This capital of China will continue its three-year program to protect local cultural relics this year, by investing 110 million yuan.

The program was launched in 2000, involving 330 million yuan of investment. This year, the money will be used to protect almost 100 relic sites in the city.

A number of institutions will be removed from the protection list, including the Summer Palace which was built by the Empress Cixi of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in the late 1800s.

As a result, many old sites will be opened to tourists after repairs or rebuilding.

"Guozijian", the highest educational institution of the Yuan (1271-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties, will be turned into a museum on education in ancient China, while the Xuanren Temple, which was used to make sacrifices to the God of Wind in the Qing Dynasty, will become a museum on traditional Chinese medicine.

(People’s Daily 05/11/2001)