Not only are new buildings cropping up everyday in the capital, but historical sites are getting a face-lift as well. Authorities in Beijing are planning to carry out renovations on its six world cultural heritage sites this year. The Beijing Bureau of Cultural Heritage said on Feb.1 that this is the first time that repairs on so many heritage sites will be carried out at the same time.

For the grand Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace, the main tasks are to repair peeling paintings, floors and roofs. For the Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian where the skulls of China's earliest human beings were found, work will be done to strengthen the caves.

The continuing restoration work on the Great Wall will focus this year on the Simatai section of the ancient rampart. Also, ongoing repairs in the Palace Museum or the Forbidden City will be sped up and upgraded. Last but not the least, work to spruce up several chambers of the Ming Tombs will begin this year.

(CCTV.com February 3, 2004)