China: Qin Emperor Mausoleum, Xi'an
Score: 66

The home of the Terra Cotta Warriors inspires high praise: stunning, astonishing, sensational. "China has taken great care to preserve this site" but needs to improve how the history is presented.

Here is a representative sampling of additional anonymous comments from the panelists. They are not necessarily the views of the National Geographic Society:

"Stunning destination. The mausoleum itself has been well protected from visitors: The environment of the mausoleum is left as it was and visitors are restricted to the Terra Cotta Army section. The Terra Cotta Army is well protected, and every measure is taken to minimize damage. Worth noting: Chinese constitute the largest number of visitors, which is worth celebration."

"Still a world-class site, but needs to be better connected with the other monuments to the First Emperor that are in the area. Site is well explained, but some prep time is necessary to understand the site before going."

"Well-maintained infrastructure, ability to handle hordes of visitors, good combination of museums and paths."

"While a manufactured atmosphere "encloses" the site and there are too many visitors, there is tremendous potential for better interpretation because of both domestic and foreign interest in it—and the knowledge seems to be there."

China: Lijiang and Three Parallel Rivers, Yunnan
Score: 49

An ancient town that has been preserved by morphing into a "Disneyland" tourist attraction. "The natural setting of Lijiang is lovely—the mountains, green hills, the quiet back roads." The three rivers are protected in a national park, but hydro dams are a threat.

Here is a representative sampling of additional anonymous comments from the panelists. They are not necessarily the views of the National Geographic Society:

"This area is rugged almost beyond belief; large areas can be viewed, but not actually entered. To see the best of the site demands an exceptionally difficult journey well past Lijiang. The tourist industry does not do justice to the real values. I suspect that most of the Naxi people will return to their own country now that the appalling destruction done by the cultural revolution has all been restored by the present government."

"Lijiang is a specter of its old self-preservation-as-commercialization. The surrounding area and the farther-flung Three Rivers area are far less traveled but now face a significant threat from poor tourism planning and new hydropower development. The focus should include not only the new national park promoted by The Nature Conservancy, but smaller communities and sites in the surrounding area. World Heritage status has changed the site negatively. The historic core is now largely boutique shops, restaurants, and hotels, losing the very essence it sought to preserve. Conservation has re-created a past and not included the community that now lives outside the historic site and "performs" for tourists. The ancient Naxi traditions showcased for tourism risk becoming pastiche."

"Although I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Lijiang, the sheer number of tourists is staggering. New hotel buildings and the outward movement of the Naxis and commodification of their culture are all things we have seen before in other destinations."

China: Beijing Historic Districts
Score: 48

"We must now speak of the Beijing historic districts in the past tense." Even what is left is marred by "revisionist history" and "over-restoration."

Here is a representative sampling of additional anonymous comments from the panelists. They are not necessarily the views of the National Geographic Society:

"Beijing's hutongs are disappearing fast, as we've all seen. Certain "model" hutong neighborhoods have been preserved, but newly constructed, Disneyfied versions muddle the purity. Tourists seem welcome in the hutongs, although (necessarily) in organized groups. Local vendors of food, sight-seeing, and transportation seem to thrive."

"Everything is orchestrated—does not appear natural. Natural areas are defaced by government writing. Visitors can feel that the whole story is not being told. Difficult to get around. Not aesthetically pleasing because of pollution."

"Beijing in the years leading to the Olympics attempted to redefine itself, and has transformed the central district into a modern city. Its core urban-planning principles, which initially had height restrictions at the core, have been ignored. Where bicycles and pedestrians once were predominant, automobiles now create congestion in the ever-widening street systems. There are pockets of history preserved within the Forbidden City."

China: Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet
Score: 45

The huge palace is in good shape, but "without the living culture of Tibetan Buddhism being able to thrive, it's only a facade." Lhasa resembles "a giant Chinese military camp" and is "in danger of losing its character."

Here is a representative sampling of additional anonymous comments from the panelists. They are not necessarily the views of the National Geographic Society:

"The Potala Palace is reasonably well-preserved, and its money-making tourism potential is being fully exploited. What it retains in authentic fabric, however, it lacks in the continuation of its function and in maintaining its spiritual presence. Much of the tourism activity is disrespectful of the inherent spiritual values of the palace."

"The environment in Lhasa is stark and extreme, which has molded this culture into one of great spirituality. All historical architectural pieces teeter between cultural recognition by the Chinese government and destruction."

"The activities of the Han Chinese are appalling in terms of context, buffer zone, and interpretation. It is cultural and architectural bastardization and abuse of the worst kind."

"With the construction of the trans-China/Tibet railroad, Lhasa changed overnight from a distant land on the roof of the world to an accessible place to the Chinese."