Tombs of eight notable Qing Dynasty figures, including those of Emperor Qianlong's and Empress Dowager Cixi's, will be relocated to avoid decomposition, Chinese archaeologists in Hebei Province said.
From the Eastern Qing Tombs in Zhunhua City, the imperial family's coffins will be moved to another place to avoid further decay. With the approval of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the restoration will push through.
According to Cultural Relics Management Office Head Wang Zhaohua, traditional carpentry and painting will be used to prevent the coffins' fast decay.
It was in 1928 when the buried tombs were ransacked and split open by troops of warlord Sun Dianying, along with several rare treasures disguised as funeral objects. Among those retrieved were coffins of Emperor Qianlong's and Empress Dowager Cixi's.
With a humid atmosphere, the "underground palace" was where the coffins have been kept ever since.
Wang said that in order to preserve the coffins, the decayed parts will be removed and the remaining will be repaired with low nitrogen-oxygen technology. This will keep the conservation of the artifacts for a long-term basis.
The whole maintenance was budgeted for 15 million yuan ($2.4 million), Wang revealed.
With 15 mausoleums and 586 buildings, the Eastern Qing Tombs cradles tombs of 161 imperial family members.