At a meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia on June 29, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee included Yuanshangdu in Inner Mongolia autonomous region, one of two capitals in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), on its list of sites.

The addition brings China's total number of World Heritage sites to 42.

Located in Xilin Gol League, one of 12 prefecture-level divisions in the region today, the ancient capital dates back to 1256.

The palace area and city cover more than 250 square kilometers.

(Source: China Daily)