Restoring and maintaining tombs ensure legacy lives on

No matter the desert, Yang Shanlong, a researcher at the Dunhuang Academy in Gansu province, is devoted to prolonging the life of the earthen heritages that are key testimonies to history.

Over the years, the 43-year-old conservation expert has shared Dunhuang's advanced techniques for protecting earthen sites with the Xixia Imperial Tombs in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

Standing at the eastern foothill of the Helan Mountains for nearly a millennium, the tomb complex, a newly minted UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the largest existing cultural sites of the Xixia Dynasty (1038-1227).