Longmen Grottoes scenic area in Central China's Henan Province is closed to the public on July 20, 2021 due to the flood hitting the province. Photo: CFP

All the cultural relics from the Longmen Grottoes have been well protected against the unprecedented heavy rainfall that hit Central China's Henan Province in recent days causing 25 deaths as of Wednesday. Landslides occurred nearby archaeological sites, like Zhengzhou Shang City and the Shaolin Temple, amid extreme weather, but the cultural relics remained intact. 

A number of major cities in Henan have been affected by the rains and some local museums and archaeological digging sites were flooded, according to a post by the National Cultural Heritage Administration on its official WeChat account. 

A video posted on social media on Tuesday shows the Shaolin Temple on Mountain Songshan being hit by heavy floods after unusually heavy rains. All the scenic spots in the area were closed to the public. 

Many splendid pieces of cultural and artistic highlights of ancient China have been discovered in Henan's numerous archaeological sites.

The death toll has climbed to 25, with 7 missing in Zhengzhou on Wednesday. A total of 1.24 million residents have been affected in the province that has been ravaged by torrential rains with 160,000 being evacuated as rescue operations continue in the province, led by the People's Liberation Army.  

Local authorities in Henan also made calls to save the cultural relics with various measures, including water pumping and drainage operations and increased inspections, to make sure both cultural relics and people are safe.