Xiama Archway at the 14th century Xiaoling Tomb may be moved north to make way for a widened highway connecting Nanjing, the capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, and Hangzhou, the capital of east China's Zhejiang Province.

Authorities at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Park, which is in charge of the Xiaoling Tomb, refused to comment on the reported move, as did the Nanjing city government.

However, Yang Weiguo -- head of the Xuanwu District construction bureau under the Nanjing Construction Commission -- said the archway would be moved 30 metres north and its two steles would be moved 60 metres north if the Nanjing-Hangzhou Highway were to be widened from 20 metres to 40 metres wide.

The widening of the highway is a key project for Nanjing. It was originally estimated that the whole project would be completed and the road opened to traffic before October 1 this year.

Construction work is still taking place on the highway.

Nanjing-based newspapers began to report on the possible removal at the beginning of July. Both experts and ordinary citizens reacted strongly, with most opposed to the move.

Professor Shui Tao, of Nanjing University's history department, said that the Xiama Archway (Dismounting Archway) should be protected in its original location. "If it was moved, its structure and surrounding scenery would be affected," he said.

The archway -- the entrance to Xiaoling Tomb -- was included on the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage on July 4 this year and is the common wealth of all humanity, said Shui. He said the highway should take a detour and go round the relics.

(China Daily August 8, 2003)