Starting from last Saturday, China has had one more important day Cultural Heritage Day.

In addition, the State Council has published a list of 1,081 relics sites under the State protection and 518 items of intangible cultural heritage, the sixth batch since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. An interesting addition to the llist is the former imperial garden of Zhongnanhai, which is now the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and the State Council.

All of this has far-reaching significance, showing that the government is stepping up its effort to protect relics. It also demonstrates that the central authorities have obtained a deeper understanding of the concept of sustainable development.

Chinese leaders believe that the development of "hard power," such as economic strength and military power,  is not enough. They believe that "soft power," which includes culture and ethics, should also be fostered.

So, the introduction of Cultural Heritage Day not only indicates the coming of a new era in China's relics protection but also marks changes in and an upgrading of the idea of governance on the part of the central authorities.

The Chinese economy has been growing at a rapid pace over the past three decades, providing the country's cultural undertakings with strong potential financial support. But it does not necessarily follow that the State's financial strength automatically translates into progress in terms of cultural undertakings.

As a matter of fact, this rapid economic growth did not help bring about obvious progress in the protection of relics and cultural heritage. On the contrary, an illegal trade in cultural relics has been rife over a fairly long period of time.

In some localities, the wrong concept of officials' performance and a one-sided concept of development have made the situation worse. Some local governments, for example, treat the cultural and natural heritage under their jurisdiction as the goose that lays golden eggs and use these resources to attract tourists.

Some cultural heritage sites bear the obvious signs of artificial tampering, with entertainment centres, hotels, garbage, smoke rising from barbecue stalls and construction machinery. All this robs the sites of the aura of ancient civilization. The tampering, in some cases, is made even worse by people's greed and ignorance.

What is behind the destruction of relics and smuggling cases in China today?

This situation leads people to ask whether such a nation  that seemingly has no respect for its own civilization  is worth our respect? At the same time, we should also ask ourselves whether dumping such civilization is a price worth paying as we strive for further economic growth?

If so, what is the point of being a major economic power? This type of economic development can only spawn an economic animal, sinewy but ignorant.

It is these worries and concerns that have helped bring about Cultural Heritage Day, which has the central theme  "protect our spiritual homeland."

The expression "spiritual homeland" best sums up the core values of our cultural heritage.

People cannot do without a home. A nation, even more so, cannot do without its spiritual homeland. The cultural heritage found throughout our country carries the spiritual genes of the Chinese nation.

Chinese cultural heritage is kind of a "visiting card" the nation gives to the international community. How can we live up to the spirit of this important new day?

First, the role of cultural heritage in real life should be brought into full play, rather than the "protection of cultural heritage" just being used as signboards to attract tourists. On this basis, a brand-new productive force centred on people should be cultivated to guarantee sustainable development.

In addition, the relationship between China's cultural heritage and that of the world should be fully understood. The independent and inclusive nature of China's social development in the process of economic globalization should also be thoroughly known.

Also, it should be understood what cultural heritage means, and why cultural heritage is divided into cultural, natural, oral and intangible categories.

Here comes another question: Should only ancient items and those representing the progressive side of humanity be counted as cultural heritage? What about modern items and those telling of the tragedy of previous generations?

It is encouraging that Auschwitz is a world heritage site, and that a former concentration camp which was used to jail revolutionaries in Chongqing is on the list of key relics protected by the State.

Finally, the protection of relics and heritage is a public welfare undertaking. But high ticket fees charged by many museums and memorial halls have long been a source of controversy. The introduction of  Cultural Heritage Day may help redress this situation. It seems that reform of the country's museum system has also become an imperative.

When people in Beijing queued up to see the relics from the collections of the British Museum last month, I didn't expect to see that people were thirsty for a spiritual homeland and were worried that it might be lost. Now we have our own Cultural Heritage Day and an opportunity to watch over the spiritual homeland of the Chinese nation. This is also an enlightening day. Let's hope that our cultural heritage is now taken a bit more seriously.

The author Qin Xiaoying is a researcher with the China Foundation for International and Strategic Studies.