Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality is to invest 10 million yuan (1.2 million US dollars) in redesigning the central city, giving the country's largest municipality a facelift.

Chongqing is famous for its unique landscape, which includes mountains and the Yangtze River, Wednesday's Workers' Daily reports.

After nearly a decade of large-scale development, Chongqing nowhas over 200 skyscrapers within its 9.5-sq-km downtown area. Another 10 are currently being built.

However, a problem has arisen blending modern buildings with the city's traditional architecture and its natural landscape.

The municipal government announced it would invite tenders for the new urban planning scheme. Six design companies from Germany, France, the United States, Shanghai and Chongqing are taking part in the process.

Each company that submits its designs within two months will beawarded 50,000 US dollars. The local authority will select the final blueprint from the three most outstanding designs, each of which will receive another 100,000 US dollars.

The scheme aims to give downtown Chongqing a new look using themost advanced design and planning theories in the world.

( Peopel's Daily July 24,2002)