Shanghai will renovate 32 suburban historic spots to exploit their potential as tourist attractions as part of its efforts to devote more resources to rural development, city officials said yesterday.

"We want to develop more areas outside the downtown into popular scenic sites," said Wang Anshi, head of the Shanghai Housing and Land Administrative Bureau's renovation and management department. Unlike some historical projects in the downtown, the effort in the countryside will be accomplished without major relocations of residents, Wang said.

The official said he hopes final planning for the project will be finished this year. While the full list of target sites was not released, Wang did reveal a few of the most important.

Among them: Xinchang Town in Nanhui District, Jinze and Zhujiajiao in Qingpu District, Fengjing in Jinshan District and Nanxiang in Jiading District.

Located about a 30-minute drive from central Shanghai, Xinchang dates back at least 1,000 years. It is one of the city's few ancient canal towns that haven't been affected by industrial development.

One of the town's prime charms is its old fishing village environment, in which many fishermen and their families still live. The town is also home to around 35 ancient bridges.

Jinze is an ancient place known for its nine intricate and well-preserved historic bridges, some of which were built as early as the Song Dynasty (916-1279).

Zhujiajiao is an old water town typical of those found south of the Yangtze River. It was a village market during the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280) and later became a bustling trading center.

Fengjing, which is located at the border of Shanghai and Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, holds many ancient houses and the former residences of renowned figures.

Most of the residential buildings within the preservation areas will be kept, and some may be leased to artists as galleries and calligraphy studios, officials said.

Wang noted that some of the towns on the target list, including Zhujiajiao, are already scenic spots.

When they become designated historic areas they will receive equal protection to those in the downtown and benefit from greater funding.

(Shanghai Daily July 12, 2006)