Mogao Grottoes adopts online reservation system for preservation  

莫高窟将停止门前售票 游客须提前网上预约

Tourists visit the Mogao Grottoes on August 31, 2014. [Photo: Xinhunet / Chen Bin]

(ECNS) -- The bricks-and-mortar ticket office of China's most magnificent Buddhist grotto in Gansu province will be closed from September 11, with tourists obliged to reserve and buy tickets through an online platform in future.

Carved out of the cliffs 25 kilometers southeast of Dunhuang, the Mogao Grottoes site hosts 735 caves, 2,415 sculptures and 45,000 square meters of murals, all declared as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1987.

However, increasing crowds from all over the world are endangering the condition of the centuries-old grottoes, as the area is most pleasant to visit only between June and September.

A new digital visitor center has been put into operation since last month, which demands tourists make a reservation before visiting the site. Upon arrival, tourists are guided through the exhibition center to watch two films on Mogao Grottoes, before a shuttle bus takes them on a sightseeing tour.

According to a survey conducted by Dunhuang Academy, 97 percent of visitors said they were satisfied with the center, while 67 percent agreed the films were "terrific."

Liu Ping, from the academy, said the new digital center, which took four years to complete, has played a big role in slowing down wear-and-tear at the sacred place.