China turns 36 archaeological sites into state parks

BEIJING — A total of 36 major archaeological sites have been turned into State-protected public parks, with an area covering a total of 610,000 hectares as of August, according to the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA).

Another 67 archaeological sites are being reviewed to join the list, according to a recent NCHA report.

With being turned into public parks, the archaeological sites are now better incorporated into local community life, becoming local landmarks and providing leisure spaces for local people, the report said.

Also, 22 of the archaeological parks have launched programs for children to help them improve their awareness of archaeology and protection of cultural heritage.

According to an NCHA review conducted between 2014 and 2016, such parks were visited about 80 million times during that period, with more than half of the visits free of charge.