CPPCC leading members are pleading with the northeastern city government to take action to protect cultural sites and artifacts before it is too late.

The local government should also take steps to protect modern cultural relics and industrial buildings as well as ancient ones, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Northeast China's Liaoning Province suggested yesterday in Shenyang, the provincial capital.

"Modern relics and ancient ones are all part of a nation's history. They are an indispensable part of the city," said Cui Zhanfu, a member of the CPPCC.

More and more people have realized that skyscrapers are not all about modernization.

Experts say Shenyang has a package of latter day and modern constructions that are unique.

Liaoning boasts itself to be the origins of Manchu people, who founded the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The Shenyang Imperial Palace is one of many sites that bear testament to this history.

Yet it is also the cradle of China's modern industry, and plays a big role in China's modern history, according to Zhang Liumao, vice-chairman of CPPCC Liaoning Provincial Committee.

"The two features make up the modern China. It is physical evidence of that period - even though it was all left by Japanese invaders," said Zhang. "They are invaluable assets for this city as an education base for our children. We should leave it to our offspring in its entirety."

But these valuable assets are coming under greater and greater challenges with Shenyang's development. They appear vulnerable to the city's grand renovation project.

"It is not easy to find a way between city development and protecting cultural relics," said Zhang Ying, vice-director of the Culture Office of Shenyang.

Some valuable historical constructions are still buried in residential communities and others have given way to new hotels and malls.

Statistics from the local cultural office show that more than 1,100 cultural relics have been uncovered in Shenyang, but only 60 of them are protected. The rest are left at the mercy of natural and human activities.

Shenyang's cultural relics include the palace and imperial tombs of the Qing Dynasty, the former residence of modern famous people such as Zhang Zuolin and modern history museums.

The Qing Dynasty-related relics have been listed under the world heritage and are often in a better condition than modern buildings.

"The most important obstacle is poor input in protection," said Wang Jiechun, vice-chairman of the CPPCC in Shenyang.

Developed cities usually put in 3 to 5 per cent of city building and maintenance costs in cultural relics protection every year.

But Wang said the annual budget for culture relics protection was only 500,000 yuan (US$61,000).

"Our input is less than 1 per cent of Hangzhou's. It is impossible to give all-round protection and maintenance projects," Wang added.

Wang suggested the local government should set up a special city planning office to direct building and increase the budget to at least 3 million yuan (US$362,757).

The local government should take more cultural relics into protection, he said.

(China Daily August 11, 2004)