Restoration on 10 grottoes with frescoes in Inner Mongolia complete

Ten grottoes featuring 250.6 square meters of frescoes have been restored in Otog Banner, Ordos city, north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, a local research center said on Oct. 8.

The restoration of the Arjai Grottoes, nicknamed the “Mogao Grottoes” in the grasslands, started in 2018. Out of the 65 grottoes at the site, 41 have remained intact.

“The restoration of another three grottoes is expected to finish in 2021,” said Sun Junyong, site manager, adding that experts have taken pictures of the frescoes and stored them in digital form.

The frescoes of the Arjai Grottoes mostly depict themes of the Western Xia Dynasty (1038-1227) and the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), and the restoration could delay the decay of the frescoes caused by the harsh natural conditions, the head of the center shared.

“We will continue to work with the Dunhuang Academy China to further explore the historical, artistic and cultural significance of the frescoes in the Yuan Dynasty,” the head of the center added.