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With Chinese and foreign scientists working in close coordination, protection work on the No. 85 grotto of the world-renowned Mogao Grottoes near Dunhuang in northwestern Gansu Province will be completed in the first half of next year, officials said yesterday.

The cooperation between the Dunhuang Research Institute and the United States-based Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) for preserving the Mogao Grottoes was launched in 1989 under an agreement signed by the State Bureau of Cultural Relics and GCI. The protection of the No. 85 is part of this project.

"Nearly all types of damages to frescoes in the Mogao Grottoes have been spotted in the No. 85 grotto, such as crisping and peeling," said Stephen Rickeby, a scientist from GCI.

Since two of the larger restoration efforts on the No. 85 have failed to find a radical solution to tackle these problems, scientists note that their protection efforts this time will be of far-reaching significance to the protection of the Dunhuang grottoes.

After spot surveys and evaluation, scientists have determined the cause for the decaying of and damage to the frescoes and listed the problems and set a timetable for the restoration.

"The protection of the Mogao Grottoes is very challenging. But now that all is being done according to international standards, the restoration work is progressing smoothly," said Dr Lin Boming, a noted Chinese American, who is the counselor of the Chinese project of GCI.

Twelve scientists from the US, Britain and Australia have joined the protection work on the No. 85 grotto. Experiments on technology and material selection have been completed and restoration is in full swing, said Dr Lin.