Distinguished guests and local people attend the launching ceremony of the World Bank Loans to Guizhou Province For Cultural and Natural Heritages Protection and Development Program, in the Geological Park of Guanling Bouyei and Miao Autonomous County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, December 8, 2009. The World Bank provides a 30-year term loans worth US$60 million to Guizhou Province, earmarked for the infrastructure construction, ancient architectural protection, maintenance of folk dwellings and village ambience, protection of immaterial cultural heritage and boost to tourism-related development capacity, etc. It comprises a total of 22 sub-items for some 19 natural villages of ethnic minorities, 4 ancient townships, 2 national-level scenery resorts and 2 geological parks, etc. [Xinhua]

Distinguished guests shovel earth to the foundationstone during the foundation-laying ceremony of the sub-item to Guanling under the World Bank Loans to Guizhou Province For Cultural and Natural Heritages Protection and Development Program, in the Geological Park of Guanling Bouyei and Miao Autonomous County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, December 8, 2009. [Xinhua]