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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

China Lets Song Dynasty Artifacts Stand in Village Fields

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Context piece
  • China is preserving its cultural heritage by integrating ancient artifacts with modern community life, exemplified by over a thousand Song Dynasty stone statues in Baling Village, Henan Province.
  • These statues remain in their original outdoor setting, actively used by villagers, offering a unique blend of history and rural life, a strategy chosen over museum containment to prevent damage.
  • This approach is part of a broader national effort to maintain historical value and contemporary relevance, supported by a national cultural heritage survey and an expanding museum network.

In Baling Village, Henan Province, over a thousand stone statues from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1126) stand amidst active wheat fields, a testament to China's evolving approach to cultural preservation. This village, meaning "Eight Mausoleums," hosts an imperial tomb complex where these 1,027 stone relics are known as an "open-air museum of ancient sculptures."

Unlike artifacts typically housed in museums, these statues remain in their original location, integrated with the daily agricultural activities of the local community. This creates a striking juxtaposition of centuries-old heritage and modern rural existence.

Zhu Xingli, head of Gongyi's Cultural Heritage Administration, explained that keeping relics outdoors is a conservation strategy that respects their original environment. He noted that enclosing them behind glass could hinder air circulation and trap heat, accelerating deterioration. "It is important to maintain the relationship between cultural relics and the landscape that has surrounded them for centuries," Zhu stated.

This method aligns with China's broader cultural heritage strategy, which now extends beyond museum walls. The government aims to preserve historical significance while ensuring these legacies remain relevant to contemporary society. This initiative is bolstered by a national cultural heritage survey launched in 2023, which is identifying thousands of new heritage sites in addition to reassessing existing ones.

Beyond open-air sites like Baling, China continues to expand its museum network, now boasting over 7,000 registered museums that hosted approximately 45,000 exhibitions in 2025, attracting about 1.56 billion visitors. The recent celebration of China's National Cultural and Natural Heritage Day on June 14, 2026, saw thousands of online and offline events organized by cultural authorities nationwide.

It is important to maintain the relationship between cultural relics and the landscape that has surrounded them for centuries.

— Zhu XingliHead of Gongyi's Cultural Heritage Administration, explaining the rationale behind keeping ancient statues in their original outdoor setting.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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