In 2012, which two scenic spots in China were added as world heritage sites and why?

Chengjiang Fossil Site (China).

The Chengjiang Fossil Site is located in the mountainous and hilly area of ​​Yunnan Province, China, covering an area of ​​512 hectares. It is currently the most complete group of marine paleontological fossils of the early Cambrian period, showing a wide range of invertebrate and vertebrate life forms. The anatomy of hard and soft tissues. The Chengjiang fossil group records the formation of early complex marine ecosystems. The Chengjiang site records at least 160 biological categories, many mysterious populations, and 196 other species. They are evidence of the Earth’s “biological explosion” 530 million years ago—a period during which all major animal groups on Earth appeared today. It opens an important window for academic research in paleontology.

Yuan Shangdu Site (China)

The Yuan Shangdu Site, covering an area of ​​more than 25,000 hectares north of the Great Wall, contains a large number of remains of Emperor Kublai Khan’s legendary capital. The Yuan Dynasty was planned in 1256 by Liu Bingzhong, a Han adviser to the Mongolian rulers. This was a unique attempt to integrate the culture of the Mongolian nomads and the Han culture. It was from this that Kublai Khan founded the Yuan Dynasty, which ruled China for a hundred years, and expanded its territory beyond Asia. The religious debates that took place here enabled Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism) to spread in Northeast Asia and became a cultural and religious tradition that continues to this day in many parts of the region. Yuan Shangdu is built on mountains and rivers based on traditional Chinese Feng Shui theory. There are still ruins of palaces, temples, tombs, nomadic tents, and water conservancy projects including the Tiefanggan Canal.