Historical Preservation

China's Mogao Grottoes: Historical Preservation

Case Study »  China's Mogao Grottoes: Historical Preservation

China's Mogao Grottoes: Historical Preservation

Project Summary
Location:
near Dunhuang, China

Contracting Agencies:
Getty Conservation Institute, Dunhuang Academy, State Bureau of Cultural Relics of China

Measured Parameters:
Relative humidity, air temperature, surface temperature, carbon dioxide, indoor and outdoor particulates, visitor count and duration

The Magao Grottoes consist of 492 caves carved into a cliffside near Dunhuang, China. The caves contain hundreds of Buddhist wall paintings and painted sculptures dating back to the 4th century A.D. As the site became a more popular tourist attraction in the 1980s, there was a need to determine the impact of tourism on the paintings and sculptures. To this end, environmental monitoring stations were installed in six of the caves in 1990. The stations monitor air temperature, relative humidity, surface temperature, indoor and outdoor particulate matter, carbon dioxide, visitor count, and duration of visit. A weather station was installed on the top of the cliff to collect baseline data.