Tourism Best Informations For You

Watarrka National Park Australia Trip

2012-04-20T11:29:00.003-07:00

Watarrka National Park, synonymous with Kings Canyon, includes the western end of the George Gill Range. This scenic landscape of rugged ranges, rockholes and moist gorges acts as a refuge for many plants and animals. This makes the Park an important conservation area and a major visitor attraction in Central Australia. The traditional custodians of this land, the Anangu, believe the Central Australian landscape was created at the beginning of time by their ancestors. Their descendants have been protecting these sacred lands for thousands of generations since.

Access

1. The Park is located southwest of Alice Springs and can be reached via a number of routes:

2. via Larapinta Drive through the West MacDonnell National Park. A Mereenie Loop pass
is required to travel this route and is available from the Alice Springs Tourist Information
Centre, Glen Helen Resort and Kings Canyon Resort.

3. via the Stuart Highway, Ernest Giles Road (4WD essential) and Luritja Road.

Watarrka National Park TripsThe Watarrka National Park is accessible all year round. The cooler months (April to September) are the most pleasant. Overnight camping in tents or campervans is not permitted in the National Park. Commercial motel and camping accommodation is the only option available for visitors wishing to stay overnight at Watarrka.

Walking

Before undertaking any of the following walks, consider your personal health, fitness and
available time. Visit the Safety Information Shelter and check the temperature gauge at the start of the Canyon walks.

The Kings Creek Walk

(2.6 km, one hour return). The gentle slope of the track meanders up Kings Creek to a lookout point. This walk is suitable for families. Wheelchairs can access the first 700 metres.

The Kings Canyon Rim Walk(6 km loop, 3-4 hours). After an initial steep climb the walk offers spectacular views from the
Canyon rim. Along the way are the weathered, buttressed domes of the ‘Lost City’ and the sheltered ‘Garden of Eden’ with permanent waterholes and lush vegetation. This walk is suitable for fit, experienced walkers. For safety reasons, the track must be walked in a clockwise direction. This minimises traffic congestion, track erosion and vegetation degradation.

Kathleen Springs Walk

(2.6 km, 1.5 hour return) leads to a delightful spring-fed waterhole, suitable for families and accessible to wheelchairs.

The Giles Track

(22 km, 2 days) traverses the top of the range from Kathleen Springs to Kings Canyon with a halfway entrance/exit point at Reedy Creek/Lilla. Notify a reliable person of your intended walk plans and ensure they know to contact police if you do not return by the arranged date. Carry a satellite phone or personal locator beacon.

Western Macdonnell National Park and MacDonnell Ranges

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Newhaven Station has many of the characteristics of the remote Great Sandy Desert and yet it is very accessible. The area is extensive, complex and intact. It is home to at least 15 nationally threatened species of animals and plants. It boasts ten vegetation communities and a wide array of landforms, none of which are well represented in existing reserves.

Whilst enjoying the Western Macdonnell National Park and Western MacDonnell Ranges, we will be bush camping at Redbank Gorge for three nights. Tents or swags are available - please advise the office of your choice. As this tour itinerary has consecutive nights of bush camping at Redbank Gorge, there will be glorious nights of relaxing camp fires and lots of starry nights guaranteed! It is considered a rigorous 4WD tour and therefore people that book on this tour need to be tolerant of remote outback conditions.

Alice Springs is an iconic Outback town, surrounded by a red desert the size of Europe and framed by the MacDonnell Ranges. Alice Springs played a critical role in the construction of Australia’s first overland telegraph line. Its history is populated by a colourful cast of characters that include gold-diggers, outback pioneers and Afghan cameleers. This is also the home of the Royal Flying Doctor Service the first aerial medical organisation of its type in the world.

To the east and west of Alice Springs are the MacDonnell Ranges. This japed and rocky spine stretches for hundreds of kilometres, harbouring gorges and permanent rock pools carved by prehistoric rivers. The Traditional owners of this area, The Arrernte people, believe Giant caterpillars called the Yeperenye became the MacDonnell Ranges – entering this world through one of the dramatic gaps in the escarpment.

The Larapinta Trail is a walking track that extends more than 220 kilometres along the West MacDonnell Ranges, crossing steep ranges and deep chasms. The Red Centre Way is a magnificent Outback drive that connects many of the Red Centre’s natural wonders. From the early 1900’s, fortune-seekers searched the Central Australia desert for rubies and gold. Natural riches of all kinds exist in this ancient landscape: you just have to know where to look.

Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park Aboriginal Cultural Landscape

2012-04-20T05:19:00.000-07:00

Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park is part of an extensive Aboriginal cultural landscape that stretches across the Australian continent. The park represents the work of Anangu and nature during thousands of years. Its landscape has been managed using traditional Anangu methods governed by Tjukurpa, Anangu Law. Within Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park is Uluru, arguably the most distinctive landscape symbol of Australia, nationally and internationally. It conveys a powerful sense of the very long time during which the landscape of the Australian continent has evolved. Far from the coastal cities, and with its rich red tones, for some it epitomises the isolation and starkness of Australia’s desert environment.

When coupled with the profound spiritual importance of many parts of Uluru to Anangu, these natural qualities have resulted in the use of Uluru in Australia and elsewhere as the symbolic embodiment of the Australian landscape. As a consequence, Uluru has become the focus of visitors’ attention in the Central Australian region, while other parks offer a complementary range of experiences.

The park is owned by the Uluru–Kata Tjuta Aboriginal Land Trust. It covers about 1,325 square kilometres and is 335 kilometres by air and about 470 kilometres by road to the south-west of Alice Springs. The Ayers Rock Resort at Yulara adjoins the park’s northern boundary. Both the park and the resort are surrounded by Aboriginal freehold land held by the Petermann and Katiti Land Trusts.

Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park is a cultural landscape representing the combined works of Anangu and nature over millennia. The importance of Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park’s cultural landscape is reinforced by the inscription of cultural and natural values for the park on the World Heritage List and also on the Australian Government’s Commonwealth and National Heritage Lists. The listed World Heritage values for the park are described in Appendix B to this plan, National Heritage values in Appendix C and Commonwealth Heritage values in Appendix D.

Cultural Values Aboriginal People of The Park

Anangu is the term that Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Aboriginal people, from the Western Desert region of Australia, use to refer to themselves. Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara are the two principal dialects spoken in Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park. Aboriginal people and their culture have always been associated with Uluru. According to Anangu, the landscape was created at the beginning of time by ancestral beings. Anangu are the direct descendants of these beings and they are responsible for the protection and appropriate management of these lands. The knowledge necessary to fulfil these responsibilities has been passed down from generation to generation through Tjukurpa, the Law.

There is strong and powerful Aboriginal Law in this Place. There are important songs and stories that we hear from our elders, and we must protect and support this important Law. There are sacred things here, and this sacred Law is very important. It was given to us by our grandfathers and grandmothers, our fathers and mothers, to hold onto in our heads and in our hearts.

Tjukurpa unites Anangu with each other and with the landscape. It embodies the principles of religion, philosophy and human behaviour that are to be observed in order to live harmoniously with one another and with the natural landscape. Humans and every aspect of the landscape are inextricably one. According to Tjukurpa, there was a time when ancestral beings, in the forms of humans, animals and plants, travelled widely across the land and performed remarkable feats of creation and destruction. The journeys of these beings are remembered and celebrated and the record of their activities exists today in the features of the land itself. For Anangu, this record provides an account, and the meaning, of the cosmos for the past and the present.

When Anangu speak of the many natural features within Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park their interpretations and explanations are expressed in terms of the activities of particular Tjukurpa beings, rather than by reference to geological or other explanations. Primarily, Anangu have a spiritual interpretation of the park’s landscape. In traditional terms, therefore, they speak of the park’s spiritual meaning, not just of the shape its surface features take.

Tjukurpa prescribes the nature of the relationships between those responsible for the maintenance of Tjukurpa and the associated landscape, their obligations, and the obligations of those who visit that land. The central attributes of these relationships are integrity, respect, honesty, trust, sharing, learning, and working together as equals.

Zhujiajiao Ancient Town and Zhujiajiao Water Town

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Zhujiajiao Ancient Town located in a suburb of Shanghai city, Zhujiajiao is an ancient water town well-known throughout the country, with a history of more than 1700 years. Covering an area of 47 square kilometers, the little fan-shaped town glimmers like a bright pearl in the landscape of lakes and mountains. Zhujiajiao is a lovely town. It is about 1 hour West from Shanghai; the cheapest way is to get the bus from the Southern side of People's square, costs 12RMB, although buses are quite local and if you don't know Chinese, can be a pain to find.

Zhujiajiao Ancient Town is a water village on the outskirts of Shanghai, and was formed about 1,700 years ago. Archaeological findings dating back 5,000 years have also been found. 36 stone bridges and numerous rivers line Zhujiajiao, and thousands of ancient buildings still line the riverbanks today. Many centuries-old stone buildings are home to residents today, as they were for many dynasties in the past. From the Zhujiajiao bus station, it is a 10 min walk to Zhujiajiao itself. There is a tourist information centre, where you can buy tickets, a 80RMB ticket gets you admission to all the attractions, plus a short boat trip (recommended), although most of the town is easily walkable. There is no traffic in the town, which is a blessing.

The five-arch Fangsheng Bridge built in 1571 in the Ming Dynasty is still standing there. Inscriptions on the weather-beaten steles by the side of the river tell people to do good things and accumulate merits for the after life. There are altogether 36 bridges in the town and each has a name and possibly a story, which will speak itself when the tourist sits on the bridge, staring at the mosses growing out of the gaps in the stones or the river on which boats pass by. After visits of participants in the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation meetings held in Shanghai in 2001, the town became more famous and frequented.

Shanghai Disneyland

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Shanghai Disneyland officials wouldn't say when the park will open or how much it will cost. The company stated in a press release that theShanghai park will include "characteristics tailored to the Shanghai region," but a spokesperson declined to elaborate on what types of rides or attractions might be on offer. The Shanghai government has already reserved an estimated 1,000 acres near Shanghai's international airport in the city's Pudong district. Some speculate that the Chinese government's sudden announcement that Disney could go ahead may be timed to precede U.S. President Barack Obama's first visit to China Nov. 15-18, which will include a stop in Shanghai. "It's a huge investment," says Shaun Rein, managing director of China Market Research Group in Shanghai. "By allowing this now, it gives face to Obama and really shows that China and the U.S. need to work together to get out of this financial malaise."

Although theme parks made up less than a third of Disney's total revenue of $38 billion last year, Shanghai Disneyland still figures to be a key addition to the business because it will boost the company's visibility in one of the world's fastest-growing markets. Due to government rules aimed at protecting the public from what are perceived to be unwelcome foreign cultural influences, awareness of the Disney brand in China lags that of the rest of the world. Unlike in the U.S., where Disney operates a 24-hour TVchannel and radio station, the company's presence in China is limited to a dozen hours of programming a week on local stations, five Disney-branded English-language schools in Shanghai and sales of Disney merchandise. In the past two years, Disney has produced two children's films for the mainland, The Magic Gourd and Trail of the Panda. China limits the number of foreign films that are allowed to screen in theaters to 20 a year.

The approval for park construction comes amid China's ongoing efforts to develop its tourism sector, which is expected to increase 3% this year. As disposable income in the country grows, amusement parks have proliferated throughout the country by some estimates there are as many as 2,000 but the quality of the attractions is uneven. Earlier this year, a sex-themed park in the central Chinese city of Chongqing called Love Land was torn down before it could open to the public. Shanghai, however, could be on the verge of a tourism boom. The city will host the World Expo starting in May 2010.

Since mainland Chinese make up a third of visitors to Hong Kong Disneyland, some fear that the Shanghai park will siphon tourists away from the former British colony, which is part of China but has a semi autonomous government (mainland tourists must obtain visas to visit Hong Kong). Since opening four years ago, Hong Kong Disneyland has underperformed due to its small size at 300 acres, it's the smallest of any Disney park as well as high ticket prices and competition from a nimble competitor called Ocean Park.

Shanghai Disneyland officials dismissed concerns that a new park in Shanghai will steal Hong Kong customers. "We see that Hong Kong Disneyland and the Shanghai park as complementary," said an official in an e-mail. "We believe the Greater China market is large enough to support multiple parks."

Terracotta Warriors History Of China

2012-03-19T04:06:00.000-07:00

Terracotta Warriors In 1974, villagers digging for a well near Xi'an in central China accidentally discovered one of the world's most astonishing archaeological sites. Buried beneath their feet was an army of over 8,000 life-size warriors and cavalry in full battle formation. The figures were made of terracotta and were once painted in life-like colors and carried actual weapons. This was the discovery of the funerary army of China’s first great emperor, Qin Shi Huang, buried over 2,200 years ago. Qin Shi Huang was the Chinese emperor who founded the Qin dynasty in 221 B.C. He united all of the smaller kingdoms in what is now known as China into a single empire.

His name means “The First Emperor” and the word China itself is derived from the name of his dynasty. Qin Shi Huang was an all powerful tyrant. Using the limitless labor of his subjects he consolidated many smaller walls into the Great Wall of China. He used that same limitless labor to prepare his burial site and the TerraCotta Army.

The terracotta warriors are remarkably realistic sculptures. Most figures are about six feet tall. Each head was individually sculpted to reflect the personality of the soldier. Originally the figures were painted in bright colors but most of the paint has been lost and the warriors appear a light brown over a black fired finish. This is the color that we know them by today. A small collection of the original warriors has toured the major cities of the world. A number of television shows and magazine articles have featured the warriors. The most notable of these were by the National Geographic Society.

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Tiananmen Square Beijing China

2012-03-19T04:01:00.001-07:00

It has been more than three months since the events of the beginning of June 1989, when the Chinese army clamped down on the students at Tiananmen Square. In the early hours of that tragic Sunday morning, the democratic hopes and aspirations of the Chinese people were crushed by the “People’s Liberation Army” with tanks and gunfire. We mourn for those who died.

One fortunate aspect of the course of events was that the world was witness to what happened in Peking, thanks to courageous correspondents like the BBC’s Kate Adie "Goddess of Democracy" at Tiananmen Square and many others. Images like those of the lone student holding up a column of tanks are inedibly etched into the memory of the world community.

After “Tiananmen” there have been many articles and comments in the international press on the impact of the crackdown on China itself, its relations with the West, and on Hong Kong. However, surprisingly, there has been hardly any discussion of the impact of “Tiananmen” on the relations between Taiwan and China. On the following pages we present an assessment from the perspective of the Taiwanese.

Firstly, the tragic events in Peking show what the Taiwanese people have known for a long time: that Chinese leaders will revert time and again to repressive measures to maintain themselves in their position of power. This is why the Taiwanese have advocated a free and democratic Taiwan, separate from mainland China, and have always rejected “reunification”, whether under the rule of the Kuomintang authorities in Taipei or the Communists in Peking.

The Taiwanese have never believed Peking’s promises that Taiwan can maintain its own political and economic institutions under the “one country, two systems”. The experience of the Tibetan people after 1949 shows how empty these promises are. The Tiananmen Square events show even more clearly that the Chinese rulers do not hesitate to use brutal force against anyone daring to challenge their power, even against their own people in their own capital, let alone against people far removed from the center of the “Middle Kingdom.”

The massacre at Tiananmen Square and the atrocities following the “February 28 Incident” are separated by four decades. But the roots of the government behavioral pattern Chinese political culture can be traced to ancient times. “Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun” may be the often-quoted words of Mao Tse-tung, but the statement has rather accurately reflected the mentality of the Chinese ruling class of any ideology. Dynasties may change, but the ruthlessness and cruelty with which each government rules China has remained pretty much the same since antiquity.

Chinese rulers have long used history to justify their mandate to rule. Each dynasty has had an official historian to write and compile the history of the previous era to justify the imperative of the present rule and the correctness of the present ideology. In the process, documents and interpretations that challenged the government version were twisted, if not destroyed, and their authors severely punished. The Chinese-style “education” that stressed memorization, uniformity and obedience has been used in part to help perpetuate the government’s twisted interpretation of history.

Tibetan Temples and Monastery Complexes

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Tibetan Temples is Architecture has played a significant role in the spread of Buddhism from India to Tibet. Buddhist temples and monastery complexes in the Western Himalayas reflect the Buddhist worldview. This was revealed by the analysis of partially preserved buildings done by scientists of the Institute of Architectural Science and Architectural Design at the Graz University of Technology. The project funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) thereby also provides for the reconstruction and maintenance of these religious buildings.

The Western Himalayas are a high mountainous area in the west of the Central Tibetan Plateau. The region now covers parts of Pakistan, India, Nepal and Tibet. The landscape is characterised by rough mountain ranges in the north and the south. Despite these inhospitable conditions, this area has always been a major trade route between India and Central Asia. There was an active cultural exchange between the trading peoples of the Western Himalayas.

Import of Indian Ideas
A period of political unrest came to its close here in the 10th Century. The subsequent rise of the western Tibetan Kingdom was the starting point for the continuous strengthening of Buddhism in Tibet. During the 11th Century, especially under the Tibetan king Ye-shes-'od, scholars were sent to the Buddhist centres in India. When they returned to Tibet, they brought along important scriptures of the so-called Mahayana Buddhism. The documents were translated into Tibetan and thus created the basis for a vigorous propagation of Buddhism in Tibet. In order to represent and communicate the Buddhist teachings through architecture as well, painters and sculptors were brought from India to Tibet and were commissioned with the execution of Buddhist constructions.

The available evidences from this period are striking, when one takes into account the local conditions. "Basically, only local resources such as clay and stone could be used. Due to its scarcity, wood was only utilised for beam structures and support of columns," explains Prof. Holger Neuwirth of the Institute of Architectural Science and Architectural Design.

Despite this scarcity of resources, the architecture of monastic and temple complexes were to follow the principles of the Buddhist worldview. The murals are often painted with the colourful imagery of Buddhist mandalas. "The complex symbolic images known as the mandala represent the cosmic evolution, also described as involution or self-discovery of the individual and the psychic powers at the same time. They form the basis of the epistemologies of Indo-Tibetan, Buddhist and Indian-influenced thought," describes Prof. Neuwirth. The geometrical forms of circle and square form the setting for these complex symbolic paintings which depict stories from the Buddhist teachings.

The principle of the mandala is also the geometrical ideal for the temple and its surrounding buildings - the temple as centre, axis and hub of the world. Some buildings were constructed of several storeys. Thus, they symbolise the concept of a wandering soul which moves up from below to unite with the Absolute. In this manner a building complex followed the fundamental Buddhist idea at each level and imparted it to the outside world. Thus in a subtle way, the architecture here supported the propagation of Buddhist teachings.

Of these early Buddhist buildings in the Western Himalayas, only few are in a structurally intact state which allows liturgical use today. Moreover, in the course of centuries most of the religious buildings have been destroyed, or altered by modifications or additions, which makes it very difficult to restore them to their original form.

Tibet Train Railway Holiday Excotice

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Tibet has long been a desirable travel destination for people from China and elsewhere because of its unique natural environment and cultural characteristics. However, tourism development in Tibet has been hindered by its remote and inaccessible location. Travel to Tibet has increased substantially since the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway in July, raising new questions about tourism development, regional economic development, environmental protection, and the preservation of the Tibetan culture. A huge gap now exists between tourism demand and the available supply in terms of facilities, service quality, tourism planning, and experience and capability in tourism management.

As competition for tourists increases, destinations are challenged to differentiate and position themselves properly to attract more visitors. Therefore, understanding how tourists make destination choices is of critical importance to destination planners, managers, and marketers. The travel decision-making process is a crucial part of the overall travel process, which comprises pre-travel, on-site, and post-travel facets. It involves decisions on whether to go and where to go, leading to actual travel to certain destinations. Choice of travel destination is of primary concern for destination managers and tourism planners and is also the subject of tourism research.

Past studies have enhanced the understanding of tourists’ decision-making behaviors, and can be used to identify and prioritize the factors influencing the destination selection process. Furthermore, the interrelations between tourists’ socio-demographic characteristics, their motivations, and their destination preferences can be measured, with practical implications for destination planning, development, and marketing.

Transportation provides the essential link between tourists’ origins and destination areas, facilitating the movements of travelers with diverse purposes. It also is an integral part of the overall travel experience (Lamb and Davidson. The actual transportation vehicle provides a context and a controlled environment for tourists’ travel between destinations and attractions (Page 2005). Although transportation can act as a main focus of the tourists’ experiences, it is usually considered a supportive element that is less important than the destination attributes within the overall travel experience.

Limited research has concentrated on the importance of the transportation experience in tourism, especially in comparison with the destination experience, or on the role of the journey in tourists’ destination choices. Therefore, the relationships between transportation and overall tourist experience, the factors influencing transportation experiences, and the effects of the transportation experience on the overall travel experience need to be further investigated.

Although tourist destination choice has been extensively studied, few researchers have compared the destination choice preferences of pre-trip and post-trip tourists. Furthermore, in this study, a wide range of factors drawn from the literature is addressed, including socio-demographic variables, previous travel experience (first-time or repeat visitor), destination familiarity, expectations and level of satisfaction, and motivations (push and pull factors). This is the first study to focus on the train journey to Tibet from the travelers’ perspective. The recent opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway provides the opportunity to analyze how the railway impacts tourism development in Tibet and travelers’ decisions to visit Tibet, and to examine the relative importance of the train journey in comparison with the destination.

Twin Tower Guilin Scenery Attraction

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Twin Tower In Guilin Provence Beautiful Nigh Day Most Favourite China Tourism
"I have visited more than 80 countries and over a hundred cities. I have found that no city can surpass the beauty of Guilin. Guilin is really a bright pearl in China." The formation of this “pearl” started 200 million years ago when there were crustal movements and limestone sediments thrust out of the sea bottom. After years of erosion by wind and rain, hills, rocks and caves with unusual shapes were molded and referred to as “karst” topology.

Its HRI sector has potential to showcase and promote U.S. meat, wine and condiments to affluent Chinese and foreign tourists once it decides to increase focus on tourist quality rather than number. The retail sector is still in its infancy for imported foods. Meanwhile, the local livestock sector thirsts for high quality U.S. inputs such as purebred breeding pigs to boost production. As its economy grows, and infrastructure improves in line with other key Guangxi cities such as Nanning, Guilin will rise in prominence. U.S. producers need to take note.

Guilin is in the northeast part of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region with five urban districts and twelve counties. The most famous are Yangshuo and Longsheng. Guilin has subtropical weather with a monsoon season from April to July and annual rainfall of 69 inches (2006 data). The hottest months are July and August at 90° Fahrenheit during the day, and 75°F at night. Tourism is the pillar of Guilin’s economy, followed by agricultural and industrial sectors. In 2008, Guilin focused investment on auto parts manufacture, pharmaceuticals, the IT industry and food processing. Most new projects center in the Lingui New District, the future industrial center of Guilin.

Compared to Nanning, Guilin has a smaller GDP due to less urban area and population. However, when based on per capita annual disposable income, the two cities are comparable. Nanning has more retail stores per its larger population, while Guilin has more hotels for tourists. With seven universities, Guilin is Guangxi’s important educational center.

Guilin is well connected by air, road, rail and river. Tourists and business travelers can easily access Guilin quickly, safely and comfortably. Most cargo transportation relies on rail and road. Most imported goods are shipped from Guangzhou by truck.

Waterwheel Park Story Ming Dynasty

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Waterwheel Park, the unique-shaped Water Wheel has a long history and the first reference to it appeared in the Ming Dynasty. Lanzhou is the only city through which the Yellow River flows; there are thus many irrigation machines in the city. The waterwheel invented by Duan Xu in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) is the oldest one. Duan Xu learnt from the irrigation machines in Yunnan Province and invented a distinctive style with the appearance of chariot wheels and a diameter ranging from 10 to 20 meters (32.8 to 65.6 feet). Until 1952, about 252 waterwheels stood along the river in Lanzhou, and at that time, the city was reputed to be the "City of Waterwheels."

It is an ancient irrigation device that uses flowing or falling water to create power by means of a set of paddles mounted around a wheel. The force of the water moved the paddles, and the consequent rotation of the wheel is transmitted to machinery via the shaft of the wheel.

In the garden, two huge waterwheels with striking appearances stand uprightly on the south bank of the Yellow River. They are modeled on the antique waterwheel, having quadrate buckets and a diameter of 16.5 meters (54.1 feet). In high water periods, they are driv en by flowing water from the river; in low water periods, they are driven by water gathered by cofferdam. Owing to the two waterwheels and an advantaged position, the Waterwheel Teahouse attracts a lot of tourists.

White Pagoda Hill Park

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The White Pagoda Hill Park occupies an area of more than 8,000 square meters. There are three clusters of ancient buildings standing on top of the mountain. The legendary ‘Three Guarding Treasures of the mountain” are said to be the elephant skinned drum, the bronze bell and the Chinese redbud tree which unfortunately has already extinct.

The White Pagoda Hill Park is seven-level octagonal pagoda is 17 meters tall. Below the pagoda there are bronze bell and elephant skip drum. The structures on the mountain are divided into three different platforms on higher than the other. If you climb onto the top of the hill you will find yourself above the tree line, and unfurling below you a marvelous view of the city of Lanzhou and the mighty waters of Yellow River rolling on incessantly.

The tale of the township goes like this: tracing back to the Ming Dynasty, General Xuda and General Fengsheng were ordered to attack the Wangbaobao City. They commanded the solders to disguise themselves as the opponents and arm themselves with tambourin and large drums. The solders hence entered the Wangbaobao City without notice; and in collaboration with armies surrounding the city, they took over the city without much resistance. The drums were given the name “the Peaceful Drum” to honor the relatively bloodless victory of this battle and hereafter drumming became the main performance of the Lanzhou Altar Fire.

Yellow River Cruise Recreaction In Chinese

2012-03-18T20:23:00.002-07:00

The Yellow River basin has been part of China virtually since the inception of the Chinese nation. Designated as “the cradle of Chinese Civilization,” the basin has played a key role not only in the country’s economic development but also in the historic and cultural identity of the Chinese people. Perhaps, ironically, the Yellow River is also known as “China’s Sorrow,” because the soils which have fostered human development are also associated with frequent, sometimes catastrophic, floods. The devastation brought by these floods, often at scales unimaginable in the West, makes it easy to understand why successive Chinese administrations from the legendary Xia Dynasty (ca. 2000 B.C.) through the 20th century made flood control the number one priority of Yellow River management.

While the possibility of flooding is ever present and remains a key issue in basin management, major achievements have been made in flood control since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. As a result of this success and the rapid economic and social changes which have taken place over the past few decades, new issues such as water scarcity, overuse of resources and environmental degradation arenow rising to the top position of the water management agenda. In essence, a transition in river management is now taking place in which focus is shifting from prevention of the river doing harm to people to preventing people from doing harm to the river.

Significant institutional, policy and legal reforms are required to successfully bring about such a fundamental transition in a river management system that has evolved over two millennia. This report has been produced as a background to assist researchers and policy makers in informing the debate surrounding that reform. The report is divided into three primary sections. The first discusses the background to the Yellow River basin and its management including the basic geography of the basin, the role of the basin in Chinese history, and the historic development of basin water resources management and water resources.

The second discusses the key critical issues now being faced by basin residents and managers, including water scarcity, flood control, and land and other environmental degradation. The report concludes with some reflections on promising areas for future researchand analysis, including intersectoral allocation, water saving, pollution abatement, data issues and institutional gaps.

Yellow River’s geography commence with a recitation of facts. For example, the Yellow River begins in the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau of Qinghai province from whence it flows across 8 other provinces and autonomous regions before emptying into the Yellow Sea north of the Shandong peninsula. With a length of over 5,400 km, the Yellow River is the second longest in China and the 10th longest in the world and drains an area larger than France.The basin contains approximately 9 percent of China’s population and 17 percent of its agricultural area. While such static figures may be of passing interest, it is a deeper understanding of variation in the Yellow River basin’s physical geography that is necessary if one wishes to understand the issues which both the Chinese government and basin residents face in their daily efforts to use, manage and protect the river. To accomplish this formidable task, the river is often divided into its three main reaches for analysis.

Yellow River Xia Dynasty of Chinese

2012-03-18T20:23:00.000-07:00

The Yellow River basin has been part of China virtually since the inception of the Chinese nation. Designated as “the cradle of Chinese Civilization,” the basin has played a key role not only in the country’s economic development but also in the historic and cultural identity of the Chinese people. Perhaps, ironically, the Yellow River is also known as “China’s Sorrow,” because the soils which have fostered human development are also associated with frequent, sometimes catastrophic, floods. The devastation brought by these floods, often at scales unimaginable in the West, makes it easy to understand why successive Chinese administrations from the legendary Xia Dynasty (ca. 2000 B.C.) through the 20th century made flood control the number one priority of Yellow River management.

While the possibility of flooding is ever present and remains a key issue in basin management, major achievements have been made in flood control since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. As a result of this success and the rapid economic and social changes which have taken place over the past few decades, new issues such as water scarcity, overuse of resources and environmental degradation are now rising to the top position of the water management agenda. In essence, a transition in river management is now taking place in which focus is shifting from prevention of the river doing harm to people to preventing people from doing harm to the river.

Significant institutional, policy and legal reforms are required to successfully bring about such a fundamental transition in a river management system that has evolved over two millennia. This report has been produced as a background to assist researchers and policy makers in informing the debate surrounding that reform. The report is divided into three primary sections. The first discusses the background to the Yellow River basin and its management including the basic geography of the basin, the role of the basin in Chinese history, and the historic development of basin water resources management and water resources.

The second discusses the key critical issues now being faced by basin residents and managers, including water scarcity, flood control, and land and other environmental degradation. The report concludes with some reflections on promising areas for future research and analysis, including intersectoral allocation, water saving, pollution abatement, data issues and institutional gaps.

Physical Geography
Most descriptions of the Yellow River’s geography commence with a recitation of facts. For example, the Yellow River begins in the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau of Qinghai province from whence it flows across 8 other provinces and autonomous regions before emptying into the Yellow Sea north of the Shandong peninsula. With a length of over 5,400 km, the Yellow River is the second longest in China and the 10th longest in the world and drains an area larger than France.

The basin contains approximately 9 percent of China’s population and 17 percent of its agricultural area. While such static figures may be of passing interest, it is a deeper understanding of variation in the Yellow River basin’s physical geography that is necessary if one wishes to understand the issues which both the Chinese government and basin residents face in their daily efforts to use, manage and protect the river. To accomplish this formidable task, the river is often divided into its three main reaches for analysis.

Yuyuan Garden The Better City Of China

2012-03-18T20:22:00.000-07:00

Along Fumin Road beside Yuyuan Garden, fake Haibao are rampant. The “Better City, Better Life” Expo theme is printed on a wall at the beginning of the road but mobile vendors put huge boxes filled with fake dolls in the middle of the road. Around 7pm every night, a truck filled with various fake Haibao dolls drives in to deliver them one after another to the stores, Zheng said. On Nanjing Road, peddlers take fake dolls from tricycles stationed on Zhejiang Road M., a small road crossing the pedestrian street, said Shi.
Officials of Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Administrative Bureau have confiscated many fake Haibao toys in the Yuyuan Garden area since the fake Haibao appeared in May, but the sellers start up again right after the officials leave, said a security staff member surnamed Miao of the Yuyuan Garden Little Commodity Market.

The Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Administrative Bureau along with the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination have spared no effort to crack down on the fake Expo products, said Pan Gang,a supervisor of the Legal Department of the Expo bureau. Early last month, the two bureaus confiscated 3,000 fake Haibao dolls on Nanjing Road E., the largest fake-Haibao sales case broken by the organizer, Pan said. The Expo logo, slogan and Haibao image cannot be used without the bureau’s permission.

Zhongshan Bridge Legand Ming Dynasty

2012-03-18T20:21:00.001-07:00

Zhongshan Bridge The bridge would need to undergo a costly renovation projects in the spring in order to the bridge to continue to serve the people. Finally in year 1909, the floating bridge was retired and replaced by an iron bridge. This bridge was renamed as Zhongshan Bridge in year 1942 in order to commemorate Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Anyway, the servicing life of this iron bridge had come to the end in year 1989 and during this time, it was no more the only bridge that built across Yellow River. However, no one can replace its great value in the development history as well as its great contribution to the society throughout the 80 years of servicing period. Nowadays, the bridge is known for a tourist spot which allows people to recall the history of that period.

Yellow River Iron Bridge, or Zhongshan Bridge of Lanzhou, which is 233.5-meter-long and 8.36-meter-wide, was built from 1907 to 1909. It is located near the the White Pagoda Hill. As the first real bridge and the bridge with longest history striding above the Yellow River in Lanzhou, it was originally named Yellow River Bridge.

Zhongshan Bridge Zhongshan-Bridge

The Zhongshan Bridge is the symbol of Lanzhou City for its majestic looks and uniqueness. The bridge was first built under the reign of the Ming Dynasty. The Qing rulers expanded and reconstructed the bridge to its current size and style at the cost of huge funds.

Great Mosque and Muslim Street

2012-03-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

Great Mosque
This Great Mosque is among the largest mosques in China. It stands North-West of the Drum Tower and is built in a Chinese architectural style with most of the grounds taken up by gardens. Still an active place of worship, the mosque holds several prayer services each day. Strolling through the Mosque’s traditional Chinese gardens, you will be enlightened by the typical Chinese archways and pavilions decorated with colourful Chinese paintings. The main worship hall contains the words of the Koran carved in wood, both in Chinese and Arabic. This mix of Chinese and Arabic makes the visit all the more intriguing.

Muslim Street
These interesting old alleys and streets of traders and craftspeople are unique in China. The Silk Road brought this religion to Xian and the Muslims are an important community in Xian today. In the Muslim Quarter you can experience some of the best local food served on the streets and amongst the many restaurants, you should definitely try the famous “Jia San” soup-filled dumplings. Good streets to explore are Beiyuan Men and Huajue Xiang Jie.

Islamic Architecture Great Mosque of Xian China

Temple of Heaven and Shenyang Imperial Palace Moseum

2012-03-18T01:40:00.000-07:00

When Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum included enamel works in its list of collections, Temple of Heaven enamel cloisonne watch was awarded the honor of being the first ever chosen watch of collection at the Museum, and would be permanently kept therein. The timepiece received the grand honor for its wondrous handicraft in its artistically perfect representation of the Temple of Heaven, the sign for China throughout history. Today, is honored to hold a grand ceremony of watch presentation at Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum, a World Cultural Heritage that is closely protected. Temple of Heaven watch to Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum for posterity to admire. The "Temple of Heaven" cloisonne dial of the watch that records an important phase of China's ancient history will be kept permanently at the museum.

"Enamel cloisonne" carries great value for collection and as heirloom, and with its intricate techniques and its dependence on master craftsmen's experience, the craft gradually came onto the brink of extinction, and became a precious one that needed careful protection.

The Old Palace of Qing in Shenyang, the site on which now stands Shenyang Imperial Palace Museum, was founded in 1625, and was the principal place for administrative and state purposes of the Qing dynasty before it moved on into the mainland (past Shanhaiguan). Huang Taiji, the second emperor of the Qing dynasty, came to the throne in the Palace, and changed the name of his dynasty from "Jin" to "Qing". After the conversion of the old palace into a museum, a lot of invaluable Chinese artistic masterpieces were collected herein, while the ULYSSE NARDIN watch became the first ever top-tier wristwatch brand to be chosen by the Museum as an item of collection for its crystallization of history and craftsmanship.

The TEMPLE of HEAVEN is a complex of Taoist buildings situated in Beijing, China. It was constructed in 1420 during the Ming Dynasty and was enlarged during the Qing Dynasty. The complex was visited by the Emperors of the two dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest, as the feudal emperors thought they were the son of the heaven.

Huangpu River Cruise Excellent Beauty

2012-01-01T19:12:00.000-08:00

The Huangpu River (Huángpu Jiang) is the city's shipping artery both to the East China Sea and to the mouth of the Yángzi River, which the Huángpu joins 29km (18 miles) north of downtown Shànghai. It has also become a demarcating line between two Shànghais, east and west, past and future. The Huangpu River is the cultural, residential and entertainment center of Shanghai. The Bund, Monument to the People's Heroes, Waibaidu Bridge and the oldest park in Shanghai - Huangpu Park, are located on the west bank. In addition, many historical buildings left over from Shanghai's colonial days have been preserved. The east bank of the river (Pudong) is the newer district of Shanghai and its financial and commercial hub. Steel and glass structures are abundant here.

Huangpu River It has also become a demarcating line between two Shanghais, east and west, past and future. On its western shore, the colonial landmarks of the Bund serve as a reminder of Shanghai's 19th-century struggle to reclaim a waterfront from the bogs of this river (which originates in nearby Dianshan Hu or Lake Dianshan); on the eastern shore, the steel and glass skyscrapers of the Pudong .

Between the stately colonial edifices along the Bund, the glittering skyscrapers on the eastern shore of Pudong, and the unceasing river traffic, there is plenty to keep your eyes from ever resting. Even on overcast days (the norm in Shanghai), the single greatest piece of eye candy as your boat pulls away is undoubtedly still the granite offices, banks, consulates, and hotels that comprise the Bund. Sadly for purists these days, however, the Peace Hotel with its stunning green pyramid roof and the Customs House with its big clock tower no longer have your undivided attention but have to compete with the towering 21st-century space-age skyscrapers that have sprouted in the background.

North of the Suzhou Creek hugging the west shore are the old "go-downs" or warehouses of the many foreign trading firms. This area, known as Hongkou District, and the district to the east, Yangpu District, have been marked for rapid development after Pudong, though new modern towers (all no more than 3 years old) have already started to stake out the skyline. Less than a mile farther on is the International Passenger Terminal, where international cruise ships tie up. The Huangpu River jogs east at this point on its way to the Shanghai shipyards, where cranes and derricks load and unload the daily logjam of freighters from the world's other shipping giants (United States, Japan, Russia, Norway).

Labrang Monastery and Xunhua Salar Autonomous Tibet

2012-01-01T19:11:00.001-08:00

They haveVisit Labrang Monastery, one of the six most important Gelukpa (the Yellow Sect) monasteries in whole Tibet and a center of Tibetan learning in Eastern Tibet. Our Tibetan guide will show you the impressive interior of the Assembly hall and other temples. Cross over Ganjia Grassland dotted with temples, pass by the Former Residence of the 10th Panchen Lama, stretch to Xunhua Salar Autonomous County inhabiting Salas. their own national spoken language, but no written language.

Labrang Monastery

Their ancestors were a branch of the Saruks who lived in the 13th century, belonging to the west Turki Oguz tribe in Samarkand. A chieftain named Kharmang led the clan men believing in Islam eastwards to Xunhua, Qinghai, and settled down there and lived and intermarried with the local Tibetans and Hans and multiplied, and becoming an ethnic group. The Salas are mainly engaged in farming and take animal husbandry and gardening as sideline industries. They have preserved much beautiful folklore. Duiwina (camel game), a traditional game showing how their ancestors came to Xunhua from central Asia, is very popular among the Salas.

Qingshuihedong Mosque

Xunhua Salar Autonomous Country

In the inner courtyard of the medical college at Labrang Monastery the visitor will find nineteen murals, none of which have been previously analysed and described. With the help of an 'unfolded tree' (sdong vgrems) metaphor they illustrate the content of the Rgyud bzhi, the major classical text of Tibetan Medicine, thus providing a vivid visual structure to the contents of the book. The murals were photo-documented by myself in 2004 and 2005, however, they now appear to have been repainted similarly, but less elaborately in the meantime.

Jiezi Mosque

Some of the Labrang murals depict the contents of the Rgyud bzhi in exact detail, whereas others are less circumstantial. In some cases the illustrations show divergences. A preliminary comparison of the Labrang murals with the illustrations attached to the famous commentary on the Rgyud bzhi by SANGS RGYAS RGYA MTSHO, the Vaidurya sngon po (Blue Beryl), reveals a whole string of significant and often complementary differences. These divergences raise questions about the doctrinal traditions that influenced the murals at Labrang. Are these differences evidence of certain regional characteristics or are they based on another text-tradition?

Li River Cruiser Guilin to Yangshuo China or Chinese

2012-01-01T19:11:00.000-08:00

Li River Cruiser Most Popular Destinations China

Last spring, New York's Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum was privileged to host a landmark exhibition of Chinese art entitled 'China: 5000 years'. The exhibition included a 20th-century section, thereby being the first systematic exploration of modern Chinese art by a major North American museum. This century has been a turbulent time for China, and the curators aimed to illustrate how the country's complex background urban industrialisation, conquest by foreign powers, civil wars, and changing governments and, more recently, its slow but steady opening up to the international community have affected the style of the artistic community.

The Li River Cruiser exhibition sought to illustrate how Chinese artists absorbed and accepted western conventions, and to what extent they rejected them. The exhibits, which represented a variety of media, were presented chronologically in four sections, thus enabling the viewer to follow the progression of thought and social influences throughout this period.

Elephant Cave

The 20th-century section commenced with 'Innovations of Chinese painting, 1850 to 1950', which featured works produced in the traditional scroll and album formats. Most of the artists had set up studios in the treaty ports; the patrons comprised of both the scholarly elite and the increasing nouvcau riche. The chief centre was Shanghai, and the so-called Shanghai school was renowned for its innovations within the traditional format. The newly found wealth of these diverse patrons were a significant catalyst. The art school's curricula favoured western techniques, but graduates soon reverted to traditional media, while approaching their works with new ideas and a different sense of perspective. The scholars longed to retain their Chinese identity, and thereby found a suitable compromise.

Transformations of tradition, 1980 to the present' proved to be wonderfully eclectic and reflected the diverse influences available to modern Chinese artists. This issue's cover illustration comes from this section of the exhibition. While Scenery on the Li River is a guohua work (ink and colour painting done in a traditional style), the artist, Li Keran, was the master in his generation at depicting effects of light. Li was aged almost 80 years when he painted this masterpiece, which truly represents his lifetime work. Note the strong contrast of black ink, pale wash, and the white paper, and how Li creates a light source on the left of the composition. Although the Li River, near Guilin, was always a popular subject, Li's painting does not depict a true image, but a reflective one from a past journey. The slightly rough brushwork is indicative of Li's age, but the whole is a forceful work. Note how he uses a receding background to give the painting much greater depth.

Li Keran was a true child of the revolution. He was born into a poor family in Xuzhou. Jiangsu in 1907; both his parents were illiterate. By the age of 5 years he was drawing in the earth and 2 years later, he was enrolled in a private school. A willing student, he soon impressed all who taught him and by 1917, he was learning under the painter Qian Shizhi. By 1923, Li was studying at the prestigious Shanghai Arts College. He did not ignore his origins, however, and returned after graduating to (each at the primary school in his home town. Li also taught at a private art school and in 1929, he furthered his artistic career by taking a postgraduate course in Hangzhou, before returning home once more in 1932 to teach. He toured the north of China and, as was necessary for all traditional artists to do, viewed the varied landscapes and sought inspiration from life's experiences.

But life changed in 1937 owing to the Japanese invasion, and Li went westwards to Wuhan, and then onto Xian; by 1940, he was in Chongqing, where he fell under the powerful spell of artists Xu Beihong, Lin Fengmian, Zhao Wuji, Ding Yanyong, Quan Liang, and Ni Yide. In 1946 he moved to Beijing to teach at the National Art Academy, and Xu Beihong introduced him to Qi Baishi. This encounter was the beginning of an extraordinary interchange between the two artists, and Li studied under Qi for 10 years. During the difficult years, he sought solace in calligraphy, but from the early 1970s, his works finally found favour with officialdom.

Li accepted various commissions for scenes of the River Li; the largest one measures some 6 m and can be found on the walls of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A patient, yet humorous man, and much loved by his fellow artists and all who came in contact with him, Li never let hardship distract him. His enduring patience and delight in daily scenes were reflected in paintings such as those of the gentle hardworking water-buffaloes of Sichuan. Li's ingenuity and skill found so many ways of expressing the simplicity of life.

Li River Cruise Rules

We carry out the following rules on the Li River:
• Rowing between Guilin and Yangdi is not permitted.
• Rowing between Yangdi and Yangshuo is permitted until 10 am only.
• There are no restrictions for rowing from Yangshuo downstream.
• Tourist ships have always the right of way.
• We are considerate of all other ships, boats and rafts.
• Instructions of the tour guides need to be observed immediately at any time.
• The coxes are responsible for a rowing without accidents.
Their commands need to be observed immediately at any times.
• Red poles are to pass on the starboard side, White poles on the port side on a downstream course.
• The life jackets must be wearied in the boat at any time.
• The tour guides reserve the right to remove fallible crews from the river.

Linxia Hui Nationality Autonomous Prefecture Small Mecca of China

2012-01-01T19:10:00.001-08:00

Linxia Hui Nationality Autonomous Prefecture known as “Small Mecca of China”, with many Mosques along the roadside. Pay a visit to Linxia Mosque. Passing through Tumen Pass, the obvious dividing line of Gansu temperature and the intercommunion of Chinese Muslim culture and Tibetan Buddhism cultures, reach Labrang Monastery. Linxia City has over 80 mosques, built in a variety of architectural styles. There are also a number of gongbei shrines centered around graves of Sufi masters.

The possible origins of Monguor (Tu) people in Tongren County, Rma lho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, are discussed in the context of a ritual winter exorcism in Gnyan thog Village, Qinghai Province. Bang rituals and the possible origins of wutu, an exorcist winter ritual, are described, as well as the ritual as it occurs in Gnyan thog Village, Tongren County. For comparative purposes, a similar ritual is described in the nearby area of Rdo sbis, Xunhua County.

Hua Si Gongbei (Ma Laichi's mausoleum)

Ershe-Mosque

Gnyan thog (Nianduhu) Village, Gnyan thog Township, Tongren County, Rma lho (Huangnan |Ç) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, is located in the east-central part of Qinghai Province, situated in northwest China. West of the Rong bo River, the village is home to 250 families and has a total population of approximately 1,500. Gnyan thog residents are officially classified as Tu (Monguor), a non-Islamic Mongolic people numbering 190,000. They live primarily in Qinghai and Gansu 1Â provinces. CHEN’s (1986) “Baoan” ˜H linguistic study lists informants as being “Monguor” and from the villages of Gnyan thog, Tho rgya bod skor (Baoan Xiazhuang H49), Ska gsar (Gashari), and Sgo dmar (Guomari »8Õ), all located in Tongren County. ÜJIYEDIIN (1994) utilizes material from the same sources in an English-language monograph entitled “Introduction, Grammar, and Sample Sentences for Baoan.” Gansu Province is where the great majority of China’s 12,000 citizens officially classified as “Baoan” dwell.

Hanjia Mosque

Suoma Mosque

Further complicating matters, those classified as Monguor living in nearby Wutun G¬ speak a creole (CHEN 1986a) that is virtually incomprehensible to Gnyan thog residents. Additionally, Zhu Yongzhong, who is a Monguor native of Minhe County, understood little of the Gnyan thog language while in the village collecting and filming materials for this paper. Gnyan thog residents’ language has many affinities with Mongol and Tibetan, and has more lexical terms in common with these languages than with Chinese. These taxonomic conundrums illustrate the complex ethnic circumstances of many eastern Qinghai communities.

This paper provides a detailed description of the wutu ritual performed on 30 December 1996.2 Specifically, we discuss the various explanations of the origin of Gnyan thog residents, provide an account of the origin of Gnyan thog Castle, describe ritual sacrifices to local mountain gods, describe wutu ritual, and conclude by summarizing a similar ritual in a nearby Tibetan area.

Nanguan Mosque

Laohua Mosque

By the late 1872, the Qing armies lead by general Zuo Zongtang had destroyed the Hui rebels in the regions to the east of Hezhou (Shaanxi and Ningxia), and reached the Tao River, separating the today's Linxia Prefecture from its eastern neighbor, Dingxi to the east. Zuo's attempts to gain a foothold west of the Tao River were stymied by Ma Zhan'ao's Muslim fighters. But Ma realized that he could not hold against the Qing armies forever, and in early 1873 he sent his son, who was soon to become known as Ma Anliang, to Zuo's headquarters in Anding to negotiate switching sides.

Pursuant to the agreement, Ma Zhan'ao surrendered Hezhou to the government forces, executed those locals who objected to the surrender, and joined the government side himself, to fight against the rebels farther west. In exchange, Zuo Zontang treated the Hezhou Muslim community much better than he had the people of Ma Hualong's Jinjipu, or than he would treat the defenders of Suzhou later this year. The Hezhou Muslims were spared a massacre or a relocation to a remote region; instead, in a unique gesture during that war, Zuo acted to reduce the inter-communal tension by relocating some of the local Han people away from the Muslims.[16] Nonetheless, in order to ensure the government's control over the region, the Muslims were prohibited to live within the city walls of Hezhou.

Luochuan loess National Geopark and Chinese Loess Plateau

2012-01-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

Luochuan loess National Geopark and Chinese Loess Plateau Most Popular China Holiday Adventure

Geological sections of the Quaternary loess form the core part of the Park that exhibit the spectacular views of the erosion surfaces of the loess morphology. As the important landscape in the nature, the loess geomorphic landscape in Chinese Loess Plateau has been concerned widely by the geosciences circles (Guo, 2008, P.107-124 & Xu, 2004, P.1871-1882 & B. Fu, 1994, P.33-40), but as a kind of tourism resource, the loess landscape is ignored up to now (Wu, 2005, P.513-519 & Zhao, 2007, P.95-99). The loess geomorphic landscape includes not only the loess stratum section which is the best Quaternary continental record in the world, but the erosion landscape that the soils are eroded most seriously in the world, and specific loess wonders such as loess tableland ( ‘Yuan’ in chinese), loess ridge (Liang), loess hills (Mao) (Liu T S, 1985, P.1-251), rivers and gorges, which largely attract domestic and foreign tourists.

The White Deer Plateau (here Plateau is named as Yuan in local Chinese, a tableland landform) is the largest plateau near Xi’an city, and its exposed loess stratum completely and systematically records the past environment change (Bloemendal J, 2008, P.152-168 & Zhao J, 2008, P.665-676), which possesses higher scientific and research values, and is the important resource to study the geology and develop the popular science tourism. Because the tourism development emphases of the White Deer Plateau are only limited in the Hundreds Hectares Cheery Garden and the Cetacean Channel at present, so the development of the special and abundant loess tourism resources is still ignored, which not only wastes the resources, but limits the tourism development space of the White Deer Plateau. Therefore, it is very important to strengthen the development of the loess tourism resources in the White Deer Plateau.

According to the feature of loess environment, geographic conditions and traffic advantage, combining the advantages, features and development actuality of the loess landscape on the Loess Plateau, combining with tourists’ intensive requirements for the participation, knowledge and culture of the tourism products, the idea of constructing the loess sculpture garden on the White Deer Plateau is proposed in the article. The visual, lively and abundant loess physiognomy landscape, the loess and environment, and the loess culture full of Chinese characters will be utilized to drive the development of the tourism industry in the White Deer Plateau, promote the advance of the loess culture and create the new mode of geological popular science tourism. And the White Deer Plateau will be constructed as the Chinese loess geological popular science tourism base and the “large tourism plateau” in the area of Xi’an.

White Deer Plateau

The White Deer Plateau is located to the southeast of Xi’an City, the southwest of Lishan Mountain, and the northwest of Shaoling Plateau. It lies between the Chanhe River and the Bahe River, and the its length is about 28km, and its width is about 7~10km with a area 238km2, and it is the largest loess plateau near Xi’an City. The Cetacean Channel transverses the plateau, and the northern part is called as Dizhai Plateau, and the souther is called as Paoli Plateau. The altitude of the plateau ranges from 650 m to 780 m a.s.l with the highest 803.9m.

The surface of the plateau rises northeast, and descends southwest, and the height differences between the northern plateau and the Bahe River are in 260~350m, and the height differences between the southern plateau and the Chanhe River are in 150~200m. The gullies and streams in the White Deer Plateau mainly include Gaojiagou gully, Shenyusi gully, Wanggou gully and Cetacean stream. The lengths of former three gullies are about 5km, but the length of the Cetacean stream is about 25km.

The tourism resources of the White Deer Plateau are abundant and diversiform, and they include the loess plateau and ravine physiognomy landscape, the graceful water landscapes such as reservoirs, springs and gullies, the woodlands and agricultural landscapes, the literature tourism resource of “White Deer Plain”, the deep historical and cultural tourism resource, the famous Hanwen Baling Mausoleum, Quen Mother Bo Mausoleum, Queen Dou Mausoleum, site of Diqing Camp, the live custom culture resource, and the cave-house sites where villagers lived in early years such as Changchungou gullyl and Sunjiagou gully. But at present, only the Hundreds Hectares Cheery Garden and the Cetacean Channel are developed, and most tourism resources are still in the state of un-development or the state of waiting development, so the development potential of the tourism is very large.

Lupu Bridge Amazing High Technology Bridge in Shanghai

2012-01-01T19:08:00.000-08:00

The Lupu Bridge is located in Shanghai, China. It is currently the seventh crossing to be constructed over the Huangpu River in the city. The bridge is located in the south of the city with the aim to ease congestion in the quickly developing areas around the southern side of the river and the city centre and also to help with the increasing traffic expected at the 2010 world Expo. The venue for this is set to be surrounding the river at the location of the bridge, so it will not only be a vital part of the infrastructure for this event, it will also act as a showpiece for Chinese engineering.

The Lupu bridge was officially opened in June 2003 at a total cost of $302 Million US. On completion the Lupu Bridge was the largest spanning arch bridge in the world with a main span of 550m overtaking the New River Gorge Bridge in the United States by 32m. This record is set to be broken in 2008 by the under construction Chaotianmen Bridge in China by only 2m. The total length of the bridge is 3,900m including the approach bridges on either side of the river. The bridge was originally heavily criticised as it was seen as wasteful by many people in respect to the type of bridge that was actually needed for the project.

Many feel that it is just a show piece for the city and the price tag reflected that status. Other designs were proposed that would have been more economical but were rejected in favour of the tied arch design. The Lupu Bridge is a steel box section throughtied arch bridge. The central span of the deck is suspended from two sets of 28 double cables attached to the two inclined arches. The ground conditions on either side of the bridge are not suitable for the large thrusts that would be caused by a normal arch bridge and this is what lead to the decision of using a through tied arch which will be discussed further later in this paper. Below are two elevations of the bridge, the side profile and a view looking longitudinally along the deck.

The structure should be well ordered in that it has a coherence and fluency about the lines and shapes within it. The Lupu Bridge, being an almost entirely welded structure, has mostly smooth clean lines especially those of the arches. The line of the deck through the intersection of the arches keeps a fluid line through the centre of the bridge bringing the centre span together with the approach bridges on either side enhancing the continuity of the structure.

Equal spacing of the main cables enhances the well ordered nature of the bridge and this is mirrored in the supporting columns of the approach bridges although, due to the large number of columns, at oblique angles it can look confused and overcrowded. The function and structure of the Lupu Bridge are portrayed in an obvious and simple way with subtle refinements and complexities to add to the bridge’s aesthetic appeal. Under Leonhardt’s rules, the Lupu Bridge has many of the attributes that could make it beautiful. Bridge aesthetics are however a matter of personal opinion and what may be beautiful to one person may not necessarily be so to another.

Keywords: Lupu Bridge, Steel, Arch Bridge, Popular Bridge In China, Bridge

Norbulingka Park UNESCO World Heritage of Tibet

2012-01-01T19:07:00.000-08:00

Norbulingka Park (Treasure Garden) was built in the 1740s during the reign of the seventh Dalai Lama. Later it was renovated and enlarged and became the Dalai Lama’s Summer Palace. Norbulingka (literally: "The Jewelled Park") is a palace and surrounding park in Lhasa, Tibet, built from 1755.[1] It served as the traditional summer residence of the successive Dalai Lamas from the 1780s up until the 14th Dalai Lama's self-exile in 1959. Part of the "Historic Ensemble of the Potala Palace", Norbulingka is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and was added as an extension of this Historic Ensemble in 2001. It was built by the 7th Dalai Lama and served both as administrative centre and religious centre. It is a unique representation of Tibetan palace architecture.

The Norbulingka park situated at an elevation of 3,650 metres (11,980 ft) boasted of flower gardens of Roses, petunias, hollyhocks, marigolds, chrysanthemums and rows of herbs in pots and rare plants. Fruit trees of apple, peach and apricot were also reported (but the fruits did not ripen in Lhasa) and also poplar trees and bamboo. In its heyday, the Norbulingka grounds also witnessed wild life in the form of peacocks and Brahminy ducks in the lakes. The park was so large and well laid out that cycling around the area was even permitted to enjoy the beauty of the environment. The gardens are a favourite picnic spot and provides a beautiful venue for theatre, dancing and festivals, particularly the Shodun or 'Yoghurt Festival', at the beginning of August, with families camping in the grounds for days surrounded by colourful makeshift windbreaks of rugs and scarves and enjoying the height of summer weather.

Norbulingka Palace of the Dalai Lamas was built about 100 years after the Potala Palace was built on the Parkori peak, over a 36 hectares (89 acres) land area. It was built a little away to the west of the Potala for the exclusive use by the Dalai Lama for stay during the summer months. Tenzing Gyatso, the present 14th Dalai Lama in the order stayed here before he fled to India. The building of the palace and the park was undertaken by the 7th Dalai Lama from 1755. The Norbulingka Park and Summer Palace were completed in 1783 under Jampel Gyatso, the 8th Dalai Lama, on the outskirts of Lhasa. became the summer residence during the reign of the Eighth Dalai Lama.

Kelsang Potrang, named after the Seventh Dalai Lama, is a three-storey palace with halls for worshipping Buddha, bedrooms, reading rooms and sanctuaries. Tsokyil Potrang, when the Eighth Dalai Lama was in power, is considered to be the most attractive in Norbulingka. Khamsum Zilnon built during that time is really a striking pavilion of the Han architecture style, where Dalai Lamas enjoyed Tibetan opera. In 1922, a wealthy benefactor had Golden Linka and Chensel Potrang constructed for the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. Meanwhile, a lot of flowers, grass and trees were planted. In 1954, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama built Takten Migyur Potrang, which is also called the New Summer Palace, means 'Eternal Palace' in Tibetan. The architecture has combined the characteristics of temple and villa and is more magnificent than other palaces. The exquisite murals in the palace are well worth a mention and visit.