As modern buildings close in on the 700-year-old imperial Forbidden City in Beijing, and skyscrapers dwarf the world's largest stone Buddha statue in Leshan, southwestern Sichuan Province, officials are becoming increasingly worried about the disappearance of old China from its urban areas.

Shan Jixiang, director of China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage, told an international conference on Friday the destruction of historic sites in the drive to urbanization should stop.

"The traditional streets and ancient buildings are disappearing under the bulldozer," Shan told more than 200 heritage protection experts from 16 countries and regions attending the 2nd International Conference on Heritage Conservation and Sustainable Development.

Shan said the conflict between urbanization and heritage protection in China is becoming more intense.

Some local governments are only concerned about urbanization and neglect the preservation of their city's cultural heritage, Shan said adding that short-sighted officials have allowed the destruction of heritage sites that are hundreds of years old.

"A lot of Chinese cities have lost their original appearance and they are beginning to look the same," Shan said.

The protection of cultural heritage should be included in every city's development plans. "The cultural heritage is not a burden but rather the wealth of a city," Shan said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 2, 2006)