Shanxi Province's Yungang Grottoes have been added to the United Nation's World Cultural Heritage list, becoming the 28th site in China to grace the list.

China ranks third, behind Spain and Italy, in number of World Heritage Sites.

The decision to list the Yungang Grottoes was made on December 13 at the 25th meeting of the World Cultural Heritage Committee under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Located in the western suburbs of Datong, the grottoes boast 51,000 Buddhist images in 53 caves stretching for one kilometer along the southern cliff of Zhoushan Mountain. Some carvings found in the grottoes are said to be 1,500 years old.

(China Daily December 19, 2001)