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China to Introduce Laws to Protect Urban Heritage
China is to introduce laws and regulations to protect the historical heritage of cities in its current drive for urban construction.
China's top construction official Tuesday urged urban planners to follow scientific principles and not to pursue luxuries and excessive commercial facilities in urban development, according to Thursday's Chinadaily.
Yu Zhengshen, minister of construction, made these remarks at a national seminar on urban planning amid recent media reports on the destruction of historic streets and houses.
In Chinese cities, old houses and street are commonly located in the city center, where land prices are high and commercial potential lures developers to build private mansions, the paper said.
Architects and historians have repeatedly appealed to protect the old structures but were little heard by local officials and urban planners.
Yu urged local officials and planners to pay more respect to experts' opinions.
So far, China has no national law protecting old houses and streets. And construction officials promised that a ministerial regulation on this issue will be introduced by the end of this year.
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