China issues five-year plan for protection, utilization of major historical sites

BEIJING -- The Chinese government has issued a five-year plan to improve the protection, management and utilization of the country's major historical sites.

According to the National Cultural Heritage Administration, the plan, designed for the 2021 to 2025 period, highlighted the need to strengthen the archaeological study of major historical sites.

The government will promote major projects to explore the origins of Chinese civilization, support the formulation of medium and long-term archaeological work plans for key sites, and build a national platform for basic information and data on the related sites.

By 2025, the cultural relics and the surrounding environment of the country's major historical sites should have been safeguarded. According to the plan, important achievements are expected to be made in their archaeological research, protection, management, utilization, educational recreation, inheritance innovation, and communication and exchanges.

Major historical sites in the plan mainly include settlements, palaces, tombs and other large-scale historical and cultural landscapes with great value and far-reaching influence.

They usually reflect various development stages of ancient Chinese history, such as the Old Summer Palace, the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, and the Grand Canal.

China has formed a conservation structure encompassing 150 major historical sites following the implementation of three five-year plans since 2006. A list of 36 national archaeological parks has been made public after evaluations.