As modern buildings close in on the 700-year-old imperial
Forbidden City in Beijing, and skyscrapers dwarf the world's
largest stone Buddha statue in Leshan, southwestern Sichuan Province, officials are becoming
increasingly worried about the disappearance of old China from its
urban areas.
Shan Jixiang, director of China's State Administration of
Cultural Heritage, told an international conference on Friday the
destruction of historic sites in the drive to urbanization should
stop.
"The traditional streets and ancient buildings are disappearing
under the bulldozer," Shan told more than 200 heritage protection
experts from 16 countries and regions attending the 2nd
International Conference on Heritage Conservation and Sustainable
Development.
Shan said the conflict between urbanization and heritage
protection in China is becoming more intense.
Some local governments are only concerned about urbanization and
neglect the preservation of their city's cultural heritage, Shan
said adding that short-sighted officials have allowed the
destruction of heritage sites that are hundreds of years old.
"A lot of Chinese cities have lost their original appearance and
they are beginning to look the same," Shan said.
The protection of cultural heritage should be included in every
city's development plans. "The cultural heritage is not a burden
but rather the wealth of a city," Shan said.
(Xinhua News Agency June 2, 2006)
