China, one photo every day

[The Cebuano Exultor]

Wow! China is, literally, littered with those magnificent pagodas!

China never ceases to amaze me with its truely remarkable historical and/or national cultural heritage sites.

[Alexriga]

It is just amazing! How expensive and safe is public transport in China? So many great places there!

[oliver999]

Originally Posted by Alexriga

It is just amazing! How expensive and safe is public transport in China? So many great places there!

cheap and safty, but many people will try to speak english with you

[riasbaixas]

Originally Posted by oliver999

cheap and safty, but many people will try to speak english with you

especially in Beijing where a lot of people want to talk in English with you (except taxi drivers who do not speak English at all).

I should post a photo taken in Tiananmen where I am surrounded by Chinese just-married couples speaking English and taking photos with me

[riasbaixas]

2008.04.20



Hunan


Shaoshan is about forty kilometers west of the county town of Xiangtan, Hunan Province. It is one of the seventy-two peaks of the majestic Mount Hengshan. According to legend, when King Yu was on his way south to inspect the flood control projects, he stopped here and played some ancient Shao music. The place was therefore called Shaoshan, Mount of the Shao Music. A village called Shaoshanchong at the foot of the mountain was where Mao Zedong (1893-1976), the late leader of China was born and grew up. An exhibition hall memorializing Mao's life and revolutionary activities has been built at the town of Shaoshan, formerly Shaoshanchong Village, and is now open to visitors who can stay at the local hotel. There are regular train and bus services between Shaoshan and Changsha.
The tourist attractions in the village are highly propagandorial, but then this is all part and parcel of the Mao image. Loudspeakers will great you on arrival with revolutionary songs and speeches, the village is guarded by sleepily bored soldiers and the history is only partially represented at best. The revolutionary tourist attractions include the Former Residence of Mao Zedong (Mao zedong guju), the Ancestral Temple of the Mao Family, now Comrade Mao's Museum (Mao zedong tongzhi jinianguan), Stone Steles covered with Mao's poems, and a Revolutionary Martyr's Cemetery. The former residence is the most interesting. Entered through a courtyard, the house is of a sunny yellow, mud brick walls, with a nicely thatched roof, and is found on a wooded hillside, above some lush paddy fields. You can visit all of the 13 rooms inside, that include a kitchen, a dining room, three family bedrooms, a guest room and an ancestral hall. Within the rooms are various personal effects of Mao and his parents, as well as photos from Mao's life.

[riasbaixas]

2008.04.21


成吉思汗庙

Inner Mongolia


The only temple in the world that commemorates the life of Genghis Khan, in the northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The temple is located in the city of Ulan Hot, the Hong Kong-based World Chinese Advancement Association funded the project in accordance with a recently signed agreement between it and the city’s government.
Genghis Khan was born into an aristocratic family near the Onon River in Mongolia. In 1206 he unified the Mongol tribes and became Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. He was later conferred with the title of Genghis Khan, meaning “universal ruler” by the supreme assembly. One of his grandsons, Kublai Khan (1215-1294, ruled 1260-1294) later became the first emperor of China’s Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368).
Built in 1940, the Genghis Khan Temple features architectural styles of the Mongolian, Han and Tibetan nationalities. As a relic site with regional-level protection, the temple attracts more than 200,000 tourists annually. According to the expansion plan, a dozen scenic spots including a palace, an altar and an exhibition hall, will be constructed.

[riasbaixas]

2008.04.22









Jiangsu


The Jinshan Temple, perched atop the hill of the same name the north of the city of Zhenjiang, was originally built during the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
The buildings on the premises are arranged in layers that hug the hillside in an original fashion. Buildings are attached to buildings to form a group of classical structures whose crimson walls gleam invitingly against the blue sky. The result is a spectacle in which the entire hill looks as if wrapped up by the temple's thick cluster of buildings. Qing emperors, Kangxi and Qianlong, had repeatedly visited the temple during their south China inspection tours. A replica of the Jinshan Temple has been erected in the Mountain Summer Resort of Chengde.

[riasbaixas]

2008.04.23



Jiangxi


Xunwu County (寻乌县) is a subdivision of the administrative Jiangxi province. It is placed under the jurisdiction of the city of Ganzhou prefecture.

[riasbaixas]

2008.04.24



Jilin


Nong'an Liao Tower (also known as the Buddha Tower) is in Nong'an County, about 60 kilometers (about 37.3 miles) from Changchun City. The records show that it was built between 983 and 1030 during the Liao Dynasty (916-1125). In view of its history spanning more that a thousand years, this ancient tower has become a must for those come to visit Changchun.
The white tower is made of brick and wood. It is 43 meters tall with 8 angles and 13 floors. On every angle of each floor there are dragons, horses and lions with a four- angled Aeolian bell. The shape of the tower becomes thinner and thinner till the top.
At the top floor, there is a brick room where two bronze Buddha statues and other Buddhist articles were hidden (now it is preserved in Jilin Historical Museum).

[cmoonflyer]

Originally Posted by riasbaixas

2008.04.24





Nong'an Liao Tower

Encuraged by this pic , I went to the downtown of Nongan to see the tower for it is near from Changchun (65 kilometers away) and hurriedly took some pics for this ancient Liao tower the day before yesterday ...

[riasbaixas]

2008.04.25



Extra photo. Night view



Liaoning's position in China:


Dalian's location


Dalian (大连) is the second largest city of Liaoning Province, after Shenyang, the provincial capital, and China's northernmost ice-free seaport.
Xinghai Square is one of the three main scenic areas in the city. It was a great project built to commemorate Hong Kong’s return to China in 1997.
The area includes Xinghai Exhibition Center, a venue where big events and ceremonial activities such as the Spring Fireworks Festival, International Beer Festival and Dalian International Fashion Festival are held. A park in this area with the same name is located with the Shengya Aquarium, and the Shell Museum located in a castle built on a hill.
Imagine a medieval castle on a cliff overlooking the sea. It looks just like an European castle. The inside is beautiful, wooden pillars and carvings in the ceilings. But the Shell Museum is a disappointment compared to the architecture of the building. The museum has one room, but almost a quarter of the room is taken up by the souvenir shop. Well, I guess a museum dedicated only to shells can't be so big. There's a guided tour and the shells really are pretty.
I've heard the castle, where the Shell Museum is located, has been sold to Sheraton. It will soon become a hotel.

[riasbaixas]

2008.04.26



Macau



Approximately four hundred years ago the Portuguese landed on a sea promontory near a temple. They asked the local inhabitants the name of the land, but the locals misunderstood, thinking that the Portuguese were asking for the name of the temple. So they answered 'Ma Ge', which was the name of the temple. Later, the Portuguese translated the named into 'Macau' and used it to refer to the land. In actuality, this temple is one of the three famous Buddha halls in Macau- the A-Ma Temple.
The A-Ma Temple, located in the southeast of the Macau Peninsula, is the oldest temple in Macau. It was constructed in the year of 1488 of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to commemorate Mazu, the sacred sea goddess who blesses the fishermen of Macau. It is said that the goddess was called Lin Mo, and that she was born in Putian City, Fujian Province, and was more intelligent than other children her age. She could predict good or ill luck and after her death she often helped merchants and fishermen ward off calamities and turn danger into safety. Now there are a number of folktales about the great goddess narrated in the littoral lands.
The A-Ma Temple is a destination offering silence and spectacular views. The temple contains six main parts, all of which make up a series of classical Chinese architectural treasures, and this is all guarded by stone lions. Entering the temple and going across a gateway, you will reach the Hongren Hall by a winding path. A statue of Mazu is worshipped here, and it is believed that the hall has the longest history in the complex. Going ahead, the Hall of Avalokitesvara will present itself to visitors. It was constructed mainly using bricks and stone in a simple style. Compared with the other halls, the Zhengjiao Chanlin (a Buddhist hall) was designed tastefully both in regards to size and architectural style.

[riasbaixas]

2008.04.27







Twin Pagodas of Baisikou are located at the Baisikou. It is in the east of Helan Mountain and 50 kilometers northwest from Yinchuan of Ningxia. It was built in the later period of West Xia. The two pagodas were constructed on the ruined temple area near the south of the ditch.
The two pagodas are standing face to face. The distance is about one hundred meters. There are altogether eight-square 13-floor pavilions made of brick pagoda. The Twin Pagodas of Baisikou do not have any base and without any decoration and the first floor is higher. The gate faces south and you can enter the thick wall hollow tube of shape pagoda room.
The east pagoda's height is about 39 meters and the tower body resembles a cone. The west pagoda's height is 36 meters where the pagoda body proportion is coordinated. Each center wall surface was set in rectangular shallow niche for a statue of Buddha. There are painted sculpture animal and the Eight Treasure Design in the niche. The statue decorative pattern covers the entire pagoda body.
The Twin Pagodas of Baisikou construction synthesized the local pagoda traditional craftwork characteristic and also unifies the drawing and carving art, constituted two grand magnificent sights and the gorgeous artistic valuable thing. They still stood there firmly through the frequent earthquake.

[xXFallenXx]

God, i miss China.

Can't wait to go back.

[gliazzurra]

China is quite interesting.. hope i can visit it someday..

[riasbaixas]

2008.04.28





The Yangtze River starts at the Jianggendiru Glacier on the southwestern foothills of the Geladandong, the main peak of the Tanggula Mountains, southwestern Qinghai Province. The upper reaches of the Yangtze River start at its headstream, the Tuotuo River, and goes to Yichang in Hubei Province. The section down the Tuotuo is called the Tongtian River, and the section from Yushu County in Qinghai to Yibin City in Sichuan is called the Jinsha River. The section downstream from Yibin is called the Yangtze River.

[ChingBr]

Wow, very nice tower! Thanks for posting your pics cmoonflyer .

[riasbaixas]

wow
great job cmoonflyer

[riasbaixas]

2008.04.29

No. 1 Chariot: It is the vanguard, a two-wheeled vehicle drawn by a team of four strong horses. There is only one seat for the driver, whose eyes are glued to the road ahead. There is a large umbrella providing shade from the sun.



No. 2 Chariot: It is larger than the lead chariot. The horses are richly adorned with gold and silver gears. There are three windows, one out front, and one on each side in the compartment, and a door opens at the back. One may open and close the windows and the door, and look in at the exquisite interior. The roof is umbrella shaped, said to be symbolic of the round sky.



Shaanxi


A few months ago I went to Xi'an to see the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses Museum, one of the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. Work is ongoing at this site, which is around 1.5 kilometers east of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum, Lintong County, Shaanxi Province.
It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China.
The museum covers an area of 16,300 square meters, divided into three sections: No. 1 Pit, No. 2 Pit, and No. 3 Pit respectively. They were tagged in the order of their discoveries.
Two large scale-models of bronze chariots came unearthed in December, 1980, about 20 meters east of Emperor Qin's mausoleum. They were tagged Chariot No. 1 and No. 2 respectively. Both required extensive restorations, over two and half years, before displayable in public. No. 2 was unveiled first -- in 1983, then No.1 -- in 1988. These were encased in a wooden box for over two thousand years. And the box was buried 8 meters down in a trench. These are half size scale-models of real chariots, faithfully copied down to the last detail, complete with horses and people. They are constructed with bronze and cast bullion. There are 1720 gold and silver pieces, weighing 7 kilograms.

More info
http://www.galenfrysinger.com/warriors_xian_china.htm

[riasbaixas]

2008.04.30



Shandong