The national archaeological park () of China is a designation created by the

State Administration of Cultural Heritage The National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA; ) is a national bureau managed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China. It is responsible for the national protection of cultural relics and the regulation of museums. History After ...

(SACH) in 2009 to preserve and present large-scale archaeological sites. National archaeological parks must have previously been designated as

Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level A national priority protected site is the highest-level national protection for immovable cultural relics in China. The designation was first created under the 1961 Provisional Regulations on the Protection and Management of Cultural Relics, whic ...

, and are considered to have high historical, cultural, and academic value. They include ancient settlements, cities and towns, palaces, temples and caves, engineering and manufacturing sites, and mausoleums and cemeteries. Many parks also have on-site museums. The first 12 national archaeological parks were announced in 2010, and since then 24 more

parks A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...

have been added to the list, bringing the total to 36. In addition, more than 60 sites have been designated as candidates for the national archaeological park status.

Regulation

On 17 December 2009, the

issued the ''National Archaeological Park Administration Measures''. According to the regulation, an archaeological site must meet five criteria before applying for national archaeological park status: it must be a

Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level A national priority protected site is the highest-level national protection for immovable cultural relics in China. The designation was first created under the 1961 Provisional Regulations on the Protection and Management of Cultural Relics, whic ...

; its provincial-level government has issued and implemented measures to protect the site; an archaeological work plan has been approved and commenced; has an archaeological park plan in compliance with the protection measures; has a specialized administration entity with corporate status.

List of national archaeological parks

23 archaeological sites applied for the national

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

park designation in 2010. On 9 October 2010, the

(SACH) announced the first batch of 12 parks whose applications were approved. In December 2013, the SACH announced the second batch of 12 national archaeological parks. In December 2017, the third batch of 12 national archaeological parks was announced. In December 2022, the fourth batch of 19 national archaeological parks was announced, bringing the total to 55. Yuanmingyuan Ruins of Dashuifa 20120715

Candidate parks

In addition to the approved parks, the SACH has also given a number of parks the status of "candidate national archaeological parks". When announcing the first batch of 12 approved parks, it also announced 23 candidate parks, of which 11 were later approved in the second batch announced in 2013. *Jinyang City, Shanxi *

Niuheliang Niuheliang () is a Neolithic archaeological site in Liaoning Province, Northeast China, along the middle and upper reaches of the Laoha River and the Yingjin River (presently on the border of Chaoyang and Jianping County). Discovered in 1983, t ...

, Liaoning (approved in the second batch) * Zhongjing of Bohai, Jilin (approved in the second batch) *

Yangzhou Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, East China. Sitting on the north bank of the Yangtze, it borders the provincial capital Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou, Jiangsu, ...

City, Jiangsu * Yuyaochang (Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln), Jiangxi (approved in the second batch) *

Nanwang Nanwang () is a town in Wenshang County in the prefecture-level city Jining city in Shandong province in China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population excee ...

Hub of the Grand Canal, Shandong (approved in the second batch) * Qufu, Capital of Lu, Shandong (approved in the second batch) *

Dawenkou The Dawenkou culture was a Chinese Neolithic culture primarily located in the eastern province of Shandong, but also appearing in Anhui, Henan and Jiangsu. The culture existed from 4300 to 2600 BC, and co-existed with the Yangshao culture. Turquo ...

, Shandong * Luoyang of Han-Wei Dynasties, Henan (approved in the second batch) *

Zhengzhou Shang City The Zhengzhou Shang City () is an archaeological site of the Bronze Age Erligang culture in Zhengzhou, Henan, China. Studies give it 4 chronological phases from 1630 to 1400 BC. The excavation of the site is of great importance in understandi ...

, Henan (approved in the fourth batch) * Sanyangzhuang, Henan * Jinancheng (including Balingshan and Xiongjiazhong), Hubei (Xiongjiazhong approved in the second batch) *

Tongguan Kiln The Tongguan Kiln (), also called the Changsha Kiln, is located in Wazhaping (), Tongguan Subdistrict, Changsha, Hunan, China. It is one of the major kiln sites in Tongguan to be protected at the national level. The place was a historical kiln site ...

, Hunan (approved in the second batch) * Liye Ancient City, Hunan *

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, designated on July 3, 2015. The site is the ...

, Hunan *

Jingjiang Princes' Palace Jingjiang Princes' Palace () is a historical site in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. It now functions as both Guangxi Normal University and as a tourist attraction. History The Jingjiang Princes' Palace (also known as the Jin ...

and Mausoleums, Guangxi (approved in the fourth batch) *

Zengpiyan Zengpiyan () is a Neolithic cave site in southern China. It is located in the Guilin region on the south-western fringes of the Dushan Mountain (Dú Shān 独山) in the autonomous region Guangxi and is considered to be one of the most important ...

, Guangxi (approved in the second batch) *Kele, Guizhou *

Chang'an Chang'an (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...

of Han, Shaanxi *

Xianyang Xianyang ( zh, s=咸阳 , p=Xiányáng) is a prefecture-level city in central Shaanxi province, situated on the Wei River a few kilometers upstream (west) from the provincial capital of Xi'an. Once the capital of the Qin dynasty, it is now int ...

of Qin, Shaanxi *

Suoyang City Suoyang City (), also called Kuyu (), is a ruined Silk Road city in Guazhou County of Gansu Province in northwestern China. First established as Ming'an County in 111 BC by Emperor Wu of Han, the city was relocated and rebuilt at the current si ...

, Gansu * Beiting City, Xinjiang (approved in the second batch) * Diaoyucheng, Chongqing (approved in the second batch) 31 candidate parks were announced together with the second batch of approved parks in 2013, of which 9 were later approved in the third batch announced in 2017. * Zhongdu of Yuan,

Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...

元中都 (approved in the third batch) *

Nihewan Xiaochangliang () is the site of some of the earliest Paleolithic remains in East Asia, located in the Nihewan (泥河灣) Basin in Yangyuan County, Hebei, China, most famous for the stone tools discovered there. Stone tools The tool forms disc ...

, Hebei (approved in the fourth batch) * Zhaowangcheng, Hebei 赵王城 (approved in the fourth batch) *Pujindu and Puzhou City,

Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...

蒲津渡与蒲州故城 * Shangjing of Liao,

Inner Mongolia Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of China. Its border includes two-thirds of the length of China's China–Mongolia border, border with the country of Mongolia. ...

辽上京 (approved in the fourth batch) * Salawusu, Inner Mongolia 萨拉乌苏 *

Jinniushan Jinniushan () is a Middle Pleistocene paleoanthropological site, dating to around 260,000 BP, most famous for its archaic hominin fossils. The site is located near Yingkou, Liaoning, China. Several new species of extinct birds were also discovere ...

Liaoning ) , image_skyline = , image_alt = , image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong , image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg , ...

* Luotong Mountain City,

Jilin ) , image_skyline = Changbaishan Tianchi from western rim.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = View of Heaven Lake , image_map = Jilin in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_al ...

罗通山城 * Shangjing of Jin,

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang is a province in northeast China. It is the northernmost and easternmost province of the country and contains China's northernmost point (in Mohe City along the Amur) and easternmost point (at the confluence of the Amur and Us ...

金上京 * Helü City,

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

阖闾城 * Lingjiatan,

Anhui Anhui is an inland Provinces of China, province located in East China. Its provincial capital and largest city is Hefei. The province is located across the basins of the Yangtze and Huai rivers, bordering Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the east, Jiang ...

凌家滩 (approved in the fourth batch) * Zhongdu of Ming, Anhui 明中都皇故城 (approved in the third batch) * Chengcun Han City,

Fujian Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...

城村汉城 (approved in the fourth batch) * Wanshouyan, Fujian 万寿岩 (approved in the third batch) * Jizhou Kiln,

Jiangxi ; Gan: ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = , translit_lang1_type3 = , translit_lang1_info3 = , image_map = Jiangxi in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_caption = Location ...

吉州窑 (approved in the third batch) * Linzi, Capital of Qi,

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

Chengziya Chengziya, also spelled Chengziyai, is a Chinese archaeological site and the location of the first discovery of the Neolithic Longshan culture in 1928. The discovery of the Longshan culture at Chengziya was a significant step towards understand ...

, Shandong (approved in the third batch) * Zheng–Han City,

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

郑韩故城 (approved in the third batch) *

Yanshi Shang City Yanshi District () is a District (China), district in the prefecture-level city of Luoyang in western Henan province of China, province, China. Yanshi lies on the Luo River (Henan), Luo River and is the easternmost county-level division of Luoyang ...

, Henan 偃师商城 * Chengyang City, Henan 城阳城址 * Tonglüshan,

Hubei Hubei is a province of China, province in Central China. It has the List of Chinese provincial-level divisions by GDP, seventh-largest economy among Chinese provinces, the second-largest within Central China, and the third-largest among inland ...

铜绿山 *Longwan, Hubei 龙湾 (approved in the fourth batch) * Panlongcheng, Hubei (approved in the third batch) *

Tanheli Tanheli () is an archaeological site in Ningxiang, Hunan, one of major national historical and cultural sites in Hunan. Situated in the upper reaches of the Wei River in Tanheli village, Huangcai town, Ningxiang, it is renowned as a Bronze Age ...

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

(approved in the fourth batch) * Chengtoushan, Hunan (approved in the third batch) * Taihe City,

Yunnan Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...

太和城 *

Tongwancheng Tongwancheng ( zh, t=統萬城, w=, p=Tǒngwànchéng) was the capital of the Xiongnu-led Hu Xia dynasty in northern China during the Sixteen Kingdoms period in the early 5th century. The city is at the southern edge of the Maowusu Sands o ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...

(approved in the fourth batch) * Longgangsi, Shaanxi 龙岗寺 *

Dadiwan The Dadiwan culture (c. 5800–5400 BCE) was a Neolithic culture located primarily in the eastern portion of Gansu and Shaanxi provinces in modern China. The culture takes its name from the deepest cultural layer found during the original excava ...

Gansu Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...

大地湾 *

Western Xia Mausoleums The Western Xia mausoleums occupy an area of some at the foot of the Helan Mountains in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of northwestern China, and include nine imperial mausoleums and 250 tombs of imperial relatives and officials of China's ...

Ningxia Ningxia, officially the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region in Northwestern China. Formerly a province, Ningxia was incorporated into Gansu in 1954 but was later separated from Gansu in 1958 and reconstituted as an autonomous ...

(approved in the third batch) *

Lajia Lajia () is a Bronze Age archaeological site in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, on the border between the Chinese provinces of Gansu and Qinghai. As at other sites of the Qijia culture (c. 2300–1500 BCE), the people of Lajia had an agr ...

Qinghai Qinghai is an inland Provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. It is the largest provinces of China, province of China (excluding autonomous regions) by area and has the third smallest population. Its capital and largest city is Xin ...

In December 2017, 32 candidate parks were announced together with the third batch of approved parks. *Capital of the Zhongshan Kingdom,

* Yecheng, Hebei (approved in the fourth batch) *

Taosi Taosi () is an archaeological site in Xiangfen County, Shanxi, China. Taosi is considered to be part of the late phase of the Longshan culture in southern Shanxi, also known as the Taosi phase (2300 BC to 1900 BC). Archaeology Taosi was surroun ...

* Tuchengzi,

* Mopancun Mountain City,

* Longqiuzhuang,

Majiabang The Majiabang culture, formerly also written Ma-chia-pang, was a Neolithic culture that occupied the Yangtze River Delta, primarily around Lake Tai west of modern Shanghai and north of Hangzhou Bay. The culture spread throughout southern Jiang ...

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

* Anji Ancient City (approved in the fourth batch) and Longshan Yue Cemetery, Zhejiang * Shouchun City,

* Shuangdun, Bengbu, Anhui * Yuhuicun, Anhui * Wucheng,

* Marquisate of Haihun, Jiangxi (approved in the fourth batch) * Liangchengzhen,

Yangshao The Yangshao culture ( zh, c=仰韶文化, p=Yǎngsháo wénhuà) was a Neolithic culture that existed extensively along the middle reaches of the Yellow River in China from around 5000 BC to 3000 BC. The Yangshao culture saw social and ...

(approved in the fourth batch) *

Erlitou Erlitou (), also known as Yanshi Erlitou, is a Chinese archaeological site in the Yiluo Basin of Yanshi District, Luoyang, Henan. Discovered by survey teams led by archaeologist Xu Xusheng in 1959, it was initially identified as Bo, the first ...

, Henan (approved in the fourth batch) *

Jiahu Jiahu () was the site of a Neolithic settlement based in the central plain of ancient China, near the Yellow River. It is located between the floodplains of the Ni River to the north, and the Sha River to the south, north of modern Wuyang in ...

, Henan * Miaodigou, Henan * Dahecun, Henan * Qujialing,

(approved in the fourth batch) *

Shijiahe The Shijiahe culture (2500–2000 BC) was a Late Neolithic culture centered on the middle Yangtze River region in Shijiahe Town, Tianmen, Hubei Province, China. It succeeded the Qujialing culture in the same region and inherited its unique a ...

, Hubei * Sujialong 苏家垄, Hubei * Bijiashan Chaozhou Kiln,

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

* Tomb of Francis Xavier and Dazhouwan, Guangdong * Hepu Han City and Cemetery,

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

* Qiong Kiln,

Sichuan Sichuan is a province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capital city is Cheng ...

(approved in the fourth batch) *

Qianling Mausoleum The Qian Mausoleum () is a Tang dynasty (618–907) tomb site located in Qian County, Shaanxi Province, China, and is northwest of Xi'an.Valder (2002), 80. Built in 684 (with additional construction until 706), the tombs of the mausoleum comple ...

(approved in the fourth batch) *

Epang Palace The Epang Palace () was a Chinese palace complex built during the reign of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China and the founder of the short-lived Qin dynasty. It is located in western Xi’an, Shaanxi. Archaeologists believe that only the f ...

, Shaanxi * Zhouyuan, Shaanxi * Duling Mausoleum, Shaanxi *

Shimao Shimao () is a Neolithic site in Shenmu County, Shaanxi, China. The site is located in the northern part of the Loess Plateau, on the southern edge of the Ordos Desert. It is dated to around 2000 BC, near the end of the Longshan culture, Longsha ...

, Shaanxi (approved in the fourth batch) *

Subashi Temple The Subashi Temple, also known in Chinese as Subashi Fosi Yizhi (苏巴什佛寺遗址) is a ruined Buddhist temple near Kucha in the Taklamakan Desert, on the ancient Silk Road, in Xinjiang, Western China. The city was partly excavated by the Jap ...

Xinjiang Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...

In December 2022, 32 candidate parks were announced together with the fourth batch of approved parks. * Liulihe, Beijing * Lower Capital of Yan, Hebei * Ding Kiln, Hebei *Changbai Mountain Temple, Jilin *Caoxieshan, Jiangsu *Shangshan, Zhejiang *

Hemudu The Hemudu culture (5500 BC to 3300 BC) was a Neolithic culture that flourished on the Chinese coast, just south of the Hangzhou Bay in Jiangnan in modern Yuyao, Zhejiang, China. The culture may be divided into early and late phases, before ...

, Zhejiang *Six Tombs of the Song Dynasty, Zhejiang *Fanchang Kiln, Anhui *Nanshan, Fujian *Kuzhaikeng Kiln, Fujian * Dehua Kiln, Fujian *Tongling Copper Mine, Jiangxi *Pingliangtai Ancient City, Henan *Guo State Cemetery, Henan * Qingliangsi Ru Kiln, Henan

References

{{reflist

Regulation

List of national archaeological parks

Candidate parks

See also

References