China's Xixia Imperial Tombs inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site

China

China's Xixia Imperial Tombs inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site

2025-07-12 11:14 Last Updated At：11:37

China's Xixia Imperial Tombs were inscribed on the World Heritage List on Friday during UNESCO's 47th session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Paris, France.

With this addition, the total number of World Heritage sites in China has reached 60.

Xixia Imperial Tombs is a group of imperial burial sites from the Xixia Dynasty (Western Xia, 1038-1227), founded by the Tangut people in northwestern China during the 11th to 13th centuries.

Covering an area of nearly 40 square km, the site comprises four types of architectural remains: 9 imperial mausoleums, 271 subordinate tombs, a northern architectural complex covering 0.05 square km, and 32 flood control works.

"The ruins of the Xixia Imperial Tombs include both natural and human-made elements, which shape the landscape of these tombs together. This application for World Heritage status reflects a fresh perspective on the Xixia Dynasty, which, though not documented in the Twenty-Four Histories of China, coexisted with the Song, Liao, and Jin dynasties," said Chen Tongbin, honorary president of Architectural History Institute under the China Architecture Design and Research Group.

The Xixia Imperial Tombs are the largest, highest-ranked, and most intact archaeological site from the Xixia period that has survived to the present day.

According to the World Heritage Committee, the site is a testament to the cultural fusion and interactions of diverse traditions. It also bears witness to the unique role of the Xixia Dynasty in cultural and commercial exchanges along the Silk Roads during the 11th to 13th centuries.

The Committee commended the efforts and achievements made by the Chinese government in the protection and management of the cultural heritage of the Xixia Imperial Tombs.

UNGA President warns global multilateral system "under attack"

The multilateral system is "under attack" amid global turmoil, President of the 80th UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock warned in her remarks on Wednesday.

In her briefing on the priorities for the resumed 80th Session of the General Assembly, the UNGA president noted that the current multilateral system does not collapse all in a sudden, but "crumbles piece by piece" in divisions, compromises, and lack of political commitment.

The president called all the UN member states to defend the UN Charter and international law and promote cross-regional cooperation.

She also urged to push forward the work of the UNGA on certain critical issues with a strong majority, rather than an absolute consensus among all member states. Such act is not a failure of multilateralism, but "an affirmation of it," she said.

The foundational principles of the institution should not be eroded by appeasement, she said, calling the member states to show courage, leadership, and responsibility at the UN's "critical make-or-break moment."

"The UN needs you. Your support, your leadership, your principle, stand, your cross-regional cooperation, if we are to preserve and modernize this institution, if we are to make it, rather than break it," she said.