Sunday, February 13, 2011

Chinese Unesco cards

I need to count my Unesco cards, i'm not sure if i've more or less than 500 sites.
Last week i've received a few cards from new sites, two are from China, Mogao Caves, a WHS since 1987 and Mount Taishan also on the list since 1987.


"The Mogao Caves (aka Mogao Grottoes, Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, or Caves of Dunhuang) are a system of Buddhist cave temples near the city of Dunhuang in Gansu province. They were a center of culture on the Silk Road from the 4th to the 14th centuries and contain a religious artworks spanning that entire period. There are about 600 surviving cave temples, of which 30 are open to the public.
There were originally about 1,000 Buddhist cave temples at Mogao, over 600 of which survive. About 30 caves are accessible to the public, but visitors cannot usually manage to visit more than 15 in a day. The rest of the caves are closed for preservation, because they are not of significant interest, or because they contain Tantric murals considered too explicit for visitors. Generally, the oldest caves are in the center of the cliff. Each cave is clearly labeled with a number above the doors. The caves are not lit inside in order to preserve the murals, but guides carry flashlights and visitors should bring their own as well." - in: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/china/mogao-caves

"Tai Shan (a.k.a., Mt. Tai, Mt. Taishan) is one of five sacred Taoist mountains in China. It is located in central Shandong Province just north of Tai'an City.
Tai Shan has an extremely rich cultural heritage and, in the words of Guo Moruo, a modern Chinese scholar, is "a partial miniature of Chinese culture." Moreover, the way in which the culture has been integrated with the natural scenery is considered to be a precious legacy. Cultural relics on Mt. Tai include memorial objects, ancient architectural complexes, stone sculptures and archaeological sites of outstanding importance. There are 22 temples, 97 ruins, 819 stone tablets, and 1,018 cliffside and stone inscriptions." - in: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/china/tai-shan

No comments: