These three books are the most important: Regulations on Famous Historical and Cultural Cities, Towns and Villages, People's Republic of China (PRC) Cultural Relics Protection Law and China Cultural Relics and Monuments Guide. In fact, there are other laws, regulations and industry regulations, such as the World Cultural and Natural Heritage Convention, Opinions on Strengthening and Improving the Management of World Heritage, Measures for the Compilation of Urban Planning and some local regulations.

For example:

Historical and cultural villages and towns usually have a considerable number of cultural relics protection units at all levels, and these cultural relics protection units have another set of protection divisions. Article 15 of the Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics (the second revised edition in 2007) clearly stipulates: "The people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government and the people's governments of cities and counties shall delimit the necessary scope of protection, make signs, establish records and archives, and set up specialized institutions or special personnel to take charge of management according to different situations." Article 18 stipulates: "According to the actual needs of protecting cultural relics, with the approval of the people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government, certain construction control zones can be set aside around cultural relics protection units and announced."