Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in “The Centre of Heaven and Earth”
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How it came to be
Mount Song in Henan, about 1,500 metres high, is regarded as China's central sacred mountain. At Dengfeng below it, eight groups of buildings raised over nine dynasties are spread across some 40 square kilometres. Three Han-dynasty gate towers, among them the Taishi Que built in 118, are described as the remains of the oldest religious buildings in China.
The Songyue Pagoda, built in 508-511, became a model for many later pagodas. The Shaolin Monastery, built up over 1,300 years from the 5th century, has more than 240 pagodas; it is traditionally seen as the cradle of Zen and is known for its martial arts. The Songyang Academy, founded in the Tang dynasty, is counted among China's four great academies.
The observatory built in the 13th century was used to make astronomical measurements for accurate calendars. The monuments were inscribed in 2010.
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