Harvesting history in fields of stone

Sharing a rich past

Protecting the stone relics is not only about maintaining the physical statues, but also about sharing their rich history and stories with visitors.

Guides undergo training to learn how to clearly explain to visitors the royal rituals and burial customs at the sites.

"We live here — and the more we learn, the more we can share with visitors," Zhu said. "We are also setting up standardized information boards with detailed historical stories. These will help tourists not only admire the stone statues, but also truly learn about the rich history."

Wang Junzhen, one of the tour guides, said the biggest benefit from the training is grasping the essence of successful cultural communication. She said she has learned how to make ancient Song Mausoleum culture come alive for modern audiences.

"As more people pay attention to cultural relics, the Song Mausoleums' historical records and vivid stories have won greater popularity," Wang said. She said she has noticed that foreign tourists are particularly interested in heritage sites like the Song Mausoleums.

Bai has witnessed great changes at the site. It used to be divided into separate private farm plots full of weeds and rubbish. After becoming a cultural heritage area, the statues are now surrounded by vast wheat fields in summer.

The local government launched the land consolidation project in 2021, following multiple rounds of communication with villagers. Fortunately, most residents supported the plan.

Baling village in Gongyi was chosen as the pilot village for mausoleum land consolidation. Cao Xianghui, Party secretary of the village, said different mausoleum areas develop in different ways. For example, some lie in the city area, while others sit in open farmland.

Villagers get more from land transfers than what they could earn from farming alone, removing financial worries that made people resist relic protection in the past, Cao said.

Some residents now work as tour guides, homestay hosts and hanfu experience staff. This creates a stable rural economy that balances farming, villagers' income, relic protection and cultural tourism.

"For people living in Baling village, these stone statues are not cold museum exhibits, but old companions they have known their whole lives," Cao said. There are plans to build more support facilities including parking lots, public restrooms, and cultural service areas to improve tourism services, he added.

Baling villager Cao Shigao patrols the mausoleum area at night with a flashlight and checks in at NFC checkpoints to record his rounds.

"Tourists can take photos from far away, but they must not damage the stone statues," he said, and pointed at a security camera. "This digital monitoring helps make traditional foot patrols more effective."

Yongyu Mausoleum and Yongtai Mausoleum in Baling village remain in their original rural farmland settings. Stunning views of the stone monuments, which attract photographers, travel bloggers and tourists all year round, can even be seen from passing high-speed trains.

In contrast, Yongzhao Mausoleum and Yonghou Mausoleum are located in Gongyi's urban area. Yongzhao Mausoleum was rebuilt decades ago as public city parks, where local residents can walk and relax beside ancient royal stone carvings.

Gongyi resident Zhang Panyi carries personal and shared memories of the mausoleums. He said he often visited Yongzhao Mausoleum Park when he was little, and only later learned it belonged to Emperor Renzong (1010-63) of the Song Dynasty and the famous historical figure Bao Zheng (999-1062).