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Protection of relics to get stronger legal basis
By Liu Li (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-07-28 02:02
Two new regulations will set a stronger legal basis to protect cultural
relics in Beijing, as well as the historic capital itself.
The two regulations discussed by municipal legislators Tuesday are the
Beijing Regulation for Historic City Protection and the Beijing Implementation
Method of the Law for the Preservation of Cultural Relics.
Votes on both are expected within a year by the Standing Committee of the
Beijing Municipal People's Congress, the capital city's legislative body.
The implementation regulation would cover investment by both the Beijing
municipal government and grassroots governments on protection of cultural
relics.
"Governments at the municipal, district and county level should establish
special funds for cultural relics protection according to actual needs of the
work," the draft of the legislation says.
The new regulation would replace the Beijing Cultural Relics Protection
Management Regulation, which was implemented in 1987 and revised in 1997.
Throughout the past 10 years, Beijing has increased investment in relic
preservation.
An annual fund of 110 million yuan (US$13 million) was set up by the
municipal government for three consecutive years since 2000. The figure
increased to 120 million yuan (US$15 million) last year, said officials with the
Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Heritage.
"But we found that district and county governments still failed to make a
steady and continuous investment in protection of cultural relics," Mei Ninghua,
director of the bureau, said Tuesday.
The growing popularity of some major sites like the Forbidden City, which
often leads to their use in films and TV dramas, led to the creation of tighter
rules.
"Film and TV companies should ask for permission from cultural heritage
authorities and make specific plans for protection," the draft says.
Income derived from filming or other uses will be reinvested into relic
protection.
A vote on the other piece of legislation, the Beijing Regulation for Historic
City Protection, which was initially scheduled for tomorrow, but members of the
Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress held it back due
to the different views on the draft, said Lin Wenyi, vice-director of the
Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress.
"The regulation should accord with Beijing's overall urban layout," Gao
Zuozhi, a Standing Committee member, said Tuesday.
A draft layout should be released by the end of this year, sources said.
Standing Committee member Zhang Wenqi vowed for a clear definition of items
in the regulation such as traditional lanes.
Another member Shi Bingzhong called for clearer definitions of various
protection departments.
The Standing Committee's Commission of Legislative Affairs will submit a
revised draft, the third draft to date
Three other new local regulations were also discussed Tuesday.
One covers travel agents and their ability to arrange public and commercial
events.They are currently forbidden from public events to avoid using public
funds for tours,sources said.
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