World Cultural Heritage: Historic Dengfeng Monuments at “the Center of Heaven and Earth” (2)

This architectural complex refers to many realms including rituals, religion, education and science, and is an outstanding representative of China’s ancient architecture and an excellent model of originality and architectural shape and structure. It can fully reflect the amazing creativity of the human race. The buildings not only deeply affected the formation and development of other architecture of the same kind in China’s central regions, but also affected the rituals and religious architectural systems and even the cultural traditions of China and Asia. Many individual buildings were the outstanding representatives of the buildings of the same kind in their times, and currently are excellent examples and specimens for architectural design and construction technologies. These buildings had recorded the history of ancient Chinese sacrifice and worshipping culture and academy education, and are unique and vivid witnesses to the inheritance and development of these two extinct cultural traditions.

After an on-site investigation and evaluation, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) confirmed that Zhengzhou’s historic Dengfeng monuments at “The Center of Heaven and Earth” accord with the standards of authenticity and integrity and possess outstanding universal values. In the “Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage,” six standards were defined for selecting world cultural heritage, and as long as a place accords with one of the standards (the standard (VI) cannot be used alone), it would be qualified to be listed in the World Heritage List. Zhengzhou’s historic Dengfeng monuments at “The Center of Heaven and Earth” not only accord to the third standard (III) but also accord to the sixth standard (VI).