Government officials in nine provinces along the Sino-Russian Tea Road who applied for UNESCO designation as a cultural heritage site have until 2017 to complete the process. In the photo above Deshengbu in Datong, a village with ancient ramparts was once a stop on the ancient Tea Road. Shanxi province has selected historical sites in eight local cities for consideration as UNESCO World Cultural Heritage status. [Photo by sxrb.com/Courtesy Shanxi province]China Daily
