Emergency rescue mission saves the day as caves yield cultural riches

Braving drilling and blasting, and with rocks occasionally falling over their heads, archaeologists raced against time as they worked outside a village in Sanming, Fujian province.

It was September 1999, and they were trying to find vital evidence that could help save the cave complex they were working on from falling victim to mining activities.

For more than 20 years, the Wanshouyan Hills outside Sanming had been used as a quarry for the Fujian Sangang Group Co. The company had acquired the rights to mine the hills for the top-quality limestone it needed to produce steel.