China has made a plan for preserving major historical sites in the
Three Gorges, where the world's biggest reservoir will be built.
The first sites to be put under protection have been decided,
according to Shao Weidong, who is in charge of the Three Gorges
relics affairs.
A
copy of the White Crane Carved Stone will be made on the nearby
bank, Shao said. The carved stone is a slate formation rising
slightly above the Yangtze River on which 30,000 ancient Chinese
characters are inscribed. The 1,600-meter-long and 15- meter-wide
stone is a national treasure.
Shao said that the government has also decided to relocate a famous
temple dedicated to general Zhang Fei. Zhang Fei was a well- known
hero in the Three Kingdoms period (220-280).
The temple now houses a number of valuable relics and will be
flooded when the Three Gorges reservoir is completed in the early
21st century.
In
addition, the government has made a plan to build dykes and walls
to safeguard Shibaozhai, a beautiful wooden tower on the upper
reaches of the Yangtze River.
Experts from prestigious Qinghua University and other institutes
will participate in the protection work.
It
is estimated that thousands of relics will be affected by the
building of the Three Gorges dam, and experts say there are still
many difficulties related to relics protection to be tackled.
(People’s Daily 10/15/2000)