Beijing will to focus its cultural relics protection efforts on the last four unrepaired Ming Tombs, the general name given to the mausoleums of 13 emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), during 2006 to 2010.

The four tombs are Tailing Tomb, Maoling Tomb, Yuling Tomb and Yongling Tomb, according to Du Gaochao, director of the Ming Tombs Area Administration.

The municipality will also invest 35 million yuan (about US$4.37 million) to build an underground storage for keeping the 4,000 pieces of cultural relics unearthed from the tombs.

"The current storage will be replaced by the new one that is equipped with high-tech facilities for better protection of the cultural relics," Du said.

The Ming Tombs lie in a broad valley to the south of Tianshou Mountain (Longevity of Heaven) in Changping District. They are known as the 13 Ming tombs in Chinese (Shisanling) as 13 out of the 16 Ming emperors as well as 23 empresses, one high-ranking concubine and a dozen immolated imperial concubines, were buried in this peaceful valley.

The Ming tombs were put under protection of the Beijing municipal government in 1957. In July 2003, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee at its 27th session officially inscribed the Ming Tombs on the World Heritage List.

The central government of China and the Beijing Municipal Government have always attached great importance to the protection of the Shisanling Ming Tombs.

The repair of the last four tombs will better showcase Beijing's long history and culture to overseas tourists during the 2008 Olympic Games, Du said.
 
(Xinhua News Agency January 11, 2006)