The Yungang Buddhist Grottoes in north China's Shanxi Province have been added to the World Cultural Heritage list.
The decision was taken Thursday at a meeting of the World Cultural Heritage Committee under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), official sources said here Friday.
This brings China's total sites on the list to 28, next only to Spain and Italy.
The Yungang Buddhist Grottoes in Datong City boast 51,000 Buddhist images in 53 caves stretching for one kilometer along a cliff. The carving of the grottoes started 1,500 years ago.
At the same meeting, Norbu-linka, the summer palace of the Dalai Lama, was approved as part of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region.
The Potala is also on the list.
( People's Daily December 15, 2001)
