Beijing will restrict the number of daily visits to cultural
relics during the Olympic Games next year in order to ensure
orderly visits and protect cultural relics, according to the
Beijing Cultural Heritage Administration.
"All cultural relics in Beijing will undergo a thorough
"facelift" before next August, and any renovation, except for
emergency repair, will suspended during the Games," said Kong
Fanzhi, director of the administration.
Kong said the "facelift" includes exterior renovations of
ancient constructions and roofs that are visible from adjacent
streets. This will to enable visitors, especially foreign tourists,
to "see Beijing through cultural relics".
The "facelift" also refers to improved services, he said, adding
that cultural relics protection bureaus above the city-level should
have more than two staff members in charge of reception and visitor
services.
The building of a "soft environment" around cultural relics near
Olympic venues should be particularly improved, such as
constructing obstacle-free facilities to benefit the handicapped,
he said.
A regulation on cultural relics management for the Olympics,
which outlines measures for protection, renovation, creating
obstacle-free facilities and regulations regarding filming, will go
into effect on Oct. 1 and last one year.
(Xinhua News Agency September 6, 2007)