The historic monuments of Dengfeng in "The Center of Heaven and Earth" are situated in and around Songshan Mountain in Henan, which is composed of 11 traditional structures, including the Shaolin Temple, the Observatory, Songyang Academy, Taishi Towers and Zhongyue Temple. Constructed over the course of nine dynasties, these buildings are reflections of different ways of perceiving the centre of heaven and earth and the power of the mountain as a centre for religious devotion. The historical monuments of Dengfeng include some of the best examples of ancient Chinese buildings devoted to ritual, science, technology and education. The historic monuments of Dengfeng in “The Centre of Heaven and Earth” were listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2010. 

 

The obverse of both gold and silver coins features the national emblem of the People's Republic of China, title of PRC and the year date. The reverse of gold coin depicts the gate of Shaolin Temple, decorated with the pattern of Chinese ancient architectural bracket, bearing diagram and architectural ornaments of Shaolin Temple, the words of “Shaolin Temple” in Chinese and the face value. The reverse of silver coin depicts the Songyue Temple Pagoda in the centre of a compass rose showing the four cardinal directions, decorated with the pattern of Chinese ancient architectural bracket, bearing diagram and architectural ornaments of the Songyue Temple Pagoda, and the words “Songyue Temple Pagoda” in Chinese and the face value.