A proposal to demolish part of an ancient city wall to make way for a new road has sparked a heated debate among the people of Kaifeng in Central China's Henan Province.

The date for the construction has yet to be fixed, and the final decision will be made by the national State Bureau of Cultural Relics, Guo Shijun, the director in charge of the protection of the Kaifeng old city wall, said.

The wall, which is the country's second largest, was listed in the fourth batch of important cultural relic sites given State-level protection by the State Council in 1996.

However, the central part of Kaifeng is completely surrounded by the 14.4-km-long wall that was built in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and there is currently only one main road directly linking the east and west of the city.

As one of China's seven ancient capitals, Kaifeng attracts thousands of tourists from home and abroad every year. It became even more popular after the opening in November of the Zhengkai Road, which links Zhengzhou, capital of the province, and Kaifeng.

With an average of 10,000 vehicles using the road every day, traffic jams are commonplace. The situation is at its worst during the May and October Golden Weeks when tailbacks of 2-3 km regularly occur, the local department of transport said.

Guo said: "The new road, called Jin Yao, is designed to relieve traffic congestion, but without completely demolishing the wall. It would simply involve creating a door through the wall to allow the traffic to pass through."

The project is expected to cost 78 million yuan ($10.2 million). The road will be 40 m wide and 1,451 m long.

While residents are keen to see the traffic situation improve, many are concerned about demolishing such a cultural treasure.

The website www.kfsy.cn has received more than 1,000 hits from people keen to air their views about the road plan.

"The charm of Kaifeng lies in its ancient culture, and its beauty would be discounted if the wall were destroyed. The loss could never pay off no matter how many tall buildings and wide roads we have in the future," a netizen called Hnscs said.

"Kaifeng's old city wall is unique. Its cultural value could never be recovered if it were destroyed, I suggest the government thinks before it acts," Liang Liuke, vice-chairman of Kaifeng People's Political Consultative Conference and a professor at Henan University, said.

China Daily

(China Daily 06/19/2007 page5)