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As
the capital of China, Beijing is one of the world's truly imposing
cities, with a 3,000-year history and 11 million people. Covering
16,808 square kilometers in area, it is the political,
cultural and economic center of the People’s Republic.
Situated
in northeast China, Beijing adjoins the Inner Mongolian Highland to
the northwest and the Great Northern Plain to the south. Five rivers
run through the city, connecting it to the eastern Bohai Sea.
Administratively, the Beijing municipality equals the status of a province,
reporting directly to the central government. Rich
in history, Beijing has been China’s primary capital for more than
seven centuries. China’s imperial past and political present meet
at Tiananmen square, where the Forbidden City palace of the emperors
gives way to the Great Hall of the People congress building and the
mausoleum of Chairman Mao Zedong. The old city walls have been
replaced by ring roads, and many of the old residential districts of
alleys and courtyard houses have been turned into high-rise hotels,
office buildings, and department stores. Beijing, a dynamic city
where the old and new intermingle, remains a magnet for visitors
from inside and outside China. Beijing
is a city of broad boulevards, now full of traffic and pulsating to
the rhythms of commerce and entertainment.
Museums and parks abound, including the Palace Museum of the
Forbidden City and Beihai Park in the center of town. Nearby, the
China Fine Arts Museum (Zhongguo
meishuguan) exhibits the work of contemporary artists. China’s
ancient past and recent history are on view at the Museum of Chinese
History and Chinese Revolution at Tiananmen. Antiques, crafts, and
books can be found at Liulichang, an old antique market district
remodeled in the 1980’s to reflect the style of the old city. Some
of the spirit of Old Beijing is also preserved at Qianmen, south of
Tiananmen, with stores that date to the early 20th century and
beyond, including the Tongrentang Traditional Medicine Shop, first
established in 1669. Beijing Opera performances and acrobatic
troupes keep those traditional entertainment forms vital, while
contemporary music clubs and discos thrive in an
era of liberalization and prosperity.
Situated
in the northeast corner of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,
Guilin
is haile The
city of Guilin was founded in the Qin
Dynasty in 314 BC as a small settlement on the Lijiang River. It became
increasingly important following the construction of a
canal joining the river with another further north, providing a
transport link with the Yangzi. The imperial court could thus send
food and provisions by water from the Yangzi plains to its armies in
the far south. The town became
the provincial capital in the Ming Dynasty, and
remained so until 1914, when the capital was moved to Nanning. Since
the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, Guilin has developed
a fledging industry, producing a variety of products such as pharmaceutical
goods, tires, machinery, fertilizers and silk. From
its noted profusion of flowering cassia trees, which have a strong
sweet scent, it produces a number of specialties including perfume,
wine, tea, cinnamon, and herbal medicine.
There
are more than 30 noted scenic spots within the boundaries of Guilin
Peak.
Among them are a hill standing in solitary loftiness in the center of
the city; the Elephant Trunk Hill, the city's symbol, so named
because of its resemblance to an elephant’s
sipping water from the Lijiang River with its trunk; the Piled
Festoon Hill that is broken here and there with its rock strata
exposed on its sides like piles of fancy festoons; and the Crescent
Hill that is named after its moon-shaped cave opening.
There
are two fantastic caves in the area--- the
seven-star-rock cave, which derives its name from the arrangement of
surrounding peaks resembling the pattern of the stars of the Great
Bear constellation, and Reed-Flute Cave, named after the reeds
growing around the cave mouth. They both contain spectacular
stalactites and stalagmites. The
city also boasts other beautiful hills, such as the Fubo Hill, which
is supposed to restrain the waters of the Lijing River, and Nanxi
Hill that stands magnificently like a huge screen.
A
boat trip from Guilin along the Lijiang River presents
one of the finest excursions on your tour of China. The journey
downstream to Yangshuo offers 30 miles of breathtaking scenery.
One
of the first points of interest is the pagoda-capped
Elephant Trunk Hill, or Xiangbishan, long used as the symbol of
Guilin. A little further downstream you will pass, on your left,
Baotashan with a Ming Dynasty pagoda on top. East of it stands
Chuanshan, or the Hill with a
Hole. Then begins a series of beautiful scenes that unfold as you
glide away from Guilin on your journey south.
Coming
close to the Erlang Gorge, a huge cliff comes into view. This
is the famous "Picture Hill" that resembles
horses of different colors in different positions. On
the right, after passing Picture Hill, is Huangbu (Yellow Cloth)
Beach. Here the river is wide and flows gently. Seven graceful peaks
are likened to seven quiet young girls standing shoulder to shoulder.
The fabled Xingping Wonderland begins here. Xingping is a famous,
ancient town. Caishi Hill looms high in front of the town, with thick bamboo groves
in the back. The cruise ends at the colorful market town of
Yangshuo.
The
largest city in China, Shanghai contains the most striking
blend of oriental and western cultures and of the past and present. In
this city, European-style buildings can be seen standing
alongside typical Chinese structures and ancient temples. Modern
ocean-going vessels sail past junks. A
flourishing commercial and industrial center, Shanghai has a population of over 12 million
and a land area of 3,355 square
miles. Although
early records indicate that a settlement was founded during the Song
Dynasty (960-1380 AD), at a time when invaders from the north were retreating
to their own borders, it remained a small fishing village and did
not become a town until the mid-13th century. Compared with other
major cities in China it has had a relatively short history.
During
the Ming Dynasty, many walls were erected to enclose the town and
protect it from Japanese pirates. The town prospered from foreign
trade in the Qing Dynasty. Prior to the outbreak of the Opium War in 1840,
Shanghai had grown into a port with 500,000 inhabitants.
After
the Opium War, Shanghai was forced by European powers to open as a
"treaty port." From that time on aggressors from many countries
began to flock in and the city became known as a notorious "paradise
for adventurers." Carving out their own
spheres of influence, they settled there by seizing their respective
"concessions," which were
characteristic of this colonial period.
The
Chinese response to the foreign dominance took
several decades to become strong. During the War
of
Resistance Against Japan (1937-1945), Shanghai was occupied
by Japanese troops, and was reclaimed by the nationalist army after
the surrender of Japan. The city was seized by
the People's Liberation Army on May 38, 1949. Since then,
Shanghai has changed from a consumer city of the past into a major modern
industrial
city. Cultural
activities include theater groups, film studios, a symphony
orchestra, the ballet, opera companies, acrobatics and even a circus.
Due
to many years of foreign influence, Shanghai, the first Chinese
city to open a disco for foreign visitors, is perhaps
China's most cosmopolitan city. It also offers the tourist art and
history museums tracing China's growth through the ages, and
magnificent examples of Chinese architecture in its temples and
buildings.
Kunming,
the capital of Yunnan Province, is known as the “city of eternal
spring.”
Located in the middle of the Yunan Plateau 6,300 feet above sea
level, subtropical Kunming is skirted by mountains to the north,
east, and west, while to the south lies a large lake called Dianchi.
Kunming has a mild climate and flowers bloom most of the year round.
But its association with eternal spring can be misleading, because
there are sometimes cold winds in winter, chilly days in spring, and
heavy rains in summer. Generally speaking, though, the city's
climate is kind to travelers most of the time.
Kunming
has a history spanning more than 3,000 years. It is known to have
been a small settlement as early as 109 B.C., trading in salt,
silver, gold, silk and lumber. Through the eighth to the 13th
centuries, it was the secondary capital of a small kingdom in the
region, before falling to the Mongols in 1374. A small group of
Mongols still exists at Tonghai, about 75 miles south of Kunming.
Yunan
Province, so named because of its location to the south of the Yun
Mountains, is the home of 33 ethnic groups including the Han. Xishan, or West Hill, is a 30-minute bus ride from kunming. It is really made up of four hills, which form a contour resembling a sleeping beauty, whose hair flows down to the water. For this reason Xishan is also called a sleeping beauty mountain. A forest stretches for several miles, containing ancient buildings such as the Huating Temple, the Taihua Temple, and the Sanqing Pavilion, nestling almost unseen, among the thick foliage. From Xishan you can get a fantastic view of Lake Dianchi. Dianchi,
also known as Kunming Lake, covers 130 square miles and was formed
by a geological fault in the central Yunnan Plateau. It has long
been famous for its fish. Indeed, Marco Polo praised the variety and
bounty of catches in his 13th century account of his travels in the
region. Now the blue lake is dotted with many white sails of long
flat boats. The
famous Stone Forest is located 73 miles southeast of Kunming within
the boundaries of Lunan County. It is also known as the Stone Forest
of Lunan. About
330 million years ago, the area where the Stone Forest now stands
was submerged beneath the sea, and deposits of limestone built up
there. As a result of countless earthquakes and movements in the
Earth's crust, the ground was thrust up and the sea subsided to give
way to a tableland. The constant seeping of rain water containing
carbonic acid through the cracks in the limestone, gradually
dissolved much of the stone pillars remained --a most enchanting
formation, which, from a distance, resembles a forest of pines.
Scattered through this strange landscape are natural and artificial
ponds, tiny bridges and classical pavilions. The tallest stone
pillar towers 99 feet. The most interesting sights are the "Sword
Peak Pond", "Lotus Blossom Peak", "Jade Lake in
the Stone Forest", and the "Peak View Pavilion".
While
in Kunming, one should also try to catch a glimpse of the various
costumes of the many ethnic groups in Yunnan. The best chance is
probably during
the Water Splashing Festival, a traditional gala held every April to
celebrate the new year on the calendar of the Dai, Blang, Benglong,
Achang and Wa peoples.
At the festival, people splash water on each other as a symbol of
best wishes for a long life and a good harvest. The biggest
celebration is usually held in Xishuangbanna, a fertile tropical
area about 400 miles south of Kunming.
Liaoning Province located in the Northeast of China. The Imperial Palace in Shenyang is now a museum, displaying historical artifacts of the Qing Dynasty. At one time it served as the Imperial Palace of Emperors Nu Er Ha Chi and Huang Tai Ji. The Palace is the best preserved cluster of imperial structures in the country next only to the Forbidden City in Beijing. Resembling the latter in style and layout, it is characterized by the combination of architectural styles of Man and Han nationalities. Anshan located southwest from
Shenyang. It was used to be the Japanese colony from 1930 till 1945.
It enjoys the reputation of the Largest Jade Buddha Statue in the
world, famous hot springs in Asia, the Largest Production Center for
Iron and Steel in China, the Home of Chinese Jade, and China’s
famous scenic spot of Mt. Qianshan.
Dalian
is a
major port of northeastern China and a trading gateway for all of
northern China. Declared
a
Coastal
Open City in 1984, it is home to major shipyards, oil refineries,
diesel engineering plants, and factories for textile
and chemical products. The city is located
on the southernmost tip of the Liaodong Peninsula, jutting out into
the
Bohai Sea
in the northeast, between China and North Korea. It is 4 hours by
train south of Shenyang. It has a population of
about 1.5 million, with a total of 5 million in the larger
metropolitan area.
Xi’an
was one of the most important cradles of Chinese civilization. The
famous “Silk Road” that linked China with central Asia and the
Roman Empire
starts in Xi’an in the east. The city
served as the first capital of a unified China and capital of 11
dynasties periodically from the 11th century BC to the early 10th
century AD. Located
between rivers and mountains in the center of the fertile Guanzhong
Plain in Shaanxi province, Xi'an--the provincial capital--is the
natural place to nurture the nation's civilization. Back in the
Neolithic Age, about 6,000 years ago, as excavations show, a
matriarchal clan was formed at Banpo village in the region.
Thousands
of years later, the Zhou kings established their capital in
settlements only a few miles from the present-day city. In 331 BC,
Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of unified China, set about expanding
the settlement of Xianyang, about 15 miles northwest of the city.
This town, established under earlier Qin rulers as the capital,
became heavily populated, so that in 313 BC, Emperor Qin decided to move his court
to the south bank of the Wei River. A vast palace was begun. However,
the
work
was never completed in his lifetime, and some years later when the
Qin fell to the Han (306 BC), this and most of the other palaces
were set
ablaze and destroyed. The
conqueror, Liu Bang, first emperor of the Han Dynasty, established
his capital only a few miles north of modern day Xi'an.
From
about 35 AD, the town went into a decline that lasted about five and
a half centuries, until, in 583 AD, the Sui emperor, Wen Di,
established his capital southeast of Changan. The area flourished and developed so
quickly under the Tang Dynasty that in time it became the most prominent
city in Asia, with a population of about a million people living in
a vast, well-planned area protected by large walls with ramparts.
For over a millennium from the Second Century BC, China's silk was transported from Xi'an to central Asia and Europe. Although damaged by several wars, Xi'an, covering 880 square miles and with a population of 3,915,000 still contains a host of historical sites.
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