China newly identified more than 52,000 cultural heritage sites last year in its national census of immovable heritage, the National Cultural Heritage Administration said in a statement on January 9.

The provinces with the highest numbers of newly discovered heritage sites are Shandong, Henan, Jiangxi, Fujian and Hubei, the statement said.

China completed national censuses of cultural heritage in 1956, 1981 and 2007. The current census began at the end of 2023.

In addition to site discovery, China has intensified efforts to protect cultural heritage. In 2024, law enforcement agencies cracked more than 700 cases involving cultural heritage and recovered more than 5,000 stolen cultural artifacts, the statement said.

It noted that the number of reported related crimes had dropped 28 percent from the previous year, reflecting strengthened accountability and preventive measures in cultural heritage security.