Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

After the hit Chinese film Dear You went viral and brought the historical qiaopi (letters and remittances sent home by earlier generations of overseas Chinese) into the spotlight, now, a landmark piece of legislation has placed overseas Chinese historical and cultural heritage under a unified protection framework.

On Wednesday, the Fujian Provincial Regulations on the Protection of Overseas Chinese Historical and Cultural Heritage officially came into force. As China's first provincial-level regulations dedicated exclusively to protecting overseas Chinese heritage, the law does more than safeguarding old buildings or historical artifacts. It fills a long-standing institutional gap for preserving one of China's most distinctive cultural legacies. 

The ancestral home of around 20 million overseas Chinese living across more than 190 countries and regions, East China's Fujian Province has long been one of China's best-known hometowns of emigrants. The new regulations are therefore not merely a local legislative framework - they represent a broader exploration of how China can preserve the memories of its global diaspora.

Zhang Chunwang, former director of the China Institute for Chinese Overseas Studies, told the Global Times that the uniqueness of Fujian's overseas Chinese historical and cultural heritage lies in its dual character as both local and global. 

The buildings, documents and stories bear witness to generations of Fujian emigrants who ventured abroad, made their livelihoods across borders, and served as bridges between Chinese and foreign cultures. More importantly, they embody the lasting emotions, memories and sense of belonging that continue to link overseas Chinese with their ancestral homeland, Zhang said. 

For years, overseas Chinese heritage protection has faced a persistent dilemma: while iconic mansions and famous ancestral homes often attracted attention, countless ordinary objects carrying equally valuable memories remained overlooked.

Family letters, remittance receipts, photographs, business records and personal belongings, items documenting the everyday experiences of overseas Chinese families, frequently fell outside existing protection mechanisms because they belonged to different administrative categories or lacked clear legal status.

The regulations extend protection to sites, relics, buildings, places and physical objects that have historical and cultural value related to overseas Chinese, even if they are not included in existing heritage protection lists. They also establish a system for surveying, identifying and cataloging such heritage, according to the report. 

The regulation's greatest breakthrough lies in establishing a unified legal identity for these diverse forms of heritage. By expanding the definition of what constitutes overseas Chinese historical and cultural heritage, it brings scattered resources under one coherent protection framework, Zhang noted. 

The implementation of the regulations signals that heritage protection is no longer confined to celebrated residences. Equal attention should be given to the letters, remittance receipts, family genealogies, photographs and commemorative inscriptions left behind by ordinary overseas Chinese families. By recognizing the historical value of these everyday records, the regulations help move overseas Chinese heritage conservation beyond ad hoc rescue efforts toward a systematic, holistic model of protection, he said. 

Yet preserving heritage is only half the challenge.

Historical and cultural relics derive their lasting value not simply from surviving the passage of time, but from remaining meaningful to contemporary society. Buildings, artifacts and stories disconnected from the public risk becoming static museum pieces rather than living cultural resources.

Recognizing this, the regulations place emphasis on digital preservation and sustainable utilization.

The regulations encourage the use of digital technologies to display protection markers and preserve endangered heritage. They call for the establishment of a provincial digital platform for overseas Chinese historical and cultural heritage to facilitate digital documentation, information-based management and resource sharing. The regulations also support the development of interactive and immersive exhibitions, enabling more overseas Chinese heritage to reach wider audiences and become an integral part of contemporary life, the report said. 

This approach reflects a broader evolution in heritage conservation. Successful preservation increasingly depends on keeping history accessible, engaging and relevant. Digital archives, interactive exhibitions and creative cultural products allow younger generations to encounter history in ways that traditional displays often cannot.

Equally important, integrating heritage into cultural tourism and creative industries can generate new resources for long-term conservation, ensuring preservation is financially sustainable.

Fujian's new regulations demonstrate that effective heritage protection requires more than restoring old buildings. It demands comprehensive legislation, broader definitions of cultural value and innovative approaches that keep history alive in everyday life.

By transforming overseas Chinese heritage from something merely preserved into something actively experienced, Fujian has offered not only a blueprint for protecting the past, but also a model for ensuring that the memories of generations of overseas Chinese continue to inspire future generations. 

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. life@globaltimes.com.cn