义，为今后文化遗产保护工作提供了重要参考。”

“文化遗产是城市的灵魂，保护文化遗产就是守护我们的‘根’与‘魂’。”杭州市园林文物局党组书记、局长高小辉希望与各位兄弟城市携手，共同当好文化遗产的守护者、传承者、传播者，为全国文化遗产保护事业提供更多杭州实践。

而今，杭州正积极把在文化遗产保护方面的成功经验传播到海外，为促进不同文明间的交流互鉴贡献力量。

在这个特殊的“文化和自然遗产日”，西湖再次向世界证明了：真正的文化遗产，既承载着历史的厚重，又焕发着时代的活力。（完）