Tusi Sites


The Tusi Sites refer to three of the ancient Tusi sites in China that were designated by the UNESCO as World Heritage Sites on July 3, 2015. It is the 48th World Heritage Site in China.

Background

The tusi was a tribal leader appointed as officials by the imperial government in imperial China. It is a political system adopted by Chinese emperors to govern ethnic minority regions in south-central and southwest China. The system was used for a thousand years.

Process

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 in Bonn, 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.

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