About 1,100 cultural relics were unearthed at Olympic venue construction sites across Beijing last year, local authorities have said.

About 700 ancient tombs dating from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) were excavated at ten Olympic construction sites, said Shu Xiaofeng, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics.

Last year, Beijing launched 17 cultural relic preservation projects, 10 of which have been completed, including the renovation of the Great Bell Temple, Shu said.

Local authorities also excavated about 150 ancient tombs ranging from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) to the Qing Dynasty on the Beijing section of China's south-to-north water diversion project, diverting water from the Yangtze River to drought-afflicted northern areas, the official said.

More than 2,000 cultural relics were unearthed in the tombs, Shu said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2007)