Rain threat to Caves of a Thousand Buddhas

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July 17, 2019

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Rain threat to Caves of a Thousand Buddhas

Source: Xinhua | 08:14 UTC+8 July 17, 2019 |

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As rainfall increases, the ancient grottoes in northwest China’s Gansu Province, home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Mogao Grottoes, are facing unprecedented challenges.

The arid climate in China’s western areas is a major reason why the grottoes have been preserved for thousands of years.

Besides the renowned Mogao Grottoes — the Caves of a Thousand Buddhas — in Dunhuang, Gansu Province is also home to the Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui and Binglingsi Grottoes in Yongjing, where torrential rains lashed the sites and caused landslides in 2018. The grottoes are home to exquisite, well-preserved murals and sculptures.

However, heavy rain recently hit the city of Dunhuang. It was the biggest rainfall around the grottoes since the Dunhuang Academy China began rain records in 1989. Although the downpours did not do much damage to the grottoes, they caused falling rocks and water leaks. The only road leading to the grottoes was also damaged by floods.

Research shows that the climate in China’s western areas is undergoing a gradual change from warm-dry to warm-wet. The drought and water shortage in northwest China has not changed, but there is a trend of increasing rainfall and rising temperatures, especially in flood seasons, said Han Tao, a meteorological expert in Lanzhou, the provincial capital.

“Although the impact of rain on the grottoes needs to be further observed, it is definitely detrimental to the conservation,” said Guo Qinglin, from the Dunhuang Academy China.

Rain can cause floods and rockfalls, threatening the security of people and the grottoes, with murals inside possibly eroded by high humidity. Flood-control projects have been constructed around the grottoes by the National Cultural Heritage Administration since 2011.

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Rain threat to Caves of a Thousand Buddhas

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