Workers in Paris begin removing large sections of damaged scaffolding from the exterior of Notre Dame cathedral on June 8, 2020. (Photo: China News Service/Li Yang)

The Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum in Shaanxi Province announced on Wednesday that it will cooperate with its French counterpart on the restoration of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris and protection of the Terracotta Warriors. The agreement is one of 18 agreements signed between Chinese and French enterprises during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to France from Sunday to Tuesday.

The collaborative research project with France's Fondation des Sciences du Patrimoine primarily focuses on the ­protection of wooden remains and earthen archaeological sites, according to a statement by the museum.

Specifically, the protection of ­wooden remains will involve joint efforts to ­preserve and restore the fire-damaged wood remnants from the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and the Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang. 

Moreover, joint efforts will be made to conduct studies on their historical significance.

The research will also include wood species identification, preservation status assessment, degradation mechanisms and protection techniques and methods.

Additionally, research will address soil site durability, stability, crafting techniques, disease identification, and damage assessments at the Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang and French architectural elements. 

Laboratory analyses and simulation experiments will precede comprehensive studies aimed at developing practical conservation methodologies applicable to cultural artifacts.

In the future, the two parties will jointly explore the material properties and historical value of wooden remains and archaeological sites of the two UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Meanwhile, this China-France cooperation also touches on developing practical technologies and methods for conserving cultural relics and cultivating young talents in the field of cultural heritage protection.

Globally renowned UNESCO sites, both the Mausoleum of Emperor Qinshihuang and the Notre Dame Cathedral made use of substantial wooden materials, some of which have endured fire damage. Notably, the cathedral's wooden framework suffered extensive damage in a blaze in 2019.

On April 15, 2019, a huge fire broke out at the historic cathedral located in the heart of Paris and destroyed the spire of the building. Hours after the blaze, French President Emmanuel Macron promised that the cathedral, one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, would be rebuilt and reopen by 2024.

"The 2024 deadline will be met," he told Le Parisien newspaper in an interview published early on Thursday after visiting the site.