THE Chinese Government has launched a new round of investigations to document the number of sites of historical interest and to put them under better protection.

The first phase of the investigation recently began in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in North China. The nationwide investigation is scheduled to be completed in 2009.

Hou Shizhu, head of China's Third Cultural Heritage Investigation Team, said: "The investigation is an important step toward protecting the country's cultural assets."

Chinese archaeologists will use modern technologies such as GPS (global positioning system), aerial photography, remote sensors, digital cameras and computers to survey immovable sites of historical interest, especially those in the wild.

Data collected from the investigation will be used as the basis for the State Council to establish a national cultural heritage protection system by 2010.

China carried out two cultural heritage investigations in the 1950s and 1980s.

However, as looting of ancient tombs and smuggling of relics increased in the past 20 years, cultural antiquities throughout the country were severely damaged.

According to the results of the second investigation, China had more than 400,000 immovable historical sites, one-third of which are now missing. Hou said that many of the antiquities were smuggled overseas.

"To establish a new defense line for China's cultural antiquities has become imperative," Hou said.

Different from the previous investigations which only focused on counting the number of historical sites, the current work will feature scientific research and excavations.

Archaeologists hope that more volunteers will join the project.

China passed a National Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics in 1982, establishing a system to conserve its cultural heritage.

The second Saturday of June has been designated "China's Cultural Heritage Day" starting this year.

Editor: Wing