After an endeavor of several decades in protection of the famous historical and cultural cities, the Chinese government has now begun to include famous historical and cultural towns and villages into the list of the heritage protection. China's Ministry of Construction and the State Bureau of Cultural Relics formally released the list of the first batch of China's famous historical and cultural towns and villages on November 27.

In the list are such ten towns as the Jingsheng Town in Lingshi County, Shanxi Province, Zhouzhuang Town of Kunshan City in Jiangsu Province, Wu Town of Tongxiang City in Zhejiang Province and twelve suchlike villages as the Cuandixia Village of Zhaitang Town of Mentougou District of Beijing, Xiwan Village of Qikou Town in Lin County of Jiangxi Province, etc.

"This is a new milestone for the protection of historical and cultural heritage in China," Vice-Minister of Construction Qiu Baoxing said. "The release of the naming of the famous historical and cultural towns and villages is only the first step forward. What's more important is how to well protect, inherit and use them."

Qiu said that in order to reverse the situation of frequent destruction of famous historical and cultural villages and towns. China will improve the laws and regulations and relevant rules on the protection of famous towns and villages. The Ministry of Construction and the State Bureau of Cultural Relics are now revising the "Regulations on the Protection of Famous Historical and Cultural Cities and Streets, Towns and Villages (Draft)."

A lot of historical and cultural villages and towns have worked out scientific planning with strict measures taken to protect the cultural relics, which play an important role in the protection of the historical and ancient villages and towns, said Shan Jixiang, director of the State Bureau of Cultural Relics. However, the present situation brooks no optimism:

--There is an imbalance in the protection of the historical and cultural villages and towns around the country and the protection work in a number of regions has been suspended;

--Some regions haven't fully recognized the importance of the overall protection of those towns and villages, overlooking the surrounding environment and a few excellent residences which have not been included into the cultural relics protection units;

-- It remains an arduous task to formulate and improve the planning for the protection of the historical and cultural towns and villages;

--Some areas put too much stresses on seeking economic benefits, making a limitless over-exploitation of those towns and villages without any restraint and planning;

--Some areas even change the management system of the state-owned cultural relics protection units without authorization, handing the operation down to enterprises.

The historical and cultural towns and villages are nominated on the basis of their rich historical and cultural resources. We should mainly enforce protection, put the rescuing in the first place, and reasonably use the resources, thereby strengthening an all-around management for the regional protection of historical and cultural heritage as a whole, Shan said.

(People’s Daily December 1, 2003)