The Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces (UNESCO 2013) covers 16,603 hectares of irrigated terraces in Yuanyang County, Yunnan, built over 1,300 years without mechanical pumps. South China Karst Shilin is 300 km west (3h via Kunming); the Old Town of Lijiang is 450 km northwest (5h road or 2.5h HSR from Kunming).
The Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City (UNESCO 2019) document a walled urban settlement of 3300–2300 BCE with a 297-hectare inner city and hydraulic system of 36 dams. West Lake Hangzhou is 30 km south (30 min metro); the Classical Gardens of Suzhou are 120 km northeast (1h HSR).
Kulangsu (Gulangyu Island, UNESCO 2017) is a 1.88 sq km island 600 m offshore Xiamen where 13 nations operated a joint concession from 1903 to 1949, producing 931 historical buildings. The Fujian Tulou are 200 km northwest (3h bus); the Historic Centre of Macao is 550 km west (4.5h HSR via Guangzhou).
Qinghai Hoh Xil (UNESCO 2017) covers 45,000 sq km of the Qiangtang Plateau at 4,500–6,860 m, the largest terrestrial UNESCO natural inscription in China. The Potala Palace in Lhasa is 1,200 km south; the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang are 800 km north via Golmud (8h by road).
Hubei Shennongjia (UNESCO 2016) is a 73,318-hectare mountain forest in western Hubei with 3,767 higher plant species spanning an elevation of 420 to 3,105 metres. The Wudang Mountains are 250 km south (3h by road); the Tusi Sites at Enshi are 200 km west (3h by road).
The Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art (UNESCO 2016) lines 105 km of Guangxi river cliff with 1,900 red ochre figures painted between 500 BCE and 200 CE. The South China Karst at Guilin is 450 km northeast (3h HSR); the Historic Centre of Macao is 500 km east (5h via Guangzhou and ferry).
The Tusi Sites (UNESCO 2015) comprise three hereditary chieftain seat complexes across Hunan, Guizhou and Hubei, spanning the 13th–20th centuries. Wulingyuan/Zhangjiajie is 250 km east of Laosicheng (3h by road); Dazu Rock Carvings are 500 km northwest of Hailongtun (5h HSR via Chongqing).
The Ruins of Yin (Yinxu, UNESCO 2006) in Anyang, Henan, preserve the Shang dynasty capital from c.1300–1046 BCE and the world’s largest archive of ancient Chinese oracle bone script. Dengfeng’s Historic Monuments are 150 km south (2h by road); the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang are 200 km southwest (40 min HSR from Zhengzhou).
Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan (UNESCO 2003) covers 1.7 million hectares where the Yangtze, Mekong and Salween run parallel for 170 km through gorges 3,000 m deep. The Old Town of Lijiang is 300 km south (4h by road); Chengjiang Fossil Site is 500 km southeast via Kunming (1h from Kunming).
