Police have arrested 26 people who are alleged to have seriously
damaged a protected northeast China Neolithic culture site on the
World Heritage waiting list.
Zhang Xiuwu, of Lingyuan City, Liaoning Province, is accused of
illegally mining iron ore last year in several places at the
Niuheliang relic site, an important site for the study of the
Neolithic Hongshan Culture, an aboriginal culture that existed in
north China about 6,000 years ago.
Liu Xuekun is alleged to have built workshops for ore refining
with others at the relic site without official approval.
They continued production despite local land, forestry and
heritage authorities' attempts to stop them, according to the
government of Chaoyang City, which covers Lingyuan.
Prosecutors are also investigating 14 officials in connection
with the case.
The Niuheliang site is located on the border of Jianping County
and Lingyuan. The 56-square-km site boasts ancient temples, altars
and tombs believed to have significant scientific, historical and
artistic value, according to archaeologists.
In 1988, the site was listed for key protection by the State
Council, China's Cabinet. In 2006, it was included on the country's
World Heritage waiting list. The list has 35 relic sites across the
country.
China has 35 UNESCO World Heritage sites, which include the
Great Wall and the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor and the
Terracotta Warriors.
(Xinhua News Agency February 19, 2008)