China plans to give a large-scale facelift to the Shaolin Temple
area in central Henan Province, where the renowned Shaolin kung fu
(martial arts) originated.
More than 1,000 enterprises, martial art schools, shops and
households covering some 300,000 square meters are scheduled to be
moved away from eight sightseeing areas in the city of Dengfeng,
Henan, according to Jin Yindong, head of the city's cultural
heritage administration.
Archeological experts will also repair and renovate the dagobas
of the 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple in the city.
The project, set to be completed by the end of this year, is
aimed at clearing away constructions that diminish the image of the
eight ancient cultural heritage areas.
Three of them, including the Shaolin dagobas and Songyang
Academy -- one of the four most important schools in ancient China,
are vying for the World Heritage status.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization has granted the status to 35 sites in China, including
the Great Wall, the Forbidden City in Beijing, the 2,200-year-old
terracotta warriors in the northwestern city of Xi'an, and the
newly-added Diaolou watchtowers in Guangdong Province.
Local authorities are busy preparing a detailed plan of the
project and compensation measures for the businesses and people to
be relocated.
Dengfeng, China's best-known home of martial arts, also boasts
16 cultural relics under the state protection list.
(Xinhua News Agency August 12, 2007)