In Beijing alone, for instance, some 4.43 million square meters of traditional courtyards have been demolished since 1990, accounting for about 40 percent of the capital's old downtown area.

Chen Jianhua, however, said the Guangzhou authorities will attach great importance to the protection of traditional architecture and heritage sites.

"We have gone in the wrong direction before in terms of failing to protect traditional buildings during the reconstruction of old urban areas. But this time, the protection of such buildings will be given priority," Chen said.

Guangzhou, which has a history dating back more than 2,000 years, has long been famous for its typical Lingnan-styled architecture that includes Qilou, or arcade buildings, in its old urban areas.

"Those typical Lingnan-styled buildings and heritage sites like temples will not be demolished. Instead, we will undertake renovations to present them as they originally looked," Chen told China Daily.

Chen said the Yuxugong Temple in Guangzhou's Yangji village, for example, will be protected. He said demolition crews have been dismantling houses in the neighborhood since June, but in addition to the preservation of the temple, an ancestral hall for the families of Yao, Li, Qin and Liang will be built next to the temple to respect the original folk custom of the village.

In addition to concerns about the protection of traditional architecture, many locals are also worrying about whether the redevelopment of the city will lead to another round of price hikes.

"We have been given a generous amount of compensation from the government and the property developers for the demolition of our homes," said a resident surnamed Gao, who has lived in the Yangji village for 40 years. "But we are afraid that we might not be able to afford to buy new houses built on the site of our old home.

"The government and the property developers could push up the price of the new projects to offset the high cost of the demolition and reconstruction."

(Xinhua News Agency Aug 14, 2010)