Xi Story: Preserving cultural heritage as national treasure

BEIJING -- Once the capital of 13 ancient dynasties and home to countless cultural heritage sites, Luoyang in Central China's Henan province is renowned as an ancient city that has witnessed "half of Chinese history."

A gem among these treasures, the Longmen Grottoes stands out, representing the pinnacle of Chinese stone carving art. This UNESCO World Heritage Site boasts a history of over 1,500 years, with a total of 2,345 caves and niches carved into the steep cliffs stretching more than 1 km in length.

On Monday, while Liu Yi and her colleagues from the Longmen Grottoes Academy were busy with their instruments, meticulously documenting potential risks inside one of the caves, President Xi Jinping walked in and engaged in a conversation with them.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, learned about the unique characteristics of local stone and the art of stone carving.

"He listened attentively as we talked about our preservation efforts," Liu recalled.

As part of his two-day inspection tour in Henan, the visit to the Longmen Grottoes demonstrated Xi's profound commitment to preserving China's rich cultural heritage. He described the grottoes as "treasures that embody the essence of Chinese culture," highlighting the significance of preserving, inheriting and promoting cultural heritage.

Since assuming the Party's top post in 2012, Xi has made the preservation of Chinese cultural heritage a consistent focus in state governance, valuing it as essential to the nation's identity. Over the years, he has visited many cultural heritage sites and made multiple directives on the protection of cultural relics.

While addressing a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in 2022, Xi emphasized that cultural relics and heritage carry the genes and blood of the Chinese nation, and that they are China's nonrenewable and irreplaceable cultural resources.

"What I am most concerned about is the most precious relics of Chinese civilization after millennia of trials," he said during a visit to the China National Archives of Publications and Culture in 2023, stressing that these national treasures must be preserved through every means.

Under the guidance of Xi, China has scored remarkable achievements in recording and preserving cultural heritage. The country is now home to more than 767,000 immovable cultural relics and 59 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the recently inscribed Beijing Central Axis.

In a reply letter to senior experts of the National Museum of China in 2022, Xi emphasized the importance of making better use of cultural relics, including "bringing them to life."

In Xi's view, the role of cultural relics and heritage should be leveraged in cultural development, while a social atmosphere should be created to promote the fine traditional culture.

With the help of modern technologies, cultural heritage is being re-imagined to connect history and contemporary culture. Creative products like archaeology-inspired blind boxes, palace-themed ice creams and the Palace Museum Calendar are gaining popularity among consumers.

Alongside these efforts to preserve and make better use of cultural heritage, China has strengthened professional training by introducing the first national occupational standards for relics restoration in 2021, contributing to the consistent cultivation of a new generation of conservators like Liu and her colleagues.

Cultural artifacts are regarded as the embodiment of a civilization. Before leaving the Longmen Grottoes, Xi paused to admire the cliffside treasures from a distance.

"With a long and continuous history stretching back to antiquity, the Chinese civilization shaped our great nation," Xi said.