登封“天地之中”历史建筑群
登封“天地之中”历史建筑群，位于河南省登封市嵩山地区，该建筑群中的各建筑建成时间从汉朝至清朝，时间跨度达2000多年。
在中国古代传统的宇宙观中，中国是位居天地中央之国，而天地中心则在中原地区的登封，因而这里成为中国早期王朝建都之地和文化荟萃中心，并在中华文明起源和民族形成过程中起着主导作用。中国古代哲学思想三大流派“儒、释、道”都在这里建立了弘扬传播本流派文化的核心基地，此处也成为人们测天量地的中心。因此，登封汇聚和留存了大量珍贵的文化纪念建筑，其精华即登封“天地之中”历史建筑群。
这组建筑群包括周公测景台和观星台、嵩岳寺塔、太室阙和中岳庙、少室阙、启母阙、嵩阳书院、会善寺、少林寺建筑群（常住院、塔林和初祖庵）等8处11项历史建筑。历经汉、魏、唐、宋、元、明、清，绵延不绝，构成了一部中国中原地区上下2000年形象直观的建筑史。
“天地之中”历史建筑群有着广泛的国际影响，其中，少林寺更是举世闻名。少林寺始建于公元495年，是中国佛教禅宗祖庭和中国功夫的发源地之一，被誉为“天下第一名刹”，在世界佛教史中具有重要地位。2010年8月，登封“天地之中”历史建筑群被列入联合国教科文组织《世界遗产名录》。
Historic Monuments of Dengfeng in "The Center of Heaven and Earth"
This set of historic structures are located near Mount Songshan in Dengfeng, Henan Province. The buildings were built across a period of more than 2,000 years from the Han to the Qing Dynasty.
In its traditional outlook on the universe, China, or "Zhongguo" in Chinese that literally means the "central state," was believed to be in the center of heaven and earth, with Dengfeng in the Central Plains as the central point. The place therefore became the best choice as the capital and cultural center of the early dynasties, playing a preeminent role in the emergence of the Chinese civilization and the formation of the Chinese nation.
The three mainstream schools of philosophical thinking in ancient China – Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism – all had preaching centers here. Dengfeng was also where people observed and measured heaven and earth. As a result, a large number of valuable cultural and commemorative buildings were built here, the essence of which was the historic monuments in "The Center of Heaven and Earth."
The complex comprises 11 ancient buildings at eight sites: Zhougong Sundial Platform and Astronomical Observatory, Songyue Temple Pagoda, Taishi Towers and Zhongyue Temple, Shaoshi Towers, Qimu Towers,
Songyang Academy, Huishan Temple, and Shaolin Temple compounds (resident compounds, Pagoda Forest and Chuzu Temple). Standing through 2,000 years from the Han, Wei, Tang, Song, and Yuan all the way to the Ming and Qing dynasties, it is in itself a living history book of architecture in the Central Plains.
The historic monuments of Dengfeng, especially the Shaolin Temple, are world-renowned. First built in 495, the Shaolin Temple is the cradle of the Chan sect of Chinese Buddhism and a birthplace of Chinese kung fu. It is reputed as the "No. 1 temple in the world" for its pivotal position in world Buddhist history. In August 2010, these historic buildings were included in the UNESCO's World Heritage List.
