Shangdu (Xanadu)
Shangdu is located on the Jinlianchuan Grasslands of Xilingol League in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It was built in 1259 and originally named Kaiping City, which was changed to Shangdu in 1263. As the first capital of the Yuan Dynasty, Shangdu was a prominent city that greatly boosted China's interactions with the rest of the world and featured prominently in many major historical events and civilizational milestones that shaped and changed the evolution of global civilizations. In the 13th century, Marco Polo met Kublai Khan in Shangdu. His book Travels of Marco Polo captured the hustle and bustle of the city, which he Romanized as "Xanadu." The wide dissemination of his writings over the hundreds of years since made "Xanadu" a ubiquitous word in Western countries.
A physical testimonial of the legendary history of the Yuan Dynasty, Shangdu remains mostly intact despite all the vicissitudes it endured, and it is considered the best-preserved grassland capital city in the world. In 2012, the Site of Xanadu was inscribed on the World Heritage List as a unique example of cultural fusion that demonstrates the coexistence and mutual assimilation of the nomadic people and the Han Chinese culture, among others.
上都
上都，位于内蒙古自治区锡林郭勒盟金莲川草原，始建于1259年，并于1263年由开平城改名上都。元上都作为元朝建立的第一个都城，在当时世界上具有举足轻重的地位， 它大大地加强了中国与世界的联系，与影响和改变世界文明进程的许多重大历史事件及人类文明成果密切相关。13世纪，马可·波罗在上都觐见忽必烈，随后在《马可·波罗游记》中描绘了上都的繁华景象。几百年来，随着《马可·波罗游记》的广泛传播，上都的英文译名“Xanadu”在欧美国家传播甚广。
上都见证了元朝的辉煌历史，历经风雨洗礼，仍较完整地保留了原貌，成为目前保留最完整的草原都城。2012 年，元上都遗址列入世界遗产名录。上都是古代文化融合的独特产物，既有游牧民族特征，又有汉文化和其他文化的特色，体现了多元文化的相互影响。