China, one photo every day

[HKG]

WOW ITS A NICE PLACE FOR　BBQ ^ ^

[macpolo]

best thread ever
thanks

[riasbaixas]

2008.09.13









Shanghai location in China


Puxi (浦西) is the largest section of Shanghai, home to approximately 90% of Shanghai's residents. Puxi literally means "Huangpu West" or "West of the Huangpu."
Puxi is separated from Pudong, to the east, by the Huangpu River. Despite the new financial district of Pudong to the east it remains Shanghai's cultural, residential and commercial centre.
Puxi is not an administrative division or district in Shanghai but a term used to describe the historical urban area of Shanghai proper. The major districts that comprise Puxi are Yangpu, Hongkou, Zhabei, Putuo, Changning, Xuhui, Jing'an, Luwan and Huangpu.
Despite efforts to promote Pudong, Puxi remains the cultural and entertainment center of Shanghai. The two main shopping centers, Huaihai Zhong Lu and Xujiahui, the major bar streets such as Maoming Lu and Julu Lu, and cultural centers such as The Bund, the Shanghai Grand Theatre, and the Shanghai Museum are all located in Puxi. The famous Nanjing Road shopping strip runs through Puxi.

[riasbaixas]

2008.09.14









Shanxi position in China


The Datong Nine Dragon Screen, built over 600 years ago, is presently the oldest and largest glazed screen in China today. It is three times larger than that in Beihai Park , Beijing.
The screen, built for the thirteenth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), has been well preserved and remains intact to this day. It is made up of 426 specially-fired glazed bricks, with a height of 8 meters (about 26 feet), 2.02 meters (6.6 feet) thick and 45.5 meters (149 feet) long. The Screen can be divided into three parts, the pedestal, body and roof.
The pedestal is rectangular shaped with a height of 2.09 meters (6.9 feet). Its narrow middle section is composed of 75 glazed tiles with images of oxen, dogs, deer rabbits and other animals.
The design of the body is that of a green wave on the lower part and a blue and yellow cloud on the upper part. It consists of nine flying dragons, with a golden-scaled, shiny-eyed dragon located in the center. On each side of the central dragon is a pair of light yellow dragons with their heads pointed East and tails pointed towards the central dragon. A second pair of elegant yellow dragons is next with their heads and tails pointed west. A third pair is ferocious-looking purple dragons which seem to be wrestling with the sea. The fourth pair is highly spirited dragons. The nine dragons are life-like and illustrating their ability of calling the wind and controlling the rainfall. The areas around the dragons are supplemented with images of plants, mountains, stones, water and grass. These patterns along with the nine dragons compliment each other.
The roof is covered with glazed tiles.
There is a pond with a stone bridge located in front of the screen. The reflection of the dragons becomes dynamic, especially when a breeze disturbs the surface of the water

[foxmulder_ms]

Thanks for this wonderful thread man, I am going to visit China one day...

[d.haibo]

Originally Posted by foxmulder_ms

Thanks for this wonderful thread man, I am going to visit China one day...

welcome to china ,it's beautifil ,I think you can enjoy your tourism ，sorry ，my English is very poor ，maybe some words are not correct

[riasbaixas]

2008.09.15









Sichuan position in China


Jiuzhaigou (九寨溝) is a UNESCO listed Natural Heritage Site in 1992. Jiuzhaigou means “Valley of Nine Tibetan Villages”. It is well known for its scenic beauty and the fairyland appear; the beautiful emerald lakes, colourful forest, rushing streams of water and the magnificent multi level waterfalls and snow covered mountain peaks. The water in the lakes is very clear and one can see the bottom of the lakes despite the deep depths.
It is located approximately 450 Km north of Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province in China.
Arrow Bamboo Lake (箭竹海) is the first of the deep lakes. It lies at an elevation of 2618 meters, it is 6 meters deep and covers an area of 170,000 square meters. The bamboo is evergreen and the firs stand erect on the banks, and the surrounding undulating hills and swaying bamboo are reflected in the lake. Even in the severe cold winters, the lake still glistens and is full of vitality.

[riasbaixas]

2008.09.16












Tianjin location in China


This massive new museum, which is said to be China's second largest building, houses the collections of the former Tianjin Art Museum and the Tianjin Historical Museum, and was planned as a part of a huge 77-acre development. This impressive structure was designed by a Japanese architect Shin Takamatsu, in collaboration with a structural designer Mamoru Kawaguchi, with a concept of extreme simplicity and clarity. It features a massive glass shell structure, which encloses exhibition space on the first and second floor and visitors' concourse and other facilities on the ground floor. This project was entitled "Swanium" from its unique shape which resembles a swan with its wings extended.
It is situated to the east of Youyi Road, Hexi District, covering an area of 31,400 square meters. It is a comprehensive museum with about 200,000 collections of historic relics and folk art pieces, which incorporates historic relic collection, protection, research and education as well as leisure tour.
The museum looks like a swan with its wings fully spread. There are 3 floors in the museum-history hall, treasure hall and jade article hall. History hall exhibits the historic events in the city and their influences on the city from 1860 to liberation. Treasure hall exhibits the historic relic collections of primary national relics, including the treasures Puyi brought to Tianjin from the Imperial Palace. The culture relics, historical data and photos, together with the Photo-electricity models and archetype duplication both historical and modern.

[riasbaixas]

2008.09.17









Tibet position in China


The Yarlung Zangbo River (雅鲁藏布江) or Yarlung Tsangpo originates from a glacier on the northern side of the middle Himalayas, over 5,300 meters (208,661 feet) above sea level. It runs across the south of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from west to east, through India and Bengal, and finally flows into the Bay of Bengal. Altogether more than 2,900 kilometers (1,802 miles) long with a catchment area of 935 thousand square kilometers (361,006 square miles), it is the fifth longest river in China. With a large number of branches, its natural hydropower capacity reaches up to 79,116 thousand kilowatts, just second to the Yangtze River in China.
It passes through the state of Arunachal Pradesh, India, where it is known as the Dihang. Downstream from Arunachal Pradesh the river becomes wider and at this point is called the Brahmaputra River. It eventually disgorges into the Bay of Bengal. Since the river crosses international boundaries, it has at least three different names in different languages.

[riasbaixas]

2008.09.18









Xinjiang position in China:


Sayram Lake, Sailimu Hu, is a beautiful lake located north of Yining, in the Boertala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture in the Xinjiang Uygurs Autonomous Region. Sayram in Kazakh means 'blessing'. Hong Liangji, a poet of the Qing Dynasty, described Sayram Lake in one of his poems: “a unique place in the West Region, Xanadu on the earth”.
Encompassing an area of 457 square kilometers, it's a fault basin at an elevation of 2,073 meters, the highest among the Xinjiang high mountain lakes and with a maximum depth of 86 meters. It is about 30 kilometers long from east to west and is over 20 kilometers wide.
It has a vast water surface with blue ripples and abounds in water resource and lush grass. Tucked away in the steep mountains, it is secluded and misty. The snow-capped peaks and the dragon spruce on the mountains set each other off. In July and August, the Mongolian and Kazak herdsmen gather on the lake-side grassland to hold their traditional ethnic activities such as horse-racing, wrestling, picking up a sheep on the galloping horse-back.

[foxmulder_ms]

Tianjin History Museum looks great at night.

[riasbaixas]

2008.09.19





















Yunnan position in China


The Guihua Temple is named the Gedan Songzanlin Lamasery in Tibetan. It is located at the foot of the Foping Mountains, 5 km north of Zhongdian County and occupies an area of 500 mu. The monastery is the largest Tibetan Buddhist Temple in Yunnan Province, and also one of the famous monasteries in the Tibetan area. It now has over 700 Buddhist monks.
The Guihua Temple was built in 1679 under Emperor Kang Xi's authorization after the fifth Dalai Lama sent a report to him, who named the temple "Gedan Songlin".Emperor Yong Zheng granted it the name "Guihua Temple". The temple was made after the Potala Palace in Lasa, hence it has another name "Small Potala Palace". It has hundreds of small houses for Buddhist monks and living Buddhas. Besides the two main temple buildings at the top in the centre, there are 8 wing buildings around them. One main temple has 108 pillars in its main hall, which can hold 1,600 monks sitting and chanting scriptures.

[riasbaixas]

2008.09.20



Zhejiang position in China


Qiandao Lake (千島湖) or "Lake of Thousand Islands", is a man-made lake located in Chun'an County, Zhejiang, China. Qiandao Lake is a man-made lake formed since the completion of the Xinanjiang hydroelectric station. There are 1,078 large islands in the lake and a few thousand smaller ones. It covers an area of 573 km², it has a storage capacity of 17.8 km³. The total area of the islands in the lake is about 86 km².
Qiandao Lake is known for its clear, and sometimes, drinkable water, such as that used to produce the renowned Nongfu Spring brand of mineral water. It is also home to lush forestation (over 90%), and exotic islands, its more popular attractions include the Bird Island, the Snake Island, the Lock Island (featuring supposedly the world's biggest lock), the Island to Remind You of Your Childhood.
The lake is an important tourist attraction of Zhejiang. Newer housing developments have sprung up since the late 1990s at a reasonable cost to buyers looking for lakeside residences.

[riasbaixas]

2008.09.21












Anhui position in China


Perched at the foot of Mt. Huangshan, Tangmo Village was rated as one of the top ten 'must see' famous scenic spots in Huangshan City.
Tangmo Village was constructed originally in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) according to the architectural styles of that time. It reached its height of prosperity in both the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. One valuable point to be emphasized is that this ancient village has maintained its simple and harmonious existence with nature through many dynasties, without being influenced or affected by any commercial intrusion and sophistication. The quiet rural life style of this particular culture, and the natural beauty that is incorporated within this famous historic and cultural village.

[riasbaixas]

2008.09.22



Beijing location in China


Badaling Great Wall (八达岭) is situated in Yanqing County, over 70 kilometres (43 miles) north of Beijing. It is the most well-preserved section of the Great Wall, built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). This section with an average altitude of over 1,000 meters (3,282 feet) is the outpost of the Juyongguan Pass. The mountain slope is very steep and the roads are tortuous. These features made it a military stronghold. Badaling Great Wall is like a strong dragon winding its way along the mountain ranges.
The Great wall originally functioned as a fortification. As early as the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC), Qinshihuang, the first emperor of Qin Dynasty unified the whole nation and began to build the Great Wall to protect China's borders from the intrusion of the northern nomadic tribes. Most parts of the preserved Badaling Great Wall were built and reinforced during the Ming Dynasty to defend the capital against the intrusion of these Mongolian people. The structure of the wall consists of huge bar-stones and bricks. The inside of the wall has been formed by tampering earth and small stones, which makes the wall very firm and strong. Internally, the wall is about six meters (20 feet) wide, which would allow horses to gallop five abreast. A number of small holes have been drilled on the wall to allow archers to shoot arrows. There is a barrel-drain and a moat both inside and outside the wall. In a word, military fortification has been paramount in the consideration of every wall detail.
The signal fire platforms were an important part of the whole fortification of ancient China. A signal fire platform is actually a blockhouse that was built on the top of the wall. It was used to send warning signals. Since the Ming Dynasty, the amount of smoke and gunfire released conveyed specific military information about the enemy. One release of smoke with one shot of gunfire signified 100 enemies; two smoke releases with two shots of gunfire meant 500 enemies; three smoke releases with three shots of gunfire indicated more than 1,000 enemies. Once one signal platform fired a beacon, the others would follow likewise so as to alert the command as to the strength of the enemy.
As a landmark erected at the top of a group of mountain ranges, Badaling Great Wall has also witnessed many significant historic events. The first emperor of the Qin Dynasty toured there, Yuan Taizu, the first emperor of Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) passed the Badaling Great Wall and took control over the whole of China. Empress Cixi fled from there to the western part of China in 1900 when an alliance of eight western countries invaded Beijing. At present, Badaling Great Wall stands still there recording the hardship and bitterness that Chinese people have endured in the past 2000 years. It is a priceless cultural heritage of humanity.
Badaling Great Wall was the earliest part of the great Wall opened to tourists. It has drawn tens of millions of tourists both from home and abroad.

[riasbaixas]

2008.09.23












Chongqing position in China:


The Dazu Rock Carvings contains all the cliffside carvings in Dazu County. The collection is composed of the rock carvings in Beishan, Baodingshan, Nanshan, Shimenshan as well as Shizhuanshan, all of which are of the highest artistic attainment and demonstrate the most exquisite skills.
Dazu County, reputed as 'the county of rock carving' is located at the southeast of Sichuan province. It is 271 kilometers (about 168.4 miles) from Chengdu on its west and 167 kilometers (about 103.8 miles) from Chongqing on its east. The whole county has an area of 1,400 square kilometers (about 540.5 square miles), and it covers a history of 1,230 years since it came into existence in 758 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
The Dazu Rock Carvings was built from 650 in the Tang Dynasty and continued to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911). It is as famous as the Mogao Cave in Dunhuang, Gansu Province. The rock carvings in these places are very distinguished both at home and abroad. Among the rock carvings, there are more than 5,000 statues and over 100,000 Chinese characters of inscriptions and epigraphs. The Buddhist statues dominate in this rock carving group, and the Taoist and the Confucian stone figures can also be seen.
Many statues show the Buddhist and the Confucius doctrines, particularly the filial piety. In 1999, the Dazu Rock Carving was ranked as a World Cultural Heritage Site. Every year many thousands of tourists from home and abroad pay it a visit.

[Caustic]

Your pictures never cease to amaze me.

Most interesting "one photo a day" thread there is, IMO.

[riasbaixas]

2008.09.24












Fujian position in China


Meizhou Island (湄洲島) is close to the shore of Putian, Fujian. It is most famous for being the birthplace of the goddess Matsu. Meizhou has 38,000 inhabitants, most of which have traditionally been in fishery.
The Mazu Temple on Meizhou Island enjoys an honorific title of "Meizhou Ancestral Temple of Queen of Heaven Temple". It was firstly built in 987 AD, the same year of Lin Moniang`s departure. With over a thousand years of development, the belief in Mazu has gradually spread from Meizhou to all over the world. At present，there are altogether nearly 5000 Mazu temples throughout the world, with approximately 200 million believers. Taiwan is a concentrated area of Mazu followers, and there are over 800 Mazu ancestral temples of various sizes on Taiwan Island with over 14 million followers. On Meizhou Island every year on the 23rd day of the third month and the ninth day of the ninth month respectively for the birthday of Mazu and for the day when Mazu was raised to the skies, there is a grand occasion of pilgrimage tour, hence the name of "Oriental Mecca".
After she passed away, a temple was built on Meizhou Island in 987 to offer sacrifices to and in memory of Mazu. It was the earliest Mazu Temple in the world, and enjoyed the honorific title of "Ancestral Temple". The Ancestral Temple keeps the Mazu’s gold body of Song Dynasty, the stone statue of Mazu, stone-carved royal instruction and a seal presented by an emperor of Qing Dynasty, which reveal the profound historical origin of Mazu culture.

[riasbaixas]

2008.09.25






Gansu position in China


On a map of China with a scale of 1:260,000,000, draw a circle at a radius of 90 mm (3.54inches) to include all China in it, and you will find that the center of this circle is Lanzhou, the capital city of northwest Gansu Province. Lanzhou is not only the geometrical center of China but also a center in the northwest in terms of transportation, telecommunication and the Silk Road Tourism Ring. Covering an area of 1631.6 square kilometers (629.96 square miles), Lanzhou (兰州) is home to a population of 3.14 million, including Han, Hui, Bao’an, Dongxiang, Tibetan, Yugu and Sala and more.
Lanzhou used to be a key point connecting the central China and the western region as well as a vital city on the Silk Road. Today, Lanzhou is a hub of the Silk Road, with Maiji Caves to the east, Bingling Thousand Buddha Caves to the west, Labrang Monastery to the south and Dunhuang Mogao Caves to the north.
With mountains in the south and north of the city and the Yellow River flowing from the east to the west, Lanzhou is a beautiful modern city with both the grand beauty of northern cities and the prettiness of southern cities.

[riasbaixas]

2008.09.26



Guangdong position in China


Yangjiang (阳江) is a coastal city in southwestern Guangdong Province, facing southward to the South China Sea. Close to the Pearl River Delta, The city is 247 and 160 kilometers (153 and 99 miles) from Guangzhou and Zhuhai. By water, it is 143 and 129 sea miles (265 and 239 kilometers) from Hong Kong and Macau.
According to archeological discovery, human settlers first came to Yangjiang ten thousand years ago. Like other regions in Guangdong, it was conquered by the Qin (221BC-206BC) Court belong to the shires established there. As its location became increasingly important, Yangjiang had been elevated from a county to a shire by the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220).
Situated in subtropical zone, the city holds temperate weather and abundant rainfall. The extreme heat may emerge in August. Summer is long and hot, lasting from mid-April to late October. Typhoon and rainstorm usually happen in summer and autumn.
Silver Beach is located in southwest of the Hailing Island. It is a 7.4 kilometers (4.6 miles) beach, a hot summer resort of Yangjiang City.