World Heritage Sites in China

This is a list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in China. China has 35, ranking third in the world. China ratified The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage on December 12, 1985. These sites comprise some of the most essential part of China's valuable and rich tourism resources.

Overview

Since joining the International Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1985, China has 37 world heritage sites to date; of these 26 are cultural heritage sites, seven are natural heritage sites, and four are cultural and natural (mixed) sites, ranking third in the world. Since 2004, China has made the first large-scale renovations on six world cultural heritage sites in Beijing - the Ming Tombs, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, and the "Peking Man" site at Zhoukoudian, all of which are planned for completion before 2008. In addition, China has a rich non-material cultural heritage. Kunqu Opera and the art of playing the guqin, a seven-stringed zither, are among UNESCO's list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The ancient Naxi Dongba literature manuscripts have also been inscribed on the World Heritage List. In 2001, Chinese Tibetan epic King Gesar, the longest epic in the world, was listed by UNESCO in the world millennium memorials.

List

:* = World Cultural Site:† = World Natural Site:*† = World Cultural and Natural Site (Mixed)

*The Great Wall (1987)*
*Mount Taishan, Shandong province (1987)*†
*Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing (the Forbidden City) (1987) and Shenyang (Mukden Palace) (2004)*
*Mogao Caves, Dunhuang, Gansu proivince (1987)*
*Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor in Xi'an, Shaanxi province (1987)*
*Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian, Beijing municipality (1987)*
*Mount Huangshan, Anhui province (1990)*†
*Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area, Sichuan province (1992)†
*Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area, Sichuan province (1992)†
*Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area, Hunan province (1992)†
*Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples in Chengde, Hebei province (1994)*
*Temple and Cemetery of Confucius, and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu, Shandong province (1994)*
*Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains, Hubei province (1994)*
*Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, including the Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka, Lhasa, Tibet (1994, 2000, 2001)*
*Lushan National Park, Jiangxi province (1996)*
*Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area, Sichuan province (1996)*†
*Old Town of Lijiang, Yunnan province (1997)*
*Ancient City of Ping Yao, Shanxi province (1997)*
*Classical Gardens of Suzhou, Jiangsu province (1997, 2000)*
*Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing (1998)*
*Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing (1998)*
*Mount Wuyi, Fujian province (1999)*†
*Dazu Rock Carvings, Chongqing municipality (1999)*
*Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, Sichuan province (2000)*
*Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui - Xidi and Hongcun (2000)*
*Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang, Henan province (2000)*
*Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, including the Ming Dynasty Tombs and the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum (2000, 2003, 2004)*
*Yungang Grottoes, Datong, Shanxi province (2001)*
*Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas (2003)†
*Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Goguryeo Kingdom, Jilin and Liaoning provinces (2004)†
*Historic Centre of Macau (2005)*
*Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries (2006)†
*Yin Xu, Henan province (2006)*
*Kaiping Diaolou and Villages, Guangdong province (2007)*
*South China Karst, Yunnan, Guizhou provinces and Chongqing municipality (2007)†
*Fujian Tulou, Fujian province (2008)*
*Sanqingshan, Jiangxi province (2008)†

ee also

* Table of World Heritage Sites based on State Parties
* List of World Heritage Sites in Asia and Australasia (see template below for more regions)
* Organization of World Heritage Cities
* List of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in China

References

* [http://english.gov.cn/2006-02/08/content_182625.htm World cultural and natural heritage in China]

External links

* [http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/cn China - UNESCO World Heritage Centre]
* [http://www.unesco.org/whc UNESCO World Heritage Sites] - Official site
* [http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31 UNESCO World Heritage Centre] - Official site
* [http://whc.unesco.org/heritage.htm List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites] - Official site