Why China Leaves Over a Thousand Ancient Song Dynasty Artefacts Scattered in Villagers' Fields

China continues to strengthen its cultural heritage preservation efforts by promoting an approach that connects historical relics with contemporary community life. One example can be seen in Baling Village, Gongyi City, Henan Province, where more than a thousand stone statues from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1126) remain standing amidst stretches of wheat fields still actively cultivated by villagers. The village, whose name means ‘Eight Mausoleums’, is the site of the Northern Song Dynasty imperial tomb complex. A total of 1,027 stone relics survive in the area, which is often dubbed an ‘open-air museum of ancient statues’. Unlike many historical artefacts stored in museums, the stone statues in Baling remain in their original locations and blend with the local community’s farming activities. The scene presents a unique fusion of centuries-old cultural heritage and modern rural life. Zhu Xingli, Head of the Gongyi Cultural Relics Administration, explained that maintaining relics in open spaces is part of a conservation strategy that considers their original environmental conditions. According to him, enclosing them with glass could potentially disrupt air circulation and trap heat, which might accelerate the artefacts’ deterioration. ‘It is important to preserve the relationship between cultural relics and the landscape that has surrounded them for centuries,’ Zhu said. This approach is part of China’s cultural heritage preservation strategy, which is no longer confined to museums. The Chinese government seeks to safeguard historical value while ensuring cultural heritage remains relevant in contemporary society. The effort is reinforced through a national cultural heritage survey launched in 2023. The programme, scheduled for completion by June 2026, not only reviews approximately 767,000 previously recorded sites but has also successfully identified more than 130,000 additional heritage locations. Beyond open sites like Baling, China also continues to develop its museum network. Official data shows the country now has more than 7,000 registered museums, which organised around 45,000 exhibitions throughout 2025 and attracted approximately 1.56 billion visits. Saturday (14/6/2026) was observed as China’s Cultural and Natural Heritage Day. To commemorate it, authorities and cultural institutions across various regions organised more than 7,000 online and offline activities.