Quotable

"We invested such a large amount of capital in the program (of renovating ancient buildings) because the new evaluation system has encouraged us to make greater efforts to protect resources and the environment."

Wang Fuhong, Party chief of Huangshan city in East China's Anhui province, said the city government spent 6 billion yuan ($940 million) from 2006 to 2010 to protect and renovate historic relics. The performance of the local government in Anhui is assessed using a variety of factors, including GDP growth rate, resource and environmental protection, the improvement of people's livelihoods, and social construction.