A national law for the protection of historic buildings is needed to address the complicated issues of property rights and financing, Gao Yun, Party secretary of Huangpu District and a delegate at the National People's Congress, said on Monday in Beijing.

The current regulations are complex and sometimes contradictory, Gao said.

A total of 1,058 Shanghai buildings have been identified as historic by the government. But 70 percent of them are inhabited or used for other purposes.