China is renovating Genghis Khan's mausoleum, located in Ejin
Horo Banner on the Ordos Highlands in north China's Inner
Mongolia Autonomous Region, at a cost of 150 million yuan
(US$18.13 million).
The largest renovation project since the mausoleum was built
nearly half a century ago, the current renovation will cover repair
and construction inside the mausoleum buildings, decoration of
outer walls and the expansion of the mausoleum's courtyard.
The renovation will also cover building auxiliary facilities
such as pavement, a bronze horse square and power and water supply
facilities.
Eighty percent of the project will be completed this year, and
the remaining 20 percent is expected to be finished next year,
according to the Genghis Khan Mausoleum Administration.
Genghis Khan (1162-1227) died at age 66 in what is today's
northwestern Gansu
Province, fighting the Xixia Kingdom (Western Xia
Dynasty?1038-1227) in an attempt to unify the country. His
remains were taken to the Ejin Horo Banner on the Ordos Highlands
and buried there.
Five hundred nomadic families of his clan were chosen to stand
guard at the mausoleum. They became a special group dedicated to
defending the tomb of the great warrior generation after generation
and were called Dalhut, which means "guards of the sacred
mausoleum" in Mongolian.
When the Japanese troops entered China in 1937, the Dalhuts
moved Genghis Khan's remains to northwestern Qinghai
Province and the mausoleum was left behind. The remains were
not returned until1954 when the central government of China rebuilt
the mausoleum.
Since then, the Dalhuts have had a formal site for their grand
ceremonies. The existing mausoleum covers an area of 0.5 sq km.
Despite a number of repairs and renovations through the years, it
remains in a decrepit state.
In 2001, some noted architecture departments and archeologists
worked out a blueprint for the mausoleum's renovation and
expansion.
The mausoleum of Genghis Khan is a culture relics preservation
unit listed under the top state protection. It has also become a
tourist destination, which attracts millions of tourists from home
and abroad.
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(Xinhua News Agency May 5, 2005)