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China Has 27 World Heritage Sites
China's World Heritage Sites
China's State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) announced Thursday, November 30, that four more relics sites have been listed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
So far, China has had a total of 27 World Heritage sites, ranking as the fourth largest heritage country in the world.
The four newly approved cultural heritage sites are Mount Qingcheng and Dujiangyan (Dujiang Dyke) in Sichuan Province, Longmen Grottoes in Henan Province, the imperial mausoleums of the Ming and Qing dynasties which are separately located in Hubei and Hebei provinces, and the ancient Xidi and Hongcun villages in Anhui Province.
The scenic site surrounding Mount Qingcheng and Dujiangyan was formerly submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee as an applicant for both cultural and natural heritage site. However, the committee only approved it as a cultural one, saying that the committee will make an on-the-spot investigation and appraisal for the site, said Wang Jun, an official with the SACH.
China's World Heritage Sites
Located 15 kilometers southwest of Guanxian County, Mount Qingcheng was the birthplace of Taoism. Dujiangyan, which was built 2,200 years ago, has been the world's earliest irrigation project.
Listed among China's three largest grottoes, Longmen Grottoes, which were started in 494 A.D., preserves important academic data and various Buddhist art treasures.
The imperial mausoleums of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644- 1911) dynasties include a total of 25 tombs of emperors, empresses and concubines.
The two ancient villages in Anhui, with a history of at least 400 years, feature traditional gardening arts and unique architecture in ancient China.
Longmen Grottoes Inscribed in World Heritage List
The famous Longmen Grottoes was placed on the World Heritage List Thursday, November 30, according to local officials.
The grottoes, 13 kilometers south of Luoyang in central China's Henan Province, was built in 493 A.D. and rebuilt continuously in the following 400 years.
The heritage consists of more than 135 grottos, 40 pagodas, 97,000 Buddhist statues and 3,600 stone sculptures.
Tibet's Jokhang Temple Included in World Heritage List
The Jokhang Temple in Tibet was accepted to the World Heritage list Thursday at the 24th meeting of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee in Australia, local officials announced.
Located near the Potala Palace and covering 25,100 square meters, Jokhang lamasery was first built in 647 BC, and has been repaired and enlarged many times. The temple is a major arena for holding Buddhist religious activities in Tibet.
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