The Academic Seminar on Archaeology and Protection of Grotto Temples in Shandong Province Was Held

In order to thoroughly implement the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping on the protection of grotto temples, and to discuss and promote the protection and utilization of grotto temples, on July 5th, the Shandong Province Grotto Temple Archaeology and Protection Academic Seminar was held in Dongping County, Tai'an City, under the guidance of the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism (Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau) and hosted by the Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Tai'an City Cultural and Tourism Bureau, and Dongping County People's Government.

Wang Tingqi, Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and Deputy Director of the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, Su Xuefeng, Vice Chairman of the Tai'an Municipal Political Consultative Conference and Director of the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, Sun Bo, President of the Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, experts in the archaeology and protection of grotto temples inside and outside the province, persons in charge of the cultural and tourism bureaus of Jinan, Qingdao, Zibo, Zaozhuang, Yantai, Weifang, Jining, Tai'an, and Linyi cities, and responsible officials in charge of relevant units directly under the department attended the meeting.

Wang Tingqi pointed out that grotto temples integrate sculpture art, mural art, and architectural art, and are a concentrated embodiment of ancient Chinese civilization. All levels should strengthen research, learn and apply the latest research results, and explore and interpret the cultural value of grotto temples and stone carvings. Efforts should be made to strengthen planning, strive for more projects to be included in the "Grotto China" protection project, and promote the rescue and protection work of grotto temples throughout the province, strengthen safety and implement the Safe Grottoes Project, promote the utilization and the integration of culture and tourism, and create a unique tourism route for grotto temples. Meanwhile, efforts should be made to cultivate the team to provide strong support for the protection of grotto temples and stone carvings and strengthen supervision and ensure the implementation of the protection and utilization of grotto temples.

During the conference, attendees conducted on-site inspections of the Baifoshan Grottoes and Lingquan Temple ruins. Fourteen experts and scholars from both inside and outside the province conducted in-depth academic discussions and exchanges on the archaeology and protection of grotto temples.