About 1,100 cultural relics were unearthed at Olympic venue
construction sites across Beijing last year, local authorities have
said.
About 700 ancient tombs dating from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220
AD) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) were excavated at ten Olympic
construction sites, said Shu Xiaofeng, deputy director of the
Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Relics.
Last year, Beijing launched 17 cultural relic preservation
projects, 10 of which have been completed, including the renovation
of the Great Bell Temple, Shu said.
Local authorities also excavated about 150 ancient tombs ranging
from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC) to the Qing Dynasty on
the Beijing section of China's south-to-north water diversion
project, diverting water from the Yangtze River to
drought-afflicted northern areas, the official said.
More than 2,000 cultural relics were unearthed in the tombs, Shu
said.
(Xinhua News Agency January 18, 2007)