Mayors of 99 major cities in China will meet next month to find ways of protecting historic towns at a time when the economy is developing rapidly.

They will meet during a festival in the historic town of Linhai

in east China's Zhejiang Province from October 27 to 30,

organizers said.

The event is organized by the Ministry of Construction and a

national committee for the protection of famous historic and

cultural towns.

The provincial tourism bureau and the Linhai city government

will also hold an exhibition on abacuses and an orange fair.

Linhai has a history of more than 2,000 years and features a

number of historic sites. The city is also known as "A Great Wall south of the Yangtze River."

(Xinhua 09/26/2000)