Beijing will earmark 148 million yuan (US$18.9 million) next year to renovate ancient buildings in scenic parks as part of its efforts to prepare for the 2008 Olympics in this Chinese capital.

The maintenance work will be carried out in 11 parks, including the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven, two UNESCO World Heritage sites, according to Liu Ying, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Administration Center of Parks.

The renovation will cover floor repair, retouching of colored drawings, and improvements on lightning strike and fire prevention facilities, Liu said.

Repair work on the Summer Palace buildings will begin next March and be completed prior to Oct. 1 next year, the beginning of annual weeklong National Day holidays during which parks host a booming number of tourists, according to Liu.

Beijing has over 160 registered parks, some of them on the UNESCO Heritage list boasting well-preserved buildings dating back centuries, or even millennia. They are main attractions for tourists to Beijing.

To better serve the 2008 Olympic Games, the city has poured about 300 million yuan (US$38.4 million) into maintenance work on its cultural heritage spots, according to the city's cultural heritage administration sources.

Maintenance work on the Great Wall, the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), and the Beijing Man Site in Zhoukoudian are already underway.

Renovation work on the Buddhist Incense Tower at the Summer Palace, the Hall of Prayers for Good Harvest at the Temple of Heaven, and the Qiongdao Islet in Beihai Park was completed this year at a cost of 140 million yuan (US$17.7 million).

(Chinaculture.org December 4, 2006)