China's top cultural heritage administrator has condemned the massive reconstruction of old cities across the country as a "disaster" for the protection of historical cultural relics.

"Bulldozers have razed many historical blocks," lamented Shan Jixiang, head of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) in an online speech Monday.

A photo taken on Jul 21 shows a part of the former residence of the late Liang Sicheng and his wife Lin Huiyin, both distinguished architecture experts, has been demolished. [China Daily]

"Much traditional architecture that could have been passed down for generations as the most valuable memories of a city," he said, "has been relentlessly torn down."

Shan said that many Chinese cities are heading in the wrong direction by massively demolishing architectural gems even as urbanization is causing development problems in urban and rural areas alike.

Official figures underscore Shan's assertion. The most recent data issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development indicates that China has built 2 billion square meters of new houses every year -- consuming 40 percent of the world's building materials.

"The protection of cultural heritage in China has entered the most difficult, grave and critical period," Shan warned.

No official statistics exist as to the number of potential cultural heritage sites destroyed in demolition across the country.

But an official surnamed Peng with the SACH said the number of immovable relics, such as buildings and gardens, have been decreasing sharply since the 1980s, when an extensive urbanization campaign began nationwide.

In Beijing, for instance, 4.43 million meters of old courtyards have been demolished since 1990, covering some 40 percent of Beijing's old downtown area.

Even Nanluoguxiang, a once flourishing commercial street during the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368), has not escaped the fate of urban erosion.