East China's Suzhou City will carry out a general survey on its folk arts and crafts and build a comprehensive database within the next ten years.

The survey also hopes to better identify which arts are in danger of disappearing and how to better protect long-standing arts and crafts.

Suzhou is a popular tourist destination due to its picturesque beauty and rich cultural traditions. Investigations show that among the 24 categories of folk arts and crafts remaining across the country, Suzhou alone possesses 22, a rarity in China.

(CRI.com April 5, 2005)