Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven was built in 1,420 in the Ming Dynasty, which is the most holy of all Beijing's imperial temples. This is where the Emperor came every winter solstice to worship heaven and to solemnly pray for a good harvest. True to the Chinese saying, "Round Heaven, Square Earth." The park is in a square shape and the temple in a round shape which symbolizes that the emperor had to leave the Earth (represented by the square) for Heaven (represented by the round-roofed building).
 

Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Emperor Qin Shi Huang

The Terracotta Warriors and Horses are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13 (in 246 BC), Qin Shi Huang, had work begun on his mausoleum. It took 11 years to finish. It is speculated that many buried treasures and sacrificial objects had accompanied the emperor in his after life. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China.

Banpo Museum

The Banpo Museum is located in the eastern outskirt of Xi'an City. As the first museum at the prehistoric site, It was built at the base of the excavations of the Banpo site. The Banpo site is a typical Neolithic matriarchal community of the Yangshao Culture dating back about 6,000 years. Here a lot of relic exhibited to show how ancient people.

Xi'an City Wall initially built during the old Tang dynasty (618-907) and ZhuYuanzhang, the first emperor of Ming dynasty, rebuilt the wall, creating the modern Xi'an City Wall. The wall now stands 12 meters tall, 12-14 meters wide at the top and 15-18 meters thick at the bottom. It covers 13.7 kilometers in length with a deep moat surrounding it. It's the most complete city wall that has survived in China, as well as being one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world.

Shaanxi History Museum Shaanxi Province is the birthplace of the ancient Chinese civilization. Xi'an City was the capital city in thirteen dynasties which in total lasted over 1100 years. The Shaanxi History Museum considers it an obligation to be a showcase of ancient civilizations. It was opened to the public in 1991. Over 700,000 people visit this national treasure each year.

Once the site of the Temple of Confucius during the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127), the Forest of Stone Steles Museum is situated on Sanxue Street, near the south gate of Xi'an City Wall. With 900 years of history, this treasure house holds a large collection of the earliest stone steles of different periods, from the Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, all together there are 3,000 steles.

The Potala Palace

Perched upon Marpo Ri hill, 130 meters above the Lhasa valley, the Potala Palace rises a further 170 meters and is the greatest monumental structure in all of Tibet . Early legends concerning the rocky hill tell of a sacred cave, considered to be the dwelling place of the Bodhisattva Chenresi (Avilokiteshvara) that was used as a meditation retreat by Emperor Songtsen Gampo in the seventh century AD. In 637 Songtsen Gampo built a palace on the hill. This structure stood until the seventeenth century, when it was incorporated into the foundations of the greater buildings still standing today. Construction of the present palace began in 1645 during the reign of the fifth Dalai Lama and by 1648 the Potrang Karpo, or White Palace , was completed. The Potrang Marpo, or Red Palace , was added between 1690 and 1694; its construction required the labors of more than 7000 workers and 1500 artists and craftsman. In 1922 the 13th Dalai Lama renovated many chapels and assembly halls in the White Palace and added two stories to the Red Palace . The Potala Palace was only slightly damaged during the Tibetan uprising against the invading Chinese in 1959. Unlike most other Tibetan religious structures, it was not sacked by the Red Guards during the 1960s and 1970s, apparently through the personal intervention of Chou En Lai. As a result, all the chapels and their artifacts are very well preserved.

From as early as the eleventh century the palace was called Potala. This name probably derives from Mt. Potala, the mythological mountain abode of the Bodhisattva Chenresi (Avilokiteshvara/Kuan Yin) in southern India. The Emperor Songtsen Gampo had been regarded as an incarnation of Chenresi. Given that he founded the Potala, it seems likely that the hilltop palace of Lhasa took on the name of the Indian sacred mountain. The Potala Palace is an immense structure, its interior space being in excess of 130,000 square meters. Fulfilling numerous functions, the Potala was first and foremost the residence of the Dalai Lama and his large staff. In addition, it was the seat of Tibetan government, where all ceremonies of state were held; it housed a school for religious training of monks and administrators; and it was one of Tibet 's major pilgrimage destinations because of the tombs of past Dalai Lamas. Within the White Palace are two small chapels, the Phakpa Lhakhang and the Chogyal Drubphuk; dating from the seventh century, these chapels are the oldest surviving structures on the hill and also the most sacred. The Potala's most venerated statue, the Arya Lokeshvara, is housed inside the Phapka Lhakhang, and it draws thousands of Tibetan pilgrims each day.

Included on UNESCO's World Heritage list in 2000 as part of the Potala Palace, the Jokhang Temple is located in central Lhasa in Tibet. With an area of 25,100 square meters (about six acres), it is the ultimate pilgrimage destination for Tibetan Pilgrims. The Jokang Temple is a four-storey timber complex with a golden top. It adopted the architectural styles of the Tang Dynasty, as well as those of Tibet and Nepal. Standing in the square of the Jokang Temple, one can view the entire complex. On the square there are two steles, one recording an alliance between the king of Tibet and the emperor of the Tang, the other portraying the teaching of the Tibetan people to prevent and treat smallpox, a once incurable disease in Tibet. In the eastern section of the yard there are rows of votive lights. These flicking lights provide a path leading all the way to the main hall. The main hall, over 1,300 years old, is the oldest shrine of the complex. Above the major entrance, there is a Dharma Wheel (chakra) flanked by two deer. This represents the unity of all things and symbolizes Sakyamuni himself. On both sides of the passageway, paintings showing the building of the temple, and renderings of the temple from the seventh century are adorned on the wall. The statue of Sakyamuni at age 12 sits in the middle of the hall. It has been gilded many times and decorated elaborately with jewels typical of Tibet. Statues of King Songtsem Gampo, Princess Wen Cheng and Princess Bhrikuti are on the second floor. On the top floor, there are four gilded bronze tile tops crafted in the emblematical Tang style.

The statue of Sakyamuni is a rare treasure. When Sakyamuni was alive, he disagreed with the idea of 'personal worship' and did not allow likenesses of himself to be created. Only three statues, designed by he himself, were permitted to be sculpted during his lifetime. The first is a likeness of him at age eight; the second shows him at age twelve when he was still a prince of India; and the third is of him as an adult. The statue kept in the Jokang Temple is the statue of Sakyamuni at age eight. It was presented to the king of the Tang Dynasty and brought to Tibet by Princess Wen Cheng.

Barkhor Street

Located in the old area of Lhasa City, Tibet, Barkhor Street is a very ancient round street surrounding the Jokhang Temple and the Tibetan people are always proud of it. As a symbol of Lhasa, this street is also a must-see place for the tourists. It's said that in 647, the first Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo (617-650) built the Jokhang Temple. Due to its magnificence, it quickly attracted thousands of Buddhist pilgrims. As a result, a trodden path appeared. That is the origin of Barkhor Street. Today even still many pilgrims hold the prayer wheels to walk clockwise there from dawn to dark. Also you can see some pilgrims walking or progressing body-lengths by body-lengths along the street. Even some of them are teenagers or have experienced thousands of miles' walk to reach this sacred place. The way they express their piety could make you understand the holiness of religion.

To sum up, Barkhor Street is a place full of religious atmosphere and a world of exotic articles. If you have been attracted by it, you should go there. Believe your eyes, and you will get a lot of surprise there.
 

Yamdrok-sto Lake

Yamdrok Yumtso (or Yamdrok-tso), one of the three holiest lakes in Tibet, lies at Nhagartse, located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) to the southwest of Lhasa. According to legend, it was a fairy that descended to earth. Her husband followed suit and transformed into Mt. Kampala. Besides Mt. Kampala, Yamdrok Yumtso is also surrounded by Mt. Nyinchenkhasa, Mt. Chetungsu and Mt. Changsamlhamo. Befitting its mythical feminine origins, the turquoise blue lake has indescribable scenic beauty, prompting the Tibetans to compare it with the fairyland in heaven. The lake is also called Coral Lake of the Highlands due to its shape. The charming lake produces abundant aquatic life. On the surrounding expansive pasture, animals and birds flourish in huge numbers. There are dozens of islets in the lake, on which flocks of birds roost. During the herding season, the local herdsmen will ferry their herds of sheep across to these islets since there aren't any predators on these islets, and leave them there until the onset of winter. The holy lake is also a pilgrimage site for Tibetans. Every summer, gangs of pilgrims trek there to pray and receive blessings. Pilgrims believe that its water can make the old young again, grant the middle-aged a longer life and make the children smarter. Being a sacred lake, the color of its water may be taken by the devout as having spiritual meaning. Tibetans will usually visit the lake before making important decisions. On one of the islets, stands a Nyinmapa monastery. outh of the lake, one finds the Sangding Monastery, which is famous as the residence of the only female high lama in Tibet.

Giant Panda Wolong Research Center

The Wolong Giant Panda Reserve Centre was one of the earliest research bases established in the early 1980s by the Government of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Until 1989, the Ministry of Forestry of PRC and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) formulated the long-term Giant Panda Management Plan. Today, the Wolong Giant Panda Reserve Centre has been turned into the Giant Panda Breeding Centre focusing on research works on breeding and bamboo ecology. Much other research works are being carried out at other Reserves such as the one in Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi Province.

The Centre basically takes care of giant pandas under three situations:

• when the giant pandas are brought up from captive breeding,
• when the giant pandas are somehow dispersed from the group, or are rescued from injury, and have lost the ability to survive if released back to the wild,
• when the giant panda are ready to be released back t to the wild.

The Centre has two types of 'accommodations' for giant pandas - the Captive Cages and the Semi-nature Enclosures.
Most of the giant pandas in the Centre stay individually in the captive cages, which are in fact large enclosures, each consists of an in-door room and an out-door courtyard.

The semi-nature enclosures are very large wild areas but protected by border fences. Those giant pandas that will soon be released back to the wild will be put in the semi-nature enclosures for a long enough period of time for them to adapt to the natural environment. Although food has to be provided, the giant pandas will sleep there, eat there and recover their natural survival skills there until they can be released back to the wild.

Yangtze River Cruise

Three Travelers' Cave, Yichang

The cave is 10 kilometers away from City of Yichang. Its great mountains, beautiful rivers, and charming landscapes are like a giant painting. Three Travelers' Cave is located in a deep valley; it is warm in winter and cool in summer with great and beautiful views. The cave is about 30 meters deep, 23 meters in width and is about 9 meters high. Inside the cave, there are many stalagmites; the three main stalagmites divided the cave into two chambers. The chamber near the front is wide and bright, along the walls there are more than 40 stone tablets. The tablets caved with poems and prose made from the famous poets when they tour this area. The other chamber is gloomy and deep with great many strange stalactites. If you throw a rock at those stalactites, you will hear the echo sound of a bell, yet when the rock falls in to the water you will hear the echo sound of a drum. This is one of the reasons this cave became tourist attraction. The origin of this cave may be traced back to the Tang Dynasty. In 819, three Tang Dynasty poets, Bai Juyi, his brother Bai Xingjian and Yuan Zhen, met in Yichang and made an excursion to this site. While enjoying the spectacular scenery, they inscribed some poems on the cave walls. Afterwards they were considered as the 'First Three Travelers'.

Chinese Sturgeon Museum

Chinese Sturgeon Museum is a part of the Chinese Sturgeon Garden which is located in Xiaoxita Town, in Yichang of Hubei Province. The museum was set up in 1993 by the Chinese Sturgeon Research Institute. This institute aims to preserve the rare species of Chinese sturgeon that includes 27 species of sturgeon that still exist in the world. Chinese sturgeon, also known as Green Sturgeon, is a kind of migration fish. Having lived on the earth for 140 million years, the Chinese sturgeon is one of the oldest vertebrate lying between chondrichthian and bony fish. In this case, Chinese sturgeon are called the 'living fossil'. Chinese sturgeon is the king of the freshwater fish for it is the largest and lives the longest. An adult sturgeon can be more than 4 meters (about 13 feet) long and weigh in excess of 500 kilograms (about 1,102 pound). A mature Chinese female sturgeon, over 14 years old can lay about 0.3 million to 1.3 million eggs at one time; unfortunately, more than 90% of these eggs will become the dinner of other fish, such as the bronze gudgeon and the yellow catfish. Therefore, the considerable reduction of the number of this specie makes it a highly prized variety of Chinese sturgeon. Since the building of the famous Gezhouba Water Conservancy Project in the 1980's, the Chinese sturgeon's migration route has been obstructed by the dam. As a result, Chinese sturgeons have lost their spawning area for reproducing offspring which has also put the survival of Chinese sturgeon at risk. In 1982 the Chinese government set up a major institution to protect the precious rare species, and to research the reproduction of the rare Chinese sturgeon in order to preserve them. From 1984, 4.44 million young Chinese sturgeons have been put into the Yangtze River . Since 1988 in order to provide the species with even greater protection, the Chinese sturgeon has been upgraded and has received a state-protected animal classification.

Yu Yuan Garden

Yuyuan is a 400 year old classical Chinese garden in the Old Town of Shanghai, not far from the Bund. Pan Yunduan spent twenty years and all his savings building it to please his parents in their old age. In the garden you can feel the harmonies between the construction, plants and human.

Shanghai Museum

As a museum of ancient Chinese art, Shanghai Museum houses a collection of 120,000 precious works of art. Its rich and high-quality collection of ancient Chinese bronze, ceramics, painting and calligraphy is specially celebrated in the world. Its unique architectural form of a round top with a square base, symbolizing the ancient Chinese philosophy that the square earth is under the round sky, is a distinguished architectural combination of traditional feature and modern spirit. The present Shanghai Museum has eleven galleries and three special temporary exhibition halls. It extends warm welcome to the visitors from all over the world.

Li River Cruise

The poetic and picturesque Li River is the important component of Guilin scenery. It originates in Mountain Cat at Xinan county in the northeast of Guilin. It winds and meanders its way for 170 kilometers, passing through Guilin, Yangshuo to the outlet of Gongchen river in Pingle county. Li River, between Guilin and Yangshuo, traverses 84 kilometers like a jade ribbon winding among thousands of hills. Along the river, the rolling peaks, steep cliffs, green hills and clear water constitute a fascinating hundred-mile picturesque gallery. Li River scenery is known to all not only for its green hills, clear water, fantastic caves and spectacular rocks but also for its wonderful deep pools, springs and waterfalls. Moreover, people can enjoy the different beauties of Li River scenery at different seasons and weathers. In fine days, reflections of the hills in clear and greenish water are especially pleasing to the eyes, but it is more enchanting under rainy and misty weather. The hazy view of the drizzling rain and lingering clouds give birth to a wonderful fairyland for tourists.