Imperial tomb guardian retires as mausoleum listed World Heritage Site

Qin Guo’an, 51, to retire as guardian of Tangya Tusi necropolis in China
His family, who were buried there, have been guarding it for 23 generations
UNESCO inscribed the monument as a World Heritage Site on July 3
Mr. Qin will lose his job as soon as government is in charge of the upkeep
The guardian hopes to continue his family legacy as a tourist guide

Olivia Chan

and
Qin Xie For Mailonline

Published:
15:22 GMT, 30 July 2015

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Updated:
18:40 GMT, 30 July 2015

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As China celebrates its latest World Heritage Site, one man is mourning the loss of a family tradition.

Qin Guo’an, 51, will soon retire as the guardian of Tangya Tusi, an imperial necropolis in Hubei, central China, which was recently inscribed onto the UNESCO list as a World Heritage Site, according to People’s Daily Online.

Although Qin’s family have been guarding the site for 23 generations, the hereditary position is soon to be abolished because the local authority has decided to take charge of the upkeep after the site becomes world-famous.

What makes his predicament unique is that, as well as being a historical monument, the tombs are also his family burial site.

Qin Guo’an’s family have been guardians of Tangya Tusi, an imperial necropolis, for 23 generations

The ruins span across 400 square metres of land, or over 4,300 square feet, and are based in Hubei, China

It is thought that Tangya Tusi has history dating as far back as the 13th Century.

The area was occupied by ethnic minorities ruled under a tribal chieftain, or tusi.

Although tusi aren’t officially royalty, as they come under the control of a central government, they are often designated as such locally.

Tangya Tusi belonged to Qin’s family, who were buried at the site. Part of the family legacy has been to care for the mausoleum and Qin is the 23rd generation to do this.

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The ruins span across 400 square metres of land, or over 4,300 square feet.

After hundreds of years of use, the mausoleum has remained remarkably intact making it an excellent reference for this distinctive way of life.

Tan started learning about imperial tomb guardianship with his father when he was 11.

The State Administration of Cultural Heritage paid Qin Guo’an 1,200 Yuan (£124) each month as the Imperial tomb guardian.

UNESCO announced that it will inscribe Tangya Tusi along with the fortresses Laosicheng and Hailongtun on July 3.

No salary will be given to Qin for the upkeep of the relic in the future.

Qin family kept a genealogy book. Qin Guoan has shared a copy with historians but keeps the original hidden

The genealogy book would be particularly useful for studying the distinctive set up of the tusi culture

The imperial guardian hopes to become a tour guide at the site in the future to share his family history with visiting tourists.

He keeps a book of his genealogy and has now shared a copy with historians for research. The original copy is kept in a secret place in Qin Guo’an’s ancient home.

Through this, Qin hopes that he will be able to continue his family legacy.