Cultural Heritage

Christchurch – October 19, 2026 -- Colossal has bought a giant moa egg from Artemis Gallery in Louisville, Colorado, and will return it to New Zealand for care under the Ngāi Tahu Research Centre, with a repatriation ceremony planned for December.

The egg was found in New Zealand on January 14, 1966, and spent roughly six decades in a private American collection before it resurfaced at public auction. Auction records indicate it may come from a Moa Hunter-period burial site dating to around AD 1300. Further research is needed to confirm that provenance.

Hangzhou – October 18, 2026 -- The 4th Liangzhu Forum opened on October 18 in Yuhang, Hangzhou, with hundreds of Chinese and foreign guests, after the event was written into the outline of China's 15th Five-Year Plan this year.

Forum becomes a permanent national-level dialogue mechanism

Launched in 2023, the forum has advanced civilizational dialogue between China and Belt and Road partner countries. Following three previous sessions, it has evolved into a permanent national-level mechanism for dialogues on civilizations. This year's theme is "Bridging the Past and Future: Safeguarding Cultural Heritage for Our Times."

The edition coincides with the 90th anniversary of the discovery of the Liangzhu Site. The Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2019.

Luoyang – October 12, 2026 -- Luoyang relocated 973 households, nearly 3,300 villagers and 63 enterprises between 2007 and 2024 to clear the Sui-Tang Luoyang City site, freeing 62 hectares in its palace core zone for heritage display. The city presented the results at the seventh International Ancient Capitals Forum and the 2026 Global Mayors Dialogue in Henan province, held from Friday to Sunday.

Sui-Tang site relocation balanced heritage protection with residents' living conditions

The Sui-Tang Luoyang City site served as a capital or secondary capital for more than 530 years, across the Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, and Northern Song periods. Around 2005, low-rise dwellings, enterprises and factories dotted the site. Residents wanted better living conditions and enterprises wanted to expand production, while the site needed standardized protection.