Page 5 - YunnanTourismCultureTimes (99)

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The Old Town of Lijiang in Gucheng District of Lijiang City was inscribed into the
World Heritage List in December 1997. First built in the late Song Dynasty and the early
Yuan Dynasty (the late 13th century), it stands at an altitude of over 2,400 meters and cov-
ers an area of some 3.8 square kilometers. As a historical and cultural site with compre-
hensive value, the Old Town of Lijiang epitomizes the local history, culture and customs.
Its buildings have gone through countless vicissitudes. They have integrated not only the
characteristics of the Han, Bai, Yi and Tibetan cultures but also the architectural style of the
Naxi people, making them rare legacy for the study of the Chinese architectural and cultural
history. The Old Town of Lijiang is also famous for its ancient water-supply system, which
is of great complexity and ingenuity and still functions effectively today.

The natural landscape of Three Parallel Rivers is located in the northwest of Yunnan Province. It covers Lijiang City, Diqing
Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture with an area 41,000 square kilometers and was recognized
as a World Natural Heritage Site in July 2003. The Three Parallel Rivers refer to Jinsha River, Lancang River and Nu River that orig-
inate on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. These three rivers run parallel to one another from north to south for over 170 kilometers within
Yunnan. They wind their ways through Dandang Lika Mountain, Gaoligong Mountain, Nu Mountain and Yunling Mountain to form
the geographical wonder of “rivers flowing side by side without merging”. The shortest straight-line distance between Lancang River
and Jinsha River is 66 kilometers and that between Lancang River and Nu River, less than 19 kilometers. The high mountains, deep
valleys, snow-capped peaks, glaciers, plateaus, wetlands, forests, prairies and fresh water lakes make up the unique scenery here. This
area is home to more than 20 percent of higher plants and 25 percent of animal species that can be found in China, so it is also known
as “the world biological gene bank”.

The Stone Forest is located in Shilin County of Yunnan. In June 2007, the sites of South China Karst in Shilin County of Yunnan,
Libo County of Guizhou and Wulong County of Chongqing were jointly inscribed on the World Heritage List under natural criteria.
About 300 million years ago, the region of the Stone Forest was still a vast expanse of sea. After long geological evolution, it finally
became the rare geological relic we see today. The Stone Forest covers an area of 350 square kilometers and gathers various types of
karst topography on the earth, so it is known as the world karst museum. Stone forests also exist in other places of the world. Some
of them are so remotely located that they can only be watched and photographed on the plane, and others are hidden in vast wood-
lands and hardly reachable. However, the greatest accessibility of the Stone Forest in Yunnan allows tourists to approach and admire
it. Within an elevation difference of less than 500 meters are scattered stone buds, peak clusters, karst hills, karst caves, solution
lakes, waterfalls and subterranean rivers. The Stone Forest in Yunnan mainly consists of eight scenic zones that are located in Shilin,
Heisongyan (Naigu Stone Forest), Dadieshui, Chang Lake, Yue Lake, Zhiyun Cave, Qifeng Cave and Xiannü Lake respectively.

The Chengjiang fossil site is situated in Maotian Mountain of Chengjiang County, Yuxi City,
Yunnan Province. In July 2012, it became the only fossil site in China to be inscribed on the World
Heritage List under the natural criteria. The Chengjiang zoolites, dating back to 530 million years
ago, was excavated in 1984. Its discovery was hailed by the scientific community as “the most
amazing discovery of the twentieth century” because it solved the mystery of the Cambrian Explo-
sion and located the root of the tree of life. The Chengjiang zoolites not only have filled the vacancy
of biological materials between Ediacaran fossils in Australia and Burgess fossils in Canada, but
also are the most concentrated, best preserved and most diverse Early Cambrian fossil ruins that
have been discovered so far.

Honghe Hani Rice Terraces of Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province
was inscribed on the World Heritage List under the cultural criteria in June 2013. They extend to
Yuanyang, Honghe, Luchun and Jinping Counties along the south bank of the Hong River, climbing
over 2,000 meters and up to 3,700 steps from mountain foots to mountain tops. The Honghe Hani
Rice Terraces have been cultivated for more than 1,300 years and are still use. The cultural heritage
zone and buffer zone cover a total area of 461.04 square kilometers, including a heritage zone of
166.03 square kilometers. The core zone is in Yuanyang County, which includes three largest and
most concentrated rice terrace areas, namely Laohuzui, Bada and Duoyishu. Within the cultural
landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces are 82 Hani villages, where the ancient farming civiliza-
tion is well-preserved, man and nature live in harmony.

The Cultural Landscape of Old Tea Forests in Jingmai Mountain has been recognized as the
world’s first tea-themed World Heritage Site, a prestigious designation it received in September
2023. Located in Huimin Town, Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Pu’er City, Yunnan Province,
this cultural landscape encompasses five expansive and well-preserved ancient tea forests, comple-
mented by nine ancient villages. Enhancing its allure are three protective forests nestled between
the ancient tea forests. Surrounded by steep valleys, as well as the Nanlang River and its tributary,
the Nanmen River, this area forms a distinct and secluded geographical unit akin to a tangible par-
adise. The ingenious layout of the ancient tea forests and the surrounding villages showcases the
local people’s profound ecological ethics and exceptional wisdom in recognizing, respecting, and
harnessing nature while establishing a harmonious coexistence with the natural environment.