Landslides and a lack of funds are both threatening the future existence of an ancient pagoda in the city of Yan'an in northern Shaanxi Province.

The pagoda, built in the early period of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), is a state-class key cultural relic and is located on top of Baota Hill. It is the symbol of the city which used to be the headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

Heavy rains have caused a number of landslides on the hill over the past few years, seriously threatening the pagoda. This situation is expected to get worse, warned Luo Tingrong, head of the Geological Environment Section of the Yan'an Land Resources Bureau.

Over the past 40 years, the local government had allocated special funds twice in order to protect the pagoda, but this has not totally prevented the threat of future landslides, Luo said.

In 1999, an in-depth investigation conducted by local departments revealed that three parts of the hill were vulnerable to landslides, three other parts were loose and two more were not fixed properly. A part of the hill which is vulnerable to landslides is only 19 meters away from the pagoda, Luo said.

In 2000, a plan was drawn up to protect the pagoda from the threat of future landslides, but this requires an investment of around 100 million yuan (US$12.1 million), which is too heavy a burden for the local authorities, Luo said.

The local government has been making efforts to find other sources of funding to help protect the pagoda, Luo added.

(China Daily July 31, 2003)