BUSAN, South Korea, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added China's Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites to the World Heritage List on Saturday during the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Busan, South Korea.

Tourists select ceramic products in Jingdezhen, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 16, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua)

The inscription brings the total number of World Heritage sites in China to 61.

Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites are a group of heritage sites representing the handicraft porcelain industry system that developed in Jingdezhen, east China's Jiangxi Province, from the 10th to the 19th century.

Porcelain of the highest quality was produced at Jingdezhen, and its blue-and-white porcelain and designs became a prized global commodity and a symbol of Chinese culture and artistry, according to UNESCO.

Covering an area of 1,979 hectares, with a 5,545.7-hectare buffer zone, the property comprises five parts: the Town Area Porcelain Production Center, the Hutian Ancient Kiln Site, the Gaoling Porcelain Clay Mining Site, the Changling Porcelain Stone Mining Site, and the Jiaotan Firewood Production Area.

According to the World Heritage Committee, the property exhibits the innovative development of China's handicraft porcelain making technology, porcelain art and porcelain industry, and evidences the profound impact of China's handicraft porcelain industry on the development of the world's ceramic industry and the exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

The committee commended the efforts and achievements made by the Chinese government in the protection and management of the heritage site.

Addressing the World Heritage Committee on behalf of the Chinese government, Rao Quan, vice minister of culture and tourism and head of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, reaffirmed China's commitment to fully implementing the World Heritage Convention.

He pledged to continue strengthening the integrated protection, conservation and sustainable use of the sites, while working with UNESCO and other States Parties to safeguard the shared heritage of humanity.