Chinese restoration teams keep busy throughout Asia

Apart from the work at the Angkor complex, China has been involved in other Asian international cultural heritage and joint archaeological projects.

At the Thatbyinnyu Temple in Bagan, Myanmar, restoration work has been carried out by the Yunnan Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology in Kunming.

The project started last year in the aftermath of an earthquake that hit the ancient city of Bagan in 2016, damaging the upper part of the temple, which was built in 1144.

The work at this temple is aimed at laying down a marker for renovation work at others in the region.

In Saudi Arabia, the National Center of Underwater Cultural Heritage in Beijing is taking part in a Sino-Saudi joint underwater archaeological excavation project at al-Serrian near Jeddah.

This ancient port was on the route of the annual Muslim hajj pilgrimage in ancient times.

The initial 20-day field research at the site, carried out in March and April, discovered the ruins and graveyard of a large city.

The artifacts found there indicate frequent trade with China, Persia, India and many other countries between the ninth and 13th centuries. Chinese experts also trained the first Saudi archaeologist to work underwater as part of this program.

At Jaffna, in northern Sri Lanka, a team from the Shanghai Museum is leading underwater archaeological excavations of port relics.

The 40-day project, which began early last month, is aimed at discovering lesser-known connections between Sri Lanka and the ancient Maritime Silk Road.

The cultural relics unearthed at this site date to the Tang Dynasty (618-907).