The entrance to China's first dedicated exhibition hall on fish-scale registers in Lanxi displays various fish-scale registers. [Photo/Tide News]

Meticulous property ownership records kept in China from 1581 to 1934 — which were tightly arranged in patterns resembling fish scales — are expected to be granted international recognition by the UNESCO.

The registers mainly concerned land concentrated in East China's Zhejiang and Anhui provinces.

The nomination was jointly submitted by the archives departments in Jinhua city and its subordinate Lanxi county-level in Zhejiang province and Xiuning county in Huangshan city in Anhui province.

The register, first compiled in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), served as an official land book to confirm ownership and levy taxes.

Often described as the "ancient version of property certificates", the registers recorded detailed land ownership and taxation information.

They were expanded in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and refined in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), becoming a vital part of land administration in China.

Over 4,500 volumes survive nationwide, with Lanxi holding the most complete county-level set, preserved as its "treasure collection".

In 2023, the registers were listed in China's National Documentary Heritage Register, paving the way for the international nomination. Earlier this year, China's first dedicated exhibition hall on fish-scale registers opened in Lanxi.

UNESCO will announce the final selections in May 2026.