A delicate balance between development and heritage

In 1999, mammal fossils and stone tools made by ancient humans were unearthed on Wanshouyan Hill in Sanming, Fujian province, indicating that humans lived in the area about 185,000 years ago.

However, at the time, a steel mill had purchased the limestone mining rights there.

Huge economic benefits or heritage protection? The ensuing debate reached the provincial government.

On Jan 1, 2000, Xi Jinping, then-acting governor of Fujian, issued an instruction to protect the Wanshouyan heritage site, saying it held the first key Paleolithic findings in Fujian and was home to crucial prehistoric heritage items.

"It is a must to carefully protect the site," Xi wrote.

The cave site not only belonged to the people of that generation, but also to future generations, and no entities or individuals should harm the interests of future generations merely for the sake of immediate interests, he added.

On Jan 25, 2000, Xi issued another instruction, this time asking the provincial cultural department to draft a specific plan to preserve the site.

All mining activities were halted, and the provincial government allocated 500,000 yuan for the archaeological excavation and protection of the site, and helped the company select a new mining site elsewhere.

In 2019, the Wanshouyan National Archaeological Site Park officially opened in Sanming.