An ancient porcelain-making hub in East China that has been active for nearly a millennium has won global recognition for its outstanding universal value.

　　The Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites were inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List on Saturday during the 48th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea, bringing the total number of World Heritage sites in China to 61.

　　Located in the hilly landscape of Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province, the sites document the evolution of a complete porcelain production system that flourished between the 10th and 19th centuries. Rich deposits of porcelain stone and kaolin clay, together with an extensive water transport network, helped transform the city into the world's foremost center of porcelain production.

　　The heritage premises comprise 45 component sites that cover an area of 1,979 hectares, ranging from porcelain workshops in the historical urban center to raw material extraction sites, transportation routes and traditional neighborhoods that together illustrate the industry's full production chain.

　　Alessandro Balsamo, head of the Nominations Unit at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, said that earlier, industry sites on the World Heritage List were represented more by locations known for mining or transportation.

The Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites project is presented during the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea, on Saturday. YAO QILIN / XINHUA