The cultural relics department has called for efforts to protect the Xumishan grotto, one of China's ten largest grottos, in Guyuan County in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

The grotto, built between the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and the Tang Dynasty (618-907), has been deteriorating due to both natural and human factors over the past years.

Moreover, the lack of fund and appropriate protective measures has exacerbated the problem.

The 150 caves scatted over eight mountain peaks have more than 350 Buddhist statues and were listed as a key state-level cultural site in 1982.

Beginning in 1984, relevant departments have allocated over 5 million yuan to preserve the caves, but Guyuan County, a poor area, has not invested in the work for financial reasons, and the 100,000 yuan revenue from ticket sales every year is not enough to cover the cost of maintenance of the historic site.