Friends and colleagues: The remarkable cultural heritage of China, one of the world’s great and most ancient civilizations, is manifest in numerous magnificent buildings and architectural complexes, many of which are threatened by modern development or are in decay.  The modern response to these threats provides some reason for hope, as shown in Saving Asia’s Treasures: Foguang Temple, Shanxi, China, the latest video feature on our nonprofit streaming-media Web site, The Archaeology Channel (http://www.archaeologychannel.org  ).
 
The 1,200-year old Foguang Temple in Shanxi Province, China, is one the most important remaining wooden architectural jewels of Chinese civilization.  Built during the Tang Dynasty, the temple is a tribute to the peak of Buddhist art and architecture from the 9th century AD.  Without regular maintenance and conservation by successive Chinese dynasties, the structure has fallen into dangerous state of disrepair.  Global Heritage Fund (GHF) of Palo Alto, California, will provide funding and expertise for the investigation, planning and scientific conservation of the site.
 
This and other programs are available on TAC for your use and enjoyment.  We urge you to support this public service by participating in our Membership (http://www.archaeologychannel.org/member.html) and Underwriting (http://www.archaeologychannel.org/sponsor.shtml) programs.  Only with your help can we continue and enhance our nonprofit public-education and visitor-supported programming.  We also welcome new content partners as we reach out to the world community.
 
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Richard M. Pettigrew, Ph.D., RPA
President and Executive Director
Archaeological Legacy Institute
http://www.archaeologychannel.org  




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