CRI听力:Work Starts to Repair China's Qing Imperial Mausoleum

Repair work at the imperial tombs, known as the Eastern Tombs of the Qing Dynasty, has begun.

The work is scheduled for completion next year.

Wang Zhaohua is the deputy director of the Tomb's Cultural Relics Management Office.

"The whole repair project scheduled for the 12th five-year program period will cost over 700 million yuan, covering such areas as relics protection, protection against fire and lightning, as well as technologies used for preservation."

Six relics, including the mausoleum belonging to Emperor Qian Long, are being repaired and more preservation work will start in the spring.

The Eastern Tombs of the Qing Dynasty is a tomb complex located in Hebei Province, housing five emperors and four queens and concubines, and totaling 161 people.

It is China's largest and best preserved burial ground, and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

However, grave robbers and the onslaught of time have left some of relics in a poor state.