China will step up its preservation of cultural relics despite challenges ahead such as the shortage of talents and technology, an official with the country's top cultural agency said on Monday.

A 2005 investigation by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage found that more than 50 percent of museum-stored cultural relics show corrosion.

Around 2.3 million pieces are considered to be severely corroded, Li Xiaojie, deputy minister of culture and director of the administration, said at a news conference on Monday.