Priceless relics will be restored
Source: Xinhua |
April 20, 2010, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
RESCUE chiefs in northwest China's Qinghai Province yesterday ordered local authorities to assess damage to historic and cultural relics damaged in last week's devastating earthquake and to draw up plans for their restoration.
The Culture, Press and Publication Department of Qinghai Province and the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture government were required to set up a team to assess the damage, said Wang Jianping, vice director of the department.
The magnitude-7.1 quake seriously damaged historical and cultural sites.
The State Administration of Cultural Heritage was also considering sending experts to assess the damage and make restoration plans, said Wang.
The Xinzhai Mani Pagoda, a national cultural heritage site, was 40 percent destroyed, and the remaining 60 percent was on the verge of collapse, said Wang. The Gyanak Mani Stone Mound in Yushu County, the world's largest Mani stone pile, also collapsed.
Mani stones are stone plates and rocks inscribed with Lamaist mantra prayers or other symbols of Tibetan Buddhism. They are usually placed along roadsides and rivers, or piled up to form mounds or long walls.
The Mani stone mound is an important holy site in Yushu County, where 97 percent of the population are Tibetan.
Local Tibetans have already started to restack the Mani stones while the government concentrated on saving lives.
Started in the 1700s, the Gyanak pile has more than 2 billion Mani stones.
It is not clear how many relics in the quake-hit region have been damaged.
The Culture, Press and Publication Department of Qinghai Province and the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture government were required to set up a team to assess the damage, said Wang Jianping, vice director of the department.
The magnitude-7.1 quake seriously damaged historical and cultural sites.
The State Administration of Cultural Heritage was also considering sending experts to assess the damage and make restoration plans, said Wang.
The Xinzhai Mani Pagoda, a national cultural heritage site, was 40 percent destroyed, and the remaining 60 percent was on the verge of collapse, said Wang. The Gyanak Mani Stone Mound in Yushu County, the world's largest Mani stone pile, also collapsed.
Mani stones are stone plates and rocks inscribed with Lamaist mantra prayers or other symbols of Tibetan Buddhism. They are usually placed along roadsides and rivers, or piled up to form mounds or long walls.
The Mani stone mound is an important holy site in Yushu County, where 97 percent of the population are Tibetan.
Local Tibetans have already started to restack the Mani stones while the government concentrated on saving lives.
Started in the 1700s, the Gyanak pile has more than 2 billion Mani stones.
It is not clear how many relics in the quake-hit region have been damaged.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
