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UPDATED: May 4, 2014 NO. 19, MAY 8, 2014
A Searing Threat
Outbreaks of destructive fires pose a danger for China's ancient towns and cultural relics
By Yu Yan
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RELICS AT RISK: A group of ancient buildings stand in the Old Town of Lijiang in Yunnan Province, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its unique architecture and folk culture (QIN QING)

Poor management

The management within the Old Town of Lijiang is in urgent need for improvement. For instance, many hotels didn't install fire prevention boards or daub fire retardant coating as required by regulations.

As for this, Mao said the standards on fire management for the old buildings was not clear. Based on the existing laws and regulations, many of these old buildings shouldn't be used for commercial purposes at all.

Mao's comment was echoed by his coworker Yang Chunyong, who published a story on fire management in the town in September, 2011, which attracted a flood of attention.

"There are no standards to follow in terms of fire safety in the area. We can only handle it on a case-by-case basis, making our work very difficult," he wrote in the article.

Indeed, in the Regulations on the Protection of the Old Town of Lijiang, which had been implemented between 2006 and 2013, there was only one article regarding fire prevention.

The article reads, "All entities, residents and commercial stores should do the fire control work, and be equipped with relevant facilities. Make timely rectifications if any problem is found. The sales and use of fireworks are strictly forbidden."

This sparse regulation is clearly hard to follow. After a fire in March 2013, the local Lijiang Government has made efforts to strengthen fire management.

In April 2013, regulations on the fire control of the Old Town of Lijiang were issued, marking the city's first regulations focused on protecting the old buildings.

According to the regulations, hotels and restaurants with more than 20 rooms should install an automatic fire-extinguishing sprinkler system and an automatic fire alarm system. However, the odds of implementation are not high.

The city has not calculated how many hotels and restaurants have completed the installation, but the number is unlikely to be great, Mao estimated.

"The installation is done on a voluntary basis now. Who would spend that amount of money if it is not mandatory?" he said.

Mao added that he had already submitted detailed reports to the local government, suggesting under what circumstances the alarm system and fire control facilities should be installed.

"With specific standards, we can properly implement the regulations in the future," he said.

The debate over fire safety has extended from ancient buildings and regulators to cultural relics protection experts and authorities. After all, these ancient towns are precious relics for the Chinese nation.

"These recent fires have already gotten attention from lawmakers, and this will soon be reflected on the revisions of the law on cultural relics protection," said Liu Yang, an expert on cultural relics protection laws. He has been calling for authorities to improve fire control laws and regulations as soon as possible and promote lawful fire management.

The Law of the People's Republic of China on Protection of Cultural Relics, which has been implemented for more than 32 years, has been in the process of collecting public opinions now. As concerns over safety spread like the fires they are meant to combat, a revised draft is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Email us at: yuyan@bjreview.com

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