By Prensa Latina,
Beijing : Resources needed to restore historical cultural relics damaged by the recent quake in southwest China have been estimated at $866 million, Director of Cultural Heritage Shan Jixiang said on Saturday.
The main losses and damages were registered at the epicenter, in the provinces of Sichuan, Gansu, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Shanxi and Hubei, and in the Chonqqing special municipality..
According to Shan, over 400 state-protected relics were seriously damaged in the catastrophe of May 12, including 2,766 museum exhibits, 296 of them considered priceless.
He said the Cultural Heritage Department will request special financial contribution from the central government to carry out the expensive restoration.
Two sites in Dujiangyan city, declared World Heritage by UNESCO, were seriously damaged and need special efforts.
Most of the Erwan (Two Kings) Temple, which dates back 2,000 years, collapsed, and several buildings in Mount Qingcheng, the cradle of Taoism, are in danger of toppling.
Shan said restoration will start this month and technical measures will be taken so that these buildings can be able to withstand other natural disasters in the future.