China, France to cooperate on Notre-Dame restoration

Beijing: China and France will work together on the restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris and the protection of China’s Terracotta Warriors.

According to the Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum in Shaanxi Province, the joint research endeavor with France’s Foundation for Cultural Heritage Sciences will predominantly focus on the protection of wooden remains and earthen archaeological sites.

The collaboration started with a cooperation document on the restoration of Notre-Dame signed in November 2019. Since then, the relevant departments from China and France have engaged in rounds of correspondence to discuss related issues.

Both Notre-Dame and Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum are esteemed UNESCO sites.

In 2019, Notre-Dame Cathedral was engulfed in a massive fire that caused extensive damage to its wooden framework. The cathedral has remained closed since then, and is scheduled to reopen in December 2024.