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When China’s Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City were listed as World Heritage， the quantity of World Heritage sites in the country reached 55， including 37 Cultural Heritage items， 14 Natural Heritage items and four Mixed Cultural and Natural Heritage items. China now ties Italy for most World Heritage sites. With China being a flagship of Eastern culture and Italy a cradle of Western civilization， both countries preserve remnants of brilliant ancient civilization and deserve to be renowned.
The theory and practice of World Heritage conservation have undergone a process of constant improvement. To protect global cultural and natural heritage， the United Nations Educational， Scientific and Cultural Organization（UNESCO） passed the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1972 （called the “1972 Convention”for short）. Afterwards， the Venice Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites（1964） and the Nara Document on Authenticity （1994） were adopted by the international community. The former laid the foundation for the idea of protecting Western stone architectural heritage， and the latter established principles for protecting traditional Eastern wooden architecture. The three documents have served as guides for protecting cultural heritage around the world.
When the World Heritage List was established in 1976， UNESCO declared that to qualify for the list， World Heritage sites need to have unique historical， cultural， artistic or scientific value. And “authenticity” and “integrity” are important standards. Across four decades， a set of norms and concepts have been developed in the assessment and determination of World Heritage. Value expression and meeting standards have become the two cornerstones of the text of an application.
Sites inscribed on the World Heritage List vary widely： Most sites in Italy， Spain and France are urban architecture and landscapes. Most sites in ancient countries in Asia， Africa and Latin America （i.e. Egypt， Iraq， Syria， Mexico， Peru and India） are historical sites. The industrial heritage sites of the U.K.（such as Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape and Ironbridge Gorge）， Germany （such as Ruhr Industrial Zone） and Japan （such as Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution） are unique. The Sydney Opera House in Australia was listed as a World Cultural Heritage site in 2007 after existence for barely three decades. China officially joined in the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in December 1985. The next year， it submitted its first World Heritage application for six items including the Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian， the Great Wall， the Forbidden City， the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor， the Mogao Caves， and Mount Taishan. All of them were successfully put onto the World Heritage List， which opened a new chapter for China’s World Heritage protection. Now， China’s World Heritage sites are scattered across the country and include the magnificent Imperial Palaces of the Ming （1368-1644） and Qing （1644-1911） Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang， the Great Wall spanning the country from east to west， the solemn Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor and the misty Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace， Lhasa. These sites preserve humanistic tradition and the spiritual heritage of Chinese civilization and represent the quintessence of traditional Chinese culture.
Roughly， China’s World Heritage sites fall into one of the following categories： First， cultural relics of human civilization such as the Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian， Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City， and Yin Xu in Henan Province； Second， magnificent architecture and projects such as the Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties， the Great Wall， the Grand Canal and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System； Third， historical sites of traditional Chinese culture and civilization such as the Temple of Heaven in Beijing， the Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu， the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor in Shaanxi Province and the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties； Fourth， human settlements such as the Old Town of Lijiang in Yunnan Province， Ancient City of Pingyao in Shanxi Province， Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui—Xidi and Hongcun， and Fujian Tulou； Fifth， religious remains such as the Mogao Caves， Yungang Grottoes and Longmen Grottoes； Sixth， cultural heritage of ethnic minorities such as the Site of Xanadu， Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom， and Tusi Sites； Finally， relics of cultural exchanges such as the Silk Roads： the Routes Network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor， Kulangsu—a Historic International Settlement， and Kaiping Diaolou and Villages. Some sites are unique and stand alone， such as Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape， the only such place in China， which is highly valued especially in Spain and France. West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou is a model that represents Chinese humanistic traditions and poetic sentiments. West Lake is extremely rare globally in terms of classification of heritage. It can be roughly classified as a “waterscape”in the context of the West （contrasting a landscape）. China has become an important member of the World Heritage family thanks to its record-breaking number of sites and major application efforts in terms of participation from the government， financial support and environmental protection. But most of the country’s World Heritage applications involve historical sites. Few capture the value of art and science， and more attention could be placed on industrial sites and architecture of modern times.
World Heritage sites represent precious assets of all mankind and deserve to be cherished and protected by all. The Buddha statues in Bamiyan Valley in Afghanistan were demolished， and the Ancient City of Aleppo in Syria has only crumbling walls left. The fire that engulfed the Cathedral of NotreDame in Paris and the earthquake in Kathmandu also caused irreparable damage to world-famous heritage.“We didn’t inherit those legacies from our ancestors but borrowed them from future generations.” It is the responsibility of all people to protect the common cultural heritage of humanity.
The theory and practice of World Heritage conservation have undergone a process of constant improvement. To protect global cultural and natural heritage， the United Nations Educational， Scientific and Cultural Organization（UNESCO） passed the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1972 （called the “1972 Convention”for short）. Afterwards， the Venice Charter for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites（1964） and the Nara Document on Authenticity （1994） were adopted by the international community. The former laid the foundation for the idea of protecting Western stone architectural heritage， and the latter established principles for protecting traditional Eastern wooden architecture. The three documents have served as guides for protecting cultural heritage around the world.
When the World Heritage List was established in 1976， UNESCO declared that to qualify for the list， World Heritage sites need to have unique historical， cultural， artistic or scientific value. And “authenticity” and “integrity” are important standards. Across four decades， a set of norms and concepts have been developed in the assessment and determination of World Heritage. Value expression and meeting standards have become the two cornerstones of the text of an application.
Sites inscribed on the World Heritage List vary widely： Most sites in Italy， Spain and France are urban architecture and landscapes. Most sites in ancient countries in Asia， Africa and Latin America （i.e. Egypt， Iraq， Syria， Mexico， Peru and India） are historical sites. The industrial heritage sites of the U.K.（such as Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape and Ironbridge Gorge）， Germany （such as Ruhr Industrial Zone） and Japan （such as Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution） are unique. The Sydney Opera House in Australia was listed as a World Cultural Heritage site in 2007 after existence for barely three decades. China officially joined in the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in December 1985. The next year， it submitted its first World Heritage application for six items including the Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian， the Great Wall， the Forbidden City， the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor， the Mogao Caves， and Mount Taishan. All of them were successfully put onto the World Heritage List， which opened a new chapter for China’s World Heritage protection. Now， China’s World Heritage sites are scattered across the country and include the magnificent Imperial Palaces of the Ming （1368-1644） and Qing （1644-1911） Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang， the Great Wall spanning the country from east to west， the solemn Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor and the misty Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace， Lhasa. These sites preserve humanistic tradition and the spiritual heritage of Chinese civilization and represent the quintessence of traditional Chinese culture.
Roughly， China’s World Heritage sites fall into one of the following categories： First， cultural relics of human civilization such as the Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian， Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City， and Yin Xu in Henan Province； Second， magnificent architecture and projects such as the Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties， the Great Wall， the Grand Canal and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System； Third， historical sites of traditional Chinese culture and civilization such as the Temple of Heaven in Beijing， the Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu， the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor in Shaanxi Province and the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties； Fourth， human settlements such as the Old Town of Lijiang in Yunnan Province， Ancient City of Pingyao in Shanxi Province， Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui—Xidi and Hongcun， and Fujian Tulou； Fifth， religious remains such as the Mogao Caves， Yungang Grottoes and Longmen Grottoes； Sixth， cultural heritage of ethnic minorities such as the Site of Xanadu， Capital Cities and Tombs of the Ancient Koguryo Kingdom， and Tusi Sites； Finally， relics of cultural exchanges such as the Silk Roads： the Routes Network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor， Kulangsu—a Historic International Settlement， and Kaiping Diaolou and Villages. Some sites are unique and stand alone， such as Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape， the only such place in China， which is highly valued especially in Spain and France. West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou is a model that represents Chinese humanistic traditions and poetic sentiments. West Lake is extremely rare globally in terms of classification of heritage. It can be roughly classified as a “waterscape”in the context of the West （contrasting a landscape）. China has become an important member of the World Heritage family thanks to its record-breaking number of sites and major application efforts in terms of participation from the government， financial support and environmental protection. But most of the country’s World Heritage applications involve historical sites. Few capture the value of art and science， and more attention could be placed on industrial sites and architecture of modern times.
World Heritage sites represent precious assets of all mankind and deserve to be cherished and protected by all. The Buddha statues in Bamiyan Valley in Afghanistan were demolished， and the Ancient City of Aleppo in Syria has only crumbling walls left. The fire that engulfed the Cathedral of NotreDame in Paris and the earthquake in Kathmandu also caused irreparable damage to world-famous heritage.“We didn’t inherit those legacies from our ancestors but borrowed them from future generations.” It is the responsibility of all people to protect the common cultural heritage of humanity.