Nanjing announces cleanup program ahead of games

Tourists in Nanjing, a city with a history of 2,500 years, will enjoy better scenery by next year when the government plans to meet its newly announced environmental goals.

The capital of Jiangsu province has presented a massive plan to deal with the city's current environmental problems, such as waste classification, dilapidated buildings and illegal construction.

Yang Weize, Nanjing's Party chief, said at a meeting last week that some squalid areas and buildings that were constructed without permission have turned the ancient city into "a beggar with dirt all over his face".