24/7 security and protection project for Longmen Grottoes

Updated: 2016-01-08

Longmen, located 12 kilometers south of Luoyang in Henan province is also called Yique (the gate of the Yi River) and house to tens of thousands of grottoes of magnificent Buddhist art. To upgrade protection of the world heritage, Longmen Grottoes has implemented a round-the-clock security and protection project.

Under the project, to improve the security techniques and achieve all-around supervision, all the security measures have been implemented strictly following the requirements by State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

A comprehensive system has been built based on the object to customize an advanced security protection system for the grottoes. It includes an anti-theft alarm supported by image and voice checks, information sharing with the supervision center and communication between subsystems. It presents the staff with a real-time view of every place in the region.

The security project is a combination of human and material resources and advanced techniques. A specialized security management office has also been set up to provide training and education of disciplines, skills and risk awareness for the staff. Nearly one hundred security personnel patrol the region day and night and make real-time communications with the supervision center. Besides, 16 safety guards have been hired from surrounding villages to patrol the relics nearby.

In 2007, the protecting walls on East and West hills were renovated to 3.5 meters high. Fences were built around valuable niches and decorated with patterns such as lotus, peony, dragon and phoenix, and Buddha. All have added beauty to the scenic spot while providing protection.

The project received recognition from experts of Henan Provincial Bureau of Cultural Relics as well for its scientific design, advanced devices, fine layout and concealed construction. They say that the project which provides substantial protection for the Longmen is a good example for other cultural relic in the province to follow.

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