Signs and signposts are planned to be erected in the urban Xuanwu District of the Chinese capital to mark the site of 30 of its valuable ancient relics before the few remaining sank into oblivion and even disappeared by rapid urbanization.
"We want to use the signs to remind people of Beijing's long-standing, glorious history," said Wang Shiren, a prestigious archeologist from Beijing.
Xuanwu district in the city's southern part is where the city of Beijing was first built over 3,000 years ago. Beijing, common known as Peking overseas and named Beijing from 1928 to the founding of new China in October 1, 1949, was designated as the capital of China 849 years ago and its first imperial city was setup in the Xuanwu area.
Compared to the original buildings, many of these relics are now dilapidated and beyond recognition whereas a host of many other sites of historical and cultural interest have had their original structures replaced by newer constructions.
The district government will allocate a sum of 10 million yuan (about US$667,000) to have the signs designed and refurbished.
The city's southern part is not as developed as the northern part. With less construction carried out there after new China was founded in 1949, a large number of valuable ancient relics of historical interest remain intact in southern Beijing.
(Xinhua News Agency August 21, 2002)
