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 China
plans to give a large-scale facelift to the Shaolin
Temple area in central Henan Province, where the
renowned Shaolin kung fu (martial art) 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.
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