BEIJING -- The leading group for the fourth national cultural heritage survey in China held its first meeting on Thursday.

Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and State Councilor Shen Yiqin attended the meeting. Both of them also serve as leaders of the group.

It was stressed at the meeting that the cultural heritage survey is a fundamental task for the development of relevant work, and all cultural relics that should be protected must be covered in the protection work.

The meeting also called for efforts to sort out relevant information as well as necessary organizational and financial preparation for the survey.

Any violations in the survey must be met with appropriate punishment, according to the meeting. It also emphasized that the survey should be carried out as a campaign to promote cultural literacy among the public and foster the country's cultural-ethical progress.

China carried out three rounds of national cultural heritage surveys in 1956, 1981 and 2007, respectively.