Multimillion US dollars have been pooled to make a facelift of the 840-year-old Beihai Park in the downtown of China's capital.

Thursday's China Daily quoted its source as saying that the repairs of the park are a part of the massive urban renovation program, which would make a facelift of more than 30 cultural heritage sites, as the city gears up for the 2008 Olympic Games.

With an investment of around 60 million yuan (US$7.4 million), the park project is scheduled to be finished by the end of the next year.

The most eye-catching building in the park is the White Pagoda, a shrine built in the style of a Tibetan stupa. It has become a famous landmark in the capital. The renovation work will also restore some architectures in the park to its ancient glory.

The park is located to the west of the Forbidden City, the imperial residence of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). A lake in the park has been divided into Beihai, Zhonghai and Nanhai lakes.

(Xinhua News Agency August 4, 2005)