China

World Heritage Sites

1.  Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains showcases the architectural and artistic achievements of the Yuan, Ming and Quing dynasties
2.  Ancient City of Ping Yao, a great example of a traditional Han Chinese city that was founded in the 14th century
3. Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui - Xidi and Hongcun, both are traditional examples of non-urban settlements with unique street plans, architecture and decoration
4. Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom, an archaeological site of three cities and 40 tombs dating back to the reign of the Koguryo dynasty between 277 BC and 668 AD
5. Classical Gardens of Suzhou, an outstanding example of the classical Chinese garden that aims to recreate natural landscapes in a smaller setting
6. Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces, covering 16,603ha these spectacular cascading terraces have been developed over the last 1,300 years by the Hani people together with many idiosyncratic farming methods
7. Dazu Rock Carvings, containing rock carvings dating back to the 9th century
8. Fujian Tulou, a unique example of human settlement in the form of earthen houses that housed up to 800 people each
9. Historic Centre of Macao, the place where East and West met and also home to the oldest fortress and lighthouse in China
10. Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa, the famed winter palace of the Dalai Lama
11. Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in "The Centre of Heaven and Earth", home to some of the best examples of ancient Chinese buildings devoted to education, science, technology and religious rituals
12. Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Quing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang, which was the seat of supreme power in China for over 5 centuries and contains nearly 10,000 rooms filled with works of art and furniture
13. Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Quing Dynasties, built following traditional Chinese geomancy and fengshui theory
14. Kaiping Diaolou and Villages, which are an interesting mix between Chinese and Western forms and decorations build as defensive village houses
15. Longmen Grottoes, a collection of Chinese art dated between 316-907AD and definitely the peak of Chinese stone carving
16. Lushan National Park, an important spiritual center of China with Buddhist and Taoist temples as well as Confucian landmarks
17. Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, home to the world famous terracotta warriors first discovered in 1974
18. Mogao Caves, famous for its 492 cells and the Buddhist art they contain
19. Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System. The former is the birthplace of Taoism, and construction for the latter began in the 3rd century B.C. and to this day this system distributes the water around the Chengdu plain
20. Mount Wutai, a sacred Buddhist mountain with 41 distinct monasteries
21. Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde, which acted as the Qing dynasty's summer palace
22. Old Town of Lijang, an ancient town that managed to combine different cultural traditions into an outstanding urban landscape
23. Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian, containing the remains of prehistorical human societies of the Asian continent
24. Silk Roads: the Routes network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor, which is shared between China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, along this 5,000km stretch you will find capital cities, Buddhist cave temples, ancient paths, sections of the Great Wall, beacon towers and more
25. Site of Xanadu, the remains of Kublai Khan's legendary capital city
26. Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing, which combines natural landscapes and open water with features such as pavilions and pagodas to form one masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design
27. Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qfu, which is over 2,000 years old and shows the great importance of the philosopher Confucius as well as containing his tomb
28. Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing is a visual representation of the relationship between heaven and earth as well as the role of the emperor within that system
29. The Grand Canal is in many ways an important backbone to Chinese economy and has been an important means of communication for centuries
30. The Great Wall, which is the world's largest military structure spanning more than 20,000 mms
31. West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou, the source of inspiration to many poets, artists and scholars as well as an important influence on garden design in Japan and Korea
32. Yin Xu, the archaeological site of an ancient capital city of the late Shand Dynasty that reigned from 1300-1046 BC
33. Yungang Grottoes, a site consisting of 252 caves and 51,000 statues representing Buddhist cave art in China in the 5th an 6hth centuries
34. Chengjian Fossil Site, which acts as one of the most complete records of the establishment of a complex marine ecosystem dating back 530 million years
35. China Danxia, and area comprised of dramatic red cliffs and landforms including natural pillars towers, ravines, waterfalls and valleys
36. Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area, a highly diverse area offering snow-capped mountain scenes and hot springs
37. Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area, this area contains several diverse forest eco systems and is known for karst forms and spectacular waterfalls
38. Mount Sanqingshan National Park, known for its scenic qualities and its granite pillars and peaks, many of which shaped like humans or animals
39. Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries - Wolong, Mt Siguniang and Jiajin Mountains, home to 30% of the world's panda population as well as red panda, snow leopard and clouded leopard
40. South China Karst, a beautiful example of a humid tropical to subtropical karst landscape
41. Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas, a stunning site where the three main rivers china run parallel to each other in gorges that are up to 3,000m deep and bordered by mountains 6,000m high
42. Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area, this area covers more than 26,000ha and is home to more than 3,000 iconic sandstone pillars, some 200m in height
43. Xingjiang Tianshan, a mountain range of outstanding beauty and home to many endemic flora species
44. Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area, is one of Buddhism's holiest sites, home to the first Buddhist temples built in China as well as 71m high Buddha statue
45. Mount Huangshan, known as the loveliest mountain in China and immortalized in many poems and works of art
46. Mount Taishan, a sacred mountain that symbolizes ancient Chinese civilizations and beliefs
47. Mount Wuyi, a highly bio diverse area home to ancient, relict species as well as the ruins of many temples and monasteries that helped spread neo-Confucianism