Ancient dwellings to rise again with renovation order

The government of Jincheng, Shanxi province, has launched an investigation into the demolition of an ancient village that was torn down to make way for coal mining, and it has ordered an immediate renovation of the remains.

The village, Banpo, which lies in Zezhou county, had more than 60 ancient dwellings that dated back to the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). The village was listed as a city-level cultural relic protection unit in 2007.

But at the end of the same year, the local government of the county demolished the village, which covered an area of 2.1 hectares, and moved more than 500 villagers to make the land available for Jincheng Anthracite Mining Group, a local mining company.

According to a recent report by China Central Television, which has attracted great public attention, the local government of the county reached an agreement with the company to make the land available for the excavation of more than 3 million metric tons of coal that would yield a profit of 1.5 billion yuan ($243.5 million).

Chen Mingxian, a villager, said that many residents disagreed with the county government's decision but were forced to move out.

"Many experts told us that the ancient dwellings were of great historical value," said Chen. "We planned to preserve the dwellings and make the village into a renowned tourist attraction. But the local government's agreement with the mining company shattered our plan and cut off our connection with our ancestors."

The government of Jincheng city said that a lesson has been learned, and it has sent a panel of experts to investigate the damage caused by the demolition work, with a view to rebuilding and renovating the dwellings.

It also said that the county will allocate 6 million yuan a year to protect the local cultural relics and put forward a plan for the protection and renovation of ancient villages.

Cang Wei contributed to this story.