Local transport and culture officials have been penalized after sections of an ancient city wall in southwest China's Yunnan Province were damaged by the construction of a new highway, local authorities said Monday.

The chief and party chief of the transport bureau of Dali City, where the ancient wall is located, were warned and received administrative penalties while the chief of the city's culture bureau also received an administrative penalty, according to Ma Zhonghua, mayor of the city.

The Longshouguan City Wall, along with a gate tower, was built during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

About 30 meters of the wall was destroyed to make way for the highway, on which construction began in 2007.

"The damage was caused by the transport bureau's poor awareness of the importance of preserving cultural relics and the culture bureau's negligence of duty," said Ma Zhonghua.

The city government also imposed a fine of 200,000 yuan (around 29,300 U.S. dollars) on the construction contractor.

Construction of the highway has been suspended and will not restart until a preservation plan is made, the mayor said.

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