Photo taken on Dec. 5, 2018 shows the snow view of the Mogao Grottoes, a world cultural heritage site, in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province. [Photo/vip.people.com.cn]

There are a dazzling variety of ancient cultural relics in China. They embody rich information about history and culture and vividly display the process of Chinese cultural development. For better protection of these cultural relics, on July 22, 2022, China held its annual national conference on cultural heritage and relics in Beijing, during which the policy of "prioritizing protection, strengthening management, discovering values, utilizing effectively, and bringing cultural relics to life" was highlighted.

Prioritizing protection

"Prioritizing protection is the first guideline for cultural relics work in the new era," said Li Qun, vice minister of culture and tourism and head of the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA). He went on to say, "Protecting cultural relics is the primary goal, as ensuring historical authenticity, stylistic integrity and cultural continuity are the intent and purpose."