World Heritage in China

The world heritage in China (as of 2019) includes 55 UNESCO world heritage sites , including 37 world cultural heritage sites, 14 world natural heritage sites and 4 mixed cultural and natural heritage sites. The People's Republic of China ratified the World Heritage Convention in 1985, and the first six World Heritage sites were added to the World Heritage List in 1987. The last World Heritage site to date was registered in 2019.

World heritage sites

The following table lists the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in China in chronological order according to the year of their inclusion on the World Heritage List (K - cultural heritage, N - natural heritage, K / N - mixed, (R) - on the Red List of World Heritage in Danger ).

 Map with all coordinates of World Heritage Sites: OSM

image	designation	year	Type	Ref.	description
(more pictures)	Mountain region Tai Shan ( location )	1987	K / N	437	The Tài Shān in Shandong Province is one of the five sacred mountains of Daoism .
Great Wall at Simatai (further pictures)	Great Wall ( location )	1987	K	438	in 17 sub-government cities, provinces and autonomous regions
Hall of Heavenly Purity	Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang	1987	K	439	In 1987 the Forbidden City , the Imperial Palace of the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty in Beijing , was added to the World Heritage List, and in 2004 the World Heritage Site was expanded to include the Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty in Shenyang ( Liaoning Province )
	Mogao Caves	1987	K	440	( Gansu Province )
	Tomb of the first emperor of China, Qin Shihuangdi	1987	K	441	The tomb for the first Chinese emperor Qin Shihuangdi (near Xi'an in Shaanxi Province ) was built in 221 BC. And the emperor became in 210 BC. Buried in it. The mausoleum is one of the world's largest grave structures and is best known for its large soldiers, the so-called "Terracotta Army".
	Peking man's site in Zhoukoudian	1987	K	449	in a cave in Zhoukoudian (in Beijing ), the first bone of 1926 were Peking Man found
	Huang Shan mountain landscape	1990	K / N	547	( Anhui Province )
	Jiuzhaigou Valley Landscape Park	1992	N	637	Mountain landscape in Sichuan Province with a multitude of lakes and waterfalls, in which numerous species of birds and rare mammals can be found.
	Lime sinter terrace landscape Huanglong	1992	N	638	( Sichuan Province )
	Wulingyuan Landscape Park	1992	N	640	( Hunan Province )
	Summer residence and temples near Chengde	1994	K	703	includes the Summer Palace and the eight outer temples near Chengde ( Hebei Province )
Residence of the Kong family	Confucius Temple, Cemetery and Residence of the Kong Family in Qufu	1994	K	704	( Shandong Province )
	Taoist shrines in the mountains of Wudang	1994	K	705	Daoist shrines in the mountains of Wudang Shan ( Hubei Province )
	Historical ensemble Potala Palace in Lhasa	1994	K	707	includes Potala Palace , Jokhang and Norbulingka in Lhasa ( Tibet Autonomous Region )
(more pictures)	Lushan National Park	1996	K	778	( Jiangxi Province )
	Mountain landscape of Emei Shan and Leshan Big Buddha	1996	K / N	779	includes the holy Mount Emei Shan and the Leshan Great Buddha ( Sichuan Province )
	Lijiang old town	1997	K	811	( Yunnan Province )
	Old Town of Ping Yao	1997	K	812	( Shanxi Province )
Garden of lingering	Suzhou Classical Gardens	1997	K	813	The cultural heritage originally consisted of four gardens in Suzhou City in east China's Jiangsu Province . In 2000 five more gardens were included in this serial world heritage.
	Imperial Garden (so-called Summer Palace) near Beijing	1998	K	880
	Temple of Heaven with an imperial sacrificial altar in Beijing	1998	K	881
	Wuyi Mountains	1999	K / N	911
	Rock art by Also	1999	K	912
	Qincheng Mountain and Dujiangyan Irrigation System	2000	K	1001	includes the Qingcheng Shan and Dujiangyan irrigation systems ( Sichuan Province )
	Xidi and Hongcun villages	2000	K	1002	includes the traditional villages of Xidi and Hongcun in Anhui Province
	Longmen Grottoes	2000	K	1003	(near Luoyang in Henan Province )
	Imperial tombs of the Ming and Qing dynasties	2000	K	1004	( Hubei , Hebei , Jiangsu , Liaoning and Beijing City Provinces , expanded in 2003 and 2004)
(more pictures)	Yungang grottoes	2001	K	1039	Wolkengrat Grottoes in Nanjiao , City Datong in the province of Shanxi
Yangtze River (further pictures)	Protection zones in the National Park of the "Three Parallel Rivers" in Yunnan	2003	N	1083	Nature reserve in which the rivers Yangtze , Mekong and Saluen run almost parallel to one another, separated from one another by high mountain ranges.
	Capitals and tombs of the ancient kingdom of Koguryo	2004	K	1135	includes 40 of the tombs on the Donggou River as well as three capital cities of the Koguryŏ Kingdom before they were moved to Pyongyang : Wunu Shancheng , Guonei Cheng and Wandu Shancheng ( Jilin and Liaoning provinces ). More in North Korea lying tombs was under the name of Koguryo tombs in the World Heritage in North Korea was added (Ref 1091 ).
	Historic Center of Macau	2005	K	1110
	Yin Xu	2006	K	1114	Remains of the capital Yin of the later Shang dynasty near Anyang , Henan Province
	Panda nature reserve in Sichuan	2006	N	1213	The panda bear sanctuary in Sichuan Province includes 7 nature reserves, including a. the Wolong nature reserve , and 9 nature parks
	Dialolou towers and villages in Kaiping	2007	K	1112	Diaolou are fortified residential towers. They are particularly common in Kaiping City in Jiangmen , Guangdong Province .
	Karst landscapes in southern China	2007, 2014	N	1248	Comprises a total of 12 sites in seven locations that were added to the World Heritage List in two phases in 2007 and 2014. The sites are located in the provinces of Yunnan , Guizhou , Guangxi and the government-direct city of Chongqing .
(more pictures)	Tulou loam buildings in Fujian	2008	K	1113	Tulou are large houses with usually three to five floors and up to several meters thick outer walls made of clay. They can accommodate up to 800 people. This house shape is traditionally used by the Hakka in Fujian Province .
	Sanqingshan National Park	2008	N	1292	Granite landscape of the Sanqing Shan Mountains in Jiangxi Province
	Wutai Shan	2009	K	1279	The Wutai Shan in Shanxi Province is one of the four sacred mountains of Buddhism in China .
Gaocheng Observatory (more images)	Historic sites of Dengfeng in the "center of heaven and earth"	2010	K	1305	includes the Zhongyue Temple on the holy Song Shan Mountain and 7 other historical sites in Dengfeng City , Henan Province , etc. a. the Gaocheng Observatory
	Danxia landscapes	2010	N	1335	includes the following individual locations: Danxia Shan in Guangdong Province , Chishui and Xishui in Guizhou Province , Taining in Fujian Province , Lang Shan (崀 山) in Xinning , Hunan Province , Longhu Shan in Jiangxi Province , Jianglang Shan (江郎山) in Jiangshan , Zhejiang Province
	West Lake cultural landscape near Hangzhou	2011	K	1334	Cultural landscape in the vicinity of the West Lake near Hangzhou in the Zhejiang Province
	Chengjiang Fossil Site	2012	N	1388	Chengjiang Fauna Community Fossil Site in Chengjiang County, Yunnan Province
	Xanadu - former capital of the Mongol ruler Kublai Khan	2012	K	1389	Site of the Xanadu or Shangdu summer residence of Kublai Khan in Inner Mongolia
	Hani Cultural Landscape: Honghe Rice Terraces in Yunnan Province	2013	K	1111	in the Honghe Autonomous District of the Hani and Yi in Yunnan
	Tian Shan Mountains in Xinjiang	2013	N	1414	includes the Tomur nature reserve with the Jengish Chokusu (Tomur) in the Aksu administrative region , the Kalajun provincial park and the Kuerdening nature reserve in the Kazakh Autonomous District Ili , the Bayinbuluke Nature Reserve in the Mongolian Autonomous District Bayingolin and the Tian-Shan-Tianchi- National park with the mountain Bogda and the mountain lake Tianchi and the Bogda nature reserve in the autonomous district Changji der Hui .
	Silk Roads: the road network of the Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor	2014	K	1442	Sites on the branch of the Silk Road that ran from the ancient Chinese city of Chang'an through the Tianshan Mountains . The transnational world heritage site includes 22 sites in China. 11 other sites are in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan .
	Kaiserkanal (Great Canal)	2014	K	1443	Fragments between Tianjin and Hangzhou
Hailongtun Fortress	Tusi sites	2015	K	1474	Places of rule according to the Tusi system, includes the ruined cities of Laosicheng and Tangya and the mountain fortress Hailongtun
	Rock paintings of the cultural landscape at the Hua Shan and the Zuo Jiang River ( location )	2016	K	1508	The rock carvings are located on steep rock faces along the south-western border of China in a karst, river and plateau landscape. They go back to the 5th century BC. BC to the 2nd century AD and show the life and rituals of the Luoyue people. The ceremonies shown are interpreted as depictions of the Dong Son culture that was previously prevalent in northern Vietnam and southern China . The rock paintings are in Ningming , Longzhou and Jiangzhou .
	Shennongjia - forest area in the Chinese province of Hubei ( location )	2016	N	1509	includes the two forest areas of Shennongding and Laojunshan in the Shennongjia forest area in Hubei Province
	Qinghai Hoh Xil ( location )	2017	N	1540	largest and highest plateau in the world
	Gulangyu: a historical international settlement ( location )	2017	K	1541	Island that has been settled by many colonial powers over the course of its history, all of which left their architectural mark. now part of the Siming Township of the prefecture [Xiamen] in Fujian Province .
	Fanjingshan ( location )	2018	N	1559	Fanjingshan ( 梵净山 ) is a nature reserve in the central Chinese province of Guizhou around the mountain of the same name, 2570 meters high. The park is characterized on the one hand by great scenic beauty and on the other hand by great biodiversity. In addition, Fanjingshan is considered a sacred place of Chinese Buddhism .
(more pictures)	Liangzhu City Archaeological Ruins ( Location )	2019	K	1592	The city of Liangzhu was a late Neolithic regional state that existed between 3300 and 2300 BC. Existed in the delta of the Yangtze . Archaeological remains include ceramic and jade artifacts and a water storage system. See also Liangzhu culture .
	Migratory bird sanctuaries along the coast of the Yellow Sea - Gulf of Bohai (Phase I) ( Location )	2019	N	1606	Covers parts of a tidal and tidal system that is considered to be the largest in the world. The intertidal zones of the Yellow Sea and the Gulf of Bohai are important gathering places for many migratory bird species that move along the East Asian-Australasian migratory route.

Tentative list

The sites that are intended for nomination for inclusion in the World Heritage List are entered in the tentative list .

Current World Heritage candidates

As of 2019, 60 sites are entered in the tentative list of China, the last entry was made in 2019. The following table lists the sites in chronological order according to the year they were included in the tentative list.

 Map with all coordinates of current World Heritage candidates: OSM

image	designation	year	Type	Ref.	description
	Dongzhai Mangrove Nature Reserve	1996	N	105
	China Alligator Nature Reserve	1996	N	106
	Poyang nature reserve	1996	N	107
	River landscape of the Lijiang near Guilin	1996	N	108
	Yangtze River Gorges	2001	K / N	1623
	Jinfoshan ( location )	2001	K / N	1624	Although still on the tentative list, it has been a World Heritage Site since 2014 as part of the Karst Landscapes World Heritage complex in southern China
	Xiaozhai-Tiankeng and Difeng	2001	N	1625	The Xiaozhai-Tiankeng ("Xiaozhai Sky Pit") is a karst pit about 666 meters deep and 522 to 622 meters in diameter in the Xiaozhai municipality and the largest karst funnel in the world. A large underground river flows under the Xiaozhai-Tiankeng. The river water gushes out of a karst fissure ( Difeng ) that is about 37 kilometers long and over 900 meters deep. The narrowest part of this column measures only two meters, the widest about 60 to 70 meters. It is the deepest and longest karst fissure known worldwide.
	Hua Shan	2001	K / N	1625
	Yandangshan	2001	K / N	1627	The Yandangshan is a rocky mountain range in the Chinese coastal province of Zhejiang. It was formed about 120 to 100 million years ago through volcanic activity due to tectonic processes. Over the millions of years, the effect of erosion has created an extremely diverse landscape, which in the past centuries has also stimulated many writers and travelers to examine the landscape.
	Nanxi (river, Zhejiang)	2001	N	1629
	Maijishan Grottoes	2001	K / N	1631
	Wudalianchi	2001	N	1632
	Haitan Archipelago	2001	N	1633
	Dali Chanshan and Erhai Lake	2001	N	1634
	Alcohol production sites in China	2008	K	5320	Five production facilities in Xushui , Jinxian , Chengdu , Luzhou and Mianzhu
	Ancient houses in Shanxi and Shaanxi	2008	K	5322	Sites in Dingcun and Dangjiacun
	City walls of the Ming and Qing dynasties	2008	K	5324	Xingcheng , Nanking , Jingzhou and Xi'an City Walls
	Shouxi Lake and Yangzhou Historic City	2008	K	5327
	Historic riverside towns south of the Yangtze River	2008	K	5328	Zhouzhuang , Luzhi , Wuzhen and Xitang in Zhejiang and Jiangsu Provinces
	Fenghuang Historical City	2008	K	5337	Fenghuang (Xiangxi) ( Hunan Province )
	Sites of the Nan Yue Empire	2008	K	5338	includes three archaeological sites: the palace, the tomb of the Nan Yue ruler and the site of the wooden aquatic animal
	Ancient hydrological inscriptions from Baiheliang	2008	K	5341
	Miao villages in southeast Guizhou	2008	K	5344	The villages are in Leishan , Taijiang , Jianhe and Congjiang counties .
	Qanat fountain in Turpan	2008	K	5347	in Turpan ( Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region )
	Prince Lujian's tombs	2008	K	5351	in Xinxiang City ( Henan Province ), Expansion of the World Heritage Site Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties
	Five sacred mountains of Taoism	2008	K	5353	Extension of Tai Shan : Heng Shan (Hunan) , Hua Shan , Song Shan and Heng Shan (Shanxi)
	Euphrates poplar forests of the Taklamakan desert	2010	K	5532
	Nature reserves in the Altai Mountains	2010	N	5533	The World Heritage candidate comprises two nature reserves: 1. Kanas nature reserve ( 48 ° 58 ′  N , 87 ° 18 ′  E ), and 2. Headwaters of the two rivers Ergis and Ulungur ( 47 ° 30 ′  N , 89 ° 50 ′  E )
	Karakoram Pamirs	2010	N	5535	Karakoram and Pamir Mountains in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region
	Central axis of Beijing ( location )	2013	K	5803	Central axis of Beijing (with Beihai Park )
	Liao Dynasty wooden buildings	2013	K	5803	Wood Pagoda in Yingxian , main hall of Fengguo Monastery in Yixian
	Hongshan Culture Archaeological Sites	2013	K	5804	The archaeological sites of Niuheliang , Hongshanhou and Weijiawopu
	Ancient china distilleries in China	2013	K	5806	The nominated sites include: Yue Kilns on Shanglin Lake ( location ), Dayao ( location ), Xikou ( location ), Jincun ( location ) and Yangqiaotou ( location ).
	Sanfang Qixiang ( location )	2013	K	5808	Historic city area in Fuzhou ( Fujian Province ).
	Old tea plantations on Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er ( Lage )	2013	K	5810	More than 1000 years old tea plantations on Mount Jingmai (Jingmaishan) in Pu'er in the southern border region of Yunnan
	Western Xia Imperial Tombs ( Location )	2013	K	5811
	Dong villages	2013	K	5813	Comprises a total of 22 villages of the Dong ethnic group in Guizhou Province.
	Lingqu Canal ( location )	2013	K	5814	The Lingqu Canal in the northeast of Guizhou Province connects the Xiang River with the Li River and thus the catchment area of ​​the Yangtze River with that of the Pearl River .
	Diaolou Buildings and Tibetan and Qiang Villages	2013	K	5815	The Diaolou buildings and villages of the Tibetan and Qiang ethnic groups are located in the high mountain valleys of the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and comprise 225 Diaolou buildings and 15 villages, which are spread over the following counties: Barkam , Jinchuan , Wenchuan , Li , and Mao in the Ngawa and Qiang Autonomous Districts , and in Kangding , Danba , and Daofu in the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous District in Sichuan Province on the upper reaches of the Dadu He and Min Rivers in the Hengduan Mountains .
	Shu State Archaeological Sites	2013	K	5816	Archaeological Sites of Ancient Shu State: Site in Jinsha and common graves with boat-shaped coffins in Chengdu , Sichuan Province; Sanxingdui site in Guanghan , Sichuan Province, 29C BC-5C.BC
	Yardangs in Xinjiang	2015	N	5989
	Yardangs of Dunhuang	2015	N	5990
	Tianzhushan ( location )	2015	K / N	5992	The Tianzhushan is a mountain range in the area of ​​the independent city of Qianshan of the independent city ​​of Anqing in the Chinese province of Anhui . It is located in the center of a nature reserve. The region is of importance due to its rare geological peculiarities, as well as from a cultural and historical perspective.
	Jinggangshan - North Wuyishan (Extension of Wuyi Mountains )	2015	K / N
	Shu Dao ( location )	2015	K / N	5994
	Tulin-Guge ( location )	2015	K / N	5995
	Historic Monuments and Sites of Ancient Quanzhou (Zayton) ( Location )	2016	K	6073
	Chinese Section of the Silk Road : Land Routes in Henan , Shaanxi , Gansu , Qinghai Provinces and Ningxia and Xinjiang Autonomous Areas ; Sea routes in Ningbo City , Zhejiang Province and Quanzhou City , Fujian Province - from the Western Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty .	2016/2008	K		The Silk Road has been nominated twice
	Guancenshan - Luyashan	2017	N		Contains two clusters: Luyashan with Guanqinshan and Tianchi - protected area for Larix principis-rupprechtii
	Landscape of Hulun-Buir and the birthplace of an old minority ( Lage )	2017	K / N	6185	Qinghai Lake National Park and Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve
	Qinghai Lake ( location )	2017	N	6186	Qinghai Lake National Park and Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve
	Historic landscapes of sacred mountains and lakes ( location )	2017	K / N	6187	Include u. a. the peaks Gang Rinpoche (6638 m) and Naimona'nyi (7694 m), as well as the holy lake Manasarovar and the ghost lake Lhanag-tso in Tibet.
	The vertical vegetation and volcanic landscape in the Changbai Mountains ( location )	2017	N	6190
	Taihangshan	2017	K / N	6188	includes 4 areas: Hebei, Huangya Cave, Wangwushan and Yuntaishan
	Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Sites ( Location )	2017	K	6265
	Badain Jaran Desert - towers of sand and lakes	2019	N	6379
	Triassic fossil sites in Guizhou ( location )	2019	N	6381
	Picturesque landscape of Huangguoshu	2019	K / N	6380	includes Huangguoshu Waterfall , Dishuitan Waterfall, and historic villages, a temple and an irrigation system. The Huangguoshu waterfall was already on the tentative list in 1992.

Former World Heritage candidates

These sites were previously on the tentative list, but were withdrawn or rejected by UNESCO. Sites that are included in other entries on the tentative list or that are part of world heritage sites are not taken into account here.

 Map with all coordinates of former World Heritage candidates: OSM

image	designation	year	Type	Ref.	description
	Jixian - Conservation area of ​​the Middle and Late Proterozoic Era	1987-1987	N		Evidence of the Proterozoic Era in Jixian County Was rejected in 1987.
	Anji Bridge ( location )	1996-2009	K	95	also called Zhaozhou Bridge
	Xi'an Forest of Steles	1996-2009	K	115
	Kaiyuan Temple Pagoda in Dingzhou ( location )	1996-2009	K	119
	Dule temple	1996-2009	K	120
	Old Beijing Observatory	1996-2009	K	128
	Lugou bridge	1996-2009	K	129	also called the Marco Polo Bridge
	Antique Tonglüshan copper mine	1996-2009	K	130
	Yongle Palace	1996-2009	K	134
	Old town of Tongli	1998-2008	K	9940
	Old Venetian city complex in the southern Yangtze - Nanxun	1998-2008	K	9941
	Putuo Shan Recreation Area ( location )	2001-2009	K / N	1628
	Tangyue, Likeng and Wangkou	2008-2013	K	5349	Planned expansion of the Old Villages in South Anhui (Ref. 1002 ), which was registered in 2000 with the villages of Xidi and Hongcun, to include the villages of Tangyue , Likeng and Wangkou
	Courtyard houses of businessmen in Shanxi	2008-2013	K	5321	Business people's homes with courtyard in Shanxi Province
	Former copper mines in Tongling	2008-2013	K	5333	former copper mining sites in the town of Tongling
	Temple of Confucius on the Nishan	2008-2013	K	5350	The Nishan, a hill in Shandong , is believed to be the birthplace of Confucius Planned expansion of the world heritage site Confucius Temple, cemetery and residence of the Kong family in Qufu (Ref. # )
	Pagoda, library caves and stone tablets of sutra in Yunju Temple	2008-2013	K
	Site of the capital of the Qi State and mausoleum of the King of the Qi State in Linzi	2008-2013	K		Linzi was the capital of the ancient Qi state
	Tusi sites	2013-2015	K	5809	Three of the four proposals were added to the World Heritage List in 2015 (Ref. 1474 ). The Tusi sites of Rongmei (Rongmei tusi yizhi) in Hefeng County are not registered .

Web links

Commons : World Heritage Sites in China  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• China on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website.
• UNESCO China Photos Image gallery of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in China
• World cultural heritage in China at www.china-reisefuehrer.com

Individual evidence

1. ↑ China. In: whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Center, accessed March 3, 2018 . 
2. ↑ German names according to the World Heritage List. In: www.unesco.de. German UNESCO Commission, accessed on March 17, 2018 . 
3. ^ Tentative list of China. In: whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Center, accessed March 3, 2018 . 
4. ^ Former Tentative Sites of China. In: World Heritage Site. Retrieved March 3, 2018 . 

 Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap