Rail project halted to save relics

The construction of a section of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway has been halted and its contractor is facing a fine of up to 500,000 yuan ($73,000) for causing "severe damage" to an archeological site in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, a senior official with the city's cultural heritage bureau said yesterday.

Yang Qinghua, vice-director of the bureau, said the 23,000 sq m site in the Yuhuatai district of the city is home to countless relics dating back to the Shang (16th century-11th century BC) and Zhou (11th century-256 BC) dynasties.

"The site contains eight levels of cultural relics dating back through Chinese history," he said.