Taiyuan city -- capital of North China's Shanxi province -- recently opened bidding for design contracts for the renovation and reconstruction of the local Fucheng Wendao Historical and Cultural Block, local officials said. 

They said it is one of 20 major urban planning and construction projects due to be carried out in the city this year. 

The project aims to restore and integrate the historical and cultural character of the Ancient City of Taiyuan in different historical periods, build two cultural blocks and improve the environment for traditional residential buildings along the blocks, creating new eye-catching cultural-themed tourist routes.

According to documents for the bidding rounds, the reconstruction project will cover about 31 hectares in the local Yingze and Xinghualing districts.

It will involve extensive renovation of roads, drainage, lighting, pipelines, green areas, street landscapes and historical residential houses. 

Once completed, the Fucheng Wendao Historical and Cultural Block will feature as a tourist magnet alongside more than 10 historical and cultural relics sites in Taiyuan, including the Confucian Temple, the former site of Shanxi University, as well as Dongsandao Alley Historical and Cultural Block.