A group of students visit the Tai Ping Tian Guo Palace in Yixing. [Photo/IC]

A city replete with historical and cultural locations, Yixing is home to a total of 132 cultural relics protection sites – and over 30 of them will start repairs and rebuilds this year.

These include the Tai Ping Tian Guo Palace, the Xu's Ancestral Hall and Heying Garden.

A total of 9.5 million yuan ($1.35 million) will be invested this year to repair Tai Ping Tian Guo Palace, known as the residence of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom – the unrecognized renegade southern regime that challenged the imperial Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and was defeated -- improving its surroundings and upgrading its exhibits.

Protection of folk cultural relics has also been under way. The construction of Yixing Yue Fei Cultural Park was started in 2018 in commemoration of Yue Fei, one of China's greatest generals and national heroes. The Yue Fei Cenotaph and Yue Lin Tomb have been repaired and were opened to the public this April.

Many memorials marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China will also be rebuilt this year.