World Heritage Sites
Yin Xu
Yin Xu is the site of the last capital of the Shang Dynasty (c. 1300–1046 BC). It is a milestone in Chinese history, serving as the birthplace of modern Chinese archaeology and the site where the oldest known form of Chinese writing, the Oracle Bone script, was discovered. The ruins offer irrefutable evidence of the late Shang Dynasty's existence and its advanced Bronze Age civilization.
The Historic Centre of Macao
The Historic Centre of Macao is a unique collection of over 20 locations that witness the first and longest-lasting encounter between China and the West. This urban labyrinth of squares, churches, temples, and government buildings illustrates the successful coexistence of Portuguese and Chinese cultures, traditions, and architectural styles over four centuries.
Yungang Grottoes
Located at the southern foot of Wuzhou Mountain, the Yungang Grottoes are a masterpiece of 5th and 6th-century Chinese Buddhist cave art. Commissioned by the Northern Wei imperial court, the site features 252 caves and over 51,000 statues, representing a unique fusion of South and Central Asian religious symbolism with Chinese cultural traditions.
Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui
These two traditional villages preserve to a remarkable extent the appearance of non-urban settlements that disappeared or were transformed in the last century. Their street plan, architecture, and decoration, as well as the integration of houses with comprehensive water systems, are unique survivors of the "Hui-style" architecture and feudal merchant culture.
Imperial Tombs
This UNESCO World Heritage site is a collection of several imperial tomb complexes spanning over 500 years of Chinese history. These tombs illustrate the evolution of funerary architecture and the profound influence of Feng Shui (geomancy), representing the highest level of craftsmanship and the cosmic integration of human authority with nature.
Dazu Rock Carvings
The Dazu Rock Carvings represent the highest level of grotto art from the 9th to the 13th centuries. They are remarkable for their aesthetic quality, their rich diversity of subject matter—blending Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism—and the vivid light they shed on everyday life in ancient China.
Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing
The Temple of Heaven is a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design which simply and graphically illustrates a cosmogony of great importance for the evolution of one of the world’s great civilizations. It was where Ming and Qing emperors performed annual rites of sacrifice to heaven for good harvests.
The Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing
A masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The Summer Palace integrates the natural landscape of hills and open water with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples, and bridges to create a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value.
Pingyao
Founded in the 14th century, Pingyao is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional Han Chinese city. Its urban fabric reveals the evolution of architectural styles and town planning in Imperial China over five centuries, and it is world-renowned for its role as the financial center of China during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Lushan National Park
Lushan is an outstanding representative of Chinese culture, where the spiritual essence of Chinese civilization meets a stunning natural landscape. It is the birthplace of Chinese landscape poetry and a historic center for Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. The park also features a unique collection of early 20th-century international architecture.
Potala Palace
The Potala Palace, the winter palace of the Dalai Lama since the 7th century, symbolizes Tibetan Buddhism and its central role in the traditional administration of Tibet. The ensemble includes the Jokhang Temple Monastery and Norbulingka (the summer palace), forming a unique complex of religious and administrative architecture.
Wudang Mountains
This complex represents the pinnacle of Chinese architectural achievement over a period of nearly 1,000 years. As the supreme center of Taoism, the palaces and temples were built to harmonize with the natural peaks and valleys, reflecting the core Taoist principle of "harmony between man and nature."
Mountain Resort
Built between 1703 and 1792, this was the summer palace of the Qing Dynasty emperors. It is a vast complex of palaces and administrative and ceremonial buildings, surrounded by a landscape of lakes, forests, and mountains that harmonizes different architectural styles from across China.
