Storms take their toll on heritage in Shanxi

Experts worried

Of the 1,783 damaged sites in Shanxi, 176 are under national-level protection. Another 143 are under provincial-level protection, and 661 are safeguarded at city or county level.

A total of 89 sites, including two at national level and seven at provincial level, were reported to have experienced major structural damage or partial collapse.

While listed relics will be repaired and renovated, protection experts said they were more worried about those relics not included on lists for government safeguarding.

Shanxi boasts 538 key historical and cultural sites protected at national level, the largest number in the country, according to the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

The province has many more cultural relics that are not included on the government protection list.

Tang Dahua, 52, an enthusiast of ancient architecture, visited 1,200 cultural sites in Shanxi from 2010 to 2014.

"The province is full of surprises. In small villages, you frequently come across ancient temples, pavilions and even delicate murals dating to the Ming Dynasty," he said.

Most of these sites are not included on the government protection list. Tang, who was sad to see wooden buildings damaged by the heavy rainfall, called for the government and businesses to make more efforts to deliver funding and human resources for protection work.

"Among the cultural relics damaged during the rainfall, ancient wooden buildings not listed as protected could come off worse, as they are usually situated in isolated areas. The rainfall could accelerate their state of disrepair," he said.