This morning (April 18), the main event of the 2024 International Day of Monuments and Sites World Cultural Heritage was held at the Liangzhu Ancient City Site in Hangzhou. With the continuous advancement of the archaeological work of the Liangzhu site, the number of sites within the scope of the reserve has increased from more than 100 to more than 300.
The protection of earthen sites in a humid environment is a worldwide problem, and the rainy and humid environment may bring risks such as collapse and microbial diseases to the site at any time. The Liangzhu site is an earthen site in a complex humid environment, and it has the characteristics of scattered distribution, which is difficult to protect and manage. After more than a year of exploration, what are the new conservation measures for the Liangzhu ancient city site?
Plant essential oil has a significant effect on inhibiting microbial diseases at the site
The 13-meter-high "earthen wall" in front of us is a section of the Laohuling site, which shows us a corner of the water conservancy system on the periphery of the ancient city of Liangzhu, where the staff is spraying plant essential oils to prevent moss and mold diseases.
Gao Haiyan, head of the cultural relics protection team of the Liangzhu Ancient City Ruins Monitoring Center: In the rainy season in Liangzhu, it rains a lot of rain, including water seepage, and the growth frequency of this moss microorganism is particularly high.
In view of the diversity of microorganisms on the surface of the soil site, researchers have developed a compound formula prepared by a variety of plant essential oils to minimize the damage to the site itself.
Zhang Bingjian, Professor, School of Art and Archaeology, Zhejiang University: The first characteristic is that it comes from plants, and the second is oil, so it volatilizes and will slowly go away. In this way, there are two great advantages, the first is environmentally friendly, and the second is reversible, so it will not remain in the body of the cultural relics.
In March last year, this compound formula plant essential oil began to be tested at the Laohuling site and the southern city wall site in the Liangzhu ancient city ruins, and after a year of trial, the results are gradually emerging.
Gao Haiyan, head of the cultural relics protection team of the Liangzhu Ancient City Ruins Monitoring Center: It can effectively inhibit the growth of 98% of mold and microorganisms in the profile.
New tricks in the flood season Technological innovation helps the protection of heritage sites
Starting from April 15, Zhejiang Province entered the flood season. In order to cope with the increase in precipitation, groundwater level, and rainwater infiltration during the flood season, researchers used the digital technology application "Liangzhu Site 5000+" to simulate key elements such as rainfall, water level, and soil moisture near the southern city wall under bad weather. As soon as the data changes, the app automatically issues the corresponding emergency plan.
Yang Xin, Deputy Chief of the Comprehensive Management Section of the Liangzhu Ancient City Ruins Monitoring Center: The southern city wall is an exposed site, and we can only achieve a phased monitoring by using manual inspections in the past, but now we can carry out 24-hour all-round monitoring.
At present, more than 500 cameras and 241 sets of monitoring equipment have been set up in the site area, and the monitored data can be connected to the "Liangzhu Site 5000+" in real time, realizing the all-weather and multi-dimensional protection of the site.
Source: CCTV news client