A file photo shows the central Buddha statue of the Bingling Temple Grottoes in Yongjing County, northwest China’s Gansu Province. /CFP
The Bingling Temple Grottoes, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site situated in Yongjing County in northwest China’s Gansu Province, officially reopened to the public on December 26 after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake rattled the region last week.
A file photo shows two Buddha statues at the Bingling Temple Grottoes in Yongjing County, northwest China’s Gansu Province. /CFP
Due to the impact of the powerful earthquake in the province’s plateau county of Jishishan, the renowned grottoes were temporarily forced to close on December 19.
The earthquake triggered falling rocks and caused cracks to form in the walls of a building within the complex, prompting safety concerns and its closure for further assessment and repairs.
A file photo shows some statues at the Bingling Temple Grottoes in Yongjing County, northwest China’s Gansu Province. /CFP
According to a recent report by Xinhua, safety inspections and risk assessments have been conducted by the Cultural Relics Department of Gansu Province in the past few days. As a result, the grottoes and their support facilities now meet safety standards and are able to reopen.
A file photo shows some statues at the Bingling Temple Grottoes in Yongjing County, northwest China’s Gansu Province. /CFP
The Bingling Temple Grottoes were carved into the cliffs on the north bank of the Yellow River in the early Western Jin Dynasty (265-317). Along with other sites along the Silk Road, the grottoes were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.
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