Authorities in Xi'an are planning to improve living conditions for 257,000 residents of this ancient capital city of Shaanxi Province, its mayor said on Monday.

Chen Baogen said that four projects launched last year to upgrade housing in the oldest parts of the city will be completed within five years.

The total cost of the work will be almost 27 billion yuan (US$4 billion), he said.

Long Fuxi, 56, who lives in the downtown area, said he is looking forward to getting a new home, as his current one often floods when it rains.

Most properties in the 3,000-year-old city lack modern amenities such as water and power supplies, drains and toilets.

Many of the houses built from the 1950s to the 70s are also in a bad state and need upgrading, Chen said.

"Xi'an is one of the most famous ancient cities in China, so we must improve people's living conditions, which is the focus of our urban transformation plan," Sun Qingyun, the city's Party secretary, said at the local people's congress.

As well as key structures like the city wall built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and the Bell and Drum Towers built in the 14th century, lots of residential properties dating back more than 100 years in the city should be protected, he said.

Xi'an was China's capital for 13 dynasties and has a large number of ancient properties in its urban areas.

Over the past 20 years, however, urban redevelopment has seen 70 percent of them destroyed, according to a recent survey conducted by the city government.

"Most of the ancient houses that were put on a protected list in 2006 are dilapidated," Li Wei, an official with the municipal bureau of heritage, said.

The government has spent more than 120 million yuan over the past two years trying to preserve them, he said.

(China Daily January 20, 2009)