National Parks of ChinaOverview
| Designation | UNESCO World Heritage (cultural, 2012) |
| Name | 元上都遗址 |
| Country | China |
| Nearby cities | Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang, Dalian |
| Nearby sites | Chengde Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples, Badaling & Thirteen Tombs of the Ming Dynasty, Mount Wutai, The Summer Palace, Beijing, Mount Pan, The Forbidden City (Palace Museum), Beijing |
| Latitude, longitude | 42.36, 116.19 Google Maps |
About
Site of Xanadu (元上都遗址) was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012 as a cultural site.
Why it was inscribed
The World Heritage Committee found that it meets criteria (ii), (iii), (iv), (vi) of the ten selection criteria:
(ii) an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design.
(iii) a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared.
(iv) an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates significant stages in human history.
(vi) directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas or beliefs, or with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance.
Description (UNESCO World Heritage Centre)
North of the Great Wall, the Site of Xanadu encompasses the remains of Kublai Khan’s legendary capital city, designed by the Mongol ruler’s Chinese advisor Liu Bingzhdong in 1256. Over a surface area of 25,000 ha, 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 north-east Asia, a cultural and religious tradition still practised i