Guangyuan (CNS) -- Eleven cities in Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces reached a consensus on the Shudao Cultural Route Protection and World Heritage Application at a seminar held in Guangyuan Thursday.
Experts from the Chinese People's Political Consultative Committee and the State Cultural Relics Bureau also participated.
"The ancient Shudao has connected the over 1,000-kilometer distance from Chengdu to Xi'an for over 3,000 years," said Professor Lv Zhou, of Tsinghua University's National Research Center for Heritage Conservation, in an address to the seminar.
"Along the route, the clash of Bashu and Hanzhong cultures gifted us with many cultural and historical treasures. Just like the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, its cultural significance is parallel to its transportation contributions in the past," added the professor.
Initiated in 2009, the world heritage application has entered the phase of research and development, he said.
Since the beginning of this month, the special research team has been reviewing and investigating every detail of the historical route in collaboration with the 11 cities.
The consensus covers evaluative and protective measures and the application process, including a survey of the route, a general management plan, a standing consultative organization and a special fund for the program.
