An ancient town in north China has received a loan for development from France, authorities said Sunday.
Qixian ancient town in Shanxi Province has been provided by the Agence Francaise de Development with 70 million euros (about 86 million U.S. dollars) of loan.
It is the French agency's first loan in the area of cultural heritage in China.
The money will mainly be used for repairs of ancient architecture, infrastructure construction and renovation in Qixian. The total investment in the project is about 670 million yuan (about 105 million U.S. dollars).
The town has about 2,500 years of history. Records show that it was built during the late Spring and Autumn Period (770 B.C.-476 B.C.). One of its streets has been listed among China's most important historical streets.
