BEIJING, March 19 (Xinhua) -- More funds for cultural relic protection will be earmarked for cultural heritage from revolutionary times and in impoverished areas in China, an official with the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) said Tuesday.

China has nearly 35,000 sites and monuments and over 1 million pieces of moveable cultural relics relating to revolutionary history, Gu Yucai, deputy director of SACH, said at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office.

The country has more than 800 museums of revolutionary history, Gu added.

The country unveiled its first batch of 15 areas for the protection and utilization of cultural relics from revolutionary times, according to a notice jointly issued by several departments of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council.

The areas, spanning across 645 counties and 110 cities in 20 provincial-level regions, include renowned historical sites such as the Jinggang Mountains, known as the "cradle of the Chinese revolution," in east China's Jiangxi Province.

The move comes after a guideline was issued last year to strengthen revolutionary cultural heritage protection.