Beijing
Since AD 1000, Beijing, the city has served as a main or subsidiary residence for a series of dynasties. Under the rule of the Mongol emperor Kublai Khan in the 13th century, it was known as Khanbaliq, the city of Khan. The city did not receive its typical form which still survives today, until the rule of the Ming dynasty. The Emperor Yongle is considered its actual planner and architect. Beijing lies on a plain that opens to the south. In an anologue to this position, all important buildings in the city are built to face the south, protected from harmful yin influences from the north such as the Siberian winter or the enemies from the steppes, for it was in the south that the generosity and warmth of the yang sphere was thought to reside. As a result, the Outer or Southern Gate to the city, was the largest, most beautiful and most sacred of its kind. The Coal Hill (Jingshan) to the north of the Imperial Palace, which when the air is clear has a beautiful view of the rooftops of Beijing, was probably created according to geomantic considerations. Some attractive and interesting places in Beijing include:
Tian'anmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace) (Beijing)
The symbol of New China, this gate was built in 1417 and renovated in 1981. It was originally called the Gate of Heavenly Succession. The late Chairman Mao proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China on the rostrum on October 1st, 1949. The gate has five passages, which were closed and used only on ceremonial occasions in the old days. The emperor alone was entitled to pass through the central passage. Before leaving on a journey he would make a sacrifice in front of the gate. At other times imperial edicts were sent down, in a gilded box shaped like a phoenix, to officials kneeling below. Hence the expression:" the Imperial Orders Given by the Gilded Phoenix." The edict was then taken to the Ministry of Rites where copies were made for dispatch to the whole country.
The Temple of Heaven (Beijing)
The Temple of Heaven is one of the most strictly protected and preserved cultural heritages of China. There are 12 million visitors every year.
The Circular Mound Altar - The largest group of architectures ever to be dedicated to Heaven. The Temple of Heaven served as an exclusive altar for Chinese monarchs during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It was decreed that rulers of successive dynasties would place altars in their own capitals to worship Heaven and pray for a good harvest. The ancient Chinese believed that Heaven was the supreme ruler of the universe and the fate of mankind, and thus worshiping rites dedicated to Heaven came into being. The Heaven the ancient Chinese referred to, was actually the Universe, or nature. In those days, there were specific rites of worship. This was especially true during the Ming and Qing dynasties when elaborate ceremonies were held.
The Temple of Heaven was built in 1420 during the reign of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty. Situated in the southern part of the city, this grand set of structures covers an area of 273 hectares. To better symbolize heaven and earth, the northern part of the Temple is circular while the southern part is square. The whole compound is enclosed by two walls, a square wall outside a round one inside. The outer area is characterized by suburban scenery, while the inner part is used for sacrifices. The inner enclosure consists of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest and the Circular Mound Altar.
The Great Wall (Beijing)
The Great Wall, symbolizing China's ancient civilization, is one of the world's most renowned projects. It is a distance of 75 kilometres northwest of Beijing. Its highest point at Badaling is some 800 metres above sea level.
Construction of the Wall first began during the period of the Warring States (476 - 221 BC). Formerly, walls were built at strategic points by different kingdoms to protect their northern territories. In 221 BC after the first Emperor of the Qin Dynasty unified China, he decided to have the walls linked up and extended.
Historical records show that about 1 million people, one-fifth of China's population at the time, were involved in the project which took more than ten years. When it was finished they called it "Wan Li Chang Cheng" which means "Ten Thousand-Li-Long Wall". Now, nature has taken over most of the Great Wall.
The Great Wall, was rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty in the 16th century. It extends from Shanhaiguan Pass, a seaport along the coast of Bohai Bay, to Jiayuguan Pass in Gansu Province. Its total length is more than 6,700 kilometres.
The Ming Tombs (Beijing)
The Ming Dynasty lasted from 1368 to 1644. The first Ming emperor had his tomb built in Nanjing, the town which he had chosen for his capital. As his eldest son died early, he was succeeded by his grandson, who became the second emperor. His fourth son, the Prince of Yan, was guarding the northern frontier near Beijing with an army 100,000 strong. The second emperor attempted to weaken his forces but was met with counter-attacks. After a 3-year war he was ousted and completely. So, the fourth son became the third emperor, Emperor Yongle, of the Ming Dynasty.
As a frontier commander, he was aware that a peaceful northern frontier was of great importance to the Ming Palace and he chose this valley to build his tomb. All his successors followed his example and had their tombs built here, except one who was dethroned and buried in the western suburb. Out of the sixteen emperors, thirteen lie here with their empresses and concubines.
Forbidden City (Beijing)
This is the Palace Museum, also known as the Purple Forbidden City. It is the largest and most well preserved imperial residence in China today. Under Ming Emperor Yongle, construction began in 1406. It took 14 years to build the Forbidden City. The first ruler who actually lived here was Ming Emperor Zhudi. For five centuries thereafter, it continued to be the residence of 23 successive emperors until 1911 when Qing Emperor Puyi was forced to abdicate the throne. In 1987, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization recognized the Forbidden City as a world cultural legacy.
It is believed that the Palace Museum, or Zi Jin Cheng (Purple Forbidden City), got its name from astronomy and folklore. The ancient astronomers divided the constellations into groups and centered them around the Ziwei Yuan (North Star). The constellation containing the North Star was called the Constellation of Heavenly God and the star itself was called the purple palace. Because the emperor was supposedly the son of the heavenly gods, his central and dominant position would be further highlighted by the use of the word purple in the name of his residence.
The Summer Palace (Beijing)
The construction of the Summer Palace first started in 1750. At that time, the Qing Dynasty was in its heyday and China was a powerful Asian country with vast territories. The monarch in power then was Emperor Qianlong. With supreme power and large sums of money, he summoned skillful and ingenious artisans from all over the country to carry out this construction work in honor of his mother's birthday. After 15 years and one seventh of the nation's annual revenue spent, the Garden of Clear Ripples was completed and served as a testimony to China's scientific and technological achievements. In 1860, this vast royal garden was burnt down along with the Yuanming Yuan (Garden of Perfection and Brightness) by Anglo-French allied forces. In 1888, Empress Dowager Cixi reconstructed the garden on the same site and renamed it the Garden of Nurtured Harmony (Summer Palace). Characterized by its vast scope and rich cultural embodiments, the Summer Palace has become one of the most famous tourist sites in the world.
The East Gate is the main entrance to the Summer Palace. On top of the eaves of the door there is a plaque bearing a Chinese inscription which means "Garden of Nurtured Harmony, " whose calligrapher was Emperor Guangxu. The gate was used exclusively by the emperor, the empress and the queen mother. All others used the side doors.
Yonghegong Lamasery (Beijing)
Yonghegong is a famous lamasery located in the northeastern part of the old city of Beijing. It was a palatial residence built in 1694 by Qing Emperor Kangxi for his fourth son, Prince Yongzheng who later succeeded to the throne. This magnificent temple consists of five main buildings lying on the north-south axis, with annex halls standing on both sides. The temple is listed by the Chinese Government as one of the important historical monuments under special preservation. After the death of his father, Emperor Yongzheng moved to the Forbidden City. The compound was closed to ordinary people and was renamed Yonghegong (the Palace of Harmony). Green roof tiles were replaced by yellow ones to suit a monarch's home. In 1744 his successor Emperor Qianlong converted the palace into a lamasery. Several renovations have been carried out since 1949. The temple has taken on a new look and was reopened to the public in 1981. It is now not only a functional lama temple, but also a tourist attraction.
The Temple of Confucius (551 BC-479 BC) (Beijing)
The Temple of Confucius, the present site of the Capital Museum is located in Guozijian Street. It is here that Confucius was worshipped during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties (1271 - 1911). The temple was first built by Kublai Khan in 1302 in the Yuan Dynasty, and was restored and rebuilt on several occasions during the Ming and Qing dynasties. In 1737, during the reign of Qing Emperor Qianlong, the major hall was renovated and was recovered with magnificent yellow glazed roof tiles. In 1906, when the worship of Confucius was further emphasized by the Qing Government, the temple underwent extensive restoration which lasted until 1916.
Covering a total area of 22,000 square metres, the temple makes up four courtyards. The principal structures include Xianshimen (Gate of Ancient Teacher), Dachengmen (Gate of Great Accomplishment), Dachengdian (Hall of Great Accomplishment), Chongshengci (Worship Hall), the eastern part of the front courtyard is taken up by the Pavilions for Stone Tablets, the Holy Kitchen, the Pavilion for Sacrificial Animals and the Well Pavilion; in the west, there are more pavilions for Stone Tablets, the hall of Vegetarian Diet and the Gate of Reverence which opens onto Guozijian (Imperial Academy). One either side of the courtyard, are arranged 198 stone tablets bearing 51,624 names of Advanced Scholars of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties who passed the triennial imperial examinations. Inside the Gate of Great Accomplishment are placed ten stone drums which were made on ancient models 1736 to 1795 of the Qing Dynasty and erected as two tablets associated with the event.
It was in the Hall of Great Accomplishment that Confucius was worshipped. The grand hall with its double eaves is flanked by the east and west wings. The east wing now houses an exhibition of the history of Beijing. In the compound of the temple, there are fourteen other pavilions for Stone Tablets of the Ming and Qing dynasties where inscriptions of great historical value are carved.
The Order of Arrangement of the Six Classics is as Follows:
1. Shi or The Book of Poetry
2. Shu or The Book of Rites
3. Li or The Book of Rites
4. Yue or The Book of Music
5. Yi or The Book of Changes
6. Chunqiu or The Spring and Autumn Annals
Modern scholars regard Confucius as the author of some of the classics and the compiler or organizer of the others. He is supposed to have arranged his own works in a sort of psychological order, from simple to complex, as a great teacher would do, Shi, Shu, Li and Yue constitute the general course of study, while Yi and Chunqiu are more of a technical nature and represent ancient concepts brought forward and captured in Confucius time, and constitute a higher course of study. Shi and Shu are used for reading or symbolic education; Li and Yue are for practice or moral education; Yi and Chunqiu represent the philosophy of Confucius. They contain his social and political theories and cannot be understood by ordinary students. They are the technical learning and belong to a higher form of education. That is why they are put at the end of the whole course of study. The Yi or The Book of Change has origins from ancient times rooted in the Yin-Yang and Five Agencies theory.
Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum and the Terra-cotta Warriors & Horses Pits (Xi'an)
In 221 B.C., Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin dynasty established the first centralized feudal dynasty in China. After his death, he was buried at the northern foot of Lishan Hill in the east of Lintong county. The tomb is a rammed-soil mound, 47m. high and its base is 485m.¡Á 515m..
In 1974, three large pits of terra-cotta figures were found 1.5 km. east of the mausoleum. The excavation revealed more than 1.000 pieces of pottery figurines, bronze chariots, horses and weapons. So far, three burial pits have been found. The No. 1 pit buried a rectangular formation of chariots and army troops; the No. 2 pit buried a winding formation of chariots, army troops and cavalries; and the No. 3 pit was a command headquarters. Now, a Terra-cotta Army Museum has been set up for the protection of the discovery. All of them were finely made, and they're transcendental artworks. The Museum of Emperor Qinshihuang's Tomb Figures of Soldiers and Horses are one of the 10 most famous places in China, and are announced as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO.
The Huaqing Pool (Xi'an)
The Huaqing Pool is situated at the foot of Lishan Mountain in the south and borders on the Wei River in the north, almost 35 kilometers eastward from Xi'an City.
Being a villa palace and a resort for emperors and kings in ancient times, it has a history of more than 3000 years. As early as the Western Zhou period, King Zhouyou had Lishan Palace constructed here. Qin Shihuang built a stone pool named "Fairy's Spring". Both the Han Emperor Widi and Sui Emperor Wendi enlarged it.
During the Tang Dynasty, the Emperor Xuanzong ordered large-scale construction by transforming spring wells into pools housed in walled palaces. These were called the "Huaqing Palace" and "the Spring pool". The Emperor and his concubine Lady Yang often came here for pleasure.
Apart from some well-preserved historical buildings in the Huaqing pool, there are also some magnificent newly built halls and pools such as "the Nine Dragon pool" and "Chenxiang Hall".
The Bell Tower (Xi'an)
The Bell Tower is situated in the center of Xi'an City. It was built in 1384 (the 17th year of the Ming Hongwu Era) originally at the end of today's Guanji Street, and was moved to its current position in 1582 (the 10th year of the Ming Wanli Era). It was even rebuilt in 1740 (the 5th year of the Qing Qianlong Era). The copper bell was hung in the tower to give the correct time at dawn, so it's named as the Bell Tower.
Made of blue bricks, the base platform looks like a square, 8.6 meters high and 35.5 meters wide, and covers more than 1370 square meters. Its height altogether is 36 meters from the ground to the top of the tower. It's a magnificent construction rich in national style of classic elegance and beauty. It' is totally made of bricks and wood covered with deep green glazed tiles, eaves and rooms overlapping, each of the four corners has 4 peaks, hoppers, Zaojing (also decorations), woodcarving and colored drawing are on each floor. The whole city will appear before your eyes if you climb the tower and look into the distance.
The new bell in the ancient city Xi'an resembles the Jingyun Bell of the Tang Dynasty, and was beaten at dawn in the new Ding Chou spring, and from then this sight have reappeared in the ancient city. The original Jingyun Bell of the Tang Dynasty is now a state level cultural relic, it's the most famous bronze bell in existence. Its timbre is utterly beautiful. With delicate workmanship, it was floridly decorated and inscribed by Tang Ruizong. Originally, it was hung in the tower to tell the correct time. In order to use the cultural resource fully, the Bureau of the Xi'an Cultural Relic made a bell resembling the Jingyun Bell. Its total height is 2.45 meters, weight 6.5 tons, and the outside diameter of the bell skirt is 1.65 meters. The sculpture, grain decoration and inscriptions of the new one are all the same as those of the old.
The Xi'an City Wall (Xi'an)
The Xi'an City Wall is the best preserved, oldest and largest ancient city defence system in China. It is also one of the most important landmarks of the Xi'an city. The original foundation of the Xi'an City Wall was based on the ruins of the Imperial City Wall of Chang'an City--the capital of the Tang Dynasty. In 904 A.D. when the capital of the Tang Dynasty was moved eastward, the Governor-general Han Jian had the city renovated and turned it into an army garrison and named it "New City". Since then the city was used continuously by Song and Yuan Dynasties, and its features kept unchanged. The Ming Dynasty was set up in 1368 and the Ming army entered the city in 1369. Afterward the city was renamed as "the Prefecture of Xi'an".
In 1370 the First Ming Emperor Zhu Yuan Zhang conferred the title of "King of Qin" on his second son Zhu Shuang and sent him to rule in Shaanxi. The King's official residence was chosen and built in Xi'an City. According to the Ming Dynasty's stipulation, when the title of King was conferred upon the Emperor's son, his costume, carriage, flag and residence had to be one grade lower than the emperors'. The old city was dilapidated and its size was small, so it was not up to the standard. In 1370, the government began to extend the size of Xi'an City, and build the huge project of the residence for the King of Qin. It was completed within eight years.
When the city began to take shape, it was divided into inner city and outer city. The outer city is 13.7 km. in circumference and it occupies an area of 11.5 square km. The structure of the City Wall was earth-rammed. Around the City Wall there are jutting ramparts, sentry towers, corner towers, gate towers, battlements and a series of city defensive fortifications which were scientifically and compactly laid out with very strong defence capability.
The inner city was the residence for the King of Qin. It was built at the high terrain in the north-eastern part of the city, from where the whole city could be well under control by virtue of its advantageous of geographical position. The residence was enclosed by two successive walls and a protective moat. The principal part of the architectural complex was built according the traditional pattern of "Palace in the front and bedchamber at the back". The important palaces and temples were longitudinally arranged in a round pivot order. They looked magnificent. During the 200 year reign of the Ming Dynasty, the inner city continuously served as the military and political center of Shaanxi, where the successive 14 Kings of Qing acted on the order of the Emperor to rule Shaanxi.
The Xi'an City Wall has a history of over 600 years since it was built in the early Ming Dynasty. Nowadays, this old historical relic is not only an important material object for the study of ancient military science but also a sightseeing and entertainment resort for visitors.
Great Wild Goose Pagoda (Xi'an)
Great Wild Goose Pagoda spires loftily in the Daci'en Temple. The temple is in the south suburb of Xi'an, the ancient capital. The pagoda was originally situated within the premises of the Temple of Motherly Kindness in the Jinchang Block in the Chang'an city of the Tang Dynasty.
The Temple was built in 648 A.D. (twenty-second year of Zhenguan of the Tang) by the then Prince Li Zhi, who later became Emperor Gaozong, to honor his mother, Empress Wende.
The Pagoda itself was built in 652 (third year of Yonghui of the Tang Emperor Gaozong). A square pyramid of blue brick, it is 64 meters high, with seven stories. It is simple in shape, and of lofty proportion. Preserved on the four stone doors in the base of the pagoda are exquisite engravings of the Tang. Two steles with "the preface to the Sacred Religion" written by the famous Tang calligrapher Chu Suiliang are set into the walls on the either side of the south door of the pagoda. Because of their distinctive and elegant inscriptions, the steles are valuable data for the art of calligraphy.
Yuyuan Garden & Bazar (Shanghai)
The Yuyuan Garden on the road of the same name in downtown is perhaps the best example of classical gardens of Shanghai. Built in 1559, or the 38th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Ming, the garden is laid out in an intricate manner, with buildings spaced providently, courtyards and all the components of the complex are cunningly grouped to camouflage a rather camped space. As a paragon of the south Chinese landscaping style of the Ming and Qing dynasties, it is a MUST for all visitors to Shanghai. The neighboring Yuyuan Bazaar, known among old-timers as "Old City God's Temple Market", is a rising tourist and shopping center where visitors loitering among a cluster of shops, restaurants and recreation facilities invariably find themselves making a tour of discovery of local folklore and Ming and Qing architecture.
Temple of Jade Buddha (Shanghai)
The Yufo (Jade Buddha) Temple was built in 1882 but after all those years it remains in perfect condition as a sanctuary of Zen Buddhism. The temple derived its name from a jade statue of Sakyamuni from Myanmar. The image of the Buddha, his graceful posture, and the serene and calm look on his face are, to put it in just one word, are "mesmerizing".
The Bund (Shanghai)
By the glittering Huang Pu River, stands one after another, the tall and huge architecture reflecting an air of prosperity for the oriental city - Shanghai. And this is Bund, the place well known to the world, being the symbol of Shanghai.
Generally speaking, Bund usually represents the 24 architectures along from No.1 to No.33, west of No.1 East Zhong Shan Road. Most are bank buildings about 10 in number. The others are commercial buildings, national organizations, restaurants, clubs, press etc. Bund assembles the architectural buildings of finance and trade. And these big banks as well as big companies are of international nature, thus Shanghai is internationalized. Most of the architecture was built before 1937. People have made the best use of the fine architecture as a contribution for Shanghai in the international arenasociety.
Pedestrians Only" Nanjing Road (Shanghai)
Flanked on both sides by famed shopping centers, department stores, specialty stores, exotic restaurants and cultural and recreational facilities, the 5-km-long Nanjing Road is the most sophisticated shopping and tourist complex in Shanghai. Everyday more than 1 million visitors throng it.
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