Over the past decade, Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, has strengthened its protection and utilization of cultural relics, achieving new breakthroughs in the development of the sector.

Xi'an now has 3,246 immovable cultural relic sites, 428 cultural relic protection units at all levels, two world heritage sites, four national archaeological site parks and five provincial cultural site parks.

The city has clearly attached great importance to the development of museums, introduced support policy guidance, and increased financial support.

Cultural relics go on display at Xi'an Museum. [Photo/Xi'an news network]

Themed on International Museum Day this year, museums in the city were guided to hold a series of distinctive activities, exhibitions, public interactions and cultural heritage promotion activities. This was so the museums can truly integrate into modern life, and can fully demonstrate the vitality of Xi'an's cultural resources.

In 2012, there were 94 registered museums in the city. Now Xi'an is home to 159 museums of various types, with high density, large number and high level, and is known as the "natural history museum".

Lush and beautiful scenery rolls out in the Daming Palace National Heritage Park in Xi'an. [Photo/Xi'an news network]

To ensure the protection of its ruins, Xi'an has extended the construction of infrastructure and promoted the improvement of people's livelihoods in the site areas, while giving priority to the preservation of cultural ruins.

Various projects have been carried out at the sites of ruins, such as landscape greening, pipe network layouts, reconstruction of road routes, improvements of infrastructure, the construction of service facilities, and maintenance and repairs to ruins.

As a result, the ruins parks in Xi'an not only undertake the important mission of protecting cultural relics and inheriting Chinese civilization, but are also serving as urban parks for the leisure and entertainment of residents.

Furthermore, cultural blocks that are represented by the tourist consumption gathering areas – such as Datang Everbright City and Yisu Theater Cultural District – have further enhanced the core attraction of the city's history and culture. They are also cultivating a new space for cultural tourism consumption.

The landmark Big Wild Goose Pagoda in the foreground is next to Datang Everbright City in Xi'an. [Photo/Xi'an news network]