Clay mausoleums dating back to the Western Xia Dynasty
(1032-1227) in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, also known as
the "Pyramids of China", are in danger of collapsing due to damage
by the elements, especially wind erosion, over the last 1,000
years.
"The largest tomb, about 15 meters high, has a two-meter deep
and one-meter wide crack, and a 10-meter stretch of the western
wall has collapsed," said Dai Wenzhen, deputy director of the
administration office of the tombs.
Most tombs belonging to noblemen face similar problems, Dai
said, adding that partial ruin has been reported of some tombs.
"The entire group of noblemen's tombs is in danger of vanishing.
Protection measures for the tombs must be put in place at once,"
Dai said.
The Western Xia Imperial Tombs comprise nine mausoleums of
emperors and 207 tombs belonging to noblemen.
In 2000, the Chinese government channeled 10 million yuan (about
US$1.25 million) for the repair and protection of the No.3 imperial
tomb. Experts sprayed, daubed and injected chemical materials into
the tomb walls.
The experts also reinforced the bottom of No.1, 2, 4 and 6
imperial tombs to curb the effects of wind erosion.
As a result of these efforts, the speed degradation of some of
the imperial tombs has been slowed down, but the lesser tombs have
not been protected as adequately because of a lack of financial
resources.
The Western Xia mausoleums, together with 13 other natural
attractions and cultural relics, are classified under the first
group on the country's heritage list.
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(Xinhua News Agency June 1, 2006)