The Xixia Imperial Tombs in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Photo: Courtesy of the National Cultural Heritage Administration of China

The sharp crack of gavel cut through the silence. "Adopted!" - with the words announced by Nikolay Nenov, chairman of the 47th UNESCO World Heritage Committee, China's Xixia Imperial Tombs' place secured its World Heritage Site status. The moment marked more than a new beginning as it officially boosted China's world heritage sites to 60 in total. 

In the livestream event, the UNESCO chamber erupted with joy the instant the decision flashed on the screen. Delegates sprang to their feet, applause rolling like surf waves; the Chinese mission unfurled a scarlet banner that read "Warmly Celebrate Xixia Imperial Tombs' World Heritage Success" and waved it overhead, their delight spilling across aisles and continents.  

At the celebrations that followed, officials from UNESCO, ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), and a constellation of heritage agencies crowded in to offer congratulations, praising China's long-standing record in safeguarding cultural heritages.  

Teresa Patricio, President of ICOMOS, took the lectern and declared that the tombs' sweeping landscape, grand architecture, and layered symbolism make them a site of "outstanding value," adding that the successful inscription "testifies not only to the site's significance, but also to China's unwavering commitment to protecting and promoting its cultural heritage," according to a report by the Xinhua News Agency.

The year 2025 also marks the 40th anniversary of China's entry to the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Rao Quan, Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism of China, said during the session that China will remain steadfast in fulfilling its obligations under the World Heritage Convention, further enhance holistic and systematic protection of cultural and natural heritages, and improve conservation capacity and standards.

Nestled at the foot of the Helan Mountain, 30 kilometers west of Yinchuan, the capital city of Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, the Xixia Imperial Tombs is a group of imperial burial sites from the Xixia Dynasty (1038-1227), founded by the Tangut people in Northwest China during the 11th and 13th centuries.

Since excavations began in 1972, archaeologists have uncovered nine imperial tombs, 271 subordinate tombs, an architectural complex spanning five hectares, 32 flood control sites, and over 7,100 artifacts - revealing the engineering, artistry, and cultural achievements of the dynasty.

Photo: Courtesy of the National Cultural Heritage Administration of China

Unique cultural values

To grasp the newly recognized World Heritage site of the Xixia Imperial Tombs, one must first meet the Xixia Dynasty itself, a dynasty that once ruled Northwest China for nearly two centuries. 

In 1038, the Tangut people from the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau founded the Xixia Dynasty, establishing its capital in what is now Yinchuan. 

At its peak, its territory spanned 1.15 million square km, dominating the Hexi Corridor and serving as an ancient Silk Road hub. After 10 imperial reigns, the empire was destroyed by Genghis Khan's Mongol army in 1227.

What earned these tombs global acclaim? UNESCO cited criteria ii and iii, which include testifying to profound cultural interchange and offering exceptional evidence of a vanished civilization.

Records indicate that during the Xixia Dynasty, various ethnic groups, including the Tangut, Han, Uygur, and Tibetan tribes, coexisted. Their diverse livelihoods, religious practices, and cultural customs shaped Xixia's distinctive and multifaceted cultural identity, according to a document that the National Cultural Heritage Administration sent to the Global Times.

Chen Tongbin, honorary chief of the Institute of Historical Research at the China Architecture Design and Research Group and a consultant for the site's World Heritage nomination, told the Global Times that unlike any other imperial necropolis in China, the Xixia Imperial Tombs bear eyewitness to a dynasty whose very identity was forged by geography and history, an empire that learned voraciously and innovated boldly.  

The tombs' location, layout, architecture, and artifacts demonstrate how the Xixia Dynasty adapted Han models during the Tang and Song dynasties (618-1279) while infusing distinct ethnic features, Shi Jinbo, a scholar in Xixia history, told the Global Times. 

Artifacts tell the same story. 

More than 150 kalavinka (mythical "songbirds") figurines unearthed from Tomb 3, with human heads and bird bodies, trace a journey from Indian lore to Tang Dunhuang murals and Song Quanzhou temples, finally flourishing in the Xixia Dynasty and becoming proof of cross-civilization dialogue.

Photo: Courtesy of the National Cultural Heritage Administration of China

New chapter opening

Experts said UNESCO recognition is not a finish line but an opening gate.

According to Chen, the inscription will turbocharge both research and protection. "Public awareness of the Xixia is still little, even I had only a sketchy grasp before this project. But the deeper we dug, the more surprises we unearthed. Now we want to share that sense of discovery far and wide," she said.

Visitor numbers already hint at a surge. 

Shi Peiyi, director of the Xixia Imperial Tombs Museum, told the Global Times that he is heartened to see a growing number of young people traveling from outside the region specifically to visit the site. 

Local schools have also organized study trips, bringing children to the museum to learn about Xixia culture and experience movable-type printing. 

Heritage nomination experts note that after a site gains World Heritage status, visitor numbers often see at least a doubling, or even exponential growth later.  

"To tell China's story, we must step beyond our lens," Chen said."We reframed the site as a chapter in the wider story of human civilization, sticking to facts and making sure others understood before expecting them to agree."