World Heritage Sites in China

Tina

Explore the Best of China 2023-03-29

As of 2021, China has 56 remarkable sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, including 38 cultural heritage sites, 14 natural heritage sites, 4 are cultural and natural (mixed) sites. Each of these sites has been determined by UNESCO to represent an “outstanding universal value” and are all top attractions in the region.

Some of the most renown world heritage sites in China

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications that were built over 2,000 years ago for military use. The wall stretches over 13,000 miles and is considered one of the greatest architectural feats in human history.

Great Wall Mutianyu Section

The Forbidden City is a well-preserved palace complex in the heart of Beijing. The place was the home of emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is the best site to admire traditional Chinese architecture.

Forbidden City

The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures that were buried with the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, to protect him in the afterlife. The sculptures depict soldiers, horses, and chariots and are very impressive.

Terracotta Army in Xian

The Mogao Caves contains 492 Buddhist caves that were built between the 4th and 14th centuries. It is considered the finest examples of Buddhist art in the world.

Statue in Mogao Cave

The Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, was the residence of the Dalai Lama. The palace is a masterpiece of Tibetan architecture and is considered one of the most important symbols of Tibetan Buddhism.

Potala Palace in Winter

Full list of China World Heritage Sites in China (by 2021).

C=Cultural Sites; N=Natural Sites; C&N=Both Cultural and Natural Site

No	Site	Location	Year listed
1	Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, including the Forbidden City and Mukden Palace (C)	Beijing (Forbidden City) and Shenyang, Liaoning (Mukden Palace)	1987, 2004
2	Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (C)	Xi'an, Shaanxi	1987
3	Mogao Caves (C)	Dunhuang, Gansu	1987
4	Mount Tai (C&N)	Tai'an, Shandong	1987
5	Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian (C)	Beijing	1987
6	The Great Wall (C)	Northern China	1987
7	Mount Huangshan (C&N)	Huangshan City, Anhui	1990
8	Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area (N)	Songpan County, Sichuan	1992
9	Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area (N)	Jiuzhaigou County, Sichuan	1992
10	Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area (N)	Zhangjiajie, Hunan	1992
11	Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, including the Jokhang Temple and Norbulingka (C)	Lhasa, Tibet	1994, 2000, 2001
12	Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains (C)	Hubei	1994
13	Chengde Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples in Chengde (C)	Chengde, Hebei	1994
14	Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu (C)	Qufu, Shandong	1994
15	Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area (C&N)	Emeishan City (Mt. Emei) and Leshan (Giant Buddha), Sichuan	1996
16	Mountain Lu National Park (C&N)	Jiujiang, Jiangxi	1996
17	Ancient City of Pingyao (C)	Pingyao County, Shanxi	1997
18	Classical Gardens of Suzhou (C)	Suzhou, Jiangsu	1997, 2000
19	Old Town of Lijiang (C)	Lijiang, Yunnan	1997
20	Summer Palace (C)	Beijing	1998
21	Temple of Heaven (C)	Beijing	1998
22	Dazu Rock Carvings (C)	Dazu District, Chongqing	1999
23	Mount Wuyi (C&N)	Fujian, Jiangxi	1999
24	Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui – Xidi and Hongcun (C)	Yi County, Anhui	2000
25	Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, including the Ming tombs and the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum (C)	Beijing and Nanjing, Jiangsu	2000, 2003, 2004
26	Longmen Grottoes (C)	Luoyang, Henan	2000
27	Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System (C)	Dujiangyan City, Sichuan	2000
28	Yungang Grottoes (C)	Datong, Shanxi	2001
29	Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas (N)	Yunnan	2003
30	Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom (C)	Ji'an, Jilin	2004
31	Historic Centre of Macau (C)	Macau	2005
32	Yinxu (C)	Anyang, Henan	2006
33	Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries (N)	Sichuan	2006
34	Kaiping Diaolou and Villages (C)	Kaiping, Guangdong	2007
35	South China Karst (N)	Yunnan, Guizhou, Chongqing and Guangxi	2007, 2014
36	Fujian Tulou (C)	Fujian	2008
37	Sanqingshan (N)	Yushan County, Jiangxi	2008
38	Mount Wutai (C)	Wutai County, Shanxi	2009
39	Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in “The Centre of Heaven and Earth” (C)	Dengfeng, Henan	2010
40	China Danxia (N)	Hunan, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Guizhou	2010
41	West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou (C)	Hangzhou, Zhejiang	2011
42	Site of Xanadu (C)	Zhenglan Banner, Xilingol League, Inner Mongolia	2012
43	Chengjiang Fossil Site (N)	Chengjiang County, Yunnan	2012
44	Xinjiang Tianshan (N)	Xinjiang	2013
45	Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces (C)	Yuanyang County, Yunnan	2013
46	Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor (C)	Luoyang, Lingbao of Henan; Xi'an, Bin County and Chenggu of Shaanxi; Tianshui, Yongjing, Dunhuang and Anxi of Gansu; Turpan, Jimsar and Kuqa of Xinjiang	2014
47	Grand Canal (C)	Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Henan	2014
48	Tusi Sites (C)	Hunan, Hubei and Guizhou	2015
49	Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape (C)	Guangxi	2016
50	Hubei Shennongjia (N)	Hubei	2016
51	Qinghai Hoh Xil (N)	Qinghai	2017
52	Kulangsu: a Historic International Settlement (C)	Xiamen, Fujian	2017
53	Fanjingshan (N)	Tongren, Guizhou	2018
54	Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City (C)	Hangzhou and Deqing County, Zhejiang	2019
55	Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I) (N)	Yancheng, Jiangsu	2019
56	Historic Monuments and Sites of Ancient Quanzhou (Zayton)	Quanzhou, Fujian	2021