Photo taken on Jan 8, 2016 shows the clouds of the Shennongding scenic spot in the Shennongjia Forestry District, central China's Hubei Province. The 40th session of the World Heritage Committee on Sunday decided to put China's Hubei Shennongjia on the pretigious World Heritage List as a natural site, bringing to 50 the number of listed Chinese sites. Located in the northwestern mountains of Hubei Province, the Shennongjia Forestry District was established in 1970. As the only well-preserved sub-tropical forest ecosystem in the world's mid-latitudes, Shennongjia boasts rich natural forest resources with more than 5,000 species of animals and plants.

ISTANBUL - The 40th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Istanbul on Sunday decided to put China's Hubei Shennongjia on the prestigious World Heritage List as a natural site, bringing to 50 the number of listed Chinese properties.

Hubei Shennongjia is considered as a treasure of wildlife renowned with high plant diversity, said a report by the advisory body on China.

"Shennongjia has been a place of significant scientific interest particularly for botanists and the mountains have featured prominently in the history of botanical inquiry," part of the report was cited at the meeting.