China's top construction official Tuesday urged urban planners to follow scientific principles and not to pursue luxuries and excessive commercial facilities in urban development.

Yu Zhengshen, minister of construction, made these remarks at a national seminar on urban planning amid recent media reports on the destruction of historic streets and houses.

In Chinese cities, old houses and streets are commonly located in the city center, where land prices are high and commercial potential lures developers to build private mansions.

Architects and historians have repeatedly appealed to protect the old structures but were little heard by local officials and

urban planners.

Yu urged local officials and planners to pay more respect to experts' opinions.

So far, China has no national law protecting old houses and streets. And construction officials promised that a ministerial regulation on this issue will be introduced by the end of this year.

(China Daily 11/16/2000)