The World Monuments Fund declared Friday that four sites of Chinese ancient buildings have been inscribed on the 2002 list of world heritage sites for protection.

The four sites are the Great Wall, an ancient bazaar in southwest China's Yunnan Province, a pagoda and a monastery in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and a synagogue in Shanghai.

The Great Wall is world-famous for its length and mammoth construction process. It is now endangered by tourism development, the fund said.

With intact theaters, inns, temples and gates, the bazaar is the only well-preserved example of its kind along a famous ancient tea trade route that connects the region with Tibet and southeast Asia.

The pagoda and the monastery are located along the original route of the ancient Silk Road, and the monastery, built in 650, is believed to be the oldest Christian church that has been found so far in China.

The synagogue, built between 1917 and 1920, was once a refuge for over 20,000 Jewish people during the World War II.

The fund said the four sites reflect the diversity of Chinese architecture as well as the nation's history. Two of the sites highlight tolerance of Chinese for different religions and the other two epitomize the pressure facing cultural relics protection under social changes and economic development.

Set up in 1965, the World Monuments Fund is one of the two major architectural protection organizations in the world. Every other year it announces a list of endangered architectural spots worldwide and offers financial help for their protection.

(China Daily October 27, 2001)