The government of Jiujiang City, in central China's Jiangxi Province, plans to relocate all 12,000 residents currently living on Lushan Mountain, a world cultural heritage site, to a newly built neighborhood to protect the mountain, Xinhua News Agency reported today.

Within three years, all residents will move to Lushan New City in Fanglan Village in Lushan District. The government will kick off the construction of the 2-square-kilometer area soon and finish the first phase in 2008.

The neighborhood will combine schools, hospitals and business areas together to be more convenient for residents.

The relocation is to protect the mountain's ecological environment and to maintain its sustainable development, said Zhao Zhiyong, the deputy governor of Jiangxi Province.

The local government will also limit the volume of tourists to 1.8 million annually starting this year.

Lushan Mountain is one of the 33 world heritage sites in China and has been a traditional popular summer resort.

(Shanghai Daily July 24, 2006)