Northeast China's Liaoning Province is expected to launch a historical heritage protection project this year to effectively preserve its historical sites and cultural relics.

The province will invest 20 million yuan (about US$2.4 million) on protecting a number of historical sites, which could be developed and opened for tourism, and renovating those which are dilapidating or damaged, said Peng Yiming, director of Liaoning cultural department.

Peng said Liaoning Province would establish a cultural relic protection center, monitoring criminal cases concerning cultural relics, helping determine the dates and qualities of cultural relics, offering advice on cultural relic protection project and setting up a website specialized in cultural relics.

The provincial cultural department would assist the police and customs in cracking down on crimes involving cultural relics, and would make efforts on cultural relics-related legislation, Peng said.

With plentiful historical heritage resources, Liaoning possesses 201 historical sites at the provincial level, with over 120,000 precious cultural relics of imperial Han (206 BC-AD 220), Tang (618-907 AD) and Liao (916-1125 AD) dynasties.

(Northeast Network February 13, 2004)