Preservation makes for difficult choices in a city with hundreds of historic landmarks, strapping the capital's modest 120 million yuan (US$15 million) relics-protection budget, Wang said.
Aiding the salvage effort were special regulations requiring archeological surveys, and fast action to protect relics and keep venue construction on schedule, officials said.
Unlike the emperor's Forbidden City palace, the Temple of Heaven and other famous Beijing monuments, the Niang Niang and Dragon King temples catered to ordinary Chinese living in what was mostly farmland outside the high-walled city.
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