World Heritages in China Part 6
Silk Road Routes in Tian Shan (World Heritage)
The routes of the Silk Road in Tian Shan are a 5000 km long section of the Silk Road. The section stretches from Chang’an / Luoyang, the capital of China during the Han and Tang dynasties, to the Zhetysu region in Central Asia. This section was created between the 2nd century BC. BC and the 1st century AD, it was used until the 16th century for trade, religious, scientific and technological knowledge transfer as well as the exchange of artistic techniques and artifacts.
The 33 selected individual sites of the entire network represent a selection of capitals and palaces of different empires and kahn kingdoms, trading stations, Buddhist cave temples, post stations, observation towers, sections of the Great Wall of China, fortifications and tombs as well as religiously inspired buildings.
Tian Shan Silk Road Routes: Facts
| Official title: | Routes of the Silk Road in Tian Shan |
| Cultural monument: | Part of the overall network of the Silk Roads connecting Central China with Central Asia; 5000 km in length, date of origin between the 2nd century BC And the 1st century AD; Flowering period between the 6th and 14th centuries; extreme geographical conditions illustrate the challenges of long-distance trade at the time: the routes led over mountains, through valleys, deserts and crossed large rivers. |
| Continent: | Asia |
| Country: | China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan |
| Location: | 33 locations on the historical routes in the three countries mentioned |
| Appointment: | 2014 |
| Meaning: | Extraordinary example of how trade routes linked civilizations and cultures on the Eurasian continent over the long term |
The Tian Shan in Xinjiang (World Heritage)
According to computerannals, in the province of Xinjiang in northwest China, the 600,000 hectare Tian Shan extends on the border with Kyrgyzstan. The impressive landscape of the mountain system includes the most diverse geological zones with snow- and ice-covered peaks through untouched forest areas and desert areas. In addition, the mountains are the habitat for rare and endangered plant and animal species, such as around 1700 leopards.
The Tian Shan in Xinjiang: facts
| Official title: | Tian Shan in Xinjiang |
| Natural monument: | The Tian Shan is a 400 km wide, 2500 km stretching mountain system in Central Asia; highest mountain Pik Pobedy (Chinese Tomur Feng) on the border between Kyrgyzstan and China with 7439 m; Home to many endemic species including 1700 leopards |
| Continent: | Asia |
| Country: | China |
| Location: | Xinjiang Province, Northwest China |
| Appointment: | 2013 |
| Meaning: | Unique, huge mountain system with an impressive landscape and untouched areas; impressive contrast between snow-covered mountain ranges and desert-like areas; exceptional area of ongoing biological and ecological processes |
Honghe Rice Terraces (World Heritage)
On the slopes of the Ailao Mountains at an altitude of up to 1,500 m down to the banks of the Hongh River, spectacular terraced rice fields extend over an area of 166 km². The Hani people – a traditional minority in southwest China – developed a sophisticated irrigation system for growing red rice over a period of 1,300 years. Their technique created an extraordinary landscape architecture that reflects an unprecedented harmony between man and nature.
Honghe Rice Terraces: Facts
| Official title: | Hani Cultural Landscape: Honghe Rice Terraces in Yunnan Province |
| Cultural monument: | Red rice fields planted in the vicinity of 82 villages of the Hani minority in southwest China; spectacular terrace shape on the slopes of the Ailao Mountains over an area of 166 km²; Development of a complex irrigation system for 1,300 years up to an altitude of 1,500 m; traditional forms of life with a reverence for natural elements such as sun, moon, mountains, forests, etc. |
| Continent: | Asia |
| Country: | China |
| Location: | Honghe, Yunnan Province, Southwest China |
| Appointment: | 2013 |
| Meaning: | Exceptional and sustainable agricultural management system; outstanding landscape architecture with unparalleled harmony between humans and the natural environment; unique permanent social structures |
Chengjiang Fossil Site (World Heritage)
A faunal community from the early Cambrian was discovered near Chengjiang om the southern Chinese province of Yunnan.
Chengjiang Fossil Site: Facts
| Official title: | Chengjiang Fossil Site |
| Natural monument: | Lower Cambrian deposit in Chengjiang, southern China, with fossils from 530 million years ago; extremely species-rich fauna community (over 195 species) with at least 16 documented tribes of an early and complex maritime ecosystem to date; extremely well-preserved finds of a wide range of organisms, invertebrates and vertebrates, from the time of the formation of the most important marine animal groups today; Presence of a multitude of forms of unknown origin |
| Continent: | Asia |
| Country: | China |
| Location: | Chengjiang, southeast of Kunming in Yunnan Province, southern China |
| Appointment: | 2012 |
| Meaning: | Worldwide unique site for understanding the evolution of early multicellular organisms; globally outstanding example of one of the decisive phases in the history of life; outstanding opportunity to gain insight into paleobiological contexts |
