A SYSTEMATIC assessment of damage to caves at the Maijishan Grottoes in Northwest China’s Gansu Province has been conducted as part of a restoration project, according to local authorities. The assessment has categorized 221 caves in the grottoes into three risk-level rankings, with 32 caves among the most severely at-risk of damage through collapse and murals in the caves falling off. The Maijishan Grottoes are a 1,600-year-old UNESCO World Heritage site consisting of about 200 caves and more than 10,000 Buddhist sculptures. “The general assessment is in preparation of our protection and restoration work,” said Yue Yongqiang, deputy director of Maijishan Grottoes art institute preservation division. Due to naturally occurring humidity and erosion, cracks have appeared on some cave walls and some sculptures and murals are in a state of decay. The Maijishan Grottoes are one of China’s four largest Buddhist cave systems, along with the Mogao, Yungang and Longmen grottoes in Gansu, Shanxi and Henan provinces respectively. (Xinhua) ? | 