East Asia
Click on the map to choose a country, or use the list below.
China
China has 61 UNESCO sites, many of them historical sites: imperial palaces and mausoleums, prehistoric archeological sites, ancient towns and villages with unique architectures and often unique cultural practices, and a few that relate to China’s colonial experience. Some are gardens or cultural landscapes like rice-growing or tea-growing areas. Many sites are related to religious expression: ancient temples and grottoes. Quite a few are geological features – mostly mountains – or nature reserves.
Japan
Japan’s UNESCO World Heritage sites preserve the country’s extremely long history: prehistory, centuries of kingdoms and capitals, as well as sites associated with its specialized industrial history. Many sites relate to religion and spirituality – temples and sacred sites – and some are nature reserves.
Mongolia
This sparsely-populated country has seven UNESCO sites: mostly landscapes with cultural importance or prehistoric sites.
South Korea
South Korea’s long history is covered by World Heritage sites related to its royal families – things like tombs, palaces – as well as a broad range of religious and spiritual sites. Its list includes a few prehistoric and natural sites as well.