Approximately 12,000 people living on a mountain in Jiangxi Province must move to new homes in order to protect a world heritage site and leave it in the hands of the aboriginal people.

The relocation of most of the area's residents will occur in Guling town on Lushan Mountain in Jiujiang. Within three years they'll be living in new homes in a 2-square-kilometre area of Fanglan village in Lushan District.

Lushan Mountain is one of 33 world heritage sites in China and is a popular and traditional summer resort. Guling is at the centre of this scenic area, at an altitude of 1,167 meters, and surrounded on three sides by mountains.

In the 10 years since UNESCO added Lushan Mountain to its list of world heritage sites Guling's population has risen massively.

"After careful and repeated studies we've decided to move out officials, cadres and employees leaving the aboriginal residents on the mountain," Chen Liquan, a town official, told China Daily yesterday.

Residents who'll be moved are mainly people who work for the Guling Scenic Area Management Administration, the township government and the service industries.

"That will be 4,000-plus families with an overall population of more than 12,000 who require  to move," said Chen. He said they were the majority of the 14,000 people currently living in the area. Only about 7,000 were registered to live at the World Cultural Heritage Site in 1996, Chen added.

"There are just too many people on the mountain which has caused many problems," local resident Li Haoming told Beijing News last week. "Sooner or later we'll have to move down."

Chen Jiaying, a tourist guide, told The Beijing News: "It's so hard to earn a living now as there are so many new competitors joining in. Even some local officials and workers are losing their jobs."

Planned with "sound facilities including nice schools, hospitals and business areas" the new residential area will be more convenient for residents, said Chen Liquan.

Jiujiang Daily reported at the end of last month that the Guling Scenic Area Management Administration was planning to give 800,000 yuan (US$100,000) a year to firms located out of the area to hire 100 people who had lost their jobs.

"With more people coming in pollution gets worse," Yu Xinhong, another resident, told The Beijing News. "Take Ruqin Lake for example. It used to be so clear and clean and we swam in it but now we don't even dare wash our hands there."

To try to protect the environment and further integrate tourism resources the Jiujiang city government released a notice entitled : "A General Programming Outline of the Lushan Mountain Scenic Area from 2004 to 2020." It said that by 2020 Lushan Mountain would regain its historical appearance and integrity.

Illegal, worthless and dangerous buildings will be torn down, the outline said. Original major roads leading to protected areas and historical sites will be upgraded and cars banned. Some of the empty houses will be leased to tourists and villas could be turned into hotels, the document says.

However, some residents had reservations about the move. "If most of the people, along with the young people, leave the mountain especially those with sizable incomes Guling town will become an empty, dead city in the low tourism season," said Guo Xinyi, a 67-year-old resident.

(China Daily September 13, 2006)