The 600-year-old Imperial Ancestral Temple, located to the east of the Forbidden City, is being armed with modern equipment to guard against fire, floods and lightning.

The project, scheduled to finish in November, will root out 21 safety hazards at the ancient wooden compound, such as outdated fire alarms and aging electrical wiring, according to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Cultural Heritage.

The 3-million-yuan (US$370,000) project will arm the temple the only existing imperial ancestral temple in China with advanced fire alarm system, fire hydrants and hoses, and lightning conductors, said Yu Ping, deputy director of the bureau.

Yu said nine other ancient buildings in the city would receive similar safety renovations this year including the Jietai Temple, the Bell and Drum Towers, and the Altar of the God of Agriculture all of which are jewels in Beijing's crown of 3,500 heritage sites.

Total cost of the 10 projects is 17.5 million yuan (US$2.2 million).

In the next five years, Yu said her bureau plans to plunge at least 15 million yuan (US$2 million) annually into equipping other heritage sites with similar protection in the Chinese capital.

According to a survey carried out by the bureau last year, more than 60 per cent of the city's heritage sites are occupied by residents and institutions that do not pay enough attention to maintenance and protection of the ancient buildings.

Mei Ninghua, director of the bureau, said: "The rapid rise in the use of electricity and gas in ancient wooden structures has imposed great threats to the safety of the heritage sites."

"We will work with other agencies to solve the safety problems," Meng said.

(China Daily August 13, 2005)