The municipal government of Zhengzhou City, capital of central China's Henan Province, will invest 500 million yuan (US$60.5 million) to preserve the historical site of Shang city, capital of ancient China's Shang Dynasty.

Discovered in 1955, Shang City, dating back more than 3,600 years, was the biggest capital of the ancient Shang Dynasty, and it was the first city with both inner and outer city walls. The historical site, covering an area of 25 sq. km, was regarded as one of the most important Chinese cultural relics.

To preserve the historical site, the municipal government invited archeologists from Qinghua (Tsinghua) University, Beijing University and experts with the China city planning institute to formulate a Shang city preservation plan.

The plan included the preservation of Shang city and its peripheral cultural relics and ancient streets. The city wall and the site of Shang palace would be the focus of the preservation work.

An official with Zhengzhou municipal government said that the government would establish a Shang city museum, displaying cultural relics, and would preserve the southeast and southwest corners of the site of the ancient city through planting and removing illegal buildings.

Prof. Li Boqian, an archeological expert with Beijing University, said Zhengzhou's preservation work would be significant to Chinese cultural relics preservation, and would help promote Shang city to be a world famous cultural site.

(Xinhua News Agency December 25, 2003)