Luoyang, central China's Henan Province -- once the capital of 13 ancient dynasties and renowned for its Buddhist grottoes that stand as testaments to human devotion and artistry -- recently hosted global heritage experts to address the preservation of the world's fragile stone heritage.

The International Forum on Cave Temple Conservation 2025 convened from Aug. 19 to 21 in Luoyang, home to the iconic Longmen Grottoes. Attendees included specialists from over 10 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Cambodia, Singapore and Japan, alongside international organization representatives and Chinese scholars.

Participants exchanged insights on cave temple preservation and inheritance, jointly exploring scientific approaches to conservation.

"Cave temples are extraordinary monuments to human creativity, spiritual devotion and cross-cultural exchange. These sacred spaces embody complex histories, intricate craftsmanship and a profound connection between people and their environment," said Duong Bich Hanh, director of the culture sector, UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia. "They remind us that heritage is both local and universal, an integral part of humanity's shared story."

China brings invaluable expertise to global cave temple conservation. A 2021 national survey recorded 5,986 cave temples and cliff statues, including UNESCO World Heritage sites such as Mogao Grottoes in northwest China's Dunhuang, Yungang Grottoes in the northern city of Datong and Longmen Grottoes.

Xie Bing, deputy head of China's National Cultural Heritage Administration, highlighted the country's theoretical and practical innovations in cultural heritage conservation over the past two decades.

"A comprehensive protection strategy -- encompassing value interpretation, monitoring and early warning, environmental control, disaster management and restoration -- has become a consensus," Xie said, emphasizing China's systematic and holistic conservation framework for cave temples.

This integrated approach is now a model for the world. Long Kosal, deputy director-general of the APSARA National Authority of Cambodia, expressed keen interest at the forum.

"China's grottoe preservation model offers a highly effective approach," Kosal said, highlighting China's successful practices in preserving the authenticity of cultural heritage while enhancing cultural identity and boosting local economies.

Technical ambition was on full display at the forum. Su Bomin, dean of the Dunhuang Academy, presented a province-wide digital monitoring platform encompassing six major grottoe sites, providing key data to track dynamic changes comprehensively and preemptively identify potential risks.

The newly inaugurated Longmen Grottoes heritage scientific conservation center features state-of-the-art research facilities, including specialized laboratories for mechanics, biology, and materials science. The center is equipped with high-tech instrumentation such as rock permeability analyzers, Raman spectrometers and 3D printers.

A particularly compelling innovation was the microbial mineralization technique for stone relic restoration, developed by Liu Hanlong -- academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor at Chongqing University. This breakthrough attracted significant attention from international participants. Nawaz-ud-Din Siddiqui, director of the Swat Museum in Pakistan, praised China's advanced conservation technologies and expressed strong interest in future collaborative preservation projects.

Digital technologies have also immortalized China's cave temple treasures in virtual space. Through systematic application of 3D digitization, Longmen Grottoes has pioneered a complete workflow for the virtual reconstruction of dispersed heritage, achieving digital reintegration of fragmented statues. At Dunhuang, a newly launched "digital cave library" has assembled 9,900 scrolls and over 60,000 images of sutras and paintings -- many once scattered abroad -- into one publicly accessible platform.

China's international collaborations in cave temple conservation -- including the restoration of Cambodia's Angkor Wat temples, Dunhuang's Belt and Road partnerships and a China-Italy stone conservation lab -- have substantially boosted its global influence in heritage preservation.

"We're looking forward to pooling global expertise through extensive exchanges and in-depth cooperation to better safeguard cave temples as shared treasures of human civilization," Xie said.