DUNHUANG, China — The caves here are very old. Buddhist religious men carved them into cliffs by hand more than 1,500 years ago. They painted the caves to show important Buddhist stories. They also stored religious papers in the caves.

The caves faced many dangers over the years. There were floods and earthquakes. Explorers visited the caves and took things away. Russian soldiers even lived in the caves during a war in the 1920s.

Still, the caves survived.

Today the caves are facing a new danger: tourists.

Sand And Hot Air

A million tourists will visit the caves this year. They want to see the caves, to learn about them. Still, the tourists can do damage. They carry large backpacks. Their hot breath is not good for the paintings.

Chinese and American scientists have been working together to protect the caves for more than 20 years. They made a long-term plan to protect these caves.

The first step is to examine the caves closely. The scientists want to learn everything they can. Then they can figure out what might damage the cave paintings. They found that sand and hot air are dangers here.

The scientists have put doors on the caves to keep hot air out. They are also limiting the number of people that can visit each day.

At the same time, the scientists want to make the caves more famous around the world. A new $50 million visitor center opened this month. It shows two high-tech films about the caves and paintings. The films allow people to learn about the caves without spending too much time inside them.

"Elephant Lifting"

The cave paintings are important for many reasons. They are a collection of very old Buddhist art. They also show what life was like long ago in China, on the Silk Road. The Silk Road was the long path traders took between Europe and Asia.

Researchers have learned a lot by studying the paintings. They learned about very old Chinese clothing and dance. They learned about musical instruments and sports. They even discovered an old sport called “elephant lifting.”

The caves also contain many religious sculptures. There is one huge carved Buddha wearing giant orange robes. It is more than 100 feet high and almost 40 feet wide.

The scientists believe their plans will keep the caves in good shape for the future. They also hope their work can be an example on how to protect other special places in the world. ]]>