China's Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan, Republic of Korea, on Saturday.

The inscription brings the total number of World Heritage sites in China to 61.

Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites are a group of heritage sites representing the handicraft porcelain industry system that developed in Jingdezhen, east China's Jiangxi Province, from the 10th to the 19th century.

According to UNESCO, porcelain of the highest quality was produced in Jingdezhen, and its blue-and-white porcelain and designs became prized global commodities and symbols of Chinese culture and artistry.

Covering an area of 1,979 hectares with a 5,545.7-hectare buffer zone, the property comprises five parts: the Town Area Porcelain Production Center, the Hutian Ancient Kiln Site, the Gaoling Porcelain Clay Mining Site, the Changling Porcelain Stone Mining Site and the Jiaotan Firewood Production Area.

According to the World Heritage Committee, the property demonstrates the innovative development of China's handicraft porcelain-making technology, porcelain art and industry. It also reflects the profound impact of China's handicraft porcelain industry on the development of global ceramic industry and on exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

The committee commended the efforts and achievements made by the Chinese government in protecting and managing the heritage sites.

Addressing the World Heritage Committee on behalf of the Chinese government, Rao Quan, China's vice minister of culture and tourism and head of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, reaffirmed the country's commitment to fully implementing the World Heritage Convention.

He pledged to continue strengthening the integrated protection, conservation and sustainable use of the sites, while working with UNESCO and other States Parties to safeguard the shared heritage of humanity.

Since launching its application process in 2015, Jingdezhen has adhered to the principles of "protection first, rational utilization and minimal intervention."

In recent years, local authorities have designated the core area of Jingdezhen's old city, the heritage area and the buffer zone, completed 108 protection projects, and carried out environmental improvements covering 75 square kilometers. Through innovative means such as digital displays and the revitalization of industrial heritage, Jingdezhen has brought its thousand-year-old porcelain legacy closer to everyday life, allowing people to see, experience and engage with its cultural heritage.

With its official inclusion on the list, the city's living cultural landscape will be protected under a higher-standard system. It will continue to engage in dialogue with the world in an open manner and contribute enduring Chinese wisdom to the diversity and sustainable development of human civilization.

(With input from Xinhua)