Jiangmen (CNS) – Thirty-two historic watchtowers in Kaiping, Guangdong province, were opened to the public in an effort to find sponsors able to afford from 100,000 to 300,000 yuan for their maintenance. Funding is being sought for a 5 year period, confirmed a news release on December 15.
Patrons of the watchtowers, or medieval barbicans, are allowed to make appropriate and reasonable use of the structures, such as using them to erect advertising billboards said Li Jiacai, director of the Kaiping Cultural Relics Bureau.
Kaiping Watchtower and Ancient Village is Guangdong's first world cultural heritage site, in which 1,833 of the towers are still standing despite the crumbling that could be expected after such a long period without much protection. The local government's appeal to the public for sponsorship is an innovative move directed to national pride at home and abroad.
