China's 57 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
The complete guide to every UNESCO World Heritage Site in China — from the Great Wall and the Forbidden City to the remote karst landscapes of Guizhou and the Silk Road caves of Dunhuang. Each entry includes ticket prices, hours, transport, and answers to the most common visitor questions.
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Quick Answer
China has 57 UNESCO World Heritage Sites — 39 cultural, 14 natural, and 4 mixed (as of 2026). This is the second-largest number in the world after Italy. The most-visited sites are the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and the Terracotta Army, but many lesser-known sites — the Fujian Tulou, the Kaiping Diaolou, the South China Karst — offer equally extraordinary experiences with a fraction of the crowds.
All UNESCO Sites
culturalImperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (Forbidden City)
Beijing · Inscribed 1987
The world's largest ancient palatial complex — 980 buildings across 72 hectares. Home to 24 emperors over 492 years. Book 7 days ahead. 3-4 hours minimum.
culturalMausoleum of the First Qin Emperor (Terracotta Army)
Shaanxi · Inscribed 1987
8,000+ life-sized clay warriors buried 2,200 years ago, each with unique facial features. Discovered by farmers in 1974. 1.5 hours from Xi'an. Allow 3-4 hours on site.
culturalMogao Caves
Gansu · Inscribed 1987
492 painted cave temples spanning 1,000 years of Buddhist art (4th–14th century). 45,000 m² of murals and 2,400 painted sculptures. The greatest repository of Silk Road art anywhere. Book weeks ahead.
culturalPeking Man Site at Zhoukoudian
Beijing · Inscribed 1987
Where Homo erectus pekinensis was discovered in the 1920s — fossils of 40 individuals dating 700,000 years back. A pilgrimage site for paleoanthropology. 1 hour from Beijing. 2 hours is enough.
culturalThe Great Wall
Multiple (Beijing, Hebei, Gansu, etc.) · Inscribed 1987
21,196 km of fortification built over 2,300 years by 9+ dynasties. The Ming Dynasty sections near Beijing are what most visitors see. Mutianyu is the best all-around section for first-timers.
mixedMount Taishan
Shandong · Inscribed 1987
The most sacred of China's five great mountains, climbed by emperors for 3,000 years. 7,200 steps to the summit (1,545 m). The sunrise above the sea of clouds is the payoff. Cable car for the second half.
mixedMount Huangshan (Yellow Mountain)
Anhui · Inscribed 1990
The mountain that inspired a thousand years of Chinese painting — granite peaks, twisted pines, sea of clouds, hot springs. The most beautiful mountain in China. Stay on the summit for sunrise.
naturalHuanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area
Sichuan · Inscribed 1992
3.6 km of travertine terraced pools cascading down a valley at 3,000–3,600 m altitude. Golden-yellow limestone formations, turquoise water, snow-capped peaks. Often combined with Jiuzhaigou. 4–5 hours.
naturalJiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area
Sichuan · Inscribed 1992
Turquoise lakes so clear you can see fallen trees 20 m below, multi-tier waterfalls, and nine Tibetan villages. The most beautiful valley in China. 1–2 full days. Book entry in advance.
naturalWulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area
Hunan · Inscribed 1992
3,000+ quartz-sandstone pillars rising 200–400 m, draped in subtropical forest. The landscape that inspired Avatar's Hallelujah Mountains. 2–3 days to see the main areas.
culturalAncient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains
Hubei · Inscribed 1994
Taoist sacred mountain with 62 temple complexes built into cliffs. Birthplace of tai chi (taijiquan). Kung fu schools still operate here. 2 days minimum.
culturalHistoric Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa
Tibet · Inscribed 1994
The 13-story winter palace of the Dalai Lamas, 3,700 m above sea level. 1,000+ rooms, 200,000+ Buddhist statues. The most important Tibetan Buddhist site. Book weeks ahead. Tibet permit required.
culturalChengde Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples
Hebei · Inscribed 1994
The Qing Dynasty's summer capital — the world's largest imperial garden (5.6 km²), 8 outer Tibetan-style temples. 3 hours from Beijing. 1–2 days.
culturalTemple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion
Shandong · Inscribed 1994
The birthplace of Confucius (551–479 BC), with a temple, family mansion, and cemetery containing 100,000+ of his descendants. The closest thing China has to a pilgrimage city. 1 day from Jinan or Beijing.
mixedMount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area
Sichuan · Inscribed 1996
Mount Emei: one of China's four sacred Buddhist mountains (3,099 m), with the first Buddhist temple built in China (1st century AD). Leshan Giant Buddha: a 71 m-tall seated Buddha carved into a cliff face in the 8th century — the largest pre-modern statue in the world. Both accessible from Chengdu.
- cultural
Lushan National Park
Jiangxi · Inscribed 1996
A misty mountain retreat that inspired 4,000+ poems and 300+ inscriptions. Colonial villas from the early 20th century. Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong both had summer homes here. 1–2 days.
culturalAncient City of Ping Yao
Shanxi · Inscribed 1997
The best-preserved ancient walled city in China — streets, shops, homes, and walls essentially unchanged since the Ming Dynasty (1370). The birthplace of Chinese banking. Stay overnight in a courtyard inn.
culturalClassical Gardens of Suzhou
Jiangsu · Inscribed 1997
9 of the finest scholar gardens in China, designed between the 11th and 19th centuries. Microcosms of nature — rocks = mountains, ponds = lakes, carefully framed views. 25 min from Shanghai. 1–2 days.
culturalOld Town of Lijiang
Yunnan · Inscribed 1997
An 800-year-old Naxi ethnic town of cobbled streets, canals, and wooden buildings at 2,400 m in Yunnan. Views of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Atmospheric but heavily touristed. 2 days.
naturalHubei Shennongjia
Hubei · Inscribed 2016
"Wild man" (yeren) legend forest with golden snub-nosed monkeys and 3,105 m peaks. One of China's wildest national parks. Remote — 4+ hours from Yichang. 2 days minimum.
- natural
Qinghai Hoh Xil
Qinghai/Tibet · Inscribed 2017
45,000 km² of high-altitude plateau (4,500+ m), the world's largest and highest nature reserve. Tibetan antelope (chiru) migration route. No permanent human inhabitants. Extremely remote — organized tour only.
culturalKulangsu: a Historic International Settlement
Fujian · Inscribed 2017
A car-free island 10 minutes by ferry from Xiamen. 931 historic villas mixing Chinese, European, and Japanese colonial architecture. Piano museum, beaches, seafood. The most popular domestic tourist island in China. Ferry tickets book ahead.
naturalFanjingshan
Guizhou · Inscribed 2018
A 2,570 m sacred Buddhist peak with the "Red Cloud Golden Summit" — a temple split across two rock pinnacles connected by a bridge. One of China's most dramatic mountain-top temples. 2 days.
culturalArchaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City
Zhejiang · Inscribed 2019
A 5,300-year-old city with the world's earliest known large-scale water management system — older than Egypt's pyramids. Proves East Asian civilization developed complex urban society independently. 1.5 hours from Hangzhou. Museum is world-class.
- natural
Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf (Phase I)
Jiangsu (Phase I), multiple provinces for subsequent phases · Inscribed 2019
The world's largest intertidal mudflat system — critical refueling stop for millions of migratory birds on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Phase I covers Yancheng (Jiangsu). Best for birders with spotting scopes. Remote.
culturalQuanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China
Fujian · Inscribed 2021
The world's busiest port during the Song-Yuan Dynasty (10th–14th century), described by Marco Polo as the largest port on Earth. 22 component sites: mosques, temples, pagodas, bridges. 1–2 days from Xiamen.
culturalCultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests of the Jingmai Mountain in Pu'er
Yunnan · Inscribed 2023
1,000-year-old tea forests cultivated by the Blang and Dai peoples, the oldest tea-growing culture on Earth. Ancient tea trees, traditional villages, and a working landscape still producing Pu'er tea. Remote — best for tea enthusiasts.
culturalSummer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing
Beijing · Inscribed 1998
The Qing Dynasty's pleasure garden — Kunming Lake, Long Corridor (728 m of painted walkway), Marble Boat. The best-preserved imperial garden in China. 3–4 hours. ¥60. 30 min from central Beijing.
culturalTemple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing
Beijing · Inscribed 1998
Where Ming and Qing emperors prayed for harvest — the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is the most perfect wooden structure in China. 2.73 km² of park. 2–3 hours. ¥35. Best in early morning for the pensioner tai chi.
culturalDazu Rock Carvings
Chongqing · Inscribed 1999
50,000 Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian statues carved into Chongqing hillsides (9th–13th century). Unlike Mogao (painted caves), Dazu is open-air cliff sculpture. Baodingshan is the main site. 3–4 hours. ¥170.
mixedMount Wuyi
Fujian · Inscribed 1999
Danxia red-sandstone cliffs, the Nine-Bend River, and the birthplace of oolong and lapsang souchong tea. Mixed UNESCO for natural + cultural value. 2 days. ¥140 entry + rafting extra.
culturalAncient Villages in Southern Anhui – Xidi and Hongcun
Anhui · Inscribed 2000
Two perfectly preserved Huizhou villages — whitewashed walls, horse-head gables, and hydraulic engineering from the Ming-Qing era. Hongcun is the one with the crescent-moon pond. ¥104 each. 1 day for both.
culturalImperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties
Multiple (Jiangsu, Hebei, Liaoning, Hubei, Beijing) · Inscribed 2000
The burial complexes of Ming and Qing emperors — Ming Xiaoling (Nanjing), Eastern Qing Tombs (Hebei), Western Qing Tombs (Hebei), and Ming Tombs (Beijing). Sacred Ways lined with stone animals. ¥70–120. Half to full day per site.
culturalLongmen Grottoes
Henan · Inscribed 2000
100,000+ Buddhist statues in 2,345 caves carved into a 1 km limestone cliff along the Yi River. The Fengxian Temple Buddha (17.14 m) is the masterpiece. 3–4 hours. ¥120. 30 min from Luoyang.
culturalMount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System
Sichuan · Inscribed 2000
Taoism's birthplace (Mount Qingcheng, 1,260 m) + a 2,200-year-old still-working irrigation system (Dujiangyan) that tamed the Min River without a dam. Both accessible as day trips from Chengdu. ¥90 + ¥80.
culturalYungang Grottoes
Shanxi · Inscribed 2001
51,000 Buddhist statues in 252 caves, carved 460–525 AD. The "Three Dynasties in stone" — earliest of China's three great Buddhist cave sites. 5 colossal Buddhas (13–17 m). 3–4 hours. ¥120. 30 min from Datong.
naturalThree Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas
Yunnan · Inscribed 2003
Three of Asia's great rivers — Jinsha (Yangtze), Lancang (Mekong), Nujiang (Salween) — run parallel through 300 km of 4,000–6,000 m gorges. The deepest river gorge on Earth. One of the most biodiverse places in the world. 3–5 days minimum.
naturalChina Danxia
Multiple (Guangdong, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Guizhou) · Inscribed 2010
Six clusters of red sandstone landforms across southern China — cliffs, pillars, gorges carved over 80 million years. The Zhangye Danxia (rainbow mountains) is the most famous example, though technically a separate formation. Best visited at sunrise or sunset when the colours are strongest.
culturalWest Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou
Zhejiang · Inscribed 2011
A lake that has been shaped by poets, painters, and emperors for over 1,000 years into a cultural ideal. Causeways, pagodas, islands, and willows arranged as deliberately as a landscape painting. The template for garden design across East Asia. Free to visit.
naturalChengjiang Fossil Site
Yunnan · Inscribed 2012
A 530-million-year-old Cambrian fossil bed preserving soft-bodied creatures in extraordinary detail — the earliest known vertebrates, the earliest known nervous systems. One of the most significant paleontological sites on Earth. 1.5 hours from Kunming. Museum-focused visit.
culturalSite of Xanadu
Inner Mongolia · Inscribed 2012
The ruins of Kublai Khan's 13th-century summer capital, described by Marco Polo and immortalised in Coleridge's poem. Grassland, scattered foundations, and a museum. Remote and atmospheric. Full-day trip from Xilingol or combine with a grassland tour.
culturalCultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces
Yunnan · Inscribed 2013
1,300-year-old rice terraces carved into the Ailao Mountains by the Hani people — over 3,000 steps from river valley to mountain summit. Best at sunrise (November–March) when the flooded paddies reflect the sky. 5 hours from Kunming. Stay 2 nights.
naturalXinjiang Tianshan
Xinjiang · Inscribed 2013
A 2,500 km mountain range with snow peaks, glaciers, alpine meadows, and the Heavenly Lake. One of the world's largest mountain systems, stretching across Central Asia. The Chinese portion covers four components. Tianchi (Heavenly Lake) is the most accessible entry point — 2 hours from Urumqi.
culturalSilk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor
Multiple — China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan · Inscribed 2014
33 sites across three countries tracing the 5,000 km Silk Road corridor from Xi'an to Central Asia (2nd century BC–16th century AD). Not a single attraction — a network of cities, palaces, temples, forts, passes, and cave complexes. Xi'an is the natural starting point.
culturalThe Grand Canal
Multiple (Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang) · Inscribed 2014
The world's longest and oldest artificial waterway — 1,776 km from Beijing to Hangzhou. Begun in the 5th century BC, substantially completed by 610 AD. Still partially in use. Best explored in sections: Suzhou–Hangzhou is the most scenic, Tongzhou (Beijing) is the most accessible.
culturalTusi Sites
Hubei, Hunan, Guizhou · Inscribed 2015
Fortified hilltop seats of hereditary tribal rulers (tusi) who governed China's southwestern borderlands from the 13th to 20th centuries. Three sites across three provinces — remote, rarely visited, architecturally unique. 1 day per site. Combine with regional travel.
culturalZuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape
Guangxi · Inscribed 2016
1,800-year-old cliff paintings spread across 38 sites on limestone cliffs along the Zuo River — red-pigment figures of people, animals, and bronze drums, the largest rock art in the world. The main panel at Huashan is 170 m wide and 40 m tall, with 1,900+ figures. Accessed by river boat from Chongzuo. 2.5 hours from Nanning.
- cultural
Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom
Jilin · Inscribed 2004
5th–7th century walled cities and 40+ royal tombs with vivid murals of a Koreanic kingdom that ruled Manchuria and northern Korea. Spread across Ji'an (Jilin) and Huanren (Liaoning). 1–2 days.
culturalHistoric Centre of Macau
Macau · Inscribed 2005
The oldest and most intact ensemble of Portuguese colonial architecture in China — 22 buildings and 8 public squares spanning 400+ years. Ruins of St. Paul's, Senado Square, A-Ma Temple. Walkable in 1 day. Combine with Hong Kong (1h ferry).
- cultural
Yin Xu
Henan · Inscribed 2006
The late Shang Dynasty capital (1300–1046 BC), where oracle bone inscriptions — the earliest known Chinese writing — were discovered in 1899. Bronze age palaces, royal tombs, and 150,000+ oracle bones. 1 day from Anyang.
naturalSichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries
Sichuan · Inscribed 2006
Seven nature reserves and nine scenic parks protecting 30% of the world's wild giant pandas across 9,245 km². Wolong, Mt. Siguniang, and the wild panda corridor. 2–3 days from Chengdu. Combine panda base visits with alpine hiking.
- cultural
Kaiping Diaolou and Villages
Guangdong · Inscribed 2007
1,833 fortified multi-story watchtowers blending Chinese and Western architecture, built by overseas Chinese in the early 20th century. 2 hours from Guangzhou. 1 day covers the 4 main clusters. A unique architectural fusion: Baroque domes on Cantonese village towers.
naturalSouth China Karst
Multiple (Yunnan, Guizhou, Chongqing, Guangxi) · Inscribed 2007
The world's largest karst landscape, spread across 4 provinces and inscribed in 2 phases (2007, 2014). Stone Forest (Yunnan), Libo (Guizhou), Wulong (Chongqing), Guilin (Guangxi). Plan per cluster — each is a separate trip.
culturalFujian Tulou
Fujian · Inscribed 2008
46 Hakka earthen round houses, 3–5 stories tall, housing entire clans for 500+ years. Massive circular fortresses of rammed earth with a single iron gate. 3 hours from Xiamen. 1–2 days.
- natural
Mount Sanqingshan National Park
Jiangxi · Inscribed 2008
A Taoist sacred mountain of granite pillars, twisted pines, and cloud seas at 1,817 m. 48 peaks and 89 granite pillars in a compact 229 km² park. 2 days. The quieter, less crowded alternative to Huangshan.
- cultural
Mount Wutai
Shanxi · Inscribed 2009
The holiest of China's four sacred Buddhist mountains, dedicated to Manjusri (the bodhisattva of wisdom). 53 monasteries spanning 1,300 years, a living center of Tibetan and Han Buddhist practice. 2 days from Taiyuan.
culturalHistoric Monuments of Dengfeng in the "Centre of Heaven and Earth"
Henan · Inscribed 2010
8 clusters of ancient buildings at the foot of Mount Song, including Shaolin Temple, the oldest astronomical observatory in China, and a 1,500-year-old academy. The spiritual center of Chinese kung fu and Confucian scholarship. 1–2 days from Zhengzhou.