Located in Beijing’s Xicheng district and built in 1907, this structure was the earliest and largest central Anglican church in northern China and is now converted to a cyber-celebrated book café. [Photo/IC]

The Xicheng district commission for historical and cultural city protection announced a group of projects involving seven historical structures at its annual session on Dec 5.

It is the first-ever release of a group of projects for activating and utilizing local heritage structures in Beijing.

The seven structures in the district are the former sites of the Shexian county Guild Hall, the Jinjiang Guild Hall (also the former residence of the 20th-century women writer Lin Haiyin) and the Beijing trade association of banks, the Xidan Hotel, the Jushunhe  Food Store, the Beijing opera guild and the Taianli residential block. 

According to the official in charge of this project these seven sites, each covering an area from 372 to 1,404 square meters, have all been vacated and listed in the government’s repair plan. 

More than 50 utilization plans from 33 organizations were submitted and entered the pre-review process. They were evaluated by such fundamental principles as preserving the structure's cultural and historical value and benefiting the citizens. Each site had to have an individual showroom and be open to the public. 

The exploitation mechanism of cultural heritage buildings in Xicheng district will be further perfected by making supporting policies and introducing third party logistics services. More social forces are expected to join in the protection project of historical and cultural venues in the district.