Fanjingshan (World Heritage)

Fanjingshan (World Heritage)

According to commit4fitness, the 2570 meter high mountain in southwest China is part of the Wuling Mountains. Over the course of millions of years, erosion in the humid subtropical climate created a low mountain range with bizarre rocks, valleys cut by rivers with large and small waterfalls.

The region’s remoteness has produced a unique biodiversity, including endemic species such as the Guizhou snub-nosed monkey and the Fanjingshan fir, which only grows on the northern slopes of the sacred mountain at altitudes of 2100 to 2350 meters. There are also numerous endangered species such as the Chinese giant salamander, the Chinese musk deer and the king pheasant. Another specialty is the largest population of beeches in Asia and naked samers worldwide.

Fanjingshan: facts Show table

Gulangyu: an international settlement (world heritage)

Gulangyu is a small island, about 1.88 km² in size, about 500 m off the coast of the southern Chinese district city of Xiamen (Fujian Province). After the end of the Opium War, with the opening of Xiamen as an international trading port in 1843, it became an important trading center between the Chinese Empire and abroad. Many countries including Great Britain, the United States, France, Germany and Japan set up embassies and trading posts in the new concession area, so the number of foreigners living here grew rapidly.

Gulangyu: An International Settlement: Facts

Unique architecture as a testimony to cultural exchange

This led to a lively intercultural exchange, which was particularly reflected in the architecture. Villas, schoolhouses, shops and churches were built, which in their architectural styles merged Eastern and Western cultures, in particular traditional styles from Fujian Province with Western neoclassicism and colonial style. The result was a globally unique architecture between Art Deco and modern styles at the beginning of the 20th century – the Amoy Deco style, named after the former name of Xiamen: Amoy.

Qinghai Hoh Xil (World Heritage)

The Hoh Xil region is located in the northeast of the Tibetan highlands. At an altitude of over 4000 m and with an average annual temperature of less than zero degrees, extreme conditions prevail for flora and fauna. More than a third of the native plant species and all herbivorous mammals living here are endemic.

Qinghai Hoh Xil: Facts

Tibetan antelope

The Tibetan antelope or Tschiru (Pantholops hodgsoni) enjoys special protection. The 75 to 95 cm tall animals wander around individually or in small herds in search of pasture. When they rest, they dig hollows to protect themselves from the sharp winds in the camp. Due to intensive hunting, the population of the gazelle species has declined sharply in recent years, so that the chiru is threatened with extinction. The horns of the males are in great demand as they are considered to have a beneficial effect in traditional Chinese medicine. But the warming woolen hair of the undercoat, which is still illegally processed into fine Shatoosh wool, achieves top prices.

Kaiserkanal (Great Canal) (World Heritage)

The Imperial Canal is a vast system of waterways in the northeast and eastern plains of China. It runs from Beijing in the north to Zhejiang Province in the south. The earliest sections of this waterway originated in the 5th century BC. Its importance for the entire empire was not recognized until the 7th century AD in the Sui dynasty. This realization led to gigantic building projects, the size of which overshadowed everything that had existed to date around the world and was only surpassed in scope during the Industrial Revolution.

The Kaiserkanal was used as an essential component in the infrastructure of the empire for the transport of grain, raw materials and rice. In the 13th century, the entire system had over 2,000 kilometers of artificial waterways and linked China’s five most important river basins. The Kaiserkanal made a major contribution to the country’s prosperity and stability and is still an important part of the communications network today.

Kaiserkanal (Great Canal): facts