NANJING - All cities are expected to have finished the identification of historic districts and buildings within five years to better protect these sites of interest, according to an official with the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

Fu Shuang, director of the ministry's historic and cultural city protection division, made the remarks at a forum in East China's Jiangsu Province on Monday.

Historic cities, towns and villages illustrate developments in China's history showing advances in society, culture and technology, said Fu.

City governments must identify districts that feature historic sites and define them as such, Fu said at the ninth historic town protection forum.

China has 252 towns and 276 villages listed as famous historic and cultural localities under special state protection.