STORY: From tombs to tourism: reviving ancient ethnic Chinese legacy
SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 13, 2024
DATELINE: Dec. 15, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:50
LOCATION: YINCHUAN, China
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Xixia Imperial Tombs in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese): SHI PEIYI, Director of Xixia mausoleums museum
3. various of the Xixia Imperial Tombs in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region

STORYLINE:

Archaeological studies and excavations have this year produced significant insights into the flood control systems and cultural heritage of the Xixia Imperial Tombs in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

This burial complex, located at the foot of Helan Mountain, about 30 km west of Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia, was built by the Tangut (Dangxiang) people, an ethnic minority that prospered in agricultural-husbandry areas of northwest China between the 11th and 13th centuries. 

To date, nine imperial tombs, 271 subordinate tombs, a 5-hectare complex of architectural ruins and 32 flood control sites, in addition to over 7,100 architectural components and finely crafted artifacts, have been uncovered at this site.

SOUNDBITE (Chinese): SHI PEIYI, Director of Xixia mausoleums museum
"The rammed earth structure doesn't grow grass for several reasons. First, during the Xixia period, the rammed earth construction techniques were quite advanced. Second, the northern region experiences relatively little rainfall. Additionally, field investigations have revealed that the rammed earth of the Xixa mausoleums contains some lime. These factors make it difficult for grass to grow on the rammed earth structures of the mausoleums. Each imperial mausoleum of Xixia typically utilized tens of thousands of cubic meters of rammed earth."

Efforts to popularize the Xixia legacy have included documentaries and collaborations with cultural tourism firms to develop interactive educational programs. Notably, visitors can participate in artifact restoration, woodblock printing and paper-cutting workshops, thereby making history both accessible and engaging.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Yinchuan, China.
(XHTV)