China’s First 20 World Heritage Inscriptions, Ordered by Year and Reference Number

China’s First 20 World Heritage Inscriptions, Ordered by Year and Reference Number - AnyRank

Rank	Property	Initial inscription year	UNESCO reference number	Category	Later boundary changes
1	Mount Taishan	1987	437	Mixed	No later boundary modification year listed on the official detail page
2

Sources

U0 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
China — properties inscribed on the World Heritage List
Checked the complete China inscription candidate set, initial inscription years and categories, and used the 21st candidate to verify the Top 20 cutoff.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U437 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Mount Taishan
The detail page confirms reference 437 and first inscription in 1987. No later boundary modification year is listed on the official detail page.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U438 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
The Great Wall
The detail page confirms reference 438 and first inscription in 1987. No later boundary modification year is listed on the official detail page.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U439 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang
The detail page confirms reference 439 and first inscription in 1987. It also lists 2004 significant boundary modification.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U440 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Mogao Caves
The detail page confirms reference 440 and first inscription in 1987. No later boundary modification year is listed on the official detail page.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U441 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor
The detail page confirms reference 441 and first inscription in 1987. No later boundary modification year is listed on the official detail page.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U449 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian
The detail page confirms reference 449 and first inscription in 1987. No later boundary modification year is listed on the official detail page.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U547 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Mount Huangshan
The detail page confirms reference 547 and first inscription in 1990. It also lists 2012 minor boundary modification.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U637 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area
The detail page confirms reference 637 and first inscription in 1992. No later boundary modification year is listed on the official detail page.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U638 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area
The detail page confirms reference 638 and first inscription in 1992. No later boundary modification year is listed on the official detail page.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U640 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area
The detail page confirms reference 640 and first inscription in 1992. No later boundary modification year is listed on the official detail page.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U703 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde
The detail page confirms reference 703 and first inscription in 1994. No later boundary modification year is listed on the official detail page.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U704 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu
The detail page confirms reference 704 and first inscription in 1994. No later boundary modification year is listed on the official detail page.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U705 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains
The detail page confirms reference 705 and first inscription in 1994. No later boundary modification year is listed on the official detail page.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U707 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa
The detail page confirms reference 707 and first inscription in 1994. It also lists 2000 significant boundary modifications and 2001 significant boundary modifications.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U778 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Lushan National Park
The detail page confirms reference 778 and first inscription in 1996. No later boundary modification year is listed on the official detail page.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U779 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area
The detail page confirms reference 779 and first inscription in 1996. No later boundary modification year is listed on the official detail page.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U811 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Old Town of Lijiang
The detail page confirms reference 811 and first inscription in 1997. It also lists 2012 minor boundary modification.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U812 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Ancient City of Ping Yao
The detail page confirms reference 812 and first inscription in 1997. No later boundary modification year is listed on the official detail page.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U813 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Classical Gardens of Suzhou
The detail page confirms reference 813 and first inscription in 1997. It also lists 2000 significant boundary modifications.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U880 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing
The detail page confirms reference 880 and first inscription in 1998. No later boundary modification year is listed on the official detail page.
Accessed: 2026-10-16
U881 · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing
UNESCO confirms the Temple of Heaven was inscribed in 1998 as reference 881; with the Summer Palace at 880 in the same year, it follows the rank-20 cutoff under this list’s reference-number tiebreak.
Accessed: 2026-10-16

Mount Taishan

Initial inscription year: 1987
UNESCO reference number: 437
Category: Mixed
Later boundary changes: No later boundary modification year listed on the official detail page

The Great Wall

Initial inscription year: 1987
UNESCO reference number: 438
Category: Cultural
Later boundary changes: No later boundary modification year listed on the official detail page

Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang

Initial inscription year: 1987
UNESCO reference number: 439
Category: Cultural
Later boundary changes: 2004（significant boundary modification）

Mogao Caves

Initial inscription year: 1987
UNESCO reference number: 440
Category: Cultural
Later boundary changes: No later boundary modification year listed on the official detail page

Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

Initial inscription year: 1987
UNESCO reference number: 441
Category: Cultural
Later boundary changes: No later boundary modification year listed on the official detail page

Peking Man Site at Zhoukoudian

Initial inscription year: 1987
UNESCO reference number: 449
Category: Cultural
Later boundary changes: No later boundary modification year listed on the official detail page

Mount Huangshan

Initial inscription year: 1990
UNESCO reference number: 547
Category: Mixed
Later boundary changes: 2012（minor boundary modification）

Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Initial inscription year: 1992
UNESCO reference number: 637
Category: Natural
Later boundary changes: No later boundary modification year listed on the official detail page

Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Initial inscription year: 1992
UNESCO reference number: 638
Category: Natural
Later boundary changes: No later boundary modification year listed on the official detail page

Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area

Initial inscription year: 1992
UNESCO reference number: 640
Category: Natural
Later boundary changes: No later boundary modification year listed on the official detail page

Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Chengde

Initial inscription year: 1994
UNESCO reference number: 703
Category: Cultural
Later boundary changes: No later boundary modification year listed on the official detail page

Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu

Initial inscription year: 1994
UNESCO reference number: 704
Category: Cultural
Later boundary changes: No later boundary modification year listed on the official detail page

Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains

Initial inscription year: 1994
UNESCO reference number: 705
Category: Cultural
Later boundary changes: No later boundary modification year listed on the official detail page

Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace, Lhasa

Initial inscription year: 1994
UNESCO reference number: 707
Category: Cultural
Later boundary changes: 2000（significant boundary modification）, 2001（significant boundary modification）

Lushan National Park

Initial inscription year: 1996
UNESCO reference number: 778
Category: Cultural
Later boundary changes: No later boundary modification year listed on the official detail page

Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area

Initial inscription year: 1996
UNESCO reference number: 779
Category: Mixed
Later boundary changes: No later boundary modification year listed on the official detail page

Old Town of Lijiang

Initial inscription year: 1997
UNESCO reference number: 811
Category: Cultural
Later boundary changes: 2012（minor boundary modification）

Ancient City of Ping Yao

Initial inscription year: 1997
UNESCO reference number: 812
Category: Cultural
Later boundary changes: No later boundary modification year listed on the official detail page

Classical Gardens of Suzhou

Initial inscription year: 1997
UNESCO reference number: 813
Category: Cultural
Later boundary changes: 2000（significant boundary modification）

Summer Palace, an Imperial Garden in Beijing

Initial inscription year: 1998
UNESCO reference number: 880
Category: Cultural
Later boundary changes: No later boundary modification year listed on the official detail page

China’s First 20 World Heritage Inscriptions, Ordered by Year and Reference Number

About this ranking

Interesting Facts & Summary

Sources

List Stats

Comments

Editions and ranking history

Related Rankings

An Architecture Viewing Route: 15 Places to Study Space and Form

Top 10 Archaeological Sites with the Largest Number of Recovered Artifacts in Human History

Top 10 Largest Single-Structure Historical Sites in Human History

Top 12 Longest-Reigning Dynasties in Human History

Top 10 Longest Periods of Internal Peace in Human History

Top 15 Largest Empires in History