East China's Jiangxi Province launches a large-scale protection campaign for cultural relics Tuesday.

Lasting for two weeks, it was Jiangxi's biggest cultural relic protection activity since 1949, said an official with the provincial cultural relic bureau.

The provincial cultural department would organize three inspection teams to key cities and counties, investigating the collection and protection of cultural relics, the official said.

The teams would take action against local governments of areas where cultural relics were not under effective protection and those who refused to improve protection measures, he said.

Any deed concerning vandalism or duty dereliction in cultural relic protection would be chastised in line with related laws and regulations.

The official said the municipal government hoped that a social environment of cultural relic protection could be formed through the campaign.

As one of China's cultural relic bases, Jiangxi has 95 state-level cultural relics and 258 at the provincial level. Mount Lushan, a world cultural heritage site, is also located in the province.

(Xinhua News Agency March 17, 2004)