China's Tianshan Mountain and Hani Rice Terraces Named World Heritage Sites

The Tianshan Mountain of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Hani Rice Terraces of Yunnan Province have been inscribed on World Heritage Lists recently during the 37th session of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee (WHC) held in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, from June 16 to June 27, 2013. China now enjoys a total of 45 World Heritage Sites, only second to Italy.

Xinjiang Tianshan Mountain

The expansive Tianshan mountain range traverses the central part of Xinjiang and stretches into Kazakhstan in Central Asia. The inscribed part of Tianshan is located in Xinjiang, covering an area of 5759 square meters. Blessed with spectacular snow-capped mountains, glacier-covered mountains, dense forests and meadows, limpid rivers and lakes, Xinjiang Tianshan Mountain deserves the title of World Natural Heritage for its rare natural beauty and outstanding universal value. 

Hani Rice Terraces

Hani Rice Terraces is located at the Yuanyang County of Honghe prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province. The seemingly endless terraced fields climb over 2000 meters, up to 3700 steps to the mountain tops, presenting a spectacular natural landscape with rich ethnic culture and traditions of Hani people behind. As a cultural property, Hani Rice Terraces illustrates the harmonic, sustainable relationships between humans and nature in a beautiful way. 

The inscription of Tianshan Mountain and Hani Rice Terraces will certainly boost local tourism. We hope more and more people will come to discover their beauty and cultures, and at the same time help preserve the two sites!

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Yuanyang Terraced Fields and China's Remote Southwest