The government of Henan Province in central China has begun renovating an observatory believed to be the oldest in China and one of the oldest in the world.
With a history of approximately 730 years, the observatory was built by Guo Shoujing, a prestigious ancient Chinese astronomer, in 1276. There, Guo first observed the revolving regularity of the sun, the moon and the stars. On this basis, he calculated, correctly, that there are 365.24 days in a year.
The observatory was listed as a site under the central government protection in 1961. Currently, Dengfeng County, where the observatory is located, is preparing to submit it to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as part of humanity's cultural heritage.
The 20-m-tall observatory, in a temple southeast of Dengfeng County, is dilapidated. The provincial development and reform commission has allocated one million yuan (about US$120,480) to repair the body, walls and ground surface of the observatory.
(Xinhua News Agency September 24, 2004)
