China pledges to promote cultural relics protection through sci-tech methods

BEIJING -- China will improve the application of sci-tech in cultural relics protection during the country's 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), said an official with the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).

A plan on cultural relics protection and sci-tech innovation will be released. China will continuously strengthen the basic research and interdisciplinary research to deepen the understanding of civilization and cultural relics and improve the theoretical system of cultural relics protection, Wu Yuanbin, director-general of science and technology for social development with MOST, told a press conference on Wednesday.

China will achieve new breakthroughs in safety and protection of cultural relics, monitoring and early warning, archaeological discovery and residue analysis, structural stability evaluation of cultural relics, and rescue and protection of cultural relics, Wu said.

"The country has made good progress and achievements in the study of cultural relics, including isotope analysis, trace element analysis, organic residue analysis and DNA research," he added.

China will also enhance the display of cultural relics through sci-tech means, Wu said.