The launch ceremony of the Taihang Castles International Forum is held in Beijing on Dec 9. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The first International Forum of Taihang Castles will be held in Jincheng, a city in southeast Shanxi province renowned for its cultural heritage on Dec 14, deputy mayor Liang Liping said at a press conference in Beijing.

The Taihang ancient castle clusters in Jincheng city consist of 117 castle sites, most of which date back to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Built for collective self-defense in times of war and chaos, the castles boast a trunk-branch communication system and a hierarchical safeguard network with ramparts, streets, alleys, courtyards and landmark buildings.

Thanks to the unique location deep within a circle of mountains -- Taihang, Taiyue and Zhongtiao mountains -- the traditional castles survive to this day and become a vintage model of a defense-habitation complex. Many of the castle areas are still populated, with the original lifestyle well preserved by time-honored construction.

In recent years, Jincheng has leveraged great efforts to conserve and make use of its castle heritage. Protection regulations have been stipulated by the local authority and pilots for mechanism reforms have been set up in the castle intensive areas. Preparations are also underway to apply for a World Cultural Heritage status.

At the press conference on Dec 9, a strategic cooperation agreement was inked between the Jincheng Tourism Development Committee and Miroir des Continents ASBL, a Belgian academic research institution, a move to accelerate international collaboration in castle protection and development.

The upcoming international forum on the Taihang castles is meant to build a platform for academic exchanges on castle culture and the growth of the tourism industry. Eyed on a broader stage, the Castle Group hopes to gain increased international popularity.

"The international forums and seminars on Taihang castles will be frequently held in the near future. We will also launch more cultural and tourist festivals to display the castles to the world," said Wang Li, director of the Jincheng Tourism Development Committee.

The city is looking along an innovative path towards castle inheritance and utilization as well. Jincheng's next step is to build experience centers and museums to make the castle groups a national tourist destination. Making use of social resources, it will also launch high-end adoption activities among entrepreneurs and other celebrities.