Lu Zhou, a professor at Beijing-based Tsinghua University, said that this change reflects an advance in China's understanding of cultural heritage.

After the updated list was released, celebratory coverage was prominently featured in local media outlets around the newly selected sites. To have local relics ranked on the list of national key cultural heritage sites is seen as a great honor in China. More importantly for the relics added to the list, it means more attention and financial support, as well as better legal protection.

"The total number (4,295) seems like a lot, but it's actually very small, and it only accounts for 0.56 percent of the country's total of 770,000 historical sites," Li said. "This is particularly true in contrast to the situation in other countries. For instance, in Egypt, more than 20,000 cultural heritage sites are under the direct management of the central authorities."

According to official statistics, the state spent 12.7 billion yuan ($2 billion) on cultural heritage protection projects in 2012, a 30-percent increase over the previous year. Though provincial governments also invest in the protection of relics on their own lists, the investment does not meet the needs of some underdeveloped regions.

Some have high hopes for the potential to raise private funds to fund site preservation, but many urge caution, saying that for-profit investment can often lead to unintentional damage to artifacts. Meanwhile, according to the China Cultural Relics Protection Foundation, enterprises looking to get involved in philanthropy find donating to cultural relic preservation to be less attractive than other charity sectors.

"Cultural relic protection in China is dependent on public awareness," said Zhang Zhiping, a research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage. "Protection should not only rely on the government, but also on broader societal support."

Support from outside

Statistics show that around 40,000 historical sites have disappeared in China due to commercial exploitation in the last 30 years.

In 2008, the State Council released regulations on the protection of cities, towns and villages with historical and cultural value, giving legal protection to sites not officially recognized as cultural relics. However, this protection is limited.

This fact has aroused widespread concern across the country. As public awareness has risen, many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have emerged in big cities like Beijing and Tianjin to combat relic loss.

In addition, there are also a large number of volunteer groups dedicated to the work. Without any membership dues or social sponsorship, these groups cannot be officially registered and they often work as loosely organized online organizations.

"Many historical buildings in Guangzhou receive little attention and suffer severe damage. These buildings are our focus," said Peng Minming, the owner of an online shop in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province. Last year, he joined the Guangzhou Society for Cultural Relic Protection, a volunteer organization devoted to the protection of old neighborhoods and buildings in the city, especially those left off of the government protection list.

The organization now has more than 1,000 members. On weekends, they wander through Guangzhou's streets, taking pictures of buildings with historical and cultural value. If any threat to a building is discovered, they instantly post photos on their website and contact the media to bring about public awareness and create a drive to repair or prevent damage. They also collect information to prove the historical value of buildings, hoping to raise government and public concern in doing so. Since its founding in 2012, the organization has successfully prevented many old buildings from being demolished.

"The words of the lowly carry little weight," said Peng, who is in charge of the organization's account on Weibo, China's Twitter-like micro-blogging service. He admitted that, without government recognition, they often face problems while investigating and collecting information. "On the other hand though, as we have no conflicts of interest, our point is plain and clear. It's easier to keep a neutral position," he said.

After years of effort, the role of civic groups in China is coming to be more appreciated by the government. Earlier this year, the State Council declared a new policy, removing capital requirements for registering NGOs.

"This can help us take larger-scale social action to better protect cultural relics in China," Peng said.

Email us at: zhengyang@bjreview.com