China¿s rapid development has placed the country¿s historical heritage under increased stress; not only is there graffiti in the Great Wall, but the Imperial City has been surrounded by construction projects and many Beijing neighborhoods are being torn down to be replaced by modern buildings. Faced with these threats, the government has been forced to dictate measured to protect the country¿s artistic and historical patrimony, attempting to stem the flow of what many experts consider an irreversible loss. During the month of April, due to the gravity of the situation, the Chinese government was forced to declare that the country¿s heritage was on the brink of extinction, and to announce a plan for which cooperation was requested from citizens and from the private sector. One of the direst cases is that of the capital city itself, whose five Patrimony of Humanity areas (the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Ming Tombs, and the Heavenly Temple) have suffered decay but were not included in the list of ¿endangered sites.¿ The government has established, for the time being, two stages for the salvaging of the most damaged areas.