Silk Road, China’s Grand Canal listed as World Heritage Sites

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Photo taken on June 21, 2014 shows a general view of Gongchen Bridge on China’s Grand Canal, in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang province.

The famous ancient Silk Road and China’s Grand Canal, the world’s longest artificial waterway, were inscribed on the list of World Heritage Sites here on Sunday.

Jointly submitted by China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the application for adding part of the Silk Road, which served as a corridor for trade and cultural exchanges between Asia and Europe dating back to 2,000 years ago, to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) list was approved by the World Heritage Committee at a session in the Qatari capital.

The application consists of 33 historical sites along the millennium-old trade route, including 22 in China, eight in Kazakhstan and three in Kyrgyzstan. They range from palaces and pagoda sites in cities to ruins in remote, inaccessible deserts.

It is the first time China has cooperated with foreign countries for a World Heritage nomination.

Du Yue, secretary general of the Chinese delegation at the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee, said the approval of the application would strengthen cultural exchanges between China and the two Central Asian nations.