The Shenzhen Municipal Government has decided this year will be the year of cultural relic protection, days after municipal CPPCC members submitted a proposal calling for urgent action.

Refuting those saying Shenzhen had no history, Li Zhenghe, a municipal CPPCC member who drafted the proposal last year, said emotionally: "Who says that Shenzhen has no history¹Ò More than 1,300 ancient architectures and 151 various cultual relic sites have been found in Shenzhen, of which 42 have been given city-level protection or above. But these relic sites haven't been effectively protected except for the Ancient Dapeng Fortress."

In the proposal, the municipal CPPCC members urged the municipal government to establish cultural relic protection organizations and set aside a certain amount of money. They also urged the municipal NPC to come up with local legislation on cultural relic protection and label the relic sites with different protection levels.

The municipal CPPCC members inspected the cultural relic sites in Luohu, Longgang and Bao'an districts last year and were astonished by what they saw. Even though it is a provincially-protected cultural relic, an old Hakka homestead occupying 25,000 square meters in Dawan Village, Pingshan Town, Longgang District, was horribly dilapidated. There were wires strung all over the area and rubbish and dirty water scattered everywhere. Another stockaded village in Sungang Village, Luohu District, was being infested with illegal buildings.

"Preservation of cultural relics in the city is now imperative," said Ren Zilu, director of the municipal cultural relic appraisal institute.

"In terms of cultural relic protection, we have paid heavily for the city's rapid economic development. Some important cultural relic sites have been damaged and some are on the edge of ruin," he said.

"As far as I know, more than 90 percent of Shenzhen residents don't know much about the city's history. However, many people have developed a desire to know about the roots of the city in order to identity themselves with the country," said an official with the municipal cultural relics management office surnamed Lai. "If Shenzhen really wants to be an international city, then it needs to protect its cultural relics."

Editor: Catherine