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A memorial archway in Tangyacheng Site, Xianfeng county, Hubei province
Historical structures from the ethnically diverse Tusi Sites in southwest China are stepping into the pantheon of world cultural treasures.
China gained its 48th World Heritage Site on Saturday when the 39th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, meeting in Bonn, Germany, added the Tusi relics to the coveted list.
China now has the world's second most UNESCO World Heritage sites, trailing only Italy.
Tusi refers to tribal chieftains governing non-Han ethnic groups in southwest China who were appointed by the central government from the 13th century to the mid-20th century.
Most of the listed Tusi structures were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in three locations: the Laosicheng Site in Yongshun county, Hunan province; the Hailongtun Site in Zunyi, Guizhou province; and the Tangyacheng Site in Hubei province's Xianfeng county.
"The three are most representative among more than 100 Tusi relics in China," said Tong Mingkang, deputy director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.
"They are relevantly less intervened by modern lifestyle, and stand out after a longtime evaluation and analysis by various fields," Tong said.
A Tusi palace relics in Hailongtun Site,Zunyi, Guizhou province
Different types of relics — such as manors, government offices, judicial courts and forts — are located in the World Heritage protection zone. A necropolis of Tusi Yang recently unearthed in Hailongtun Site was chosen as one of the country's Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries of 2014 in a poll by China Cultural Relics News earlier this year.
"Complete chieftains' family trees and local chronicles are also well-protected, which proves contents in official historical records and helps us to understand the development of political, economic and military system in those areas throughout history," Tong said.
He said structural authenticity and integrity are among the most important concerns when UNESCO decides whether to include a site on its World Heritage list.
Today's residents of the Tusi areas, which include the Miao, Tujia and Mulam ethnic groups, have preserved the traditional folklore, beliefs and poetry of the Tusi era, which shows a dynamic cultural heritage, Tong said.
Zushidian Palace architectural complex in Laosicheng Site, Yongshun county, Hunan province
"The Tusi Chieftain Sites symbolize communication of values and common development among different ethnic groups and present a model for protection of cultural diversity, which will have significance for all human beings today," Tong said.
The World Heritage list already includes several Chinese sites relevant to non-Han ethnic groups, such as Honghe Hani Rice Terraces and Old Town of Lijiang, both in Yuanan province. However, Tong said these previous entries mostly reflected a single peoples' ethnic culture rather than a common culture among ethnic minorities.
The Tusi sites still need further study, so the successful bid for the World Heritage designation will help establish an international framework for additional academic work, Tong said.