Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in “The Centre of Heaven and Earth”

Name	Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in “The Centre of Heaven and Earth” 登封“天地之中”历史古迹
Web address	https://parkofchina.com/en/dengfeng.html
Designation	UNESCO World Heritage (cultural, 2010)
Includes	8 sites: Taishi Que and Zhongyue Temple, Shaoshi Que, Qimu Que, Songyue Pagoda, Shaolin Temple, Huishan Temple, Songyang Academy, Observatory

The Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in “The Centre of Heaven and Earth” were inscribed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in 2010. Within a circle of about 40 km² at the foot of Mount Songshan near Dengfeng, Henan, eight clusters with eleven structures make up the site: the Taishi Que gates and Zhongyue Temple, the Shaoshi Que gates, the Qimu Que gates, Songyue Pagoda, the Shaolin Temple complex (the main temple, Chuzu Hermitage and the Pagoda Forest), Huishan Temple, Songyang Academy and the Observatory. Songshan was regarded as the central sacred mountain, and the area as the centre of heaven and earth; built over nine dynasties, the monuments, from the Han que gates, the oldest surviving ritual buildings in China, to temples, an academy and an observatory, reflect changing ideas of that centre.

Click the map for a larger view. Red dots: the eight groups of buildings; Songshan (Taishi and Shaoshi) rises to the north, Dengfeng town is in the middle, and the Observatory is at Gaocheng to the south-east. Drawn by this site’s map program: roads and names from OpenStreetMap, terrain from Mapterhorn.

Taishi Que and Zhongyue Temple Henan
Shaoshi Que Henan
Qimu Que Henan
Songyue Pagoda Henan
Shaolin Temple complex Henan
Huishan Temple Henan
Songyang Academy Henan
Observatory Henan