China's UNESCO World Heritage Sites
China protects 60 World Heritage Sites — 41 cultural, 15 natural, and 4 mixed, a count second only to Italy. This page lists every one of them; each links to its own guide with photos, highlights, practical facts, and the best season to go.
Cultural sites (35 guides)
West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou 杭州西湖文化景观
The lake that shaped Chinese landscape ideals · Inscribed 2011
Old Town of Lijiang 丽江古城
The water-town of the Naxi · Inscribed 1997
Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing… 明清故宫（北京故宫、沈阳故宫）
The Ming & Qing imperial palace · Inscribed 1987
Great Wall 长城
The world's largest military structure · Inscribed 1987
Summer Palace 北京皇家园林-颐和园
The Qing imperial garden · Inscribed 1998
Longmen Grottoes 龙门石窟
Buddhas carved into riverside cliffs · Inscribed 2000
Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor 秦始皇陵及兵马俑坑
Qin Shi Huang's buried army · Inscribed 1987
Temple of Heaven 北京皇家祭坛—天坛
Where emperors prayed for the harvest · Inscribed 1998
Historic Centre of Macao 澳门历史城区
Where Portugal met China · Inscribed 2005
Beijing Central Axis 北京中轴线：中国理想都城秩序的杰作
The spine of the imperial capital · Inscribed 2024
Classical Gardens of Suzhou 苏州古典园林
Nature recreated in miniature · Inscribed 1997
Yungang Grottoes 云岗石窟
Colossal 5th-century Buddhas · Inscribed 2001
Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing… 明清皇家陵寝
Five centuries of imperial fengshui · Inscribed 2000
Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in “The… 登封 “天地之中”历史古迹
The 'Centre of Heaven and Earth' · Inscribed 2010
Mogao Caves 莫高窟
The Dunhuang Buddhist grottoes · Inscribed 1987
Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples 承德避暑山庄及其周围寺庙
The Qing summer capital · Inscribed 1994
Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan… 青城山—都江堰
A Taoist mountain and an ancient irrigation marvel · Inscribed 2000
Grand Canal
The world's longest artificial waterway · Inscribed 2014
City of Ping Yao 平遥古城
The birthplace of Chinese banking · Inscribed 1997
Dazu Rock Carvings 大足石刻
Song-dynasty cliff sculpture · Inscribed 1999
Kulangsu
The piano island where cars are banned · Inscribed 2017
Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the… 曲阜孔庙、孔林和孔府
The home of Confucius · Inscribed 1994
Mount Wutai 五台山
The mountain of five flat-topped peaks · Inscribed 2009
Potala Palace 拉萨布达拉宫历史建筑群
The Dalai Lamas' winter palace · Inscribed 1994
Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains 武当山古建筑群
The birthplace of tai chi · Inscribed 1994
Lushan 庐山国家公园
The mountain that shaped Chinese art · Inscribed 1996
Villages in Southern Anhui – Xidi and… 皖南古村落－西递、宏村（2000年）
The Ming-Qing villages of Huizhou · Inscribed 2000
Fujian Tulou 福建土楼
The Hakka's fortified round earth castles · Inscribed 2008
Quanzhou 泉州：宋元中国的世界海洋商贸中心
The medieval world's greatest trading port · Inscribed 2021
Silk Roads
The trans-Asian trade network · Inscribed 2014
Kaiping Diaolou and Villages 开平碉楼与村落
The watchtowers of returning émigrés · Inscribed 2007
Yin Xu 殷墟
The buried capital where Chinese writing first surfaces · Inscribed 2006
Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice…
1,300 years of rice terraces carved by hand · Inscribed 2013
Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City 良渚古城遗址
5,000 years of Chinese civilization, unearthed · Inscribed 2019
Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of… 普洱景迈山古茶林文化景观
The world's first tea World Heritage site · Inscribed 2023
Natural sites (12 guides)
Wulingyuan 武陵源风景名胜区
The Zhangjiajie pillar forest · Inscribed 1992
Jiuzhaigou Valley 九寨沟风景名胜区
Valley of turquoise lakes · Inscribed 1992
Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries - Wolong 四川大熊猫栖息地
The wild home of the giant panda · Inscribed 2006
Huanglong 黄龙风景名胜区
The golden dragon of travertine pools · Inscribed 1992
South China Karst 中国南方喀斯特
The world's great karst showcase · Inscribed 2007
China Danxia 中国丹霞
Red cliffs across six provinces, one landform, one name · Inscribed 2010
Mount Sanqingshan 三清山国家公园
The Taoist trinity carved in granite · Inscribed 2008
Fanjingshan 梵净山
An island of rock in a sea of karst · Inscribed 2018
Hubei Shennongjia 湖北神农架
Central China's last great wilderness · Inscribed 2016
Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected… 云南三江并流保护区
Three of Asia's great rivers, running side by side and never touching · Inscribed 2003
Xinjiang Tianshan
Glacier peaks and grassland, four ways · Inscribed 2013
Qinghai Hoh Xil 青海可可西里
The last great wilderness of the high plateau · Inscribed 2017
Mixed sites (4 guides)
Mount Emei 峨眉山—乐山大佛
A sacred mountain and the world's largest stone Buddha · Inscribed 1996
Mount Huangshan 黄山
The Yellow Mountain, sea of clouds · Inscribed 1990
Mount Taishan 泰山
The foremost of China's sacred mountains · Inscribed 1987
Mount Wuyi 武夷山
The cradle of neo-Confucianism and rock tea · Inscribed 1999
Guides in progress (9)
Every one of China's sites will get a full guide. These are next:
- Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian 周口店北京人遗址 — inscribed 1987
- Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient… 高句丽王城、王陵及贵族墓葬 — inscribed 2004
- Site of Xanadu 元上都遗址 — inscribed 2012
- Chengjiang Fossil Site 澄江化石地 — inscribed 2012
- Tusi Sites 土司遗址 — inscribed 2015
- Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural… 左江花山岩画文化景观 — inscribed 2016
- Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the… 中国黄（渤）海候鸟栖息地 — inscribed 2019
- Badain Jaran Desert - Towers of Sand and… 巴丹吉林沙漠—沙山湖泊群 — inscribed 2024
- Xixia Imperial Tombs 西夏陵 — inscribed 2025