World Heritage Sites in China

As of 2010, 40 noteworthy Chinese sites were inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritages List. Twenty-nine of these were inscribed as World Cultural Heritage Sites, while seven were inscribed as World Natural Heritage Sites, and four were inscribed as both Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites.

A catalogue of all of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites located in China is shown below, with links to specific web pages that provide in-depth information concerning each heritage site. You may also be interested in China's Top Historical Cities.

List of World Heritage Sites in China

Name Year of Recognition Category Location Name Year of Recognition Category Location
Great Wall of China 1987 Cultural Heritage Beijing Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor 1987 Cultural Heritage Xi'an
Mogao Grottoes 1987 Cultural Heritage Dunhuang Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian 1987 Cultural Heritage Beijing
Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties: The Forbidden City, Shenyang Imperial Palace 1987 Cultural Heritage Beijing and Shenyang Mount Taishan 1987 Cultural and Natural Heritag Shandong
Mount Huangshan (The Yellow Mountains) 1990 Cultural and Natural Heritage Huangshan Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area 1992 Natural Heritage Sichuan
Mount Emei Scenic Spot and Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Spot 1992 Cultural and Natural Heritage Sichuan Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area 1992 Natural Heritage Zhangjiajie
Huanglong Scenic and historic Interest Area 1992 Natural Heritage Sichuan Potala Palace 1994 Cultural Heritage Lhasa
Chengde Summer Palace 1994 Cultural Heritage Chengde Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains 1994 Cultural Heritage Hubei
Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion 1994 Cultural Heritage Shandong Lushan National Park 1996 Cultural Heritage Jiangxi
Suzhou Gardens:Lion Grove, Humble Administrator Garden, Lingering Garden, Garden of Master of the Nets 1997 Cultural Heritage Suzhou Pingyao Ancient Town 1997 Cultural Heritage Pingyao
Old Town Lijiang 1997
 Cultural Heritage Lijiang Summer Palace 1998 Cultural Heritage Beijing
Temple of Heaven 1998 Cultural Heritage Beijing Dazu Rock Carvings 1999 Cultural Heritage Chongqing
Mount Wuyi 1999 Cultural Heritage Xiamen Xidi Village and Hongcun Village 2000 Cultural Heritage Huangshan
Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties 2000 Cultural Heritage Beijing Longmen Grottoes 2000 Cultural Heritage Luoyang
Qingchengshan Mountain and Dujiangyan Irrigation Project 2000 Cultural Heritage Sichuan Yungang Grottoes 2001 Cultural Heritage Datong
Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas 2003 Natural Heritage Yunnan Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom 2004 Cultural Heritage Jilin
Historic Centre of Macau 2005 Cultural Heritage Macau Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries: Wolong, Mt Siguniang and Jiajin Mountains 2006 Natural Heritage Sichuan
Yin Xu 2006 Cultural Heritage Anyang South China Karst 2007 Natural Heritage South China
Kaiping Diaolou and Villages 2007 Cultural Heritage Guangdong Fujian Tulou 2008 Cultural Heritage Fujian
Mount Sanqingshan National Park 2008 Natural Heritage Jiangxi Wutai Mountain 2009 Cultural Heritage Shanxi
Shaolin Temple 2010 Cultural Heritage Zhengzhou Danxia Landform 2010 Natural Heritage South China
West Lake 2011 Cultural Heritage Zhejiang        

World Heritage Candidates

Yunju Temple Pagoda and Stone Sutras at Fangshan Lugou Bridge Anji Bridge
Yongle Palace Niuheliang Site Lunan Stone Forest
West Lake Liangzhu Site Water Towns South of the Yangtze River: Zhouzhuang and Tongli Copper Mine Remains of Tonglushan
Shennongjia Natural Reserve and Silk Road The Wooden Tower in Fogong Temple Li River of Guilin
Beihai Park The Pagoda in Kaiyuan Temple Dule Temple
The Dingcun Old Residence The Daming Palace Site of the Han Dynasty The Ancient City Wall of Xi'an
Yongji Bridge at Chengyang The site of Chang'an of the Han Dynasty Stele Forest of Xi'an
Wudalianchi in Heilongjiang Province    

Map of World Heritage Sites in China

Map of World Heritage Sites in China South China Karst Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area Chengde Summer Palace Mount Emei Scenic Spot Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties Temple of Heaven The Great Wall Xidi Village Hongcun Village Old Town Lijiang Historic Centre of Macau Potala Palace Wolong Dazu Rock Carving Mount Wuyi Mount Sanqingshan Suzhou Garden Mogao Grottoes Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion Yungang Grottoes Beijing Longmen Grottoes Terracotta Army Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian Summer Palace Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Spot Mount Taishan Fujian Tulou Yin Xu Qingchengshan Mountain Forbidden City Shenyang Imperial Palace Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion Kaiping Diaolou and Villages Huanglong Scenic and historic Interest Area Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area Mount Huangshan Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains Lushan National Park Pingyao Ancient Town

See our Culture Explosion Tour to visit China's major world heritage sites