China officially joined the UNESCO “Convention on the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage” in 1985. Since then, the total number of Chinese World Heritage Sites has reached 55, ranking first in the world. With the reform and opening up process, China has actively participated in many aspects of world heritage, such as heritage declaration and protection. China has become the only country with continuous success in the declaration of cultural heritage since the implementation of the declaration quota system in the field of world heritage. The numerous world natural and cultural heritages exhibit the wisdom and hard work of the Chinese people. Not only that, the harmonious blend of nature and humanities embodied in China’s natural and cultural heritage and cultural landscape heritage symbolizes China’s philosophy of “integration of man and nature”.
Check out these 8 world cultural heritage sites found in China!
1) The Great Wall Of China (萬里長城)
The Great Wall of China is the greatest architectural project in the history of human civilization. It was built more than 2,000 years ago during the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period. After the Qin Dynasty unified China, Qin Shi Huang repaired, linked and extended the Great Wall into huge military defense works. Its vast engineering and majestic momentum can be called a world cultural wonder. Today, The Great Wall crosses five provinces, two autonomous regions and 1 municipality in north China, with a total length of over 6,700km. When climbing up the ruins of the Great Wall, not only can you witness the majestic view, but also appreciate the great wisdom and courage of the Chinese nation to create history.
2) Temple of Heaven (北京天坛 )
The Temple of Heaven is located at the southern end of Beijing, where the Ming and Qing dynasties emperors sacrificed heaven and prayed for the harvest of grains. Its rigorous architectural layout, peculiar architectural structure, and magnificent architectural decoration are considered to be the most exquisite and beautiful of ancient buildings existing in China. The Temple of Heaven was built in the eighteenth year of Mingyue Leong (1420). It covers an area of about 2.7 million square meters and is divided into an inner altar and an outer altar. The overall design of the Temple of Heaven, from its architectural layout to every detail processing, emphasizes the “day”. The first thing that catches the attention of the people once they are in the Temple of Heaven is the view of vast sky and the feeling of being close to the sky, hence the title.
3)Summer Palace (北京颐和园 )
The Summer Palace is located in the western suburbs of Beijing and is the first Chinese classical garden. The Summer Palace is one of the most extensive and famous royal gardens in the world, with a total area of about 290 hectares. The palace exhibits the essence of Chinese classical architecture and the garden styles of different regions. It is also sometimes called to be a garden architecture museum.
4) The Forbidden City (北京故宫)
Beijing Palace , also known as the Forbidden City, is located in the center of Beijing City. It is the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and 24 other emperors who have been enthroned in power. It was founded in 1406, and nearly 600 years ago. The Forbidden City is the largest and most complete ancient wooden building complex in the world. It covers an area of 720,000 square meters, with a construction area of about 150,000 square meters, and has more than 9,000 halls, of which the Taihe Hall (also known as Jinluan Hall) is the place where the emperor held the throne, birthday celebrations and troop conscription. The Forbidden City’s yellow tiles and red walls, the white jade carvings, and the palace’s overlapping walls represent the essence of ancient Chinese architecture. The Forbidden City also houses about 1 million precious cultural relics and works of art are now in the palace.
5) Terracotta Museum (西安秦始皇陵及兵马俑)
Located in the east of Lintong County, Shaanxi (臨潼區, 陕西省) and 36 kilometers away from Xi’an (西安市), QinShiHuang Mausoleum and Terracotta Warriors and Horses is the largest imperial mausoleum in the world. Here lies the imperial tomb of Qin Shihuang, the emperor who united China. Tombs are divided into two parts, the Lingyuan Park and the Congfu District. The cemetery covers an area of nearly 8 square kilometers. It has a quadrangular cone shape with a slightly flat top and a height of 55 meters. It is not only the first emperor’s tomb in Chinese history, but also the largest emperor’s tomb. Since 1974, over 8,000 pieces of pottery figurines, hundreds of chariots and tens of thousands of physical weapons have been unearthed; and in 1980, large bronze cast horses were also unearthed. The mausoleum is often called the “eighth wonder of the world.”
6) Giant Panda Sanctuaries (四川大熊貓棲息地)
The Sichuan Giant Panda Habitat is the largest and most complete giant panda habitat in the world, which houses more than 30% of the world’s wild giant pandas. The habitat mainly includes the giant panda habitat of Qionglai Mountain System: Wolong, Siguniang Mountain and Jiajin Mountain, covering nine scenic spots and seven nature reserves with an area of 924,500 hectares. There are more than 300 giant pandas which have a large number of rare animals and plants living here.
7) Mount Huangshan (安徽黄山)
Huangshan occupies the beautiful southern part of Anhui and is one of the most famous mountain scenic spots in China and is honored as a national treasure and a wonder in the world. The mountain is precipitous and magnificent , which is usually considered as the most peculiar mountain in China. There are over 77 peaks in which the main peak, Lotus Peak, is 1,860 meters above sea level. Mount HuangShan is famous for four unique scenes — peculiar pine trees, strange rocks, cloud seas and hot springs
8) Mount Emei and the Giant Buddha of Leshan (四川峨眉山─乐山风景名胜区)
Mount Emei, located in Emeishan City, Sichuan Province, China, is one of the four famous mountains of Buddhism in China. It has a scenic area of 154 square kilometers and the highest peak, Wanfoding, is 3,099 meters above sea level. It is a famous tourist resort which has a famous Buddhist mountain. Mount Emei is considered as a Chinese national mountain that integrates natural scenery and Buddhist culture.
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