Underground relics, sites of historical interest and the natural environment around the prestigious Mogao Grottoes are the three protected categories under the new Regulation for Protection of the Gansu Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes passed by the Standing Committee of the Gansu Provincial People's Congress on Dec. 7.

The regulation sets up two conservation areas, one for special protection immediately encircling the Mogao Grottoes and a wider zone for general protection.

The law forbids any explosions, digging, drilling and building not for conservation purposes, polluting facilities, or activities that threaten the safety of the relics within the protection zones.

Any essential construction have to be first approved by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, according to the new regulation.

A special regulation was still necessary to further protect the Mogao Grottoes even though the central government had passed the Revised Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics on Oct. 29, said Liu Shengrong, a provincial lawmaker accountable for drafting the regulation.

Ma Wenzhi, director of the Gansu Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics, said it was a positive move that the law prevented the land and relics within the protection zones from being transferred, mortgaged or used for purposes not in compliance with Dunhuang's cultural nature.

The Mogao Grottoes, or the Ancient Caves of 1,000 Buddhas, were listed in 1987 by the United Nations' Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization as China's first world heritage site.

(People's Daily December 10, 2002)