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🏰 Tusi Sites

Archaeology & Antiquity China Asia

🏰 Tusi Sites
UNESCO World Heritage fortresses of southwestern China's unique hereditary governance system


🕐 2 min read · Updated 1 Apr 2026 at 12:36

UNESCOUNESCO World Heritage Site

📋 Fast Facts
  • Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2015
  • Three primary sites: Hailongtun Fortress (Guizhou), Laosicheng (Hunan), and Tangya (Hubei)
  • Tusi system operated from the 13th century to the early 20th century
  • Hailongtun built in 1257 during the Southern Song dynasty; destroyed in 1600

The Tusi Sites represent a distinctive system of governance employed across southwestern China's mountainous regions for over six ...

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