China Plans 'City' Celebrating Traditional Culture

March 2, 2008

Author: Staff Writer

Source: AFP

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iCUfWhWripEBid_Gbru2QMMXHE1g

China plans a city-sized monument celebrating traditional Chinese culture and centred on the birthplace of the philosopher Confucius, state media said Sunday.

The "Chinese Culture Symbolic City" in eastern Shandong province will cost at least 4.2 billion dollars and span more than 300 square kilometres (115 square miles), Xinhua news agency quoted those involved in the project as saying.

Project organisers will begin soliciting design proposals for the plan next week but already envision a memorial hall to Confucius and monuments to other memorable Chinese figures from the past.

The monument would also celebrate Chinese technical breakthroughs such as paper-making up to recent successes such as the launch of a lunar probe, Xinhua said.