A scientific research base for the protection of China's ancient
murals has been set up in Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, northwest
China's Gansu
Province.
It is believed that the project will help improve scientific and
technological research on ancient Chinese murals.
The predecessor of the China Scientific Research Base of Ancient
Mural Protection was the Protection Institute of Dunhuang Academy,
which had made lots of achievements on grottoes protection and
reparation of murals and cultural relics.
With the cooperation between China and the United States in
murals protection project for the No. 85 grotto of Mogao Grottoes,
a package of scientific procedures and effective measures have been
conducted for the protection and reparation of murals.
The institute's research results have been widely used in the
protection and restoration of the Potala Palace, the Sagya Temple
and Norpu Lingka garden in the Tibet Autonomous Region as well as
grottoes along the ancient Silk Road.
The China Scientific Research Base of Ancient Mural Protection
will mainly study the protection of murals and painted sculptures
and develop relevant technologies, including the protection
techniques of ancient relics.
Wang Xudong, head of the base, said the researchers at the base
would devote themselves to improving mural protection and training
more experts in the field.
(Xinhua News Agency January 26, 2006)
