SHANGHAI, May 30 -- SOUTH China's booming province of Guangdong is drafting a law to ban the resurgent trend of keeping of mistresses to preserve social harmony, local media reported today.

Many Chinese businessmen keep mistresses in second homes, a tradition banished after 1949 but has made a comeback with nearly 30 years of market reforms, Reuters reported.

The law, attached to legislation guaranteeing women's rights, would ban married people from setting up "love nests" to engage in extra-marital affairs, the Beijing News said.

"Adding this provision is aimed at preserving and enhancing marital stability," the paper quoted a Guangdong lawmaker, Cheng Jingchu, as saying.

China has repeatedly urged its officials to honor the sanctity of marriage after a string of high-profile corruption cases involving mistresses led to the sacking and punishment of senior cadres.

Last year prosecutors launched criminal proceedings against Beijing vice-mayor Liu Zhihua, who was denounced for taking millions of yuan in bribes and helping his mistress "seek profit."