Restoration work at the Yungang Grottoes, Datong, on Dec 10 [Photo by Lv Mengqi from Xinhua News Agency/dtnews.cn]

Outer view of the architecture next to the Yungang Grottoes, Datong [Photo/dtnews.cn]

A project to protect the canopy in the Wuhua Caves, which are a part of the Yungang Grottoes, near the city of Datong, Shanxi province, is almost complete after more than two years of work, and two of the sites will open to the public on the first day of 2015.

Work is continuing on three other units, which have colorful wall paintings that date back to the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-557), and they will open just as soon as the work is done.

To give tourists a look at the restoration process, the construction team set up glass walls around the repair site.

Edited by Fang Sha and Roger Bradshaw