By alleviating the impacts of mining industry and adopting 3D scanning technology, Datong City in north China's Shanxi Province works to conserve tens of thousands of stone Buddhist sculptures in Yungang Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage.
Located in western Datong, a traditional coal-mining city, Yungang Grottoes were surrounded by major coal transportation routes. As a result, sulfur dioxide in the soot eroded the fragile statues in the grottoes, which were cut from the mid-5th Century to early 6th Century AD.
The site with a carved area of 18,000 square meters is home to 252 caves and niches and 51,000 statues. They represent the outstanding achievement of Buddhist cave art in China.
In an effort to protect the cultural heritage, local authorities suspended the old coal transportation road and built a new one away from the cultural site. Nearby residential buildings were also relocated for building the grottoes into a scenic spot surrounded by planted forest.
Removing dusts from stone Buddhist sculptures, leveling bends, and mending cracks, cultural relic conservators who work in dark grottoes have to face a dozen of challenges.
They are also deploying 3D scanning technologies to a building data base for each sculpture.
"The data we collect now is measured by millimeter or sub-millimeter levels, which is precise enough to make a high-precision digital replication of the whole grottoes. Collecting data as exactly as this is for recording the status of the cultural relics so that the data will be used in the following restoration and also exhibition," said Wang Jiaxin, a technician of the digital center of the Yungang Grottoes Research Institute.
Shanxi protects ancient Buddhist grottoes through environmental conservation, 3D scanning
Iran is willing to keep strengthening bilateral relations and enhancing cooperation with China, President Masoud Pezeshkian told reporters on Monday in the capital Tehran.
Pezeshkian made the remarks during his first news conference since taking office in late July.
Iran was admitted to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as a member state in 2023 and has achieved full membership in the BRICS group from January 1, 2024.
When asked how he views the prospect of China-Iran relations, Pezeshkian hailed China's successful mediation that led to the reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia while eying deeper bilateral cooperation with China.
"Iran has always maintained good relations with China. Chinese mediation to resolve Iran-Saudi disputes marks a big step towards regional harmony. Iran is a comprehensive strategic partner of China. We will work to strengthen [bilateral relations] and implement relevant agreements. We hope to advance that cooperation," he said.
When it comes to tensions in the Middle East, Pezeshkian accused Israel of trying to drag Iran into the conflict and undermining regional peace by assassinating former Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Iran has remained restrained but reserves the right to self-defense under specific conditions, he stressed.
The Iranian president also condemned Israel for committing war crimes and genocide against Palestinians, urging the international community to condemn and stop these actions.
On relations with the United States, Pezeshkian noted that Iran seeks peace instead of war, and has no plans to develop nuclear weapons. However, the United States has torn up the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and imposed comprehensive sanctions against Iran.
The improvement of U.S.-Iran relations depends on whether the United States will remove its hostility towards Iran and lift the sanctions, he said.
He called on countries in the region to strengthen solidarity, bridge differences, and stop the crimes committed by Israel. Iran stands ready to continue enhancing cooperation with friendly countries such as China within the framework of multilateralism to achieve win-win results, said Pezeshkian.
Iran stands ready to strengthen bilateral ties with China: president
