Shanxi cave temple conservation forum reviews protection efforts among climate change

The International Forum on Cave Temple Conservation 2026 opened on Monday in Datong, Shanxi province, aiming to review heritage conservation during climate change and discuss avenues to further protection efforts.

Rao Quan, director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, said at the opening ceremony that over the past five years, China has carried out more than 400 cave temple preservation and restoration projects, along with environmental improvement initiatives. During the process, the nation's climate-adaptive capacity for cave temple protection improved, and protection work has achieved phased results. A nationwide survey of cave temples has also been completed, and a data platform for cave temple resources has been established.

"Advanced practices in wind and sand control, flood mitigation, and intelligent monitoring offer Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions for cave temple conservation," Rao stated.

Lazare Eloundou Assomo, director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, said via video message that high temperatures, erosion, floods, and sandstorms are exerting an impact on cultural and natural heritage. "China's continued efforts in heritage conservation, monitoring, scientific research, and technological innovation offer valuable experience for international exchange," he noted.

Zhu Xiaodong, vice-governor of Shanxi province and Party secretary of Datong, said Shanxi is home to 1,112 cave temples and stone carvings. The Yungang Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site, contain 45 caves and more than 59,000 statues. In recent years, water seepage and unstable rock formations at the grottoes have been effectively treated, and conservation efforts are shifting from emergency rescue to preventive and research-based approaches, he said.

The site has installed China's first monitoring and intelligent regulation system for water condensation inside caves, he added. The system has achieved an over 97 percent reduction in the generation of water condensation, breaking a bottleneck in the remediation of grotto damage.

Launched in 2023, the International Forum on Cave Temple Conservation has become an important platform for sharing conservation concepts, technologies, and practices, as well as for international cooperation.

Wang Juan contributed to this story.