Chinas Shennongjia Forestry District in Central Chinas Hubei province was added to the World Heritage List as a natural site on July 17， 2016 bringing the total number of China's world heritage sites to 50， second only to Italy in the whole world.

China became a state party of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage on Dec. 12， 1985.

For the past three decades， China has spared no effort in making its contributions to world heritage.

Beijing tops the city level with the most cultural sites in the World Heritage List.

Suzhou in East Chinas Jiangsu province represents the only host city in China for the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

Now lets take a look at 6 newly added sites in China from 2011 to 2016.

1. West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou

（杭州西湖文化景觀）

The West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou， comprising the West Lake and the hills surrounding its three sides， has inspired famous poets， scholars and artists since the 9th century. It comprises numerous temples， pagodas， pavilions， gardens and ornamental trees， as well as causeways and artificial islands. These additions have been made to improve the landscape west of the city of Hangzhou to the south of the Yangtze river.

自公元9世紀(jì)以來，西湖的湖光山色引得無數(shù)文人騷客、藝術(shù)大師吟詠興嘆、潑墨揮毫。景區(qū)內(nèi)有廟宇、亭臺、寶塔、園林，其間點(diǎn)綴著奇花異木、岸堤島嶼，為江南的杭州城增添了一處美景。

North of the Great Wall， the Site of Xanadu encompasses the remains of Kublai Khans legendary capital city， designed by the Mongol rulers Chinese advisor Liu Bingzhong in 1256. Over a surface area of 25，000 hectares， the site was a unique attempt to assimilate the nomadic Mongolian and Han Chinese cultures. From this base， Kublai Khan established the Yuan Dynasty that ruled China over a century， extending its boundaries across Asia. The religious debate that took place here resulted in the dissemination of Tibetan Buddhism over northeast Asia， a cultural and religious tradition still practised in many areas today.

The site was planned according to traditional Chinese feng shui in relation to the nearby mountains and river. It features the remains of the city， including temples， palaces， tombs， nomadic encampments and the Tiefangang Canal， along with other waterworks.

位于長城以北的元上都遺址包含著忽必烈時期這座傳奇都城的大量遺存，占地25000多公頃。元上都是1256年由蒙古統(tǒng)治者的漢人幕僚劉秉忠設(shè)計的，這是一次特有的融合蒙古游牧民族文化和漢族文化的嘗試。忽必烈就是由此出發(fā)開創(chuàng)了元朝，統(tǒng)治中國百年之久，并把其疆域擴(kuò)大到了亞洲以外。曾在此進(jìn)行的宗教辯論令藏傳佛教得以在東北亞地區(qū)傳播，并且成為這一地區(qū)很多地方沿襲至今的文化與宗教傳統(tǒng)。

元上都根據(jù)中國傳統(tǒng)風(fēng)水理論依山傍水而建。元上都遺址現(xiàn)存有寺廟、宮殿、墳?zāi)?、游牧民族帳篷，以及包括鐵幡竿渠在內(nèi)的水利工程。

3. Chengjiangs Fossils Site

（澄江生物群化石遺址）

A hilly 512 ha site in Yunnan province， Chengjiangs fossils present the most complete record of an early Cambrian marine community with exceptionally preserved biota， displaying the anatomy of hard and soft tissues in a very wide variety of organisms， invertebrate and vertebrate. They record the early establishment of a complex marine ecosystem. The site witnesses more than 120 kinds of animals and plants as well as some rare species， presenting exceptional testimony to the rapid diversification of life on Earth 530 million years ago， when almost all of todays major animal groups emerged. It opens a palaeobiological window of great significance to scholarship.

澄江生物群化石遺址位于云南省的山地丘陵地區(qū)，占地512公頃，是目前保存最完整的早期海洋古生物化石群，展現(xiàn)了門類廣泛的無脊椎與脊椎生命體的硬組織及軟組織解剖構(gòu)造。澄江化石群記錄了早期復(fù)雜海洋生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的形成。澄江生物群化石遺址至少發(fā)現(xiàn)了120多種動植物和一些珍稀的種群，是5.3億年前地球生物大爆炸的證據(jù) —— 現(xiàn)今地球上主要動物群都在這一時期出現(xiàn)。它為古生物學(xué)的學(xué)術(shù)研究打開了一扇重要的窗口。

4. The Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces

（紅河哈尼梯田文化景觀）

The Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces covers16， 603 hectares in Southern Yunnan. It is marked by spectacular terraces that cascade down the slopes of the towering Ailao Mountains to the banks of the Hong River.

Over the past 1，300 years， the Hani people have developed a complex system of channels to bring water from the forested mountaintops to the terraces. They have also created an integrated farming system that involves buffalos， cattle， ducks， fish and eel and supports the production of red rice， the areas primary crop. The inhabitants worship the sun， moon， mountains， rivers， forests and other natural phenomena including fire. They live in 82 villages situated between the mountaintop forests and the terraces. The villages feature traditional thatched “mushroom” houses. The resilient land management system of the rice terraces demonstrates extraordinary harmony between people and their environment， both visually and ecologically， based on exceptional and long-standing social and religious structures.

紅河哈尼文化景觀位于云南南部，占地16603公頃，以從高聳的哀牢山沿著斜坡順延到紅河沿岸的壯麗梯田而著稱。

在過去的1300多年間，哈尼族人民發(fā)明了復(fù)雜的溝渠系統(tǒng)，將山上的水從草木叢生的山頂送至各級梯田。他們還創(chuàng)造出一個完整的農(nóng)作體系，包含水牛、牛、鴨、魚類和鱔類，并且支持了當(dāng)?shù)刂饕墓任?—— 紅米的生產(chǎn)。當(dāng)?shù)鼐用癯绨萑?、月、山、河、森林，以及其他自然現(xiàn)象（包括火在內(nèi)）。他們居住在分布于山頂森林和梯田之間的82個村寨里，這些村寨以傳統(tǒng)的茅草“蘑菇房”為特色。為梯田建立的彈性管理系統(tǒng)，建立在特殊且古老的社會和宗教結(jié)構(gòu)基礎(chǔ)上，體現(xiàn)出人與環(huán)境在視覺和生態(tài)上的高度和諧。

5. Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape

（廣西左江花山巖畫）

Located on the steep cliffs in the border regions of southwest China， these 38 sites of rock art illustrate the life and rituals of the Luoyue people. They date from the period around the 5th century BCE to the 2nd century CE. In a surrounding landscape of karst， rivers and plateaux， they depict ceremonies which have been interpreted as portraying the bronze drum culture once prevalent across southern China.

This cultural landscape is the only trace left of this culture today.

左江花山巖畫位于中國西南邊陲地區(qū)的陡峭巖壁上。這38處巖畫展現(xiàn)的是駱越人生活和宗教儀式的場景。這些繪制年代可追溯至公元前5世紀(jì)至公元2世紀(jì)的巖畫與其依存的喀斯特地貌、河流和臺地一起，使人得以一窺過去在中國南方盛行一時的青銅鼓文化儀式的原貌。

這一文化景觀如今是這種文化曾經(jīng)存在的唯一見證。

6. Hubei Shennongjia

（湖北神農(nóng)架）

Located in Hubei province， in central-eastern China， the site consists of two components： Shennongding /Badong to the west and Laojunshan to the east.

It protects the largest primary forests remaining in Central China and provides habitats for many rare animal species， such as the Chinese giant salamander， the golden or snub-nosed monkey， the clouded leopard， common leopard and the Asian black bear.

Hubei Shennongjia is one of three centres of biodiversity in China. The site features prominently in the history of botanical research and was the object of international plant collecting expeditions in the 19th and 20th centuries.

神農(nóng)架位于中國中東部湖北省。這處遺產(chǎn)地由兩部分構(gòu)成：西邊的神農(nóng)頂/巴東和東邊的老君山。

這里有中國中部地區(qū)最大的原始森林，是中國大蠑螈、川金絲猴、云豹、金錢豹、亞洲黑熊等許多珍稀動物的棲息地。

湖北神農(nóng)架是中國三大生物多樣性中心之一，在19和20世紀(jì)期間曾是國際植物收集探險活動的目的地，在植物學(xué)研究史上占據(jù)重要地位。