List of World Heritage Sites in China

With more than 57 World Heritage Sites, China demonstrated its significant commitment to cultural preservation since joining the World Cultural Convention in 1985. Its portfolio contains 38 cultural, 14 natural, and 4 mixed sites, demonstrating China’s diverse past and significance as a worldwide tourist powerhouse.

Beyond physical buildings, UNESCO has recognized China’s documentary history and intangible cultural practices, confirming its position as a guardian of significant world heritage.

In this article, you will learn about the List of World Heritage Sites in China.

List of World Heritage Sites in China- Cultural

China’s rich tapestry of history and natural splendor has earned it a prominent place on the world heritage map, with a remarkable collection of UNESCO World Heritage Sites highlighting the country’s major contributions to global culture and natural beauty.

These locations, which range from breathtaking landscapes and architectural wonders to insightful views of ancient communities, demonstrate the richness and breadth of Chinese heritage.

S.No	Year	Name of Site	Location	Type
1	1994	Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains	Hubei	Cultural
2	1997	Ancient City of Ping Yao	Shanxi	Cultural
3	2000	Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui–Xidi and Hongcun	Anhui	Cultural
4	2019	Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City	Zhejiang	Cultural
5	2004	Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom	Jilin	Cultural
6	1997, 2000	Classical Gardens of Suzhou	Jiangsu	Cultural
7	2013	Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces	Yunnan	Cultural
8	2023	Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er	Yunnan	Cultural
9	1999	Dazu Rock Carvings	Chongqing	Cultural
10	2008	Fujian Tulou	Fujian	Cultural
11	2005	Historic Centre of Macao	Macao	Cultural
12	1994, 2000, 2001	Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa	Tibet	Cultural
13	2010	Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in “The Centre of Heaven and Earth”	Henan	Cultural
14	1987, 2004	Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang	Beijing, Liaoning	Cultural
15	2000, 2003, 2004	Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties	Multiple locations	Cultural
16	2007	Kaiping Diaolou and Villages	Guangdong	Cultural
17	2017	Kulangsu, a Historic International Settlement	Fujian	Cultural
18	2000	Longmen Grottoes	Henan	Cultural
19	1996	Lushan National Park	Jiangxi	Cultural
20	1987	Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor	Shaanxi	Cultural
21	1987	Mogao Caves	Gansu	Cultural
22	2000	Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System	Sichuan	Cultural
23	2009	Mount Wutai	Shanxi	Cultural
24	1994	Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde	Hebei	Cultural
25	1997	Old Town of Lijiang	Yunnan	Cultural
26	1987	Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian	Beijing	Cultural
27	2021	Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China	Fujian	Cultural
28	2014	Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor	Multiple locations	Cultural
29	2012	Site of Xanadu	Inner Mongolia	Cultural
30	1998	Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing	Beijing	Cultural
31	1994	Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu	Shandong	Cultural
32	1998	Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing	Beijing	Cultural
33	2014	The Grand Canal	Multiple c   locations	Cultural
34	1987	The Great Wall	Multiple locations	Cultural
35	2015	Tusi Sites	Multiple locations	Cultural
36	2011	West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou	Zhejiang	Cultural
37	2006	Yin Xu	Henan	Cultural
38	2001	Yungang Grottoes	Shanxi	Cultural
39	2016	Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape	Guangxi	Cultural

List of World Heritage Sites in China- Natural and Mixed

S.No	Year	Name of Site	Location	Type
1	2012	Chengjiang Fossil Site	Yunnan	Natural
2	2010	China Danxia	Several Provinces	Natural
3	2018	Fanjingshan	Guizhou	Natural
4	1992	Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area	Sichuan	Natural
5	2016	Hubei Shennongjia	Hubei	Natural
6	1992	Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area	Sichuan	Natural
7	2019	Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I)	Yellow Sea/Bohai	Natural
8	2008	Mount Sanqingshan National Park	Jiangxi	Natural
9	2017	Qinghai Hoh Xil	Qinghai	Natural
10	2006	Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries – Wolong, Mt Siguniang and Jiajin Mountains	Sichuan	Natural
11	2007, 2014	South China Karst	Several Provinces	Natural
12	2003	Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas	Yunnan	Natural
13	1992	Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area	Hunan	Natural
14	2013	Xinjiang Tianshan	Xinjiang	Natural
15	1996	Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area	Sichuan	Mixed
16	1990	Mount Huangshan	Anhui	Mixed
17	1987	Mount Taishan	Shandong	Mixed
18	1999	Mount Wuyi	Fujian	Mixed

List of World Heritage Sites in China- Tentative List

These are the places that China has nominated to the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list.

S.No	Year	Name	Location
1	1996	Dongzhai Port Nature Reserve	Henan
2	1996	The Alligator Sinensis Nature Reserve	Anhui
3	1996	Poyang Nature Reserve	Jiangxi
4	1996	The Lijiang River Scenic Zone at Guilin	Guangxi
5	2001	Yalong, Tibet	Tibet
6	2001	Yangtze Gorges Scenic Spot	Chongqing/Sichuan
7	2001	Jinfushan Scenic Spot	Chongqing
8	2001	Heaven Pit and Ground Seam Scenic Spot	Chongqing
9	2001	Hua Shan Scenic Area	Shaanxi
10	2001	Yandang Mountains	Zhejiang
11	2001	Nanxi River	Zhejiang
12	2001	Maijishan Scenic Spots	Gansu
13	2001	Wudalianchi Scenic Spots	Heilongjiang
14	2001	Haitian Scenic Spots	Fujian
15	2001	Dali Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake Scenic Spot	Yunnan
16	2008	Sites for Liquor Making in China	Multiple Locations
17	2008	Ancient Residences in Shanxi and Shaanxi Provinces	Shanxi, Shaanxi
18	2008	City Walls of the Ming and Qing Dynasties	Multiple Locations
19	2008	Slender West Lake and Historic Urban Area in Yangzhou	Jiangsu
20	2008	Ancient Water Towns South of the Yangtze River (Zhouzhuang, Luzhi, Wuzhen, and Xitang)	Jiangsu, Zhejiang
21	2008	Fenghuang Ancient City	Hunan
22	2008	Sites of the Southern Yue State	Guangdong
23	2008	Baiheliang Ancient Hydrological Inscription	Chongqing
24	2008	Miao Nationality Villages in Southeast Guizhou Province	Guizhou
25	2008	Karez Wells	Xinjiang
26	2008	Expansion Project of Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties: King Lujian’s Tombs	Multiple Locations
27	2008	The Four Sacred Mountains as an extension of Mt. Taishan	Multiple Locations
28	2010	Taklimakan Desert–Populus euphratica Forests	Xinjiang
29	2010	China Altay	Xinjiang
30	2010	Karakorum–Pamir	Xinjiang
31	2013	The Central Axis of Beijing (including Beihai)	Beijing
32	2013	Wooden Structures of Liao Dynasty – Wooden Pagoda of Yingxian County, Main Hall of Fengguo Monastery of Yixian County	Shanxi
33	2013	Sites of the Hongshan Culture: Niuheliang, Hongshanhou, and Weijiawopu	Liaoning
34	2013	Ancient Porcelain Kiln Site in China	Multiple Locations
35	2013	Sanfang Qixiang	Fujian
36	2013	Western Xia Imperial Tombs	Ningxia
37	2013	Dong Villages	Guizhou, Hunan
38	2013	Lingqu Canal	Guangxi
39	2013	Diaolou Buildings and Villages for Tibetan and Qiang Ethnic Groups	Sichuan
40	2013	Archaeological Sites of the Ancient Shu State	Sichuan
41	2015	Xinjiang Yardang	Xinjiang
42	2015	Dunhuang Yardangs	Gansu
43	2015	Tianzhushan	Anhui
44	2015	Jinggangshan–North Wuyishan	Jiangxi, Fujian
45	2015	Shudao	Sichuan
46	2015	Tulin–Guge Scenic and Historic Interest Areas	Tibet
47	2016	The Chinese Section of the Silk Roads	Multiple Locations
48	2017	Guancen Mountain – Luya Mountain	Shanxi
49	2017	Hulun Buir Landscape and Birthplace of Ancient Minority	Inner Mongolia
50	2017	Qinghai Lake	Qinghai
51	2017	Scenic and historic area of Sacred Mountains and Lakes	Tibet
52	2017	Taihang Mountain	Hebei, Shanxi, Henan
53	2017	Vertical Vegetation Landscape and Volcanic Landscape in Changbai Mountain	Jilin
54	2019	Badain Jaran Desert—Towers of Sand and Lakes	Inner Mongolia
55	2019	Guizhou Triassic Fossil Sites	Guizhou
56	2019	Huangguoshu Scenic Area	Guizhou
57	2022	Hainan Tropical Rainforest and the Traditional Settlement of Li Ethnic Group	Hainan
58	2022	Fujian Minjiang River Estuary	Fujian

Most Visited World Heritage Site in China 

Forbidden City

• Visitors: Averages 15 million annually, with over 16 million in 2016.
• Location: Beijing, China.
• History: Served as the imperial palace from 1420 (Ming Dynasty) to 1912 (end of Qing Dynasty).
• Features: Covers 180 acres, consists of 980 buildings, and has been a significant influence on East Asian architectural development.
• Current Use: Houses the Palace Museum, open to the public.

Kulangsu

• Visitors: Over 12 million annually.
• Location: Fujian Province, China.
• Unique Aspects: Pedestrian-only island, less than one square mile, with fewer than 20,000 residents. Cars and bicycles are banned.
• Access: Via ferry from Xiamen.
• Attractions: Beaches, varied architecture, and China’s only piano museum.

Great Wall of China

• Visitors: Over 10 million annually.
• Significance: Built to protect against raids and invasions from the Eurasian Steppe.
• Construction: Utilizes stones, wood, and bricks, among other materials. Built over various dynasties, stretching from Dandong to Lop Lake.
• UNESCO: Designated a World Heritage Site in 1987.

Most Famous World Heritage Site in China

The Great Wall

Built around the 7th century BC during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. Stretches through 15 provinces, showcasing vast engineering feats and majestic views.

Features famous sections like Badaling, Mutianyu, Simatai, and Jinshanling. Offers unique experiences like off-the-beaten-path hikes and night tours.

Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Includes the Forbidden City in Beijing and Mukden Palace in Shenyang. Forbidden City, founded in 1406, now houses 1,862,690 historical relics as the Palace Museum. Mukden Palace combines Han, Manchu, and Mongolian architectural elements.

Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

The oldest and largest imperial tomb was discovered in 1974 with 8,000 terracotta warriors and horses. Features detailed sculptures showing distinct Qin characteristics.

Potala Palace

The highest ancient building and a vast palace complex in Tibet. Serves as a major religious site and attracts pilgrims and tourists annually.

Mogao Grottoes

Largest and best-preserved Buddhist art treasure house, established in 366 AD. Contains 735 caves, 45,000 square meters of murals, and 2,415 sculptures.

South China Karst

Features the world’s most spectacular tropical and subtropical karst landforms, including spires, cones, natural bridges, and giant sinkholes. Key areas include Guilin (Guangxi), Stone Forest (Yunnan), Maolan (Guizhou), and Wulong (Chongqing), showcasing natural beauty and geological evolution.

Wulingyuan Scenic Area

Comprises Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Suoxiyu, Tianzishan, and Yangjiajie. Known for its surreal landscape of towering pinnacles, it served as a filming location for “Avatar.”

Offers a mix of geology, dense forests, plant gardens, and wildlife havens.

Jiuzhaigou Valley

China’s first nature reserve dedicated to protecting natural scenery is named after nine Tibetan villages within. Features rare plants and animals, ancient fossils, glacial landforms, waterfalls, springs, and 108 colourful pools.

Mount Huangshan (Yellow Mountain)

Known for its odd pines, bizarre rocks, cloud seas, and hot springs, formed nearly 100 million years ago. Influential in Chinese art and literature, inspiring poets and artists, and leading to the distinctive Huangshan painting style.

Mount Emei and Leshan Giant Buddha

A UNESCO Heritage Site combining Buddhist culture with natural beauty. Mount Emei is celebrated for its Buddhist architectural and artistic heritage.

The Leshan Giant Buddha, the world’s largest stone Buddha at 71 meters, features an innovative drainage system to protect it from erosion.

Conclusion

China’s dynasty history demonstrates the durability and flexibility of its culture. Each dynasty, with its contributions and problems, played an important part in developing China into the country it is today.

From the oldest stories of the Xia to the imperial splendour of the Qing, China’s dynasty eras provide a glimpse into the rich complexity of human history, reflecting the centuries-long interaction of power, culture, and invention.

Related Links

1. List of Top 10 Most Visited Places in China
2. Top 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites 2024
3. Capital of China | History, Geography, Facts
4. Top 10 Largest Cities in China

List of World Heritage Sites in China- FAQs

How many World Heritage Sites are in China?

There total of 57 World Heritage Sites in China

What are the 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Beijing?

The Ming Tombs, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, the Grand Canal, and the “Peking Man”.

How many historical sites are there in China?

There are 116 Indian monuments that can be visited, across 19 states.

Which country has 36 World Heritage Sites?

India has 36 world heritage sites.

What is the most populous city in China?

Shanghai is the most populous city in China, with a population exceeding 24 million people.