World Heritage Identification Number: 779
World Heritage since: 1996
Category: Mixed Cultural Heritage and Natural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇨🇳 China
Continent: Asia
UNESCO World Region: Asia and the Pacific
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Mount Emei Scenic Area and Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area: A Unique Blend of Natural Beauty and Cultural Significance
The Mount Emei Scenic Area, located in the Sichuan province of southwestern China, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that offers a unique blend of natural beauty and cultural significance. This site, which includes the Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area, was inscribed by UNESCO in 1996.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The first Buddhist temple in China was built here in Sichuan Province in the 1st century A.D. in the beautiful surroundings of the summit Mount Emei. The addition of other temples turned the site into one of Buddhism's holiest sites. Over the centuries, the cultural treasures grew in number. The most remarkable is the Giant Buddha of Leshan, carved out of a hillside in the 8th century and looking down on the confluence of three rivers. At 71 m high, it is the largest Buddha in the world. Mount Emei is also notable for its exceptionally diverse vegetation, ranging from subtropical to subalpine pine forests. Some of the trees there are more than 1,000 years old.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
The Committee decided to inscribe the nominated property under cultural criteria (iv) and (vi) considering the area of Mt. Emei is of exceptional cultural significance, since it is the place where Buddhism first became established on Chinese territory and from where it spread widely throughout the east. It is also an area of natural beauty into which the human element has been integrated, and natural criterion (x) for its high plant species diversity with a large number of endemic species. It also underlined the importance of the link between the tangible and intangible, the natural and the cultural.
Encyclopedia Record: World Heritage site No. 779
The World Heritage Site (WHS) No. 779, Mount Emei Scenic Area, including Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area, includes:WHS No. 779-001: Mount Emei Scenic Area WHS No. 779-002: Leshan Giant Buddha Scenic Area,Additional Site Details
Area: 15,400 hectares
(vi) — Directly associated with events or living traditions
(x) — Contains most important habitats for biodiversity
Coordinates: 29.5449 , 103.76925
Image
© Ariel Steiner, CC BY-SA 2.5 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
