National archaeological park of China

They include ancient settlements, cities and towns, palaces, temples and caves, engineering and manufacturing sites, and mausoleums and cemeteries.

In addition, more than 60 sites have been designated as candidates for the national archaeological park status.

According to the regulation, an archaeological site must meet five criteria before applying for national archaeological park status: it must be a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level; its provincial-level government has issued and implemented measures to protect the site; an archaeological work plan has been approved and commenced; has an archaeological park plan in compliance with the protection measures; has a specialized administration entity with corporate status.

[6] On 9 October 2010, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) announced the first batch of 12 parks whose applications were approved.

[4] In December 2022, the fourth batch of 19 national archaeological parks was announced, bringing the total to 55.