In the survey, 93.4 percent of the respondents said it is necessary to protect ancient buildings, with 56.3 percent saying it was "of great importance".

Similarly, 72.2 percent of those polled said government officials should be responsible for vanishing culture relics and 67.4 percent said the officials are undermining the sustainable development of the city.

Only 20.3 percent of the respondents said dismantling ancient buildings can "elevate people's living standard in the short term".

"Government at all levels, relic protection authorities, urban planning departments and local residents are all responsible for the fate of the relics," said Zhang Zhanlu, an associate professor with Renmin University of China.

About 57 percent of those polled said that local residents should be entitled to decide the preservation of an ancient building.

Twenty percent of those polled said it should be decided by the central government, 14.4 percent said local governments should decide and 5.8 percent said government officials should fill that role.

"Preserving the old architecture is equivalent to preserving a source of the city's spirit and its future development," Zhang said.