For example, in Xuancheng, a city next to Huangshan in Anhui, Lecheng
Bridge-a heritage site under provincial-level key protection-which was
also first built during the Ming Dynasty and was rebuilt during the Qing
Dynasty, collapsed on Monday. In the UNESCO World Heritage site Wudangshan Mountains, an ancient
architectural complex for Taoism in Shiyan, Hubei province, a temple
from the Qing Dynasty was severely damaged by flooding as well. The administration released a statement on Tuesday night urging local
governments to keep an eye on the effect of flooding on cultural
heritage sites and make sure any damage is immediately reported to local
cultural heritage administrations. "Cultural heritage administrators should cooperate closely with
emergency management, environment and meteorological departments to
screen for possible dangers and minimize loss," the statement said. "And the construction materials (torn apart by the flood) should be carefully searched for and preserved." "Good preparation is crucial to counter such natural disasters,
particularly for smaller architectural structures," said Liu Qingzhu, a
researcher with the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of
Social Sciences. "If abundant information was surveyed and recorded in
detail beforehand, future restoration would be much easier." An expert panel organized by the Anhui Provincial Cultural Heritage
Administration arrived at the site of the Zhenhai Bridge on Tuesday
afternoon. Due to the abundant mapping and surveying done previously, rebuilding
"would not be too difficult", according to a report from Anhui TV. Liu emphasized that new technology should be adopted when restoring
cultural heritage sites. For example, after the devastating
8.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Sichuan province in 2008, many
restored ancient structures added modern earthquake-proof facilities. "Though sticking to original materials and craftsmanship is widely
hailed as a fundamental principle in restoring cultural relics, to
better serve today's people, modern technology has to play a key role as
well," Liu said.
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