Lack of money and weak public awareness hobbled China's efforts to protect famous historic and cultural cities and relics, official said on Monday.

Some local authorities did not fully implement the protection measures, and some cultural relics were not comprehensively recorded, said official with the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MHURD) at an insider meeting.

Since 1982, the government had listed 110 cities and 780 towns and villages as famous historic and cultural localities for special protection.

On July 1, 2008, the State Council, or cabinet, enacted a national protection regulation.

The ministry said it would enhance supervision and endeavor to keep the relics on record for better protection.

(Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2009)