BEIJING, Aug. 9 -- China's National Cultural Heritage Administration has issued a circular about conducting a new round of survey and documentation of the country's cultural heritage sites.

The administration put forth its plan at the outset of 2023 to thoroughly assess China's immovable cultural heritage over three to four years.

The survey will cover cultural sites discovered since 2012, including those on the ground, underground and underwater, according to the administration.

It aims to obtain the number, geological distribution, conservation situation, and other information about the sites.

A national list of China's fixed cultural heritage will be created, with each site on the list being assigned a designated level of protection, the administration said.

The last such survey was conducted between 2007 and 2011, covering over 760,000 cultural heritage spots.