At the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Paris, France on July 11, 2025, the Xixia Imperial Tombs officially were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With this addition, the total number of World Heritage sites in China has reached 60. Du Jianlu, Director of the Academy of Xixia Studies at Ningxia University, was invited to witness this historic moment at the site. 

Du emphasized that the successful inscription of the Xixia tombs signifies more than just a numerical increase in China’s World Heritage count—it marks the recognition of a heritage type that exemplifies cultural interaction, exchange, and integration. As the largest, most hierarchically significant, and best-preserved archaeological remains of the Xixia Dynasty (1038—1227), the site provides physical evidence of interethnic exchanges between agricultural and pastoral societies in northern China from the 11th to the 13th centuries. It offers unique testimony to the formation of Chinese civilization with unity in diversity and the development of a unified multi-ethnic nation.

The Xixia Imperial Tombs comprise the imperial mausoleum complex of the Tangut-led Xixia Dynasty in northwest China. Situated near the eastern foothills of the southern Helan Mountains in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, the site covers nearly 40 square kilometers. It includes nine imperial tombs, 271 satellite tombs, 5.03 hectares of architectural ruins at the northern end, 32 flood control structures, and over 7,000 architectural components, inscribed steles, and other cultural artifacts. The tombs serve as material evidence of the nearly 200-year history and imperial lineage of the Xixia.

Zhou Wei, head of the Planning Division of the Xixia Imperial Tombs Management Office, noted that the nomination process began in November 2011, and the site was added to China’s tentative list for World Cultural Heritage by the National Cultural Heritage Administration in 2012. In 2017, it was designated as a National Archaeological Park, accelerating environmental improvements and infrastructure upgrades. In 2021, it was listed among the top 100 archaeological discoveries of China in the past 100 years. In 2025, it was officially submitted as China’s nomination to UNESCO, with its outstanding value defined as “multicultural integration.”

Zhu Cunshi, Director of the Ningxia Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, explained that over the past half-century, field surveys and excavations at the Xixia tombs have gradually revealed the site’s overall layout and structure. Since initial investigations began in 1971, archaeological efforts have included exploratory digs at the underground palace of Tomb No. 8 (now renumbered as No. 6), the stele pavilion of Tomb No. 2 (now No. 7), satellite tombs No. 108 and No. 101 (now MⅢ-107 and MⅣ-001), the eastern and western stele pavilions of Tomb No. 3, and the architectural ruins at the northern end. These studies have helped delineate the spatial distribution and structural features of the complex. In the 21st century, further work on surface remains at tombs No. 3 and No. 6 has more clearly revealed the site’s unique cultural characteristics.

In terms of site selection and orientation, spatial layout, burial system, tomb architecture, construction techniques, and funerary customs, the Xixia tombs demonstrate a clear inheritance and emulation of Tang (618—907) and Song (960—1279) imperial burial traditions, rooted in the agrarian civilization of the Central Plains. Their design concepts and architectural forms not only draw from Tang and Song precedents, but also incorporate Buddhist beliefs and Tangut customs, giving rise to a unique funerary and religious tradition.

Imperial mausoleum systems were a key component of ancient Chinese ritual and institutional structures. As the highest level of funerary ceremony, they reflect the burial customs and social values of their time. The Xixia tombs both inherited and innovated upon Tang and Song burial traditions, with Buddhist culture playing an especially prominent role in their structure. According to Wang Changfeng, Deputy Director of the Xixia Tombs Management Office, the Xixia tombs represent a unique model within China’s ancient mausoleum traditions. Their stone carvings exhibit both the grandeur of Tang-style sculpture and the delicacy and precision of Song art.

The burial system also drew upon and incorporated regulations and elements from Chinese mausoleums dating back to the Qin (221—207 BCE) and Han (206 BCE—220 CE) dynasties, particularly those of the Tang and Song. These include features such as a north-south axial orientation, architectural emphasis on a central axis with bilateral symmetry, and components like ceremonial gates (que), a ceremonial pathway constructed in front of ancient Chinese tombs or places of worship (shendao), stone statues (shixiangsheng), halls (xiandian), and underground palaces—all hallmarks of Central Plains tomb traditions.

Despite obvious influences from past traditions, certain features—such as the kneeling stone horses and sheep, and the uniquely carved human-shaped stele bases—exhibit a distinctness rarely seen in Tang and Song mausoleums. The overall layout of the cemetery closely follows the plan of Tang and Song imperial mausoleums, integrating the ancestral temple-style ritual function rooted in Central Plains tradition. At the same time, the architectural ornamentation reflects strong Buddhist influences, incorporating stylistic elements of Buddhist temples and stupas. This synthesis gave rise to a unique system that combined mausoleum, ancestral temple, and Buddhist temple in one, organically blending Central Plains traditional culture, Buddhist culture, Tangut traditions, and neighboring minority customs. It demonstrates the Xixia’s cross-regional, cross-cultural exchanges and innovative integration, enriching the burial traditions of ancient China.