World Heritage, as defined by UNESCO and the World Heritage Committee, is "a rare and irreplaceable wealth of mankind" and "a monument and natural landscape of outstanding significance and universal value recognized by all mankind". There are 3 categories: World Cultural Heritage, World Natural Heritage, and Dual World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
As of 17:38 on July 25, 2021, 56 world cultural and natural heritage sites in China have been inscribed on the World Heritage List. Among them, there are 38 world cultural heritage sites, 14 world natural heritage sites, and 4 dual world cultural and natural heritage sites.
And then there's the World Natural Heritage. This category focuses on the diverse natural features of the earth, in addition to rare landforms that can reflect the evolutionary history of the earth, the habitats of rare or endangered animals and plants, and also belongs to the category of world natural heritage.
Among China's 14 World Natural Heritage Sites, there are natural landscapes with special aesthetic and scientific value, such as Shennongjia in Hubei, Danxia in China and Jiuzhaigou in China, as well as "habitat areas for threatened animals and plants" such as the Sichuan Giant Panda Habitat and the Yellow (Bohai) Sea Migratory Bird Habitat.
As for China's four "cultural and natural dual heritages", as the name suggests, they are all unique in nature and culture.
Taking Wuyi Mountain as an example, Wuyi Mountain is a typical Danxia landform, with rich landform types, and is also a demonstration area for biodiversity conservation in China; at the same time, the cultural identity of Wuyi Mountain is very unique: the famous mountain of the three religions, the important activity area of ancient Min culture, and the center of the "modern city" before 2200 years...
There are three "compound" World Heritage Sites in China: Mount Taishan, Huangshan Mountain, and Mount Emei-Leshan Giant Buddha.
China's vast geography and long history have created a rich and colorful precious cultural and natural heritage, which is the common precious memory of mankind. How many of the 56 World Heritage Sites have you been to?
Let's start the travel mode, this life must go to the punch card.
World Heritage Sites (38 items)
World Cultural Heritage, which mainly focuses on cultural relics, architectural complexes and sites, is an important witness to human civilization or cultural traditions, and has outstanding historical, artistic and scientific value. This is also a category that the public is more familiar with.
For example, some are "real hammers" that prove China's long civilization, such as the discovery of the Zhoukoudian Peking Man site, which ended the debate that Homo erectus is ape or man; the Liangzhu site, which provides direct evidence for "5,000 years of Chinese civilization"; and the Yin Ruins in Anyang, Henan, which advances the credible history of China with written records to the Shang Dynasty;
Some represent the pinnacle of science, art and architecture in ancient Chinese society: the Qinling Terracotta Warriors, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and other royal sites are magnificent, and the folk wisdom embodied in the Suzhou Garden, Lijiang Ancient City, Fujian Tulou and Pingyao Ancient City shines brightly. As for the Great Wall, it was the most uncontroversial and suspenseful "unparalleled masterpiece" in the world when it was first selected as a World Heritage Site in 1987;
There are also cultural collisions and blends: Mogao Grottoes, Yungang Grottoes, Longmen Grottoes, etc., reflecting the beauty of the intersection of civilizations, religion and secularism; the Historic District of Macao and Gulangyu Island are all "cultural gathering places of all countries".
01. China's Great City
Date of inclusion: 1987
From BohaiShan Customs in the east to Jiayuguan in Gansu Province in the west, it is the first military project in ancient China. The history of the construction of the Great Wall can be traced back to the Western Zhou Dynasty, from which the famous allusion "Beacon Theatre Princes" that occurred in the capital Hojing (present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi) originated.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the nations competed for hegemony and defended each other, and the construction of the Great Wall entered the first climax, but the length of the construction at this time was relatively short. After Qin destroyed the Six Kingdoms and unified the world, Qin Shi Huang connected and repaired the Warring States Great Wall, which was first known as the Great Wall of Ten Thousand Miles. The Ming Dynasty was the last dynasty to build a great wall, and most of the Great Wall seen today was built at this time.
On March 4, 1961, the Great Wall was announced by the State Council as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units. In December 1987, the Great Wall was listed as a World Heritage Site. On November 26, 2020, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage released the first list of important points and sections of the National Great Wall.
02. Mogao Caves
Date of inclusion: 1987
Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, commonly known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, is located in Dunhuang at the western end of the Hexi Corridor. Originally built in the former Qin Xuanzhao Emperor Jianjian period, after the Northern Dynasty, Sui Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, Western Xia, Yuan Dynasty and other dynasties of construction, forming a huge scale, there are 735 caves, murals 45,000 square meters, clay painted sculptures 2415 statues, is the world's largest and richest Buddhist art site.
In 1961, the Mogao Grottoes were announced by the State Council of the People's Republic of China as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units. In 1987, the Mogao Caves were listed as a World Heritage Site.
03. Ming and Qing Imperial Palaces in Beijing and Shenyang
Date of inclusion: 1987 / 2004
The Construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing began in the fourth year of Ming Chengzu Yongle (1406), modeled on the Nanjing Forbidden City, and was completed in the eighteenth year of Yongle (1420), becoming the imperial palace of the twenty-four emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. On the 14th National Day of the Republic of China (October 10, 1925), the Palace Museum was officially established and opened. The Forbidden City in Beijing is 961 meters long from north to south, 753 meters wide from east to west, surrounded by a 10-meter-high city wall on all sides, and a moat with a width of 52 meters outside the city. The Forbidden City has four gates, the South Gate is the Noon Gate, the north is the Shenwu Gate, the east is the Donghua Gate, and the west is the Xihua Gate. The four corners of the city wall each have a corner tower with a graceful style, and the folk have nine beams, eighteen columns and seventy-two ridges, describing the complexity of its structure.
Shenyang Imperial Palace, also known as Shengjing Imperial Palace, is located in Shenhe District, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, and is the imperial palace of the early Qing Dynasty. The Imperial Palace in Shenyang was built in the tenth year of the Mandate of Heaven (1625) of the Qing Dynasty and completed in the first year of the Qing Dynasty (1636). The total area is 63,272 square meters, and the construction area is 18,968 square meters. It is not only one of the two remaining royal palace complexes in China, but also the only one outside of Guanwai in China.
04. Mausoleum of The First Qin Emperor and Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit
Date of inclusion: 1987
Located 30 kilometers east of Lintong in Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang and the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit show the structural layout, design ideas and achievements of Qin Dynasty science and technology culture of the Qin Dynasty mausoleum, and are known as "one of the wonders of the world".
The mausoleum was built between 246 BC and 208 BC, and the existing tomb is 40 meters high. The layout of the cemetery imitates the Qin capital Xianyang, which is divided into two cities, the inner city circumference is about 2.5 kilometers, and the outer city circumference is about 6.3 kilometers. Located on the east side of the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit is a large funerary pit of the Qin Tombs, which was discovered in 1974. Four pits have been excavated, covering an area of more than 25,000 square meters, and tens of thousands of cultural relics have been excavated. It was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1987.
05 Zhoukoudian Beijinger Ruins
Date of inclusion: 1987
A total of 27 sites of various fossils and cultural relics from different periods have been found at the Zhoukoudian site, more than 200 human fossils have been excavated, more than 100,000 stone tools, and a large number of fire relics and hundreds of animal fossils, etc., which is a treasure house of human fossils and a multidisciplinary comprehensive research base for paleoanthropology, archaeology, paleontology, stratigraphy, chronology, environmental science and karst.
On March 4, 1961, the Zhoukoudian site was announced as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units, and in 1987 it was included in the World Cultural Heritage List.
06 Historical complex of Potala Palace in Lhasa
Listed in: 1994 Potala Palace
The Potala Palace Historical Building Complex in Lhasa is a general term for the Potala Palace and its surrounding buildings in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, China, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The complex was registered as a World Heritage Site in 1994 and expanded in 2000 and 2001.
07 Chengde Mountain Resort and its surrounding temples
Date of inclusion: 1994
Built in 1703 (the 42nd year of the Kangxi Dynasty) and completed in the 57th year of Qianlong (1792), the summer resort covers an area of 5.64 million square meters and is the largest surviving classical imperial garden in the world. The Waiba Temple, built on the outskirts of the villa according to the undulating mountain, is golden and brilliant, with different styles. The founding of each temple has a touching story. In 1994, Chengde Mountain Resort and its surrounding temples were inscribed on unesco's World Heritage List.
08. Qufu "three holes"
Date of inclusion: 1994
The Confucius Palace, Confucius Temple, and KongLin in Qufu, Jining, Shandong, collectively known as the "Three Holes" of Qufu, are the sacred places of worship of Confucius in successive generations of Chinese dynasties, and they are the embodiment of Confucianism, and are known for their rich cultural accumulation, long history, grand scale, rich cultural relics collection, and scientific and artistic value.
Confucius taught here and founded Confucian culture, which deeply marked the brand of Confucianism in Chinese history for more than 2,000 years. The Confucian culture represented by Confucius has shaped the entire Chinese ideological, political and social system according to its own ideals and has become the cornerstone of the entire Chinese culture. In 1994, the Confucius Temple, Confucius Forest and Confucius House were inscribed on the World Heritage List by the United Nations.
09. Wudang Mountain Ancient Building Complex
Date of inclusion: 1994
The ancient architectural complex of Wudang Mountain was built during the Tang Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty reached its peak, and successive emperors built Wudang Mountain as a royal family temple. The entire building complex is strictly in accordance with the story of Zhenwu Xiuxian unified layout, and the use of royal architectural regulations, the formation of "five miles and one nunnery ten mile palace, Dan wall Cuiwa Wang Linglong, the terrace hidden gold and silver, Lin Xiu hui circular painting mirror" of the "Xianshan Qiongge" artistic conception, stretching for 140 miles, embodies the Taoist idea of "the unity of heaven and man", known as "the museum of ancient Chinese architectural achievements" and "hanging on the cliffs and cliffs of the Forbidden City".
Wudang Mountain has 53 ancient buildings, with a construction area of 27,000 square meters, 9 architectural sites, and 5,035 various cultural relics. In 1982, it was listed in the first batch of national key scenic spots by the State Council. In 1994, the wudang mountain ancient building complex was included in the world cultural heritage list.
10 Lushan National Park
Inclusion date: 1996
Lushan Mountain, Jiangxi is one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization. The Buddhist and Taoist temples, as well as the landmark buildings of Confucianism (where the most eminent masters taught), blended together in the stunning natural landscape have inspired countless artists who have pioneered the Chinese culture's aesthetic approach to nature.
11. Pingyao Ancient City
Date of inclusion: 1997
The ancient city of Pingyao is an outstanding example of an ancient Chinese city during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and the ancient city of Pingyao has preserved all its characteristics. Moreover, in the development of Chinese history, it has shown people a complete picture of extraordinary cultural, social, economic and religious development. Pingyao, Shanxi, is known as one of the "Four Best-Preserved Ancient Cities" and one of only two ancient cities in China that have successfully declared the entire ancient city as a World Cultural Heritage.
12 Lijiang Ancient City
Date of inclusion: 1997
The ancient city of Lijiang embodies the achievements of ancient Chinese urban construction and is one of the types with distinctive characteristics and styles among Chinese dwellings. The streets in the ancient city of Lijiang are built by mountains and rivers, paved with red breccia, and are one of the two ancient cities in China that have successfully declared the entire ancient city as a world cultural heritage.
13 Classical gardens in Suzhou
Date of inclusion: 1997
Suzhou Classical Garden, also known as "Suzhou Garden", is a general term for Chinese classical gardens located in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. The classical gardens of Suzhou trace back to the Spring and Autumn Period, developed in the Jin and Tang Dynasties, prospered in the Two Song Dynasties, and flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Suzhou is known as the "City of Gardens", the domestic private garden was founded in the 6th century BC, at the end of the Qing Dynasty, there were more than 170 gardens inside and outside the city, and more than 50 exist.
14. Summer Palace
Date of inclusion: 1998
The Summer Palace is a large-scale landscape garden built on the basis of Kunming Lake and Wanshou Mountain, based on the West Lake of Hangzhou, and drawing on the design techniques of Jiangnan Gardens, and is also the most complete preserved royal palace garden, known as the "Royal Garden Museum".
On March 4, 1961, the Summer Palace was announced as the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units, and together with the Chengde Summer Resort, Humble Administrator's Garden and lingering garden, which were also announced, they were called the four famous gardens in China, and were included in the World Heritage List in November 1998. In 2009, the Summer Palace was selected as the largest surviving royal garden in China by the China World Records Association.
15. Beijing Royal Altar - Temple of Heaven
Date of inclusion: 1998
Located in the Dongcheng District of Beijing, the Temple of Heaven in Beijing was a place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped the heavens, prayed for the valley and prayed for rain. It is the largest and highest ethical sacrificial complex in ancient China. In 1961, the Temple of Heaven was announced by the State Council as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units. In 1998, the "Beijing Royal Altar - Temple of Heaven" was listed as a World Cultural Heritage.
16 Dazu stone carvings
Date of inclusion: 1999
The Dazu stone carvings represent the highest level of world cave art in the 9th and 13th centuries AD, and are the last monument in the history of human cave art. It shows the major development and changes of Chinese grotto art styles in the Tang and Song dynasties from different aspects, and has irreplaceable historical, artistic and scientific value of the early grottoes. It is also known for its grand scale, exquisite carving, diverse themes, rich connotations and well-preserved.
In December 1999, the Dazu stone carvings represented by the "Five Mountains" of Baoding Mountain, Beishan Mountain, Nanshan Mountain, Shimen Mountain and Shizhu Mountain were included in the World Heritage List by UNESCO.
17 Dragon Gate Grotto
Date of inclusion: 2000
Located in Luoyang City, Henan Province, Longmen Grottoes is the world's largest treasure house of stone carving art with the largest number of statues, and has been rated as the "highest peak of Chinese stone carving art" by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, ranking first among the major grottoes in China.
18 Ming and Qing Dynasty Royal Mausoleums
Inclusion date: 2000 / 2003 / 2004
The Ming and Qing dynasty royal mausoleums are cultural relics carefully planned and built by the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The mausoleums are distributed in Beijing, Hebei, Liaoning, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei and other places, and the main buildings are well preserved, reflecting the original appearance of the Ming and Qing royal mausoleums.
In 2000, the Ming Tombs, the Eastern Tombs of the Qing Dynasty and the Western Tombs of the Qing Dynasty were inscribed on the World Heritage List. In 2003, the Ming Tombs and the Ming Tombs were inscribed on the World Heritage List. In 2004, shengjing sanling – Fuling, Zhaoling and Yongling were also inscribed on the World Heritage List as an extension of the Ming and Qing imperial tombs.
19 Dujiangyan
Date of inclusion: 2000
Dujiangyan is located in the west of Dujiangyan City, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, was founded in the last year of King Qin Zhao (about 256 BC ~ 251 BC), is a large-scale water conservancy project organized and built by the father and son of Li Bing, Taishou Li Bing, Shu County, on the basis of the excavation of the predecessor Turtle Ling, has been playing a role in flood control irrigation for more than 2,000 years, and is the world's oldest, only surviving, still in use, and characterized by the introduction of water without dams, condensing the crystallization of the hard work, bravery and wisdom of the ancient Chinese working people.
20 Ancient villages in southern Anhui - Xidi Village, Hongcun Village
Date of inclusion: 2000
Xidi and Hongcun ancient residential villages are located in the Huangshan Scenic Area in Yi County, Anhui Province, eastern China. Xidi Village covers an area of nearly 13 hectares and has a history of more than 950 years, with 3 ancestral halls, 1 archway and 224 ancient houses from the 14th to the 19th centuries. Xidi Village has preserved the typical Ming and Qing Dynasty ancient village style to this day, and is known as the "Living Ancient Residence Museum".
Hongcun was founded in 1131 AD, and there are 137 ancient buildings in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is a typical representative of the late culture of China's feudal society - the carrier of Huizhou culture, which epitomizes the characteristics of the Huipai residential houses with exquisite craftsmanship.
21 Yungang Grottoes
Inclusion date: 2001
Yungang Grottoes, located in Datong City, Shanxi Province, have 252 existing caves and 51,000 stone statues, representing the outstanding Buddhist artistic achievements of China from the 5th to the 6th centuries AD. The overall layout of the "Five Caves of Tan yao" is a classic masterpiece of the first peak of Chinese Buddhist art.
22 Goguryeo royal castles, royal tombs and noble tombs
Date of inclusion: 2004
The Goguryeo royal castles, royal tombs and noble tombs consist of domestic castles, Marudosan Castle, royal tombs (14) and noble tombs (261), which are the remnants of the Goguryeo Dynasty in the slave state from the 1st to the 7th century.
The tombs of Goguryeo kings, tombs and nobles embody masterpieces of human creation and wisdom; as capitals and tombs built in the early days of history, it reflects the influence of the Han people on other ethnic cultures and the unique style of mural art, showing the perfect combination of human creation and nature.
The main historical sites of Goguryeo exist in large quantities in China's Jilin and Liaoning provinces, becoming irreplaceable physical witnesses of this period of history and having important historical and cultural value. On 1 July 2004, the tombs of Goguryeo kings, tombs and nobles were inscribed on the World Heritage List by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee at the 28th session of the World Heritage Committee in accordance with Criterion C for The Selection of Cultural Heritage.
23. Historic Centre of Macau
Date of inclusion: 2005
The Historic Centre of Macau has witnessed the history of mutual exchange and pluralistic coexistence between Chinese culture and Western culture for more than 400 years. Because of the cultural integration of East and West, most of the buildings in the urban area have the characteristics of a combination of East and West. The main attractions of the Historic Centre of Macau include more than 20 historical buildings such as A-Ma Temple, Port Authority Building, Cheng Family House and Ruins of St. Paul's.
24 Yin Ruins
Date of inclusion: 2006
At the beginning of the 20th century, Yin Ruins was famous for excavating oracle bones, and about 150,000 pieces of oracle bones have been excavated.
The Yin Ruins Archaeological Site, located near anyang city about 500 kilometers south of Beijing, was the ancient capital of the late Shang Dynasty (1300-1046 BC), representing the golden age of early Chinese culture, craftsmanship and technology, and the most prosperous period of the Chinese Bronze Age.
25 Kaiping Watchtowers and Villages
Inclusion date: 2007
Kaiping Diaolou and Village are famous for the multi-storey tower-style rural houses used for defense in Kaiping City, Guangdong Province. The earliest history can be traced back to the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and by the 1920s and 1930s, there were more than 3,000 watchtowers at their peak, and 1,833 were still well preserved. It shows the important role of the Kaiping diaspora in the development of South Asian countries, Australia and North American countries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as the close ties between overseas Kaiping people and their hometowns.
26 Fu jian tu lou
Date of inclusion: 2008
On July 6, 2008, Fujian Tulou was officially inscribed on the World Heritage List at the 32nd World Heritage Conference held in Quebec City, Canada.
The "Fujian Tulou", which has become a world cultural heritage, consists of a total of 46 tulou in the "six groups and four floors" of Yongding, Nanjing and Hua'an counties in Fujian Province. Namely, Yongding District Chuxi Tulou Group, Hongkeng Tulou Group, Gaobei Tulou Group and Yanxiang Lou, Zhenfu Lou, Nanjing County Tianluokeng Tulou Group, Hekeng Tulou Group and Huaiyuan Lou, Hegui Lou, Hua'an County Dadi Tulou Group.
These tulou are either square or round, mainly circles, sprinkled like pearls among the green waters and green mountains of southwest Fujian. As of 2008, the oldest and youngest of the World Heritage Tulou are in the Chuxi Tulou Group, the 66-meter-diameter Jiqinglou has reached 600 "advanced age", and the 31-meter-diameter Shanqinglou has only a 30-year history.
27 Five Taishan
Inclusion date: 2009
Wutai Mountain, located in Xinzhou City, Shanxi Province, the "Chronicle of Famous Mountains" says: "The five peaks of Mount Wutai stand tall, high above the clouds, and there is no forest at the top of the mountain, it is like a platform of soil, so it is called Wutai." ”
Mount Wutai is a Buddhist ashram where the Yellow Temple of the Qingmiao Temple of China coexists, and there are 86 places of religious activities, including many monasteries built and many emperors of the dynasty who come to worship. Famous ones are: Xiantong Temple, Tayuan Temple, Bodhisattva Peak, Nanshan Temple, Dai Luo Ding, Golden Pavilion Temple, Ten Thousand Buddhas Pavilion, Bishan Temple, etc.
Mount Wutai is one of the four famous mountains of Chinese Buddhism. In 2004, Wutai Mountain was rated as one of the top ten famous mountains in China. In June 2009, Wutai Mountain was listed as a World Cultural Heritage.
28 Dengfeng "Among the Heavens and The Earth" Historical Building Complex
Date of inclusion: 2010
Dengfeng "Heaven and Earth" historical building complex includes Zhou Gong Observatory and Dengfeng Observatory, Songyue Temple Pagoda, Taimu Que and Zhongyue Temple, Shaomu Que, Qimu Que, Songyang Academy, Huishan Temple, Shaolin Temple Complex (including Chang Hospital, Tallinn and Chuzu'an) and other 8 places and 11 excellent historical buildings, through the Han, Wei, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing, stretching endlessly, constituting a 2000-year visual architectural history in the Central Plains of China, with the longest span of Chinese eras and the largest variety of buildings. One of the ancient architectural complexes with the richest cultural connotation is the true embodiment of the unique cosmology and aesthetics of the Chinese ancestors.
29 Hangzhou West Lake Cultural Landscape
Inclusion date: 2011
Since the 9th century AD, the lake and mountains of Hangzhou's West Lake have attracted countless literati and artists to chant and pour ink. The scenic area is full of temples, pavilions, pagodas and gardens, interspersed with exotic flowers and trees, embankment islands, adding infinite beauty to the city of Hangzhou in Jiangnan. "West Lake Landscape" is an outstanding example of landscape design under the Chinese landscape aesthetic theory of "the unity of heaven and man" and "sending love to landscape" by the Cultural Elite of successive generations of Chinese dynasties, and has had a significant impact on the imperial gardens of the Qing Dynasty in the 18th century and the landscape design and gardening art in East Asia such as China, Japan and the Korean Peninsula since the 9th century.
30 yuan on the ruins of the capital
Inclusion date: 2012
Yuan Shangdu Ruins, located in Xilingol League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Zhenglanqi Shangdu Town, located on the Jinlian River grassland on the lightning river, south of the Shangdu River, north of Longgang Mountain, was founded in the sixth year of the Mongolian Xianzong (1256), covering a total area of 250 square kilometers; is the capital site of the Yuan Dynasty, the birthplace of Mongolian Yuan culture, the political, economic, cultural, religious and foreign exchange center of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty.
31 Honghe Hani Rice Terraces Cultural Landscape
Inclusion date: 2013
The Honghe Hani Rice Terraces cultural landscape is located in the south of Yunnan Province, China, and the magnificent terraces are widely distributed in the Ailao Mountains and on the south bank of the Red River, covering an area of 16,603 hectares. In the course of nearly 1,300 years of continuous development, the Hani people have created a breathtaking "four-element isomorphism" terrace farming system consisting of forests, water systems, terraces and villages. In order to support the production of red rice, the main crop, an integrated agricultural system including cattle, duck and fish has been creatively developed.
There are 82 villages dotted here, dotted with traditional mushroom houses, where local residents have a simple reverence and worldview of the sun, moon, rivers, forests and fires in nature. Long-term stable social structure, religious beliefs and unique rice field management systems together constitute an ecological model of perfect harmony between man and nature.
32 Great canals
Inclusion date: 2014
The Grand Canal was founded in 486 BC, including the Sui-Tang Grand Canal, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Zhejiang East Grand Canal three parts, a total length of 2700 kilometers, spanning more than 10 latitudes of the earth, spanning Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang 8 provinces and municipalities directly under the Central Government, running through the North China Great Plain, access to the Haihe, Yellow River, Huaihe River, Yangtze River, Qiantang River five major water systems, is the main artery of china's ancient north-south traffic, to 2020 The history of the Grand Canal has continued for more than 2500 years.
On 22 June 2014, the Grand Canal was inscribed on the World Heritage List at the 38th World Heritage Conference, becoming the 46th World Heritage Project in China. The Grand Canal heritage, which was finally included in the scope of the application, is distributed in 2 municipalities directly under the central government, 6 provinces and 25 prefecture-level cities in China. The series of heritage sites declared were selected from the typical river sections and important heritage sites of each river section, including 27 river heritage sections, with a total length of 1011 km, and a total of 58 related heritage sites.
33 Silk Road: Road network of the Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor
Inclusion date: 2014
At the 38th Session of the World Heritage Conference, China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan jointly declared the "Silk Road: Road Network of the Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor" as a World Heritage Site, and achieved success. This cultural heritage project jointly submitted by China, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan has been officially inscribed on the World Heritage List. This is the first transnational joint heritage application project in the mainland and the first Silk Road heritage in the world to be inscribed on the heritage list.
34 Toast site
Inclusion date: 2015
Toast ruins (distributed in the Wuling Mountains at the junction of the three provinces of Xiang'eqian and Hubei in the south, the main types of existing ruins include the ruins of Toast City, the site of Toast Military City, the Tusi Official Village, the Toast Office Building Complex, the Toast Manor, and the Tomb Group of the Toast Family.
From the 13th century to the beginning of the 20th century, the central government of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties of China implemented the "toast system" in the ethnic minority areas in the southwest, and the central government appointed local chiefs to serve as "toastmasters" and ruled the local people hereditaryly. The remains of the tusi walled city and the official office building that have survived to this day were once the administrative and living center of the "toast".
On July 4, 2015, at the 39th World Heritage Conference held in Bonn, Germany, the "Chinese Toast Heritage" declared by China was successfully inscribed on the World Cultural Heritage List. Chinese Toast Heritage "includes the ruins of Yongshun Toast City in Hunan, Hailongtun Ruins in Bozhou, Guizhou, and The Ruins of Toast City in Tangya, Hubei.
35 Zuojiang Huashan Rock Painting Cultural Landscape
Inclusion date: 2016
Huashan petroglyphs are one of the largest ancient rock paintings at home and abroad, and its integration of the grand scale of the whole (Zuojiang petroglyphs), the majesty of the single body (itself), and the "three major" characteristics of the individual figures (in the petroglyphs) are huge, so that the majestic momentum formed is incomparable to other petroglyphs; most of the images of huashan petroglyphs take the creative method of plane shaping, that is, projection monochrome flat painting, and use a special soft pen to smear the image contours on the rock wall to form a "silhouette"-like artistic effect. It has created the rough appearance and active dynamic feeling of Huashan rock paintings, which has an extremely strong artistic appeal and is an immortal masterpiece and inheritance of the painting art of the ancestors of the Zhuang nation.
36 Gulangyu Island: Historical International Community
Inclusion date: 2017
"Gulangyu Island: Historical International Community" is an international community with outstanding cultural diversity and modern quality of life, and Gulangyu Island is also a special case of intercultural exchange, witnessing the convergence, collision and integration of various values in the early days of Asian globalization. Gulangyu's organic urban fabric clearly retains traces of its development and changes, witnessing the process of multicultural integration into the original culture over the past few decades.
37 Ruins of Liangzhu Ancient City
Inclusion date: 2019
The Liangzhu culture is 5300-4300 years old and has been developing for about 1000 years, belonging to the archaeological culture of the late Neolithic period. Distributed in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, a total of 136 sites have been found.
The ruins of Liangzhu Ancient City, the first Neolithic city site discovered in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, were the largest prehistoric city site in China before the discovery of the Shenmu Shiya site in Shaanxi Province, and have been known as "the first city in China".
38 Quanzhou: The world's maritime trade center in Song and Yuan China
Inclusion date: 2021
"Quanzhou: World Marine Trade Center of Song and Yuan China" consists of 22 representative monuments and sites and their associated environments and spaces. The 22 representative monuments and sites include: Jiurishan Qifeng Stone Carving, Shibusi Ruins, Dejimen Ruins, Tianhou Temple, Zhenwu Temple, Nanwaizong Zhengsi Ruins, Quanzhou Fuwen Temple, Kaiyuan Temple, Laojunyan Statue, Qingjing Temple, Islamic Holy Tomb, Cao'an Mani Guang Buddha Statue, Magnetic Stove Kiln Site, Dehua Kiln Site, Anxi Qingyang Xiacaopu Iron Smelting Iron Site, Luoyang Bridge, Anping Bridge, Shunji Bridge Ruins, Jiangkou Wharf, Shihu Wharf, Liusheng Pagoda, Wanshou Pagoda.
World Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites (4 sites)
01 Taishan
Date of inclusion: 1987
Mount Tai was regarded by the ancients as a paradise that "leads directly to the throne", and became a sacred mountain worshiped by the people and sacrificed by the emperor, with the saying that "Taishan is safe, and all the seas are safe". From the beginning of Qin Shi Huang to the Qing Dynasty, 13 generations of emperors have personally ascended Mount Taishan to seal Zen or sacrifice, and 24 generations of emperors have sent officials to sacrifice 72 times. More than 20 ancient buildings and more than 2,200 stele stone carvings have been left on the mountain.
On November 8, 1982, Taishan was included in the first batch of national scenic spots. On December 12, 1987, Taishan was listed as a dual cultural and natural heritage site of the world.
02 Huangshan
Date of inclusion: 1990
Huangshan is known as "the first strange mountain in aurora country". At the height of Chinese history, it was widely praised through literary and artistic forms such as the "mountain" and "water" styles of the mid-16th century. Today, Huangshan is known for its magnificent scenery – the strange pines that grow on granite rocks and the strange rocks that emerge in the sea of clouds, and has a timeless charm for tourists, poets, painters and photographers who come to this scenic spot from all directions.
03 Mount Emei - Leshan Giant Buddha
Inclusion date: 1996
Mount Emei is the dojo of Puxian Bodhisattva, and religious culture, especially Buddhist culture, constitutes the main body of the history and culture of Mount Emei, and all the buildings, statues, rituals, music, paintings, etc. show the rich atmosphere of religious culture. There are many monuments and temples on the mountain, including Baoguo Temple, Fuhu Temple, Elephant Wash Pond, Longmen Cave, Sheshen Cliff, Emei Foguang and other scenic spots, which is one of The tourist, recuperation and summer destinations in China.
Mount Emei-Leshan Giant Buddha is a dual heritage of world culture and nature
04 Wuyi Mountain
Date of inclusion: 1999
Wuyi Mountain is a famous mountain of three religions. Since the Qin and Han dynasties, Wuyi Mountain has been the habitat of the Yuliu Zen family, leaving behind many palaces, Taoist temples and nunnery sites. WuyiShan was also once a place where Confucian scholars advocated Taoism and taught. Wuyi Mountain is a dual heritage of world culture and nature,
World Natural Heritage Sites (14 sites)
01 Huanglong Scenic Area
Date of inclusion: 1992
Huanglong is famous for the "four absolutes" of colorful ponds, snow-capped mountains, canyons and forests, plus beach streams, ancient temples, and folk customs called "seven absolutes". The scenic spot is composed of Huanglonggou, Danyun Gorge, Munigou, Xuebaoding, Xueshanliang, Hongxingyan, Xigou and other scenic spots. The main landscape is concentrated in the Huanglonggou, which is about 3.6 km long, and the ditch is full of calcium carbonate deposits. And arranged in the shape of terraces, it is famous for its rich animal and plant resources, and enjoys the reputation of "Wonders of the World" and "Yao Pond on Earth". Inscribed on the World Natural Heritage List in 1992.
02 Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area
Date of inclusion: 1992
Located in the northern part of Sichuan Province, Jiuzhaigou stretches over 72,000 hectares and the tortuous and narrow Valley of Jiuzhaigou is more than 4,800 metres above sea level, resulting in a series of diverse forest ecosystems. The spectacular scenery is all the more enlivened by a series of narrow, conical karst formations and spectacular waterfalls. There are about 140 species of birds living in the valley, as well as many endangered species of flora and fauna, including giant pandas and Sichuan horned antelopes.
03 Wulingyuan Scenic Area
Date of inclusion: 1992
Wulingyuan is known as a labyrinth of nature, a museum of geology, a kingdom of forests, a hundred gardens of plants, and a paradise for wild animals.
04 Three parallel rivers conservation area
Date of inclusion: 2003
Located in Sanjiang National Park in the northwestern mountains of Yunnan Province, the Yunnan Sanjiang Parallel Conservation Area covers eight areas with an area of 1.7 million hectares, making it the upper reaches of three famous rivers in Asia and one of the most polytropically diverse areas in the world.
05 Sichuan giant panda habitat
Date of inclusion: 2006
Sichuan giant panda habitat, currently more than 30% of the world's endangered wild giant pandas live there, including seven nature reserves and nine scenic spots in Qionglai Mountain and Jiajin Mountain, is the world's largest and most complete giant panda habitat, is the remnants of the tertiary primitive tropical forest.
06 Karst, South China
Inclusion dates: 2007, 2014
The karst regions of southern China are mainly distributed in Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi provinces, and the karst landforms are rich and diverse, rich in change, and unparalleled in the world.
After Yunnan Stone Forest, Guizhou Libo and Chongqing Wulong Karst were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2007, in 2014, the second phase of the Karst of Southern China, consisting of Guilin Karst (Guangxi), Shibing Karst (Guizhou), Jinfoshan Karst (Chongqing) and Huanjiang Karst (Guangxi), was submitted to apply for heritage, which contains the most representative karst landforms from plateaus to lowland plains, reflecting a complete and unique karst deepening process, while showing the world's most spectacular and diverse karst landscape.
07 Sanqingshan National Park
Date of inclusion: 2008
Sanqingshan Scenic Area is located in the northeast of Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province, because of Yujing, Yuxu, Yuhua "three peaks steeply, such as the Taoist Three Qing Column sits on its peak". The total area of Sanqingshan Scenic Area is 756.6 square kilometers, of which the core scenic area is 230 square kilometers, and the buffer zone area is 526.6 square kilometers, of which the main peak Yujing Peak is 1819.9 meters above sea level, which is the highest peak and the source of the Xinjiang River.
08 China Danxia
Date of inclusion: 2010
Danxia, China, is a World Natural Heritage Site and the 40th World Heritage Site in China. It is composed of six series nomination sites: Guangdong Danxia Mountain, Zhejiang Jianglang Mountain, Jiangxi Longhu Mountain, Fujian Taining, Hunan Kunshan Mountain, and Guizhou Chishui.
Danxia, China, is a landscape system of steep cliffs, red mountains, dense and deep canyons, spectacular waterfalls and turquoise rivers and streams, which is an example of the Danxia landscape in China and the world. The successful declaration of the World Heritage Not only shows that the uniqueness and integrity of the heritage values of the six nomination sites in Danxia, China have been highly recognized by the international community, but also won another international brand for China.
09 Chengjiang Fossil Site
Inclusion date: 2012
Located in a mountainous hilly area of Yunnan Province, the Chengjiang Fossil Site (China) covers an area of 512 hectares and is the best-preserved early Cambrian marine paleontological fossil group, showing a wide range of hard tissue and soft tissue anatomy of invertebrate and vertebrate organisms. The Chengjiang fossil group records the formation of early complex marine ecosystems. At least 160 biological phyla and many mysterious populations and 196 other species have been preserved at the Chengjiang site, which is evidence of the Big Bang of Life on Earth 530 million years ago, when the major fauna on Earth today appeared.
10 New Xinjiang Tianshan
Inclusion date: 2013
The Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, the eastern section of the Tianshan Mountains, are also the main part of the Tianshan Mountains (the western section is located in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan).
On June 21, 2013, four areas in Xinjiang's Tianshan Mountains, Nameng tomur Peak (Aksu Region), Karajun-Kurdrin (Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture), Bayinbrook (Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture), and Bogda (Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture), were successfully applied for world natural heritage under the name of "Xinjiang Tianshan Mountain", becoming the 44th World Heritage Site in China.
11 Shen Nongjia
Inclusion date: 2016
Shennongjia Forest District is located in the Wudang Mountains, the Yangtze River Three Gorges composed of tourism belt, in September 2018, won the title of "China's natural oxygen bar". In March 2019, it was listed as the first batch of revolutionary cultural relics protection and utilization areas in the list of counties.
Shennongjia is the first "Triple Crown" site in China to be included in the unesco Man and Biosphere Reserve, the Global Geopark and the World Heritage Site. On July 17, 2016, Shennongjia was inscribed on the World Heritage List, becoming the first World Natural Heritage Site in Hubei Province and the 11th World Natural Heritage Site in China.
12 Cocoa Siri
Inclusion date: 2017
Qinghai Coco Xili National Nature Reserve is located in the western part of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province, with a total area of 4.5 million hectares. It is a nature reserve with a well-preserved original ecological environment in the world at the beginning of the 21st century, and it is also one of the nature reserves with the largest area, the highest altitude and the richest wildlife resources built in China.
13 Brahman Purification Mountain
Inclusion date: 2018
Mount Fanjing,named after the "Brahma Pure Land", is located at the junction of yinjiang, Jiangkou and Songtao (southwest) counties in Tongren City, Guizhou Province, and is the main peak of the Wuling Mountains, a Buddhist ashram and nature reserve in China, located in the middle of the Tongren region.
On 2 July 2018, Mount Fanjing in Guizhou Province, China was inscribed on the World Natural Heritage List at the World Heritage Conference in Manama, Bahrain.
14 Yellow (Bohai) Sea Migratory Bird Habitat (Phase I)
Inclusion date: 2019
Located in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, the China Yellow (Bohai) Sea Migratory Bird Habitat (Phase I) consists mainly of intertidal mudflats and other coastal wetlands, has the world's largest intertidal tidal mudflats, is a key hub on the East Asian-Australasian migratory bird migration route with the most endangered species and the highest degree of threat, and is also a resting, moulting and wintering ground for millions of migratory birds around the world.
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