Salvage of Beichuan´s precious archives begins

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Source: CCTV.com | 07-06-2008 12:59

Special Report:   Strong quake jolts SW China
Special Report:   Post-quake reconstruction

Almost two months after the earthquake devastated Beichuan in Sichuan, work has begun to salvage the county's historical archives from under the rubble. The documents provide a valuable insight into one of China's unique ethnic groups.

Almost two months after the earthquake devastated Beichuan in Sichuan, work has begun to salvage the county's historical archives from under the rubble.

Over 70,000 files at the Beichuan archive bureau were buried in the earthquake. Over three hundred workers from Chengdu, along with twelve excavators, are salvaging the files.

Beichuan is the only Qiang autonomous county in China, and has a history of over 1400 years. The 6-story Qiang History Museum housed precious historical items about the Qiang ethnic group.

Zhang Xin, Deputy Director of Sichuan Province Archives Bureau said "Some of the buried files record Beichuan's history. If these files are lost, part of Beichuan's history will be lost too. Saving the files is like saving history."

The documents have been soaking in rainwater for almost two months. Workers squeezed through gaps and prised open the damaged filing cabinets before passing the files out one by one.

Gao Wei, Political Division Commissar of Chengdu Military Area Command said "We expect to dig out all the historical files in four or five days."

So far, more than 20,000 items have been recovered and sent to Mianyang.

 

Editor:Xiong Qu