China among top Unesco heritage countries

China has been listed the world's third most culturally rich country when it comes to heritage sites after it was revealed it boasted 43 Unesco World Heritage listings.

China's Minister of Culture Cai Wu announced the country's new cultural standing while addressing fellow ministers at a recent meeting.

The revelation will likely boost awareness among history-loving holidaymakers looking to tick off heritage sites during their travels.

The minister said China has also boosted the preservation of its 'Human Treasures', the term used by Unesco for non-physical cultural heritage such as skills, drama, music and dance.

China is the country best represented on the Unesco list of Intangible Cultural Heritage and its list of these assets are in most immediate need of protection.

Cai said records on non-physical heritage in China include around 290,000 items of various types, written accounts of two billion Chinese characters and nearly five million photographs.