Year-ender: Top 10 cultural events from 2021

2. City of Quanzhou features on UNESCO World Heritage List

"Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China" was inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage List in July during the 44th Session of the World Heritage Committee hosted in Fuzhou, Fujian province.

The new entry includes 22 sites and monuments across Quanzhou, which jointly reflect a prosperous picture of maritime trade from the 10th to 14th centuries.

The Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties witnessed a peak in ancient Chinese maritime trade, and Quanzhou, then known overseas as Zayton, grew into one of the busiest seaports in the world.