Ancient China's Western Xia Imperial Tombs nominated for World Heritage status

The royal mausoleums complex of the emperors in ancient China's Western Xia Dynasty (1038-1227) is currently under review for UNESCO World Heritage status at the ongoing 47th World Heritage Committee session.

The burial complex, located at the foot of the Helan Mountain, 30 km west of the city of Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, is the best-preserved and largest cultural heritage site from the ancient Tangut civilization. The Tangut people were a Han-Tibetan people who founded and inhabited the Western Xia Dynasty

The site was accidentally discovered in the 1930s by German pilot Wulf-Dieter Castell. It was later recognized as one of China's top archaeological finds of the 20th century.

The mausoleum offers crucial insights into the Western Xia Dynasty, which ruled for nearly two centuries.

"The Western Xia Mausoleum is the largest, the highest-grade and best-preserved archaeological site from the Western Xia period," said Ren Xiufen, head of the cultural relics protection section at the site administration.

The Western Xia Mausoleum comprises nine imperial tombs, 271 subordinate tombs, the ruins of 32 flood control facilities and the site of one large architectural complex, according to Ren.

"The nine imperial tombs are arranged sequentially from the south to the north. In its overall layout, the Western Xia Mausoleum preserves the central axis symmetry of the Central Plains. Many of the structures, such as the mausoleum city and some of the stele pavilions, were inherited from the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) Dynasties. It also retains many ethnic features, such as in the core buildings, mausoleum towers and sacrificial halls. The central axis of the core building is biased to the west. This reflects the traditional Tangut belief that ghosts and gods inhabit the center," Ren explained.

The legitimate rights of the Palestinian people must be respected and protected, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a press briefing in Beijing on Friday.

Mao made the remarks in response to a media query about the reports that the Israeli parliament recently adopted a new law introducing death penalty for Palestinians, and countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have expressed strong condemnation, saying such practice is "entrenching a system of apartheid."

"All legislation must conform to legal principles such as the principle of legality, fairness and justice, and must not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, nationality or political view. The legitimate rights of the Palestinian people must be respected and protected. Relevant party’s actions that escalate tensions and exacerbate confrontation must stop," said Mao.