12,000 Cultural Relic Sites in ChongqingChinese archaeologists have so far found 12,898 historical and cultural relic sites in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.These sites highlight the 3,000 year-old traditional culture in the area as well as ethnic culture, religious culture, landscape at Three Gorges, historical celebrities, the War against Japanese Aggression, revolutionary events and achievements of new China. The municipality recently released a list of the first group of 148 historical sites under city protection. There are 752 cultural relic sites in the Three Gorges reservoir area, the world's largest hydropower project, China's longest. Since 1977, local archaeologists have unearthed 12,000 cultural relics from the sites including the famous Zhang Fei Temple, Badi Town and tombs of the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.). Besides the relic sites at the Three Gorges area, there are many other famous cultural sites such as Dazu Stone Sculpture, The Big-Buddha Temple and the People's Hall of Chongqing. In addition, sites featuring the culture and religions of ethnic groups were also discovered in the city. |
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