Xi'an city walls turned into offices without approval   

西安城墙体内被掏建办公楼 餐厅排练场一应俱全(图)

去年8月份开始，西安城墙景区管委会下属的几个部门，低调的搬进城墙办公。新的办公地点位于朝阳门，南侧夯土内被掏出一个可以容纳百余人同时办公的四层空间，各种办公设施一应俱全，用“别有洞天”这个词形容也毫不夸张。 [查看全文]

(ECNS) -- Ancient city walls in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, have been renovated, without approval, into 4-storied offices by the management committee of the Xi'an City Wall Scenic Area, cnwest.com reported on Monday.

Built between 1370 and 1378 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the wall was listed as a protected cultural relic in 1961 and is one of the best-preserved and biggest ancient city walls in China,

According to the Law on Protection of Cultural Relics, any construction within a state-level protected relic site needs to be agreed on by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and approved by the provincial government.

However, Shaanxi Provincial Bureau of Cultural Heritage said it has not received any applications and knew nothing about the renovation.

The management committee didn't apply for approval in other projects. In 2012, a barbican of the South Gate was hallowed-out into a café while in 2014, an elevator was set up in the South Gate.