THE famous ancient Silk Road and China’s Grand Canal, the world’s longest artificial waterway, were inscribed on the list of World Heritage sites in Doha yesterday.

    Jointly submitted by China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the application for adding part of the Silk Road, which served as a corridor for trade and cultural exchanges between Asia and Europe dating back to 2,000 years ago, to the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) list was approved by the World Heritage Committee at a session in the Qatari capital.

    The application consists of 33 historical sites along the millennium-old trade route, including 22 in China, eight in Kazakhstan and three in Kyrgyzstan. They range from palaces and pagoda sites in cities to ruins in remote, inaccessible deserts.

    It is the first time China has cooperated with other countries for a World Heritage nomination.

    UNESCO also included the Grand Canal, with a history of more than 2,400 years, in the World Heritage list yesterday.

    Participants at the meeting said the 1,794-km canal, which runs from Beijing to Hangzhou in China’s eastern Zhejiang Province, is a valuable fruit of the Chinese people’s diligence and wisdom, adding that its inclusion has enriched the content of the World Heritage List.

    From 1978 through 2013, 981 natural and cultural sites around the world have been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

    The site must be of outstanding universal value, and it must also meet at least one of 10 criteria such as “representing a masterpiece of human creative genius,” containing “exceptional natural beauty” or being an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement.(Xinhua)