Global influences earn island place on Cultural Heritage list

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▲ Click ' CHINADAILY ' above to follow us Kulangsu(Gulangyu), a small island off the shore of Xiamen, Fujian province, was added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list on Saturday as an early witness to globalization. The decision was made at the ongoing 41st session of World Heritage Committee in Krakow, Poland, which designated Kulangsu a Historic International Settlement. Covering a mere 1.88 square kilometers, the island hosted settlements from 13 countries from the end of the First Opium War (1840-42) to the early 20th century. The committee found that Kulangsu was China's major gateway in early-stage globalization and exhibited mixed architectural characteristics from the local, Southeast Asian and Western styles. It widely reflected cross-border communication. Today, 931 historical buildings and gardens in various styles remain, most of them former tycoons' re ………………………………