China to build two cultural ecology protection pilot zones

BEIJING — China's cultural affairs regulator has approved plans to build two cultural ecology protection experimental zones at the national level.

The two zones will be set up in Jingdezhen city in East China's Jiangxi province and Luoyang city in Central China's Henan province, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Known as China's porcelain capital, Jingdezhen will feature in the pilot zone its time-honored history of porcelain making, while the city of Luoyang will highlight the ancient civilization along the Yellow River, according to the ministry.

Local authorities need to formulate operation measures, build and improve regulation systems, and put in place multifaceted protection policies regarding the zones, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

An overall plan on the building of the two cultural ecology protection zones must be finalized within one year, according to the ministry.

China started building national cultural ecology protection zones in recent years to help develop traditional cultures in areas with high concentrations of intangible cultural heritage resources.

Seven areas have so far been designated as national cultural ecology protection zones.