Editor's note: Imran Khalid, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a freelance columnist on international affairs. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Beneath the desert winds of China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, where the Helan Mountains brood over the Gobi Desert, lies a ghostly testament to a vanished empire – the Xixia Imperial Tombs. Once eclipsed by more famous dynasties and more flamboyant ruins, this sprawling necropolis is no longer a forgotten relic. On July 11, 2025, it was officially inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, marking a profound civilizational rediscovery.

The newly confirmed inscription on the World Heritage List is more than ceremonial recognition – it is a symbolic resurrection of the Tangut voice into the chorus of world heritage.There's something profoundly subversive about this resurrection. 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. They were a quiet power, tucked into the seams of Central Asian diplomacy, Buddhist scholarship, and multicultural coexistence.

Spanning over 40 square kilometers and comprising nine imperial mausoleums along with 271 subordinate tombs, the site is often referred to as the "Pyramids of the East." But that label, while flattering, is reductive. These are not just architectural feats. They are ideological monuments – shaped by Buddhist cosmology, Tangut cultural fusion, and a delicate diplomacy that balanced between Han China, the Tibetan plateau, and the steppes beyond.

In an era where heritage conservation too often prioritizes spectacle over subtlety, China's determined investment in the Xixia site represents a quieter, more grounded philosophy. China, in its quest for a future rooted in innovation and technological prowess, is also rediscovering the ballast of its civilizational core – a core composed not only of Confucian literati and Han imperial glory, but also of Tangut mystics and forgotten kings.

This is part of a broader vision – a Chinese path to modernization that emphasizes both material advancement and cultural enrichment. It affirms that national development is not simply measured in infrastructure or GDP, but also in the ability to carry forward the soul of a civilization. China's commitment to protecting, preserving, and making use of its cultural and natural heritage is not just a domestic priority; it is a contribution to the global commons.

There's a lesson here, too, for the global order.

For centuries, the architecture of world heritage has privileged the monumental and the militaristic – temples built by kings, capitals carved by conquests. The Xixia offer an alternative model of historical worth: pluralistic, adaptive, modest in reach but rich in meaning. Their inclusion in UNESCO's register is more than a bureaucratic tick. It marks a shift toward recognizing lesser–known yet deeply significant cultures. It reminds us that world heritage is not the exclusive domain of the dominant.

This is not just a Chinese story. It is, in the truest sense, a global one.

The Xixia empire was a Silk Road civilization before the term became a diplomatic metaphor. To preserve this legacy is not only an act of national pride, but of international generosity – offering the world a fuller picture of the intellectual and cultural crosscurrents that once animated Eurasia. In doing so, China adds vibrant color to the diverse garden of world civilizations.

Yet, even as the tombs gain their rightful place among the world's recognized treasures, their work is not finished. Only partially excavated and still yielding secrets, the site is a frontier for digital archaeology and public education alike. With technologies like LIDAR scanning, drone mapping, and AI-powered script decoding, new chapters of Tangut governance, spiritual practice, and cosmology are being written in real-time.

This successful inscription also enhances China's profile as a co-curator of global heritage. In championing sites like these, Beijing is asserting itself not just as a steward of its own past, but as a partner in preserving humanity's cultural mosaic. This is soft power – influence rooted in continuity, not coercion. And it offers an implicit question to the West: can a nation be modern without being uprooted? Can it progress while honoring the diversity of its civilizational lineage?

The Xixia replies with an emphatic yes.

There's something poetic about this moment – the convergence of dust and data, of Tangut tombs and satellite scans. It tells us that the archive of human ingenuity is still unfolding, and that forgotten voices can still re-enter the chorus of world heritage.

In that sense, the Xixia Imperial Tombs are more than ruins. They are the reminders.

Reminders that greatness need not be loud. That cultural pluralism is not a 21st-century invention. That lost dynasties still have stories to tell – if we are willing to listen.

And now, finally, the world is listening.

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