Preservation required for underground relics

Important historical artifacts uncovered on construction sites are being destroyed or stolen because of flaws in the law

Underground cultural artifacts are being seriously damaged or destroyed amid Beijing's ongoing wave of redevelopment, said a local non-governmental organization dedicated to historical preservation in China.

Of the more than 4,000 construction projects launched in Beijing in 2008 and 2009, only 89, or 2 percent, received a thorough archaeological survey, according to the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center (CHP).