Travel In China: China's World Heritage Sites

China's heritage sites are either natural or historical treasures or both, and one can never grasp the true beauty or magnificence of these places unless you pack your bag, grab your camera and see them with your own eyes. Although all of the 47 sites are well worth visiting, here we recommend 10 places that are best visited during the summer season.

Suzhou in Jiangsu province is a city of rivers and canals and also a city of gardens. Hence it is called the "Venice of the Orient." The Ming and Qing dynasties between the 14th and 20th centuries were its prime periods of garden building, when at one time there were more than 200 private family gardens. A dozen of them are still in good condition today, including the top four classic gardens–the Fisherman's Net Garden, Lion Grove, Humble Administrator's Garden and Lingering Garden.

The Old Town of Lijiang

The Old Town of Lijiang, or the Lijiang Ancient City, which is perfectly adapted to the uneven topography of this key commercial and strategic site, has retained a historic townscape of high quality and authenticity. Its architecture is noteworthy for the blending of elements from several cultures that have come together over many centuries. Lijiang also possesses an ancient water-supply system of great complexity and ingenuity that still functions effectively today.

Tianshan Mountain Range

Extending from east to west, it lies in the middle of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, stretching west to Kazakhstan. The range is 2,500 kilometers long with a width of 250-300 kilometers and an average altitude of 5 kilometers. Constantly capped with snow, the highest peak, located in Tomur, stands at 7,435.3 meters. With white snowy peaks and green spruces reflected in the lake, Tianshan mountain range is a picturesque scenic location in Xinjiang.

The West Lake Landscape

Located west of Hangzhou in Zhejiang province, the West Lake, also known as Qiantanghu Lake in ancient times and as "Xizi Lake" and "Wulin water" currently, covers an area of 6.39 square kilometers with a width of 2.8 kilometers and length of 3.2 kilometers. It is characterized with the layout of one mountain, two pagodas, three islands and five lakes. The real attraction of West Lake, however, lies not on the surface, but in its abundant wealth of legends, myths, and enigma accumulated over various dynasties.

The Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples in Chengde

The Mountain Resort can be divided into four independent yet inseparable parts: the Palace area, the lake area, the plain area and the mountain area. The resort's most prominent landscape feature is that the mountains are sitting within the gardens, and the gardens are circled by the mountains. The massive project began in 1703 and ended in 1792, covering a span of 89 years. Although most buildings were damaged to ruins with the demise of the Qing Dynasty, it still remains China's biggest existent ancient imperial gardens and temple complex. The Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1994.

South China Karst

The World Heritage Committee on Monday inscribed an extension of South China Karst, a natural World Heritage Site since 2007, into the UNESCO's World Heritage List.

Historic ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa

Situated northwest of Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet autonomous region, the palace consists of a group of large-scale castle-like buildings. Originally built in 7 AD by Srongtsen Gampo for marrying Princess Bhrikuti and Princess Wencheng, it was reestablished during the 17th century as the residential palace for the Dalai Lamas, and also as the ruling center of the unification of politics and religion in Tibet. The buildings are white and red and have a magnificent palace roof. There are 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and 200,000 statues within the buildings that stand thirteen stories tall.

Mount Tai

The sacred Mount Tai is located in Tai'an city of Shandong province. With an an elevation of 1,545 meters, Mount Tai is the highest peak in Shandong. The mountain is reputed as "Chief of the Five Sacred Mountains" and "First Mountain Under Heaven". Mount Tai was the object of an imperial cult for nearly 2,000 years, and the artistic masterpieces found there are in perfect harmony with the natural landscape. It has always been a source of inspiration for Chinese artists and scholars and symbolizes ancient Chinese civilizations and beliefs.

Yungang Grottoes in Shanxi

Located at the southern foot of Wuzhou Mountain 16 kilometers west of Datong, Shanxi province, the Yungang Grottoes were built against the mountain and extend about 1 kilometer from east to west. Originally built in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-557), it was then used for practicing Buddhism. The construction of the caves began under the auspices of the noted monk Tan Yao in 453 AD and took 50 years to complete. At present, there are 45 caves, 252 shrines and over 51,000 statues in the grottoes

Honghe Hani Rice Terraces

Hani Rice Terrace in Yunnan province is a living cultural landscape which is defined by the World Heritage Committee as cultural properties that represent "the combined works of nature and of man", and features sustainable interactions among the inhabitants, terrace and rivers.

Source: china.org

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