China's relic-rich Shanxi ramps up heritage conservation

North China's culturally-rich province of Shanxi has significantly increased investment in cultural relic preservation and diversified funding channels in recent years, according to the provincial finance department.

In 2024, the province allocated 408 million yuan ($57.28 million) at the provincial level for cultural relic protection, an increase of 84 million yuan from 2021, with an average annual growth rate of 8 percent.

Additionally, the province has secured 525 million yuan in national funds for cultural relic protection this year, up by 197 million yuan from 2023, representing a 60 percent increase.

As a leading repository of heritage resources in China, Shanxi is home to 53,875 immovable cultural relics, and boasts 531 key historical and cultural sites under national-level protection, the highest number among provincial-level regions.

However, the province faces challenges in protecting numerous low-grade cultural relics, with substantial conservation work and inadequate management personnel. Since 2023, Shanxi has also used general bond funds to bolster cultural relic protection in financially strained cities and counties.

The province has pioneered a special fund, the Shanxi Cultural Relic Protection Fund, to mobilize and attract social capital, which has emerged into a new model for heritage preservation, the department said.

Shanxi has also encouraged public participation in relic protection through initiatives. By the end of 2023, the province had attracted nearly 520 million yuan in social funds for relic protection.