National Cutural Heritage Administration: the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang do not have the implementation of "humidity surge, mountain torrents and cave collapse" | Administration of Cultural Heritage | the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang | cultural relics | climate change | caves | Mogao Grottoes | protection
On the morning of July 28th, the State Council Information Office held a series of themed press conferences on "Authoritative Department Talks at the Beginning".
With regard to recent media reports that climate change is having some impact on the the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang, and even some media quotes that "mountain torrents, cave collapses, and soaring humidity are already happening", a reporter asked at the press conference, "Did the relevant departments of cultural relics protection notice the potential dangers that these problems may bring? At the same time, how should they effectively respond to these climate change factors?"
In response, Deng Chao, director of the Department of Cultural Relics and Monuments of the National Cutural Heritage Administration, said that we have taken note of recent reports from relevant media. First of all, please rest assured that the the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang do not have the phenomenon of "soaring humidity, mountain torrents and cave collapses" reported by the media. The Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang are located in the arid area of northwest China. The cultural relics are made of special materials and are very sensitive to climate change. The Dunhuang Research Institute has been continuously paying attention to, monitoring, and researching the climate change in the area where the Mogao Grottoes are located. More than 30 years of monitoring data show that the average annual precipitation in the area where Mogao Grottoes are located is about 40mm, mainly light and moderate rain, and heavy rain and rainstorm have only occurred 6 times. The climate in the area where the Mogao Grottoes are located shows an overall trend of warming and drying. In recent decades, there has also been no cave collapse phenomenon.
Deng Chao said that the protection of cultural relics in the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang has achieved remarkable results. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the National Cutural Heritage Administration has approved the implementation of 51 cultural relics protection projects, including the protection of Mogao Grottoes, cliff body reinforcement, and environmental improvement. As of now, the Dunhuang Research Institute has completed the overall protection and repair of 86 caves, forming a complete set of key technical systems such as ancient mural protection, sand and gravel cave cliff reinforcement, comprehensive protection against wind and sand disasters, and cave monitoring and early warning. It has also established the National Technical Research Center for Ancient Mural and Soil Site Protection Engineering. Specifically, in terms of climate change response measures, on the one hand, the problem of rainwater infiltration into caves has been comprehensively solved through protection projects such as strengthening thin roof caves and installing cave doors, which has slowed down the impact of external climate change on the microenvironment inside caves. On the other hand, through comprehensive monitoring, timely grasp of temperature and humidity changes inside the cave, and based on this, implement dynamic open management to ensure that the microenvironment inside the cave is also within the safe threshold range for a long time. At the same time, we worked closely with the meteorological department to establish and improve the rainstorm and flood early warning system and the emergency command platform for sudden floods, so as to know the meteorological change data in advance, effectively predict the sudden weather, and take emergency plans and protective measures in a timely manner.
Deng Chao also mentioned that the National Cutural Heritage Administration will continue to do a good job in the protection of Mogao Grottoes, guide the Dunhuang Research Institute to revise the Overall Plan for the Protection of the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang, implement the Medium and Long term Work Plan for the Protection of Mogao Grottoes Murals and Painted Sculptures, and focus on planning to improve the comprehensive protection capacity of Mogao Grottoes; Implement the third phase flood control project for Mogao Grottoes to reduce the threat of extreme weather floods to the safety of Mogao Grottoes cultural relics; Accelerate the construction of intelligent warehouse doors and enhance the ability to regulate the micro environment of cave storage facilities. The Mogao Grottoes are an example, and we have taken many measures to address climate change in the field of ancient ruins, grottoes, and temples. The National Cutural Heritage Administration, together with the Chongqing Municipal Government, will hold the first International Forum on Cave Temple Protection in Dazu, Chongqing on August 19. The theme of the forum will focus on the issue of "Cave Temple Protection under Climate Change".
