The Tusi Sites () refer to the three ancient

Tusi ''Tusi'', often translated as "headmen" or "chieftains", were hereditary tribal leaders recognized as imperial officials by the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties of China, and the Later Lê and Nguyễn dynasties of Vietnam. They ruled certain e ...

sites in China that were designated by the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

s on July 3, 2015. It is the 48th World Heritage Site in China. These sites are located in the mountains of

Southwest China Southwest China () is a region in the south of the People's Republic of China. Geography Southwest China is a rugged and mountainous region, transitioning between the Tibetan Plateau to the west and the Chinese coastal hills (东南丘陵) and ...

and exemplify the unique tusi governance system that survived the 13th through the 20th centuries.

Background

The

tusi ''Tusi'', often translated as "headmen" or "chieftains", were hereditary tribal leaders recognized as imperial officials by the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties of China, and the Later Lê and Nguyễn dynasties of Vietnam. They ruled certain e ...

were hereditary tribal leaders that were appointed as officials by the imperial government in China during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. It was a political system adopted by Chinese emperors to govern ethnic minority regions in south-central and southwest China, and the granted many ethnic groups in China some degree of political autonomy. The tusi system was used for a thousand years.

Description

The world heritage site is composed of three separate sites that combine to represent the tusi system: *

Laosicheng Laosicheng () is an archaeological site in Sicheng Village () of Lingxi Town, Yongshun County, Hunan Province, China. It is one of the three Tusi Sites designated by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, On July 3, 2015. The site is the historic ca ...

was the capital of the Peng Tusi from 1135 to 1724, and is the largest and best-preserved of the ancient Tusi cities. The Peng Tusi governed an area of mainly

Tujia people The Tujia ( Northern Tujia: ''Bifjixkhar'' / ''Bifzixkar'', IPA: , Southern Tujia: ''Mongrzzir'', ; ) are an ethnic group and, with a total population of over 8 million, the eighth-largest officially recognized ethnic minority in the People's ...

and were in the upper ranks of the Tusi system, governing a large territory. *The

Hailongtun Hailongtun () is a ruined fortress on the Longyan Mountain, in Hailongtun Village, Gaoping Town, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, China. It was the stronghold of the Chiefdom of Bozhou until its destruction by the Ming dynasty after the Bozhou reb ...

Fortress was established during the

Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...

in 1257 and was a stronghold of the

Chiefdom of Bozhou The Chiefdom of Bozhou (), ruled by the Yang clan, was an autonomous ''Tusi'' chiefdom established by Yang Duan () during the Tang dynasty. After he conquered the Bozhou Prefecture (centred on modern Zunyi) from the Nanzhao Kingdom, Yang Duan was ...

before it was surrendered in 1601. Similar to the Peng Tusi in Laosicheng, the Chiefdom of Bozhou were high-ranking tusi and governed a large territory, where

Gelao people The Gelao people (also spelled Gelo) ( Gelao: ''Klau'', ) are an ethnic group of China and Vietnam. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. However, many Gelao are also variously classified a ...

and

Miao people The Miao are a group of linguistically-related peoples living in Southern China and Southeast Asia, who are recognized by the government of China as one of the 56 official ethnic groups. The Miao live primarily in southern China's mountains, in ...

lived. *

Tangya The Tangya Tusi Fortress () is located in Tangya Town (), Xianfeng County, Hubei Province, China. It is one of the three Tusi Sites designated by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, On July 3, 2015.''China Scenic'' Hailongtun – the Demise of a T ...

was the capital of the Qin Tusi, which ruled over 600 square kilometers for four centuries. It was built in 1355 and abandoned in 1735. In contrast to the other two sites, Tangya is relatively small, indicating that the Qin Tusi were much less prestigious than the rulers at the other two sites. Piaoqijiangjun Shiyu Longyantun Yanjinbei

Piaoqijiangjun Shiyu Longyantun Yanjinbei

World Heritage Site

On July 3, 2015, the three Tusi sites were added to the World Cultural Heritage List during the 39th session of the

World Heritage Committee The World Heritage Committee selects the sites to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance ...

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...

, Germany. The committee said the Tusi system aimed at unifying national administration while simultaneously allowing ethnic minorities to retain their customs and way of life.

References

{{World Heritage Sites in China World Heritage Sites in China