China News Service, Ordos, October 27 (Reporter Li Aiping) Officials of the Ordos Otuoke Banner of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region stated on the 27th that the banner will strive to include the protection of the Arzhai Grottoes in the national "14th Five-Year Plan".
The Alzhai Grotto, known as "Prairie Dunhuang", is located in Otuoke Banner, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. There are 65 caves and 22 relief stone towers. The murals in the cave are painted with yurts, riding and shooting, hunting and funeral customs, etc. The scene is the only Buddhist art treasure house in China's grassland area that integrates temples, grotto buildings, cliff carvings, murals, and sculptures.
Morigen Qilao, director of the Aerzhai Grottoes Research Institute in Inner Mongolia, said that since 2005, governments at all levels in Inner Mongolia have continuously strengthened the protection of the Aerzhai Grottoes.
The picture shows the murals in the Aerzhai Grottoes.
Photo courtesy of Aerzhai Grottoes Research Institute, Inner Mongolia
“We strictly follow the requirements of the "Aerzhai Grottoes Master Protection Plan (2005-2025)" approved by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and the "Aerzhai Grottoes Murals Protection Program" and "Aerzhai Grottoes Rock Mass Reinforcement Overall Protection Program" compiled by the Dunhuang Research Institute. Comprehensively improve the protection and management level of Aerzhai Grottoes." Morigen Qilao told reporters that the current task is to strive to include the protection of Aerzhai Grottoes in the national "14th Five-Year Plan".
The reporter learned from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Cultural Relics Bureau that in 2005, the State Cultural Relics Bureau approved the "Aerzhai Grottoes Master Protection Plan (2005-2025)", delineated and announced the grotto protection scope and construction control area, and successively invested 31.456 million yuan for Dangerous rock mass reinforcement, mural protection, security and archaeological excavation.
According to reports, since 2005, Aerzhai Grottoes have completed the third-phase project of the reinforcement and protection of dangerous rock masses.
The mural protection and digital protection project was fully launched in August 2018, and it is planned to be completed in October 2021.
In June 2020, it organized the construction of the renovation and upgrade project of the safety protection intelligent system, and it was officially put into use in September.
The picture shows the cultural relic staff is repairing the mural.
Photo courtesy of Aerzhai Grottoes Research Institute, Inner Mongolia
It is worth mentioning that Aerzhai Grottoes in Inner Mongolia has also held two "China·Aerzhai Cultural Festival" and academic forums, and published and distributed a series of academic research results such as "Aerzhai Research Collection" and "Aerzhai Grottoes Murals".
The official said that with the in-depth development of the above-mentioned work, the restoration of the disease of the Aerzhai Grottoes' murals has basically been completed, the larger hidden dangers of dangerous rock masses have been basically rectified, and the destruction of man-made carvings has been completely stopped.
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