UNESCOWorld

Heritage sites of China

by: Heather Martyn 马佳怡 CM0911-CB5 01/2012

West

Lake

Denfeng

UNESCO is United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, or city) that is recognized, cataloged and conserved, by the UNESCO World Heritage committee as being of outstanding “cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity”.

As of 2011, 936 sites are listed in 186 countries who have ratified The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage with a total of: 725 cultural*, 183 natural†, and 28 mixed *† (both cultural and natural) properties.

China Ratified the convention on December 12th 1985 and has 41 listed sites: of these 29 are cultural heritage sites, eight are natural heritage sites, and four are mixed sites, ranking third in the world. (Italy has 47 sites and Spain has 43 sites, ranking 1st and 2nd respectively.)

While each World Heritage Site remains part of the legal territory of the state wherein the site is located, UNESCO considers it in the interest of the international community to preserve each site. Under certain conditions, listed sites can obtain funds from the World Heritage Fund.

Further information on the UNESCO World Heritage Committee can be found at: http://whc.unesco.org/ or in the brochures available at the front of the classroom for review after class.

What is a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

BEIJING TOUR

Forbidden Palace*The Great Wall*Temple of Heaven*Peking Man Site*Summer Palace*

Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang, including the Forbidden City and Mukden Palace*The Purple Forbidden City or Forbidden Palace, is located at the exact center of the ancient City of Beijing and was the imperial palace during the mid-Ming and the Qing dynasties. Since 1925, the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum, whose extensive collection of artwork and artifacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Temple of Heaven 天坛 ; an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing* The Temple was constructed between 1406 and 1409, at roughly the same time period as the Forbidden City. During the Jiajing dynasty in the 16th century the temple was extended and renamed “The Temple of Heaven”, at this time the Temple of the Sun was built in the east, the Temple of the Earth was built in the North, and the Temple of the Moon was built in the West. During the Boxer rebellion in the 1900’s the temple was occupied as a headquarters by the Eight National Alliance. Although the occupation of the temple only lasted one year, the temple was seriously damaged and robbed of artifacts. In 1918 the temple complex was turned into a park and officially open to the public for the first time.

The Great Wall 长城 * Great Wall is actually a series of walls that were built, rebuilt, and have been maintained from the 5th century BC through the 16th century. One of the most famous is the wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall remains; the majority of the existing wall was built during the Ming Dynasty. The Great Wall stretches from Shanhaiguan in eastern Hubei, to Lop Lake in the west. The Great Wall measures 8,851.8 km and is the most popular tourist destination in China.

Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian 周口店 *Zhoukoudian or Choukoutien is an archeological site of a cave system 31 miles north of Beijing, the archaeological significance of the cave system was first discovered by Swedish archaeologist Johan Gunnar Anderson in 1921. It has yielded many significant discoveries, including; one of the first specimens of Homo erectus, named “Peking Man”, and a collection of bones of the gigantic hyena Pachycrocuta brevirostris. Peking Man lived in this cave pictured below approximately 750,000 to 200,000 years ago. While Anderson was directing the excavation he brought the majority of these fossils and artifacts back to Sweden, which were later returned between 1927 and 1936. Altogether excavations under Anderson and Chinese archaeologist, Jia Lan-po, uncovered 200 human fossils from more than 40 individuals, including 5 nearly complete skullcaps. Excavations were before they are brought to a halt in 1937 by the Japanese invasion of China. In 1941 the bulk of the finds were reportedly lost, while being transported to safety. Fortunately copies of the fossils to preserve their physical characters.

The museum on site was built in 1953. The cost of admission is: 30Y per Adult, 15Y per student.

Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing 颐和园 * The Palace was originally built in the 12th century, expanded in 1749, and then rebuilt in 1886 after suffering extensive damage during the Boxer Rebellion. The impressive lake was largely manmade (by extending an existing lake) to resemble West Lake in Hangzhou. “Longevity Hill” stretching upward behind the Palace is actually the soil excavated during the lake extension.

HEBEI TOUR

Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples in Chengde *

Mountain Resort 避暑山庄 and its Outlying Temples in Chengde* Built between 1703 and 1792 during the Qing Dynasty, the Mountain Resort took 89 years to complete. It covers a total area of 5.6 km², almost half of Chengde's urban area. It is a vast complex of palaces and administrative and ceremonial buildings. Temples of various architectural styles and imperial gardens blend harmoniously into a landscape of lakes, pastureland and forests.The Kangxi, Qianlong and Jiaqing Emperors often spent several months a year here to escape the summer heat in the capital city of Beijing and the palace zone in the southern part of the resort was therefore designed to resemble the Forbidden City in Beijing. It consists of two parts: a court in front, where the emperor received high officials, nobles of various minority nationalities, and foreign envoys; and bed chambers in the rear, which were the imperial family's living quarters. Emperor Jiaqing and Xianfeng both died while staying at Chengde in 1820 and 1861 respectively

JILIN TOUR

Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom*

Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom*The site boasts 40 burial tombs of the ancient Koguryo Kingdom along what is now the present day North Korean border. They were built between 37 BCE-668CE under the Korean dynasty of Koguryo to house the remains of imperial and noble families. The site also includes remains of three ancient Korean cities: Wunü Mountain City, Guonei City, and Wand Mountain City.

SHANXI TOUR

Yungang Grottoes *Ancient City of Ping Yao *Mount Wutai*

Ancient City of Ping Yao *Pingyao is an ancient town located in central Shanxi Province, 100 kilometers away from Taiyuan, capital of the province. Pingyao was the financial center of China in the late Qing Dynasty. Originally built in the West Zhou Dynasty, it boasts a long history of over 2,700 years. The majority of Pingyao’s streets and storefronts still retain their historical appearance. Previous to being named as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Pingyao's economy was largely agricultural and known for it’s beef. Since1999 when it was accepted into the UNESCO World Heritage foundation, tourism has rapidly expanded.

Yungang Grottoes 云冈石窟 *The Yungang Grottoes are ancient Chinese Buddhist temple grottoes near the city of Datong in the province of Shanxii. They are excellent examples of rock-cut architecture and one of the three most famous ancient Buddhist sculptural sites of China. They are an outstanding example of the Chinese stone carvings from the 5th and 6th centuries. All together the site is composed of 252 grottoes with more than 51,000 statues.

Mount Wutai 五台山 *Mount Wutai is named for its unusual topography, consisting of five rounded peaks (North, South, East, West, Central). The North peak, (called Beitai Ding or Yedou Feng) is the highest point in northern China. Mount Wutai is the “home” of the Bodhisattva of wisdom, (Wenshu 文殊 ). Evidencing it’s enduring relationship with Tibetan Buddhism, Mount Wutai is home to 53 sacred Buddhist temples.

HENAN TOUR

Historic Monuments of Dengfeng*Yin Xu *Longmen Grottoes*

Historic Monuments of Dengfeng 登封 in “The Center of Heaven and Earth” *The historical monuments of Dengfeng, once the capital of the Xia Dynasty, includes some of the best examples of ancient Chinese buildings devoted to ritual, science, technology and education. The Taoist Zhongyue Temple, the Confucian Songyang Academy , the Shaolin Monastery (and its famed Pagoda Forest pictured here) are included among the monuments of Denfeng.

Yin Xu 殷墟 *The last capital of China's Shang Dynasty. The Yinxu served as the capital of late Shang Dynasty (1300 - 1046 BC ) in the Chinese Bronze Age for12 kings in 8 generations. Between 1928 and 1937, the Institute of History and Philology (then Academia Sinica) carried out 15 large-scale excavations at Yin Xu. A number of royal tombs and palaces, prototypes of later Chinese architecture, have been unearthed on the site, including the Palace and Royal Ancestral Shrines Area, with more than 80 house foundations, and the only tomb of a member of the royal family of the Shang Dynasty to have remained intact, the Tomb of Fu Hao.

Longmen Dragon's Gate Grottoes and Caves 龙门石窟 * There are as many In total 2,345 niches or grottoes have been recorded on the two sides of the river. They house more than 100,000 Buddhist statues, about 2,500 stele and inscriptions, and over 60 Buddhist pagodas. On the West Hill cliffs there are more than 50 large and medium-sized caves cut in the Northern, Sui and Tang dynasties (316-907); the caves on the East Hill cliffs are exclusively from the Tang dynasty (618-907).

SHANDONG TOUR

Mount Taishan*Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu*

Mount Taishan 泰山 *†

Temple and Cemetery of Confucius, and Kong Family Mansion* Confucius (551 BC to 479 BC ) was born in Qufu, and was buried on the site of the present day cemetery and temple dedicated to him in Qufu. 1331 Kong Sihui began building the wall and gate of the cemetery, and this work continued with the addition of gate towers, arches, pavilions, and the access road from the north gate of the city. The descendants of Confucius lived and worked in the Kong Family Mansion, guarding and tending the temple and cemetery The temple has been destroyed and reconstructed over the centuries; today it comprises more than 100 buildings. The cemetery contains Confucius' tomb and the remains of more than 100,000 of his descendants.

JIANGSU TOUR

Classical Gardens of Suzhou *

Classical Gardens of Suzhou *Spanning a period of almost one thousand years, from the Northern Song to the late Qing dynasties (11th-19th century), these gardens, standardized many of the key features of classical Chinese garden design with refined constructed landscapes mimicking natural scenery of rocks, hills and rivers with strategically located pavilions and pagodas. Today, 69 gardens remain in Suzhou, and all of them are designated and protected as natural heritage sites.

ANHUI TOUR

Mount Huangshan *†Ancient Villages of Xidi and Hongcun*

Mount Huangshan 黄山 *†Huangshan Is a mountain range in southern Anhui province. The area is well known for its beautiful scenery,

sunsets, peculiarly shaped granite peaks, Huangshan Pine trees, carved stone steps, and views of the clouds from above.

Huangshan is a frequent subject of traditional Chinese paintings and literature, as well as modern photography. The Steps are believed to be over 1,500 years old of which there may be more than 60,000 throughout the area.

Ancient Villages of Xidi 西递 , and Hongcun 宏村 *The villages of Xidi, and Hongcun were first established during the Song Dynasty (1049–1053). Their street plans, architecture and decorations, and the unique integration of houses with a comprehensive water system are unique surviving examples of traditional cities built on the prosperous trading system of the area. Today there are approximately 150 residences dating to the Ming and Qing Dynasties reported to be among the best of their kind in China.

ZHEJIANG TOUR

West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou *

West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou 西湖 *In legend the famous West Lake of Hangzhou is actually the incarnation of XiShi 西施 , the first of the four most beautiful women in all of Chinese history and legend, thus named ‘The Four Beauties’. XiShi is said to have been so beautiful that fish would forget how to swim and simply fall away from the waters surface at the sight of her beauty.

HUBEI TOUR

Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains*

Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains 武当山 * The palaces and temples in Wudang, contains Taoist buildings from as early as the 7th century, and the largest groups of complex on the mountain was built during the Ming Dynasty (14th–17th centuries). The oldest of the Wudan Mountain temples, the Five Dragon Temple, was constructed During the Tang Dynasty (618–907). Some of the monasteries were damaged during and after the Cultural Revolution of 1966–1976. Also, on January 19, 2003, the 600-year-old Yuzhengong Palace was accidentally burned down by an employee of a martial arts school.

HUNAN TOUR

Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area *

Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area †Stretching over more than 100 square miles in China's Hunan Province, the site is dominated by more than 3,000 narrow sandstone pillars and peaks, many over 650 ft high. Between the peaks lie ravines and gorges with streams, pools and waterfalls, some 40 caves, and two large natural bridges. I n addition to the striking beauty of the landscape, the region is also noted for the fact that it is home to a number of endangered plant and animal species including. Chinese giant salamander, Asiatic wild dog, Asiatic black bear, clouded leopard, leopard and Chinese water deer.

JIANGXI TOUR

Lushan National Park*Mount Sanqingshan National Park *Danxia Landform of China†

Lushan National Park 庐山 *

Mount Sanqingshan National Park 开平碉楼 † The “three mountain” summits of Sanqingshan are: the "Yujing Mountain", "Yushui Mountain" and "Yuhua Mountain".

Danxia Landform of China†The six Danxia landform areas are: Mountain Langshan (Hunan Province), Mountain Danxiashan (Guangdong), Taining (Fujian), Mountain Longhushan and Guifeng (Jiangxi ), Chishui (Guizhou), Mountain Jianglangshan (Zhejiang). The figurehead picture above shows a stone gate at a scenery site of Danxia Landform in Chishui.

Mount Wuyi 武夷山 *† The Wuyi mountain range is located along the northern border of Fujian and Jiangxi province.

Fujian Tulou 福建土楼 *The Tulou is a type of Chinese rural communal dwellings of the Hakka and Minnan people in the mountainous areas in southeastern Fujian. The Fujian Tulous were mostly constructed in the12th and the 20th centuries measuring between three and five stories high and housing up to 80 families. Tulous usually have only one main gate, guarded by 4–5-inch-thick (100–130 mm) wooden doors reinforced with an outer shell of iron plate. The top level of these earth buildings has gun holes for defensive purposes. The tulous were constructed by using raw earth materials such as: earth, chalk, lime, branches, bamboo, and gravel.

GUANGDONG TOUR

Kaiping Diaolou and Villages *

Kaiping Diaolou and Villages 开平碉楼 * The first of the diaolou towers were built during the early Qing Dynasty, reaching a peak in

the 1920s and 1930s, when there were more than three thousand of these structures. Today, approximately 1,833 diaolou remain standing in Kaiping, and approximately 500 in

Taishan. Although the diaolou served mainly as protection against forays by bandits, a few of them also served as living quarters. The Ruishi Diaolou pictured below was constructed

in 1921, has nine floors and is the highest diaolou at Kaiping

MACAU TOUR

Historic Centre of Macau *

Historic Centre of Macau 澳門歷史城區 “ O Centro Histórico de Macau” * Is a collection of over twenty locations within the downtown city of Macau that “bears witness to one of the earliest and longest-lasting encounters between China and the West, based on the vibrancy of international trade.” The buildings (most of the which are presently owned by the Macau Special Administrative Region) and the surrounding area together represent the meeting of cultural, religious, aesthetic, architectural and technological influences from East and West.

YUNNAN TOUR

South China Karst * Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas†Old Town of Lijiang *

South China Karst 中国南方喀斯特 † Sometimes referred to as the ‘stone forest’ the South China Karst site is comprised of three clusters of karsts: the Libo Karst, the Shilin Karst, and the Wulong Karst.

Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas 云南三江并流 † Due to its topography and geographical location, the Three Parallel Rivers area (the Nujiang, the Mekong, and the Yangtse) region contains many different climate zones. Average annual precipitation ranges from 4,600mm in the west, to 300mm in the upper valleys of the Yangtzee river valley. The protected areas are home to around 6,000 species of plants, 173 species of mammals, and 417 species of birds. Many of the flora and fauna species are endemic to the region.

Old Town of Lijiang 丽江 * The Lijiang old town is famous for its orderly system of waterways and bridges. Since being listed by UNESCO as a World

Heritage site in 1997 tourism to the area has increased dramatically. Resulting in both additional preservation attention from the city, construction and revenue, as well as an increase in the cost of living causing local residents to move

away and inviting additional tourism based establishments.

SICHUAN TOUR

Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries*Mount Qingcheng + Dujiangyan Irrigation System*Huanglong Scenic/ Historic Interest Area*Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic/ Historic Interest Area* Mount Emei Scenic Area*

Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries 四川大熊猫栖息地 † Located in southwest Sichuan The Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries consist of seven nature reserves and nine scenic parks that are home to more than 30% of the world's highly endangered Giant Pandas. Along with the Giant Panda, the sanctuary is a refuge to other endangered species such as the red panda, the snow leopard, and the clouded leopard. The sanctuaries cover 9245 km² in the Qionglai and Jiajin Mountains and together make up one of the most important sites for the captive breeding of these Giant Pandas. Outside of the tropical rainforests, it is one of the most botanically rich sites in the world, home to between 5,000 and 6,000 species of plants.

Mount Qingcheng 青城山 and the Dujiangyan 都江堰 Irrigation System*

The Irrigation system was built during the Warring States period (406–221 BC) under the Qin dynasty. The Chengdu governor, L Bīng, was compelled to devise Dujiangyan Irrigation system upon ǐ

investigating the flooding in this area when annual Spring runoff would reach the silted riverbed below and cause the river to overflow it’s banks. Rather than build a dam which would inhibit military troop movement and obstruct shipping routes, Li Bing proposed to construct an artificial levee in order to

redirect a portion of the river's flow and then to cut a channel into Mount Yulei to discharge the excess water upon the dry Chengdu Plain beyond. The levee was constructed from long sausage-shaped

baskets of woven bamboo filled with stones held in place by wooden tripods.

The massive construction is believed to have used tens of thousands of workers four years to complete. Cutting the channel proved to be a far greater problem; prior to the invention of gunpowder the worker’s traditional tools were unable to penetrate the hard rock of the mountain. Instead, L Bīng ǐdevised using a combination of fire and water to heat and cool the rocks until they cracked and could

then be removed. After eight years of work a 65 ft wide channel had been gouged through the mountain. The irrigation made Sichuan the most productive agricultural place in China. It is a

engineering milestone in the world's water harnessing and irrigation history and is considered the world's oldest diversion project without a dam

On the east side of Dujiangyan, a shrine was built in remembrance of Li Bing.

Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area 黄龙†

Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area 九寨沟 †

Mount Emei, Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area 乐山大佛 *† Mount Emei is the location of the first Buddhist temple in China, built in the 1st century CE. The site has seventy-six Buddhist monasteries of the Ming, and Qing Dynasties, most located at or near the top of the mountain. The Leshan Buddha was carved on the face of Mount Emei between 713-803 during the Tang dynasty. It was listed as a UNESCO world Heritage Site in1996 as the tallest carved stone Buddha statue in the world, measuring 233 feet tall.

CHONGQING TOUR

Dazu Rock Carvings *

Dazu Rock Carvings 大足石刻 *Is a series of 75 protected sites on Mount Baoding and Mount Beishan containing 50,000 statues, with over 100,000 Chinese characters representing Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist beliefs. The earliest carvings were begun in 650 AD during the early Tang Dynasty, but the main period of their creation began in the late 9th century, and again in the 12th century. The carvings were first opened to Chinese travelers in 1961 and foreign visitors in 1980. Until 1975 there was only a muddy path between the town of Dazu and the main cluster of carvings.

SHAANXI TOUR

Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor*

Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor 兵马俑 *

The "Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses", is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BC to protect the emperor in his afterlife. The figures, dating from 3rd century BC, were discovered in 1974 by local farmers in Lintong District, Xi'an, Shaanxi province, near the Mausoleum site. Only a portion of the site is presently excavated. Photos and video recordings are prohibited in most viewing areas. Current estimates are that within the four main pits there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses, as well as non-military figures to include: acrobats, strongmen, musicians, and governmental officials. The figures vary in height according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals. The majority of these statues remain buried and unexcavated in the pits due to preservation concerns.

GANSU TOUR

Mogao Caves in Dunhuang*

Mogao Caves in Dunhuang 莫高窟 *The Mogao cave complex is comprised of 492 caves, containing 450,000 square feet of murals dating from the fourth to the fourteenth centuries - a period which corresponds to an immense growth in international commerce along the nearby Silk Road. The caves were abandoned in the fourteenth century and lay seemingly untouched until the beginning of the twentieth century. Along with Buddhism, Buddhist cave art was an Indian export to China. Over time, its original ideological function was embellished with features required by Buddhism's synthesis into China's political and religious life.

TIBET TOUR

Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace*

Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace in Lhasa including the Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka* The Potala Palace, is the traditional winter palace of the Dalai Lama since the 7th century. It symbolizes Tibetan Buddhism and its central role in the traditional administration of Tibet. The complex includes the White, and Red Palaces with their ancillary buildings, and is built on Red Mountain in the centre of Lhasa Valley, at an altitude of 3,700m.

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