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| China
Impressions I - Seven World Heritage Sites in China |
 Forbidden City  , the former imperial palace, is situated in the center of Beijing. Construction of the Palace began in 1406. After the completion, it was used as the imperial palace in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368 -1911 AD). In history, a total of 24 emperors were enthroned here.
The Former Imperial Palace is the biggest one in size in the world. It covers an area of seven hundred twenty thousand square meters , with floor space of one hundred fifty thousand square meters, and more than 9,000 rooms. The main building is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, also known as the Hall of the Golden Throne. The hall is the most important and the largest structure in the palace. In history, it was used for ceremonial occasions such as the emperors birthday, the nomination of military leaders and coronations.
The buildings in the Palace constitute the largest and most complete existing ensemble of traditional Chinese architecture. The entire Palace area, rectangular in shape, is surrounded by walls ten meters high and a moat 52 meters wide. Each of the four corners of the wall has a tower with a multi-eaved, ridged roof covered with yellow glazed tiles. The Palace looks solemn and magnificent.
The Palace is now also a museum, which houses a great variety of rare cultural relics and works of art in history. In December,1987 The Palace Museum in Beijing was listed in the Chronology of Recognition of World Heritages in China. [TravelWizard.com]
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 The Great Wall  , the Wall of 10,000 Li, is considered to be one of the most impressive structures in the world. It winds across deserts, valleys and mountains like a chain. It is said to be the only man- made structure visible from the moon. Construction of the Great Wall started in the 7th century BC. It was renovated from time to time after the Qin Dynasty. A major renovation started with the founding of the Ming Dynasty in 1368, and took 200 years to complete. The wall we see today is almost exactly the result of this effort. With a total length of over 6,000km, it extends to the Jiayu Pass in Gansu Province in the west and to the mouth of the Yalu River in Liaoning Province in the east. The wall was not only valuable as a defense system, it was also a significant thoroughfare. Great masses of people could cover long distances through rough areas comparatively fast and comfortable, whereas otherwise transportation would have caused considerable problems. [ChinaHoliday.com]
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 The Potala Palace  , an administrative, religious and political complex, is built on the Red Mountain in the centre of the Lhasa valley, at an altitude of 3700 metres. The complex comprises the White Palace and the Red Palace, with their ancillary buildings. The Potala, winter palace of the Dalai Lama since the 7th century A.D., symbolises Tibetan Buddhism and its central role in the traditional administration in Tibet. The beauty and originality of its architecture, its ornate decoration and its harmonious integration in a striking landscape add to its historic and religious interest. [UNESCO.org]
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 Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor  In 1974, at the northern foot of Lishan Hill in the east of Lintong county, three large pits of terra-cotta figures were found 1.5km east of the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin, who established the first centralized feudal dynasty in 221 B.C. in the history of China. Among the three, the largest one is pit No.1, covering 14,260 square meters. The pit is divided into eleven corridors in which arrayed 38 columns of life-sized clay warriors, horses and chariots. Over 6000 clay warriors could be assumedly unearthed from the pit if it would be completely excavated. This would be really an artistic reappearance of hundreds of Qin Shi Huang's warriors. With its artistic momentum, it could be acclaimed a piece of great masterwork. The figures, life-likely shaped and colorfully painted, are of high artistic value. Now, a big arch-roofed exhibition hall is set up over Pit No.1 where the restored terra-cotta warriors and horses are on display. [ChinaHoliday.com]
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 Mount Huangshan  A national park with spectacular scenery and great natural beauty, 30 peaks above 1500m, Mt. Huangshan towers over southern Anhui Province, and ranks among China's best known scenic spots and enjoys worldwide fame as well.
On Huangshan, you can enjoy all beauties of nature. But its charm lies especially in its rare strange pines, jagged peaks, the sea of clouds and hot springs -the Four Wonders on the mountain. Of its numerous mountain peaks, seventy-two have names stuck to them.
The pines on Huangshan are in their infinite variety of forms impress one with their grace and perseverance. The best-known are, for instance, the Welcoming Pine and the Lying-Dragon Pine. As for the sea of clouds, it engulfs the mountain all the year round. And there is that cluster of springs which never dry up, and whose crystal good-quality water is good for both drinking and bathing.
Huangshan is also noted for its varieties of exotic plants and flowers, rare birds and animals. It is indeed a great nature zoo and botanical garden. Xu Xiake, a great traveler and geographer of the Ming Dynasty, composed a famous poem for it, saying "One would not have any interest in other mountains after seeing Huangshan". Hot-spring Scenic Area, Beihai(North Sea) Scenic Area, Xihai(West Sea) Scenic Area, Tianhai (Heavenly Sea) Scenic Area and Yupinglou(Jade Screen Tower) Scenic Area are the famous attractions you can't miss. [ChinaHoliday.com]
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 Jiuzhaigou  With spectacular alpine scenery of mountains, lakes, waterfalls, and vegetation, Jiuzhaigou, namely, Nine-Tibetan-Village Valley, is located in Nanping County in the north of Sichuan Province. It is 470km away from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, with an elevation of about 2,500m. In 1992 and 1997 Jiuzhaigou listed by UNESCO as the natural heritage of the world and biosphere protection area of the world .
Jiuzhaigou is celebrated for unique mystery under the heaven. Like in a fairyland, it has extremely clear water in over 100 plateau lakes. The scenic spot actually consists of three major gullies, spread over a total area of 60,000 hectares, which formerly was the site of nine stocked villages of Tibetans. Hence the name Jiuzhaigou.
There is great tributary in the gully which is the water source of Jia Ling River of the Yangtze River system. The mountain peaks are towering around and the snow summits are raising in the sky. The gully is formed into a "Y" type embraced by free mountains. There are 117 lakes in the gully both large and small, which are distributed in terraced types. Between the lakes there are 17 waterfall groups and torrents in 11 sections and 5 calcification flowing shoals connected each other, which have formed into the natural landscape with high mountain lake groups and calcification flowing shoals as the main body. This is the only one in China and rarely exists in the world. [ChinaHoliday.com]
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 Ping Yao  , a small town 100km south of Taiyuan, was founded in the 14th century, and it's one of the four well-preserved cities in China. In 1997, it was inscribed on the World Cultural Heritage List.
The brief introduction of the UNESCO says : Ping Yao is an exceptionally well preserved example of a traditional Han Chinese city, founded in the 14th century. Its urban fabric is an epitome of the evolution of architectural styles and town planning in Imperial China over five centuries. Of special interest are the imposing buildings associated with banking, for which Ping Yao was the center for the whole of China in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Today, the ancient city of Pingyao are still remained basically unchanged. The plan is still simple, only with square walls, each 1.5km long, enclosing four main streets for defense purpose. Few buildings here are higher than two stories and many are over a hundred years old. And the small shops are still with painted glass lanterns hanging outside, with faded paintings on their eaves, and with complicated wooden lattice holding paper across the windows. [ChinaHoliday.com]
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