A group of 44 people devoted to the protection of cultural heritage in Alshaa Left Banner of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region were honored in June as the country’s “most beautiful guardians” by the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

It was the only group to win the title among a total of 20 recipients nationwide.

Alshaa Left Banner, located in the western part of Inner Mongolia, encompasses 80,000 square kilometers and has a population of 150,000. Though sparsely populated, the region has abundant cultural resources.

For example, there are more than 180 smoke towers from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220), 34 smoke towers from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), 3,578 meters of ancient city walls and more than 40 kilometers of the Great Wall.

With intensified responsibility for protecting cultural relics — combined with the fact that most sites are in mountainous areas and deserts — the shortage of people has become a pressing problem.

In September 2015, under the leadership of the local cultural heritage administration, farmers and herdsmen were recruited and encouraged to get involved in the job of protection, but without compensation.

With coats, spotlights, climbing boots, backpacks, aid packages from the government and some training on heritage protection, the 44 volunteers started their journey of discovery riding camels and motorcycles.

Based on the places they live, they are assigned to patrol different sites and areas.

Sarnai joined the team in 2018. Her job is to oversee several smoke towers and a museum. She will patrol the sites monthly to check on damage or abnormalities. She will also work to raise awareness of cultural heritage protection with residents.

The group has teamed with local police to crack rings of tomb thieves and successfully stopped businesses from oil and mineral exploration activities. Members also teach tourists about the importance of protection and the law related to cultural heritage.