A two-day symposium focused on the protection and preservation of the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan province, attracted over 140 attendees, including experts and officials from leading institutions.

Speaking at the symposium, Ren Wei, director of the Henan Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage, said that the province served as the national political, economic, and cultural center for more than 3,000 years.

By leveraging technology and deepening academic research, we aim to advance its preservation from emergency restoration to preventive conservation, said Yu Jie, Party secretary and research curator of the Longmen Grottoes Academy.

The grottoes have become an important platform for enhancing the international influence and communication power of Chinese culture, Yu added.

The Longmen Grottoes Academy and the China Academy of Cultural Heritage signed a strategic cooperation agreement on Tuesday. The two sides are set to team up in conservation and talent training.

Tourism figures show that the site received 8.51 million visits in 2025, a 10.4 percent increase year-on-year, including 117,000 inbound visits, up eightfold from the previous year.