World Heritage Day: 10 must-visit archaeological sites in China (I)

Archaeological sites bear witness to history and embody the inheritance of culture. As April 18 marks the International Day for Monuments and Sites (國際古跡遺址日, guó jì gǔ jì yí zhǐ rì), also known as World Heritage Day (世界遺產日, shì jiè yí chǎn rì), we've selected ten archaeological sites in China that merit exploration.

1. Yuanmingyuan Ruins Park, Beijing (北京圓明園遺址公園, běi jīng yuán míng yuán yí zhǐ gōng yuán)

As the royal resort of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Yuanmingyuan, or Old Summer Palace, was widely considered the apex of Chinese gardening art (中國古典園林藝術的巔峰之作, zhōng guó gǔ diǎn yuán lín yì shù de diān fēng zhī zuò). It was burned and rooted by invading Anglo-French forces (被英法聯軍燒毀, bèi yīng fǎ lián jūn shāo huǐ) in 1860.

First constructed in 1707, this former imperial garden, covering roughly 350 hectares in the northwest of Beijing, witnessed the rules of six emperors.

It was one of the first national archaeological parks (國家考古遺址公園, guó jiā kǎo gǔ yí zhǐ gōng yuán) on the list issued by the National Cultural Heritage Administration in 2010.