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China

An amazing insight into the most populous and enigmatic countries on the planet...3 billion people and counting. Read more
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  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    The Palace Musuem

    June 14, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    The Palace Museum is a national museum housed in the Forbidden City at the core of Beijing, China.
    It was established in 1925 after the last Emperor of China was evicted from his palace, and opened its doors to the public.Read more

  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    The Palace Museum (cont'd)

    June 14, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    It's home to over 1.8 million pieces of art, mostly from the imperial collection of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The 20th century saw its expansion through new acquisitions, transfers from other museums, and new archaeological discoveries.
    According to the Beijing Evening Post, the museum has seen more than 17 million visitors in 2018, which would make it the world's most visited museum. It has an average of 15 million visitors annually since 2012. Due to this increased pressure, the management has set a daily limit for visitors of 80,000 since 2015 to protect the ancient structure and the experience.    Read more

  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    Summer Palace (cont'd)

    June 14, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    More photos of the Summer Palace. It is curious to me as to how the Chinese Government justify the maintenance of the palace. Is it because the palace is a world heritage listed site or because it is a reminder of the previous privileged class structure before the communist regime took over or just because it represents a significant part of Chinese history.
    It is an amazing expanse of palaces and servants quarters.    Read more

  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    Summer Palace (cont'd)

    June 14, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Met this amazing Chinese local who was wearing a medal and very proud of it indeed. The biggest issue was that none of us could work out what it represented as no one spoke English :).
    The summer palace gardens are exquisite and large with a big lake in the middle of them.
    Longevity Hill is about 60 m (200 ft) high and has many buildings positioned in sequence. The front hill is rich with splendid halls and pavilions, while the back hill, in sharp contrast, is quiet with natural beauty. The central Kunming Lake, covering 2.2 square kilometres (540 acres), was entirely man-made and the excavated soil was used to build Longevity Hill.

    In December 1998, UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List. It declared the Summer Palace "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value".    Read more

  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    Kunming Lake

    June 14, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Kunming Lake is a man-made lake. Its predecessors were called Wengshan (Jar Hill) Pond and Xihu Lake. They were reservoirs which had been used as sources of water both for the city and irrigation of fields over a period of 3,500 years. Guo Shoujing, a famous astronomer and engineer in his time, developed it into a reservoir for the capital of the Yuan Dynasty in 1291. The conversion of the area into an imperial garden was commissioned by the Qianlong Emperor with the work being carried out between 1750 and 1764. In the course of creating the gardens, the lake area was extended by a workforce of almost 10,000 laborers.

    In the year 1990 and 1991, the Beijing Municipal Government undertook the first dredging of the lake in 240 years. A total of 652,600 cubic metres (853,600 cu yd) of sludge were removed in the work. 205 Japanese bombs dropped during the Sino-Japanese War were also found.    Read more

  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    Kunming Lake (cont'd)

    June 14, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    Kunming Lake is a most attractive water feature a short distance from downtown Beijing, where it covers three quarters of the total area of the Summer Palace grounds.

  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    Chaoyang Acrobatic Troupe

    June 14, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    We experienced "The Flying Acrobatic Show".
    Performed by highly-trained Chinese acrobats & circus performers, known as the Beijing Acrobatic Troupe.

    Action packed with outstanding feats, beautiful choreography, color and excitement — the show is one of the favorite nightlife venues in the wondrous "City of Peking".

    From contortionist acts to high wire stunts, this performance has it all. Now is your chance to witness the most extreme acrobat skill in China, at the theater known to be the best acrobatic show in Beijing.    Read more

  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    Beijing Streetscape

    June 14, 2017 in China ⋅ 🌙 32 °C

    Whilst touring China I learnt about their famed local cuisine especially “Peking Duck” by watching some of chefs in action.
    They use special wood to cook the duck in clay ovens so that the smoke infuses the meat very subtly. The dish is famous from Beijing (Peking) that has been prepared since the imperial era. The meat is characterized by its thin, crisp skin, with authentic versions of the dish serving mostly the skin and little meat, sliced in front of the diners by the cook. Ducks bred specially for the dish are slaughtered after 65 days and seasoned before being roasted in a closed or hung oven. The meat is often eaten with spring onion, cucumber and sweet bean sauce with pancakes rolled around the fillings. Sometimes pickled radish is also inside, and other sauces (like hoisin sauce) can be used.Read more

  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    Jade Factory

    June 15, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Interesting insight into the making of Jade artifacts. To understand the value of jade, you have to look beyond its durability and its role as a gemstone and beautiful adornment. Jade is a spiritual stone with significant meaning that’s intricately woven into the Chinese culture.

    The price for fine-quality jadeite has risen dramatically along with China’s economic rise. The demand from those who can newly afford it has significantly outpaced the supply of this rare material.

    The Chinese have revered jadeite’s fine green color since its discovery in Burma. Top-quality jadeite is rare. Vivid, sleek, and translucent, magnificent jadeite commands some of the highest prices among gems in today’s international market.

    Jadeite’s three most important qualities, in order of their impact on its market value, are color, transparency, and texture.    Read more

  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    The Great Wall of China

    June 15, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    In my travels around the world thus far, this has been the most majestic structure I have ever seen.
    The Great Wall of China is the collective name of a series of fortification systems generally built across the historical northern borders of China to protect and consolidate territories of Chinese states and empires against various nomadic groups of the steppe and their polities.
    Several walls were being built from as early as the 7th century BC by ancient Chinese states; selective stretches were later joined together by Qin Shi Huang (220–206 BC), the first Emperor of China.
    Little of the Qin wall remains. Later on, many successive dynasties have built and maintained multiple stretches of border walls. The most currently well-known of the walls were built by the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).
    Apart from defense, other purposes of the Great Wall have included border controls, allowing the imposition of duties on goods transported along the Silk Road, regulation or encouragement of trade and the control of immigration and emigration. Furthermore, the defensive characteristics of the Great Wall were enhanced by the construction of watch towers, troop barracks, garrison stations, signaling capabilities through the means of smoke or fire, and the fact that the path of the Great Wall also served as a transportation corridor.

    The frontier walls built by different dynasties have multiple courses. Collectively, they stretch from Liaodong in the east to Lop Lake in the west, from the present-day Sino–Russian border in the north to Taohe River in the south; along an arc that roughly delineates the edge of Mongolian steppe. A comprehensive archaeological survey, using advanced technologies, has concluded that the walls built by the Ming dynasty measure 8,850 km (5,500 mi). This is made up of 6,259 km (3,889 mi) sections of actual wall, 359 km (223 mi) of trenches and 2,232 km (1,387 mi) of natural defensive barriers such as hills and rivers.
    Another archaeological survey found that the entire wall with all of its branches measures out to be 21,196 km (13,171 mi). Today, the defensive system of Great Wall is generally recognized as one of the most impressive architectural feats in history.    Read more

  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    Juyong Pass Gate Tower

    June 15, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    More of the amazing Great Wall.
    JuYongGuan Great Wall is the nearest section of the Great Wall to Beijing - a little nearer than BaDaLing that it connects to; both of these sections of Great Wall protect the same natural pass through the mountains through which now passes the Badaling Expressway and a railway line.

    JuYongGuan Great Wall is a pass through the mountains ('guan' means 'mountain pass') located in an 18 km long valley named GuanGou which is in ChangPing County, about 55 km from Beijing city.

    JuYongGuan is one of the three great passes of the Great Wall of China. The other two are JiaYuGuan Pass and ShanHaiGuan Pass.    Read more

  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    Juyong Gate

    June 15, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    The pass had many different names during former Chinese dynasties. However, the name "Juyongguan" was used by more than three dynasties. It was first used in the Qin Dynasty when Emperor Qinshihuang ordered the building of the Great Wall. Juyongguan pass was connected to the Great Wall in the Southern and Northern Dynasties era.

    Juyongguan Great Wall is designed to accept numerous tourists each day
    The present pass route was built in the Ming Dynasty and received much renovation later. It was a very important strategic place connecting the inner land and the area near the northern border of China. It was also used to defend the ancient city of Beijing.
    More of the magnificent wall...    Read more

  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    Walk to the Top Gatehouse

    June 15, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    The final achievement was to walk to one of the top sections of the wall which was quite challenging as the day was also quite hot.
    I enjoyed the challenge as many of the tour did not attempt the climb but in the end it was well worth the effort and increased my appreciation of the remarkable engineering work that has taken place to build this landmark of centuries past.Read more

  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    Understanding Chinese Tea

    June 15, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C

    Chinese Tea tasting...
    Like savoring fine wine, tasting premium tea is a joy.

    Spend a perfect day with someone special, taking in a tea tasting tour.You’ll learn about traditional tea ceremonies and tasting all 6 major types of tea.

    China has the earliest history of drinking tea. Therefore, Chinese people know best the true interest in drinking tea.

    Tea has had a major influence on the development of Chinese culture. Chinese traditional culture is closely connected with Chinese tea. Tea is often associated with literature, arts, and philosophy. Tea is connected closely with Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism.

    There are six major types of tea in China –green tea, black tea, Oolong tea, dark tea and white tea, distinguished mainly by different methods of production. Folklore relates each type of tea to certain human characteristics    Read more

  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    Beijing Birdsnest Olympic Stadium

    June 15, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C

    Affectionately known as Bird's Nest, the National Stadium is situated in Olympic Green Village, Chaoyang District of Beijing City. It was designed as the main stadium of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The Olympic events of track and field, football, gavelock, weight throw and discus were held there. Since October 2008, after the Olympics ended, it has been opened as a tourist attraction. Now, it's the center of international or domestic sports competition and recreation activities. In 2022, the opening and closing ceremonies of another important sport event, Winter Olympic Games will be held here.

    The design of this large stadium was accomplished together by Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron and Chinese architect Li Xinggang and the others. The designers didn't do any redundant disposals to the look of the stadium. They just exposed the steel structures entirely and let them become the most natural appearance. The form of the stadium looks like a big nest which embraces and nurses human beings. Also it looks rather like a cradle bearing human beings' hope of the future.

    The construction of the National Stadium started on December 24, 2003. On July 2004, the project was stopped temporarily due to the amendment of the design. On December 27 of the same year, the construction was resumed and finished in March, 2008. The gross cost of the whole project is 2,267 million Chinese yuan (about 33 million dollars)

    The stadium covers an area of about 63.6 acres (25.8 hectares), which can accommodate 80,000 fixed seats and 11,000 temporary seats. Its appearance was formed by big steel frames. The top surface is saddle-shaped with the major axis of 1,090 feet (332.3 meters) and the stub axis of 972 feet (296.4 meters). The tallest point of the stadium is 225 feet (68.5 meters) above the ground and the lowest point is 140 feet (42.8 meters). The top is covered by semi-transparent air bubble film. This kind of material is waterproof and can make enough sunshine penetrate into the stadium. Owing to that, the lawns in it can grow well.    Read more

  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    Meeting the locals

    June 15, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 38 °C

    Interacting with some of the locals at the Olympic site and then enjoying a relaxing massage in the hotel with a finishing touch of placing our feet in a plastic bag of warm herbal tea.
    Felt great unsure of the benefits though :)Read more

  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    Temple of Heaven

    June 16, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    The temple complex was constructed from 1406 to 1420 during the reign of the Yongle Emperor, who was also responsible for the construction of the Forbidden City in Beijing. The complex was extended and renamed Temple of Heaven during the reign of the Jiajing Emperor in the 16th century. Jiajing also built three other prominent temples in Beijing, the Temple of the Sun (日壇) in the east, the Temple of Earth (地壇) in the north, and the Temple of Moon (月壇) in the west. The Temple of Heaven was renovated in the 18th century under the Qianlong Emperor. By then, the state budget was insufficient, so this was the last large-scale renovation of the temple complex in imperial times.

    The temple was occupied by the Anglo-French Alliance during the Second Opium War. In 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion, the Eight Nation Alliance occupied the temple complex and turned it into the force's temporary command in Beijing, which lasted for one year. The occupation desecrated the temple and resulted in serious damage to the building complex and the garden. Robberies of temple artifacts by the Alliance were also reported. With the downfall of the Qing, the temple complex was left un-managed. The neglect of the temple complex led to the collapse of several halls in the following years.

    In 1914, Yuan Shikai, then President of the Republic of China, performed a Ming prayer ceremony at the temple, as part of an effort to have himself declared Emperor of China. In 1918 the temple was turned into a park and for the first time open to the public.

    The Temple of Heaven was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 and was described as "a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design which simply and graphically illustrates a cosmogony of great importance for the evolution of one of the world’s great civilizations..." as the "symbolic layout and design of the Temple of Heaven had a profound influence on architecture and planning in the Far East over many centuries."    Read more

  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    Chi Qong Workshop

    June 16, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    We completed an ancient oriental exercise form called Chi Qong which was both difficult and very funny to watch...whilst doing it :)

  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    Rickshaw Journey

    June 16, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    Short rickshaw ride to a local Beijing residence/restaurant to sample a typical Chinese meal. Interesting to travel around the local streets of Beijing and experiencing the quality of life in one of the world’s biggest cities.Read more

  • BronzeChinaTraveler

    Cricket Fighting

    June 16, 2017 in China ⋅ ☀️ 36 °C

    This was my first introduction to the ancient art of cricket fighting. This fellow was a famous cricket trainer and had a cricket that was worth 10k yuan because of its strength and power.

    Cricket fighting was nurtured by Tang Dynasty emperors more than 1,000 years ago, and later popularized by commoners. In the thirteenth century, the Southern Song Dynasty prime minister Jia Sidao wrote a how-to guide for the blood sport. Jia's obsession with cricket fighting is believed to have contributed to the fall of the empire. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) China's Communist government banned cricket fighting as a bourgeois predilection, but it is now undergoing a revival among a younger generation eager to embrace traditional Chinese pastimes.

    While it is illegal in China to gamble on cricket fights, the fights themselves are legal and occur in most big cities in China. Crickets are sold openly in street markets, with more than a dozen cricket markets in Shanghai alone. In 2010 more than 400 million yuan (US$63 million) were spent in China on crickets.    Read more

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