Tusi Sites World Heritage Site

Official name

Tusi Sites | UNESCO

Country

China | Map

Continent

Asia

Location

28.9986° Lat, 109.9669° Lon | Map

Code

1474

Time Zone

Asia/Shanghai (CST, +0800)

Current Time

Category

Cultural

Description

Inscribed 2015. Located in the mountainous areas of south-west China, this property encompasses remains of several tribal domains whose chiefs were appointed by the central government as ‘Tusi’, hereditary rulers from the 13 th to the early 20 th century. The Tusi system arose from the ethnic minorities’ dynastic systems of government dating back to the 3 rd century BCE. Its purpose was to unify national administration, while allowing ethnic minorities to retain their customs and way of life. The sites of Laosicheng, Tangya and Hailongtun Fortress that make up the site bear exceptional testimony to this form of governance, which derived from the Chinese civilization of the Yuan and Ming periods.