The Chinese government on Thursday signed a $1.25 million agreement to fund the restoration of an Angkorian-era temple in Siem Reap.
China will help repair the Chau Say Tevoda temple, located just outside the eastern gate of Angkor Thom, one of the main temples in the 12th-century complex.
The temple restoration is China’s first on a heritage site outside China, said Chinese Ambassador Yan Ting Ai at the signing ceremony.
The project is expected to take five years, according to a statement. Work began a year ago with preliminary studies of the architecture and stone work, said Ang Choulean, a representative from Apsara Authority.
The ambassador noted that China has little experience on non-Chinese heritage sites, and its experts will need cooperation from the Cambodian government as well as patience.
France, Japan and India have all helped restore parts of the sprawling complex.
