Street of cultural significance recognized

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In China's many ancient cities and towns, there are some streets that have preserved their original look through the ages. Ten such streets in ten different cities have been officially recognized as "Ancient Streets with Historical and Cultural Significance".

Beijing's Guo Zi Jian Street, Southern Street in the city of Pingyao, and Harbin's main street are among the ten historical streets. A ceremony to announce the streets was held at Guo Zi Jian street, which houses the highest Imperial Academy from ancient times, and the Temple of Confucius.

The seven other historical streets are in Suzhou, Huangshan, Fuzhou, Qingdao, Qingzhou, Haikou and Lhasa.

Wang Jinghui, director of Ancient City Protection Committee said, "These streets have been recognized not for their fame throughout history, but because they contain many well kept buildings and relics. They did well to preserve and make use of their relics, to benefit each city's economy and development of the society."

The appraisal of Chinese ancient streets started last July. More than two hundred vintage streets across the country registered. It aims to highlight the significance of a street as a unit to preserve a region's cultural information.