An ambitious water diversion project in China risks submerging cultural relics up to 4,000 years old, despite efforts by heritage officials to rescue them, state media said yesterday.
With just three years left before the South-North Water Diversion Project -- a US$25 billion scheme to divert water from China's lush south to its parched north -- is finished, only one-third of the preservation project has been completed, the China Daily reported.
The relics along the path of the water project are "far more valuable" than those along the Three Gorges Dam project, both in terms of quality and quantity, according to Li Taoyuan (
"Considering the work involved in excavating and protecting relics in the entire region [of the project], the time constraints defy imagination," he was quoted as saying.
Heritage workers have already cleared more than 2,000 tombs, temples and other cultural sites and have relocated about 10,000 pieces of ancient ceramic, copper, jade and bone objects -- but these are only a fraction of relics that are worth saving in the area.
A lack of funding and manpower are to blame for the slow progress of preservation works and archeologists are also fighting to save the relics from professional robbers, the article said.
The 1,300km route of the water project, which will pump water from a major tributary of the Yangtze river to Beijing by 2010, cuts across the relics-rich region dubbed "the cradle of the Chinese civilization."
The project will submerge numerous cultural relics, including sites from the Xia and Zhou dynasties dating back 3,000 to 4,000 years.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS