(Yicai Global) Nov. 7 -- Chinese specialists will head to France as soon as possible to help restore and protect the medieval cathedral of Notre-Dame, which partly burned down earlier this year.

The two countries have also agreed to conduct scientific exchanges and training programs to improve protection of the Terracotta Warriors in China's Shaanxi province under an agreement signed in Beijing yesterday, China's National Cultural Heritage Administration said online the same day.

Consecrated to the Virgin Mary, Notre-Dame Cathedral caught fire on April 15, leading to the destruction of its roof and spire. Restoration of the more than 800-year-old Parisian landmark is scheduled to begin in 2020.

"The two tie-ups will significantly deepen China-France cultural and heritage relations and set an example for the rest of the world," said Liu Yuzhu, director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

Editor: James Boynton