China launches survey of fire safety in traditional villages

BEIJING -- The China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation has launched a survey of fire safety in thousands of traditional villages nationwide in order to identify and eliminate potential risks.

Such villages will complete online questionnaires, and some will be selected for in-depth investigation, according to the foundation, a national non-profit organization supervised by the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA).

The results will help establish a fire safety database for Chinese traditional villages, to provide reference for future fire safety measures in accordance with local conditions.

Ensuring fire safety is the basis for the protection and utilization of traditional villages, said NCHA official Yue Zhiyong, who added the NCHA fully supports the survey.

China has since 2012 put more than 6,800 villages under state protection following an in-depth investigation of their cultural value.