Three sites were recognized as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) by the FAO during a meeting of the GIAHS Scientific Advisory Group in Rome on May 17-19, 2022 after the completion of virtual inspection. The systems are Anxi Tieguanyin Tea Culture System in Fujian Province, Ar Horqin Grassland Nomadic System in Inner Mongolia and Shexian Dryland Stone Terraced System in Hebei Province in China. 

To date, a total of 18 sites in China have been listed on the GIAHS list, the most number in the world.  

The Anxi Tieguanyin Tea Culture System is located in southeastern Fujian Province. Anxi tea was sold worldwide by maritime Silk Road during the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and represents an important cultural symbol of the Silk Road at present. The system features notable ecological functions, such as conserving water sources, preserving water and soil and regulating microclimates.        

The Ar Horqin Grassland Nomadic System is located in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It is the first nomadic agricultural heritage area designated in China and a model of global sustainable livestock and fragile grazing lands management. As early as the Neolithic Era, early inhabitants hunted and lived a nomadic life in this area. The system has a variety of ecosystems, such as forests, grasslands, wetlands and rivers functioning together ecological role. Local herders persist in a traditional nomadic lifestyle. By constantly moving their grazing grounds, they ensured the protection of vegetation and rational utilization of water resources, avoiding soil degradation and overgrazing.      

The Shexian Dryland Stone Terraced System, located in Handan, Hebei Province, is a typical example of dryland farming culture. Dating back to the Yuan Dynasty, the system covers a total area of 140 km2. The length of the stone ridges is close to 5,000 km. For hundreds of years, the system has preserved a variety of traditional crops and environmentally friendly farming techniques, blazing a trail for agricultural production in harsh environment of mountainous regions. The system features distinctive terraced landscape that bears witness to humans’ harmonious relationship with nature.