Temple discovery rewards hard work

Huang says they also promote public awareness of cultural heritage preservation via exhibition boards and brochures. A good example is Jiangmen township government. They encourage clues about cultural relics by rewarding tipsters with local specialties and have boosted participation among villagers.

In 2024, the Xuyong county government established a special fund dedicated to cultural heritage conservation, backed by fund management regulations, prioritizing the protection of the county's lower-tier cultural relics.

"Many lower-tier cultural relics are scattered across the county. They often lack both sufficient funding for preservation and public attention, unlike their national or provincial level counterparts," Huang says.

"It's an urgent task to protect lower-tier cultural relics because they not only carry important historical information and cultural value, but also serve as an integral part of the local cultural heritage system."