Chinese National Monuments

With over 3,000 years of history, China is full of national monuments of ancient and modern historical importance. Because the People's Republic of China includes more than just Han Chinese, but also completely distinct ethnic groups such as Tibetans and Uighurs with their own cultural and artistic traditions, China's national monuments are culturally and artistically diverse.


The Great Wall of China

Maybe the most recognizable monument in China, the Great Wall was probably started around 220 B.C.E, but the current structure visited by most tourists today was built throughout the history of China up to the Ming dynasty who completed the current wall around the 1300 and 1400's. The wall was built to defend against the Mongolians and other Turkic people to the north and in its entirety runs over 6000 km. (3,500 miles)


Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor

The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor is home to the Terra Cotta Warriors. This ruin was not discovered until 1974, but has one of the best maintained examples of ancient art and sculpture in the world. The Qin emperor was buried with over 8,000 clay foot soldiers, each distinctly different from the other, as well as horses and cavalry.


The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was the seat of power for both the Ming and Qing dynasties. Located in Beijing, the Forbidden City was off limits to everyone, but the emperor, his harem, the eunuchs who controlled the harem, and the top civil servants of China. It has over 10,000 rooms, almost all of them furnished with art and priceless cultural relics from both the Han Chinese and Manchu cultures.


The Oriental Pearl Tower


The Oriental Pearl Tower is located in Shanghai and representative of the new China. Construction was began in 1991 and finished in 1995. It was the tallest building in China until its title was usurped by the Shanghai World Financial Center in 2007. It remains one of the most iconic images for Shanghai.


Potala Palace

potala palace image by QiangBa DanZhen from Fotolia.comThe Potala Palace is one of the greatest monuments in Tibetan culture. It is located in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, a part of the People's Republic of China. It was the chief residence for the Dalia Lama until he fled from Tibet into India following the People's Army's occupation of Tibet in 1959. The palace was completed in 1645 during a flowering period of culture and arts for the Tibetan kingdom.

How to Find Sculptured Stone Walls

"Something there is that doesn't love a wall," Robert Frost wrote in his poem "Mending Walls." Walls like Frost's or the Great Wall of China or the Berlin Wall have been on people's minds for centuries. Though most walls were built to keep people out, some were built and decorated for other purposes---to promote religious beliefs or to tell stories or just to create beauty. While famous walls are easy to find, obscure and vine-covered sculptured walls, may be lost in rain forests or hidden in far-away places. Finding a sculptured walll is an exciting adventure in itself, worthy of Indiana Jones. or Sherlock Holmes.

1 Call your local travel agent and ask about the sculptured stone walls of the world. Inquire about the countries they are located in, and whether they hidden in jungles and hard to get to. Ask about traveling to see them though specialty travel or adventure tours.

2 Contact the art and archaeology department of a large university near you and ask about the locations of sculptured stone walls. Specifically contact the sculpture department and ask the head of the department about them. Also contact the art history department and discuss stone sculpted walls with the professors. Some of these academicians may have studied sculptured stone walls during their own education or may have made them the subject of their course curriculum.

3 Locate a sculpture club and ask its members about the topic. Inquire if they have a newsletter or are affiliated with a national magazine in which you can place ads related to your search.

4 Do a detailed Internet search. Spend extra time using alternative keyword searches, based on country, type of stone wall, sculptures, etc. Find leads and call people up on the phone and discuss what you are looking for.

5 Research amazon.com and other Internet sites for specialty books by professionals who have traveled and documented their research related to sculptured stone walls.

6Contact PBS (http://www.pbs.org/) through its website to research any documentaries. Research other art and sculpture documentaries.

Why Is the Great Wall of China So Famous?

For the Chinese people, the Great Wall is an iconic symbol of their country, but what makes the wall one of the wonders of the world is its longevity, length and the role it played as the largest defensive military construction project.

History

The history of the Great Wall of China is actually built on two walls. The first part was built in 200 B.C., and the final fortifications were completed in the 16th century, during the Ming Dynasty.

Purpose

China built the Great Wall to help keep back marauding nomadic tribes from the north. This was not always successful, as the fierce warrior horsemen often captured Chinese citizens and carried them off to serve as slaves.

Length

The exact length of the Great Wall of China is disputed. Some experts include ruined sections and natural barriers such as rivers and mountain divides that were incorporated into the design. Others count only the existing parts of the wall. The entire route is more than 5,000 miles from Shanghai, China, on the Pacific coast, west to the Himalayan Tibetan Plain.

Design

The wall is 20 feet high and 20 feet wide along most of the route, and 40-foot-tall watchtowers are located every 200 yards. Among visitors, the most popular sections are those near Beijing.

Myth

It is a myth that the Great Wall of China can be seen from space, according to NASA. The local earth and stones used to build the wall blend into the surrounding landscape in photos shot from space

First ever WOW moment!

Last night we went to a bar/club called 'J9'. Luckily it payed a lot of Western music but their drinks system was ridiculous and it took 20 minutes to get a bottle of beer... they obviously weren't used to the high amount of alcohol consumption that us Brits have. We only had a few but it was a goodnight.

Today we visited the Great Wall of China which was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. I can safely say it's probably the first moment in my life where I've literally been "wow"ed by a place. The sights were so beautiful. It's hard to believe that they built it so long ago. One of the most striking things is that it's built up mountains and not on flat land. Surely the Mongolians would have given up before the mountains never mind the wall. I heard some American kid as her Dad what the wall was for and he said 'to keep out the Japs!' LOL.

We got a sort of ski lift up to the top but took a long slide down which was so much fun although it seemed to bring down the classy-ness of the wall by having this huge slide down the side of it. Unfortunately I got stuck behind some slow loser and couldn't go fast, but it was still an experience. One that I'd love to repeat.

I also bought a cute panda hat which I managed to barter down from 120 Yuan to 20 Yuan (£2.00). I'm getting good at this bartering business.

After the Great Wall we went to an interesting but actually quite crap restaurant where the fish were swimming in a pond and people caught them for you to eat there and then. On the plus side, I'm becoming a chopsticks master.

Today was by far my most favourite day so far. Well done China, you have a great wall.

Fragrant Hills Park

The Fragrant Hills Park is located twenty kilometers (twelve miles) southwest of central Beijing. It is renowned for its imperial garden style and covers an area of 160 hectares (395 acres). There come two popular explanations for its name. One suggests that a huge rock at the peak of the Fragrant Hills looks like an incense burner, and that fragrance seems to rise from the burner at dawn and at dusk. The other proposes that there used be many apricot trees on the hill, making the hill fragrant during their flowering period.

This noted garden was originally built in 1186 during the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) and was enlarged and enhanced during successive dynasties. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), large-scale constructions were carried out on it, leading to an alternative name 'Jingyi Garden'. The Fragrant Hills became one of the three famous hills of Beijing and the garden one of five famous imperial gardens at that time. In 1860, the garden was burned down by the Allied Anglo-French Forces and in 1900 it was devastated by the Eight-Power Allied Forces of Britain, Germany, the United States, France, Tsarist Russia, Japan, Italy and Austria. The park has since been restored and opened to the public.

Xianglu Peak (Incense Burner Peak), Zhao Temple, Jianxin Residence and the Memorial Hall of Dr. Sun Yat-sen are the features of the north part of the park. Xianglu Peak, with an altitude of 557 meters (1,827 feet) is the main peak of the Fragrant Hills. The path to it is rather precipitous and difficult for visitors to climb, but they can reach it by cable car from the north gate of the park, taking eighteen minutes only. From the peak, a panoramic view can be taken in. Zhao Temple was built early in 1780 during the Qing Dynasty to receive the Sixth Panchen Lama. This Tibetan-style temple has a most delicate Paifang (an ancient archway) and a seven-tier glazed pagoda with multi-layered eaves. Jianxin Residence was constructed in 1522, adopting an architectural style prevalent in South China. Emperor Qianlong, the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty, used to read and give banquets in this courtyard during his stay at the garden.

In the south part of the park the main scenic spots are the Shuangqing Villa, Xiangshan Temple and Yuhua Villa. Shuangqing Villa was once the residence of Mao Zedong, the first chairman of PRC, and now exhibitions are displayed within it. Xiangshan Temple was originally built in 1186, but only a stone screen and stone stele have survived. The quiet Yuhua Villa is in the center of the park and is characterized by its courtyard style.

The park is set off by the splendid hill, exquisite lakes and ancient trees. When autumn comes, the leaves of over 94,000 chittamwood trees on the hill begin to turn red, between mid-October and mid-November. Surely, a spectacular scene! So the park is a resort that shouldn't be missed when touring Beijing in autumn.

Admission Fee:	CNY 10 (April 1-December 15)
	CNY 5 (December 16-March 31)
Opening Hours:	06:00-19:00
Bus Route:	318, 331, 360, 634, 714, 733, 737 to Xiangshan (Fragrant Hills Park, 香山公园)

Hope Park

Occupying a vast area of 13.3 hectares (33 acres), Hope Park is situated in Xihuang Village of Shijingshan District. The park is a combination of garden scenery, distinguished buildings and a wide variety of amusements. It is near some wonderful attractions: the graceful Fragrant Hills Park, the famous Badachu Park, a sacred shrine of Buddhism in the West Hills, and the interesting Shijingshan Amusement Park.

Water covers about 1 hectare (2.5 acres), offering wonderful boating and fishing. There is a large water park, with a man-made wave-pool and an aquatic restaurant. In summer, tourists can enjoy water-skiing or just splashing around in the water. An out-door ball room, a children's playground, and a body-building area cater to people of different ages and interests.

With gently flowing terrain, the park borders hills and faces rivers, and contains about 40,000 varieties of plants. Along the river bank stand rows of whirling willows. A beautiful white bridge arches across the water, its elegant figure reflecting from the surface. The buildings in the park were built in the European style, making the park original and unique with an exotic flavor. The park appears both modern and natural, set off by well-distributed buildings, picturesque hills, graceful water features and numerous plants.

Admission Fee:	free
Opening Hours:	06:00-20:00
Bus Route:	318, 389, 622, 958, 972, 972 Zhi (972支), 992 to Xihuangcun Xiaoqu (西黄村小区), and then you could walk to the Hope Park (希望公园).

Culture of Simatai Great Wall

Simatai - which is well-known for its five characters of “steepness, compactness, queerness, wonderfulness, and comprehensiveness”, located in Gubeikou Town to the north east of Miyun county, Beijing, 120 kilometers from the city center. Simatai is exquisite in its details and is grand as a whole, which is the only part of ancient Great Walls with the original features of Ming Dynasty well reserved.

Simatai came into being under the famous general QI Jiguang’s supervision and his original creation, during the Wanli period. It incorporates various characteristics of Ten-Thousand-Mile Great Wall and at the same time bears its unique features. Professor LUO Zhewen, the prestigious Great Wall expert, praised “Chinese Great Walls are the best all around the world, while Simatai deserves the best among all Chinese Great Walls.” Up to now, Simatai Great Wall has been listed by UNESCO into the World Cultural Heritages .
Simatai Great Wall is separated into eastern and western parts by a valley, with a rainbow-like chain bridge over the valley. Simatai Great Wall connects with JinShanLing Great Wall to the west, The hills in the west are sloping gently, with 20 watchtowers well remained. The jade kylin embossment on the General Tower is showing its originality and vividness. The Great Wall is winding on the hills like a golden dragon with majestic vigor. The eastern part of Great Wall, with 15 watchtowers densely covering the peaks thousand meters high, looks even more fantastic. On the marvelous Fairy Tower, there are white marble arches carved with lotuses, telling wonderful tales.

The Heaven Bridge is following the Fairy Tower, which is shorter than 100 meters and narrower than 1 brick, and with cliffs along both sides. Those succeeding in passing the Bridge will be awarded Wall Heroes. On the very peak, connected with the Heaven Bridge, is Capital-Watching Tower, titled the Upmost Cultural Peak of Beijing, with a height of 986 meters above sea level. Walk up and enter the Tower, we may enjoy the white snow of Wuling Mountain to the east, the grand Great Wall to the west, the romance to the north, and capital lamplight to the south. All the outstanding sights will make us feel relaxed and happy.

Deep in the valley, there’re two springs called Mandarin Duck Springs. The east one is cold, while the west is warm. The two springs join into one lake, half cold and the other half warm. Traveling with a small boat on the lake, scanning widely, we may find the mysterious charm of the Great Wall. Simatai Great Wall is quite different with other parts of Great Wall in its fantastic sight seeing and precipitous topography, with interleaving fight walls and defense walls, sky bridge of all sizes, and the wording bricks with both Yinwen and Yangwen, etc.

All the features make Simatai Great Wall, with its historic meanings, the famous scenic spot for traveling, exploration and inspection.

Day 1: Tian'an Men Square & My First Chinese Meal

We had a restful first night and made our way to the lounge for breakfast. In an attempt to try a new food each day, the first item I picked up was near familiar fruits like pineapple and watermelon, but was a white fleshy fruit with black seeds inside, with a skin that looked like onion. The flavor was mild but I thought it must be related somehow to the kiwi. After returning to our room, I found out that it was called 'dragonfruit'.

In the afternoon we met a friend of Liang's family, 'Roger', who took a 5-hour trainride in from Shenyang this morning to be our guide. We took a cab to Tian'an Men Square (where Chairman Mao is buried), walked through a Beijing city gate house (which used to guard old Beijing city limits) and through a centuries old shopping district.

The construction of old buildings in China is very interesting. Many buildings were built without using a single nail (furniture too). Using a Peg-and-hole design with the pieces of wood, no nails were needed (think giant wooden legos). Its amazing to stand under these massive buildings knowing there are no nails holding them together, yet

they have lasted for hundreds of years!

Some of the shops in the old district date back to the 1700s, but there is also a lot of modern influence. I find the best indicator of the age of the buildings to be to look up at the top. The intricate designs and care taken in creating these buildings has not been seen for some time. There is also a lot of pressure to bring commercialized holidays, such as Christmas, to China. Although the Chinese do not celebrate Christmas the city is busy decorating for the holiday. This was 'forced' upon the area by the companies that benefit from this holiday. It is sad that this has happened, but the Chinese do a fabulous job decorating. As Liang said when referring to the Olympics, its hard to outdo China!

After several hours we took the subway back to the hotel- boy was that an experience! Like the roadways, the subways are jam-packed. When you think you can't fit another person into the subway car, you push and shove until you cram everyone in. Liang's tactic was to put me in front of him and when the doors were about

to close, shove as hard as he could to get his rear inside the train!

Hospitality in China is absolutely amazing. A dinner was hosted at a local restaurant known for their Peking Duck in honor of our arrival in China. Two business partners of Liang's dad took a 12-hour train ride from Xi'an to join about eight other people for a "family style" Chinese dinner in a private room of the restaurant. I think I covered my "new food" quota for the next several days during that meal! For over three hours the food kept coming, one dish after another squeezed on to a rotating caroussel in the middle of the table. Endless Chinese tea (that I was told was very expensive), two different kinds of soup, and several bottles of expensive Chinese liquor. The Chinese toast throughout the meal to one another, and many toasts were made to us, so Liang is now sound asleep after having more than his share of "Gan Bei"!

Now, I am ready to settle in for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow: The Forbidden City & Liang's parents and sister arrive! Goodnight (or goodmorning to all my American (měiguórén) friends!)