China plans to give a large-scale facelift to the Shaolin Temple area in central Henan Province, where the renowned Shaolin kung fu (martial arts) originated.
More than 1,000 enterprises, martial art schools, shops and households covering some 300,000 square meters are scheduled to be moved away from eight sightseeing areas in the city of Dengfeng, Henan, according to Jin Yindong, head of the city's cultural heritage administration.
Archeological experts will also repair and renovate the dagobas of the 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple in the city.
The project, set to be completed by the end of this year, is aimed at clearing away constructions that diminish the image of the eight ancient cultural heritage areas.
Three of them, including the Shaolin dagobas and Songyang Academy -- one of the four most important schools in ancient China, are vying for the World Heritage status.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has granted the status to 35 sites in China, including the Great Wall, the Forbidden City in Beijing, the 2,200-year-old terracotta warriors in the northwestern city of Xi'an, and the newly-added Diaolou watchtowers in Guangdong Province.
Local authorities are busy preparing a detailed plan of the project and compensation measures for the businesses and people to be relocated.
Dengfeng, China's best-known home of martial arts, also boasts 16 cultural relics under the state protection list.
(Xinhua News Agency August 12, 2007)
