The photo taken on August 1 shows the gate of
Yuzhengong Palace. [Photo: Xinhua]
Culture heritage
authorities on Thursday issued a statement to address public concerns regarding
an ongoing protection project for a renowned world heritage site.
The 185-million-yuan (29
million U.S. dollars) project is intended to save the 600-year-old Yuzhengong
Palace from being submerged in water, as an ongoing water diversion project has
threatened the Taoist palace's safety, according to a statement from the State
Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH).
The palace is believed
to have once been the home of famed Taoist Zhang Sanfeng. It is located in
central China's Wudang Mountains, which became a world heritage site in 1994.
However, the ongoing
construction of a south-to-north water diversion project has threatened the
palace, as rising water levels on a nearby reservoir will drown the palace by
2013 as a result of the construction.
A proposal to physically
lift the palace 15 meters above its current height was approved by SACH in 2011
after multiple options were assessed, the statement said.
SACH responded to public
doubts about the project's expense by stating that the funds used for the
project will also cover the restoration and repair of cultural relics, as well
as further excavation.
Archaeologists have
analyzed the site and kept records of all historical information contained
inside, the statement said.
