The Lishui municipal cultural heritage bureau is officially launched on Aug 10. [Photo/WeChat account: ls-mnews]

The protection and utilization of cultural relics reached a new level in the city of Lishui – in East China's Zhejiang province – when the municipal cultural heritage bureau was officially established on Aug 10, according to local media reports.

Lishui has focused on its cultural relics in recent years and it has incorporated their protection and safety into an assessment system for its administrative regions for three consecutive years.

Moreover, a series of local regulations related to cultural relics – including regulations on the protection of the Longquan Kiln site, traditional villages and revolutionary sites – been issued to strengthen legislative guarantees.

According to officials, the bureau will further promote the joint development of cultural heritage in the  education sector and within industry.

According to official data, there are 17 national key cultural relics protected units, 77 provincial cultural relics protected units and 446 municipal and county level cultural relics protected units in Lishui.

The city has 21 museums and memorial halls of various kinds, with a collection of more than 50,000 artifacts and items in total.