The government has approved a $36-million protection scheme for
the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, a World Heritage Site in Gansu
province.
The plan, approved by the National Development and Reform
Commission, includes the construction of a digital display hall
that can accommodate 800 visitors and facilities for consolidation,
erosion prevention, security and visitor services, the Gansu
provincial cultural heritage bureau said.
Around 70 percent of the money will come from the central
government and the rest from the province.
The 1,600-year-old Mogao Grottoes boast more than 2,000 colored
sculptures and 45,000 sq m of frescoes.
The site was given World Heritage status in 1987.
Wang Xudong, vice-president of the Dunhuang Academy, which
protects and researches the grottoes, said: "The new facilities are
designed to reduce the amount of time visitors spend inside the
grottoes."
Experts have said the vapors and carbon dioxide exhaled by
visitors cause damage to the frescoes and sculptures.
About 1,000 years ago, during the Sui and Tang dynasties,
Dunhuang was a major trade hub on the Silk Road. It also became an
important religious center. The sculptures and murals found in the
grottoes have Buddhist, Islamic and Tibetan influences.
About 550,000 domestic and overseas tourists visited the site
last year, up from about 200,000 in 1998.
The small grottoes are often packed with visitors and that poses
a severe threat to the preservation of the frescoes and
sculptures," Wang said.
(Xinhua News Agency February 15, 2008)