Residents in Xiaotun village of Anyang, in Central China's Henan Province, have moved out of their homes to better protect the city's 3,300-year-old capital ruins.
The move is aimed at restoring the original look of the birthplace of ancient Yinxu culture.
The city's cultural heritage authorities have constructed the Yinxu Ruins Museum at the base of an ancient palace, renovated the Fuhao Tomb, which was an important building for the Yinxu culture, and built the Yinling Museum near the tombs of emperors from the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th century BC).
The city government has marked nearly 210,000 square metres for preservation in Xiaotun village, where unearthed bones and shells with ancient inscriptions are now on the World Heritage list.
All residents living in the area were asked to relocate to allow a museum and park featuring Yinxu culture to be built.
Pian Xiuru - a former villager whose family has moved next to the municipal stadium in downtown Anyang - said although she was not happy to leave the land where her ancestors had stayed for centuries, she feels satisfied that her contribution has helped to attract more people to the ruins.
After archaeologists unearthed bones and tortoise shells with ancient inscriptions in Anyang 102 years ago, the city became a centre for the study of ancient Chinese civilization.
According to statistics, Anyang has preserved more than 150,000 bones and shells with ancient inscriptions, nearly 10,000 bronze articles, 54 palace ruins and other heritage sites.
(China Daily Oct 8, 2002)
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