A historical compound in Zhangzhou, south China's Fujian Province, has recently won an award of heritage protection from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

This old compound features residential houses typical in south Fujian, buildings combining Chinese and western styles as well as store houses shaped like archways. Mr. Richard Engelhardt, UNESCO Regional Advisor for Culture, attended the award granting ceremony on the afternoon of April 10.

The compound houses a string of cultural relic sites, including a stone archway built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Temple to Confucius firstly constructed in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Wangshen Memorial Hall, the former residence of modern writer Yang Sao, Jialan Temple, the smallest temple in China, as well as five ancient residential houses left over by a Xu family of Taiwan.

(Source: People's Daily Online)