Chinanews, Beijing, July 24 – China has launched a campaign to search for cultural relics that might be kept in inland seas, rivers or lakes. The search for relics under water is part of the work included in the third national cultural relics survey. This is the first time for China to launch a survey of this kind, said Gu Yucai, head of the Cultural Relics Protection Department under the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.At present, search work has already begun in some coastal regions such as Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian, Zhejiang, Shandong and Liaoning. In addition, as the Grand Canal Protection Project and the South-to-North Water Diversion Project are being implemented in some provinces, the relic search work has also been kicked off in provinces that are located near the rivers.China has 18,000 kilometers of coastal lines, and 123,000 kilometers of river transportation mileage. In addition, there are more than 20,000 lakes lying in Chinese territory. Through the centuries, abundant relics have been buried in inland lakes, rivers and seas.In the mid 1980s, China began to search for relics in the coastal regions near Fujian, Guangdong and Xisha Islands. As a result, workers have located more than 100 spots where some relics are buried.In 2005, archeologists excavated the Wanjiao No.1 sunken ship in Pintan, Fuzhou. The ship was made in the Qing Dynastry (1644-1911). Recently, archeologists plan to excavate another sunken ship, Daliandao No.1, in Pintan. The ship was made during the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368). In addition to these two sunken ships, the Nanhai No.1 made in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), found in Yangjiang, off Guangdong coast, will soon be brought to the surface.In May 2007, archeologists excavated, for the first time, the relic site of the sunken ship, Huaguang Reef No.1, in Xisha Islands. In addition to Huaguang Reef, archeologists also searched the other islands nearby, including Yuzhuo Reef and Beijiao Reef. As a result, they found 10 spots with sunken ships.In April this year, China kicked off the third national cultural relics survey in 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities across China. The survey is expected to be completed by December 2011.