Five Chinese Gardens Declared World Heritage Sites

Five ancient Chinese gardens in Suzhou, of coastal Jiangsu Province in east China, have been declared World Heritage Sites by the World Heritage Committee, according to the local garden bureau.

With the declaration earlier this month by the Committee at its 24th annual session in Cairns, Australia, the five gardens join the four other gardens in Suzhou, raising the number of World Heritage Sites in the city to nine.

The five gardens were built from hundreds to one thousand years ago.

Since the four gardens were accorded the status in 1997, the Suzhou Municipal Government started to preserve ancient architecture, rare trees and cultural facilities in the gardens.

To restore and conserve the original flavor and appearance of the gardens, the government constructed a 35 km canal around the gardens, demolished 6,800 square meters of modern buildings that were not in harmony with the gardens' landscape and relocated 3,000 meters of wires and poles for various purposes.

The Committee said it will not inscribe any more of Suzhou's ancient gardens on the World Heritage list, for the nine gardens are capable of displaying the essence of ancient gardens in Suzhou.

People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/