The series of cultural documentaries "Cultural Famous Towns" launched by the CCTV Comprehensive Channel of China Central Radio and Television Station selected five ancient towns for display, namely Nanxun in Zhejiang, Liuhe in Jiangsu, Zhaohua in Sichuan, Shaxi in Yunnan, and Gongtan in Chongqing. The work is not limited to depicting the surface architecture and cultural landscapes of these ancient towns, but uses unique narrative structures and technical expressions to delve into the details of civilization in the folds of history, cleverly connecting history and reality, and continuously unlocking the map of Chinese civilization through ancient town culture. The ancient towns selected by the creative team are related to important corridors in Chinese history: the Grand Canal, the Maritime Silk Road, the Shu Road, the Tea Horse Ancient Road, and the Sichuan Salt Ancient Road. These ancient towns have not only become channels for economic exchanges, but also important locations for cultural dissemination. For example, Zhang Shiming's old residence in Nanxun incorporates European style elements such as Roman columns while retaining the main Chinese architectural style. The 139 statues of Buddhism and various figures in the Shizhongshan Grottoes in Shaxi bear witness to the history of communication and interaction between people from different cultures and countries in Shaxi since the Tang Dynasty. The book 'Famous Towns of Humanities' also captures the embodiment of humanistic spirit in the life of ancient towns. The filming team perceives the cultural pulse of the millennium old town of Gongtan in an exhibition called "Gongtan Face", and seeks contemporary expressions of craftsmanship spirit in the bustling market of Shaxi Town. This dialogue style narrative that transcends time and space breaks the limitations of presenting in the form of a "frozen museum" in previous creations, making the ancient town a vivid carrier of cultural memory. The novel 'Humanistic Town' also has innovative breakthroughs in narrative perspective. The work takes 14 spices from Liuhe Braised Duck Restaurant as the starting point, revealing the cultural exchange trajectory spanning thousands of miles behind these daily ingredients by tracing their origins. As white cardamom comes from East India, lemongrass grows in Southeast Asia, and fragrant leaves originate from Africa, when the geographical distribution of spices overlaps with Zheng He's voyages to the West, common cuisine becomes a living witness to the dialogue between civilizations. This narrative shift from micro to macro achieves an organic connection between historical depth and contemporary life. For example, during the filming of the historical drama "Jiameng Chunqiu" in Zhaohua, the team innovatively adopted the technique of "participatory documentary". The camera not only records the somewhat clumsy performances of the residents on stage, but also captures the shining moments of the elderly participants' daily lives and rehearsals. This approach breaks the linear narrative framework of "past present" and showcases the deep emotions of the residents of Zhaohua towards the ancient town, making the audience realize that the essence of civilization inheritance is a reconstruction that integrates contemporary life experiences and is full of human warmth. All traditions were once the 'modernity' of a certain era, and some innovations will settle into future 'traditions'. In the film, Nanxun uses the "Thousand Character Classic" to encode and manage 200000 ancient books. This archive management method, which originated from the Northern Song Dynasty, provides inspiration and may be combined with cloud storage technology in the future. It can be seen that ancient towns are not specimens to be saved, but experimental sites for civilization and innovation. The unique value of "Humanistic Town" lies in the construction of a novel cultural documentary creation coordinate. This coordinate contains two important dimensions: the vertical axis connects the material remains of the ancient town with the spiritual core of civilization, while the horizontal axis balances academic rigor and mass communication. This dual dimensional architecture allows the work to go beyond simple cultural display and conduct in-depth exploration of civilization. We sincerely look forward to the emergence of more works like 'Cultural Famous Towns' that can truly and vividly record the historical style and cultural heritage of ancient towns, so that the ancient towns can continue to radiate new vitality and energy in the light and shadow of the new era. (New Society)