Barkhor is the road tramped out around Jokhang Temple through centuries

Barkhor is the road which pilgrims tramped out around Jokhang Temple through centuries. Buddhist pilgrims walk or progress by body-lengths along the street clockwise every day into deep night. They comprise most of Lhasa‘s floating population. Careful visitors may find there are 4 columns, on which colorful scripture streamers are hung flying over the street. All pilgrims walk outside of them to show respect. The custom started in Tubo period (633- 877).

 
Over time side streets, lanes and alleys were added and the Barkhor Square. Today the pilgrims are still circumambulating the temple and the surrounding area has become a major tourist destination. This is the best place to see Lhasa’s traditional Tibetan architecture and the streets are lined by small shops selling Tibetan souvenirs such as prayer wheels, the tradition Tibetan long-sleeve ‘chuba’, Tibetan knives, jade jewellery, Buddhist statues and other religious artefacts. It is also the place to find ‘Thangka’ or Tibetan scroll paintings with themes of religion, history, literature, etc.

Tips:
1. You should walk in a clockwise direction along the street.
2. It is better not stay too late there. Because there are many lanes there, it’s easy to lose your way in the evening.
3. Different vendors may sell the same thing at different price. So you’d better ask several vendors and get more information of the articles. Of course, you should also know how to bargain with them.
4. According to the tradition of Tibet, the vendor will give a favorable price to the first customer and the last one in a day.

Lingyin Temple is one of the largest temples in China

Located 9 km away from the city west of West Lake, Lingyin Temple is one of the largest and most significant Chan (Zen) temples in China. Founded in 326 by an Indian monk named Huili, the temple originally had 72 halls and 18 pavilions, once housing 3000 monks. Unfortunately, the only buildings left today are the Celestial King’s Hall and the 33.6-meter-high Great Buddha Hall. Lingyin Temple is visited today by pilgrims from all over the world and local worshippers. Worship the Buddha and make a wish there. It is believed that Lingyin Temple is one of the top temples for making your wish come true.

 
In front of the Lingyin Temple is the Hall of the Heavenly King; at the center of the hall sit statue of the Buddha of Maitreya with a smiling face and a bare belly. The 33.6 meters Hall of the Great Hero is a single-storied structure with three overlapping double layered eaves. After being completely repaired in 1954, the hall was changed to the present structure, made entirely of steel and concrete, and the great hall made spacious, imposing and grand. At the centre of the Hall of the Great Hero is a 19.6 meter’s high figure of magnificent Sakyamuni, founder of Buddhism. These palace, pavilion, stone pagoda, and figures of the Buddha in Ling Yin Temple have great significance in researching the history of Buddhism, the Chinese art of building, precious Chinese cultural relics.
Lingyin Temple is one of Hangzhou’s most popular attractions. It was the site of a temple during the Eastern Jin dynasty (317-420), and after its development during the Five Dynasties (907-960) it became a thriving monastery. Destroyed and rebuilt no fewer than 16 times since, the present structures are renovated Qing dynasty buildings.

The two largest buildings are the Hall of the Heavenly Kings and the Hall of the Great Hero, the latter being one of the tallest single-story buildings in China and featuring a huge wooden statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha covered in gold leaf, behind which is a statue of the Guanyin, or Goddess of Mercy. The complex contains an important collection of Buddhist sutras.

Potala Palace was originally built more than 1,300 years ago

Potala Palace was originally built more than 1,300 years ago in the 7th century. Because of the damage made by a war, the structure was rebuilt in the 17th century by the Fifth Dalai Lama. Repeated repairs and expansions until 1645 finally brought the palace to its present scale.

The marvelousPotala Palace is made of wood and stones. The walls are all made of granite, and the roofs are all made of wood. The overhanging eaves, the upturned roof corners, the gilded brass tiles and pillars all inscribed with Buddhist scriptures, bottles, and makara fish as well as the gold-winged bird decoration the roof ridges contribute much to the beauty of the hip-an-gable roofs.
The building measures 400 metres east-west and 350 metres north-south, with sloping stone walls averaging 3 m. thick, and 5 m. (more than 16 ft) thick at the base, and with copper poured into the foundations to help proof it against earthquakes. Thirteen stories of buildings – containing over 1,000 rooms, 10,000 shrines and about 200,000 statues – soar 117 metres (384 ft) on top of Marpo Ri, the “Red Hill”, rising more than 300 m (about 1,000 ft) in total above the valley floor.

 
Potala Palace has the implementation of pre-integrated ticketing system restricted, limiting the number of visitors is 2,300 people a day (about 700 individual tickets), after 17:00 every day, it sells the next day and later tickets, the pre-sale ticket limited 4 per person, you must line up for tickets one day in advance, certificate and identity card number must be provided, according to the sequence of queuing, ticket marked on the card the next day’s tour time, buy enter ticket with your ID card in the gate of Potala Palace.

The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is famous in Guangzhou

The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (耶穌聖心主教座堂) is a cathedral in Guangzhou, southern China. It is located at #56 Yide Lu, Guangzhou, on the north side of the Pearl River, a short distance from Shamian Island.

 
Sacred Heart Cathedral held the foundation stone laying ceremony on June 18, 1863 officially sacred holy day, so the name of the sacred heart cathedral.
The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is also is known as the Sacred Heart Cathedral. It isn’t a Roman Catholic church, but it is the cathedral of the Chinese bishop in Guangzhou. It is operated by the government, and they refurbished it several times. It was reopened in 2007. Now, mass is held each week in several languages.

Chimelong Paradise is located at the heart of the Chimelong Tourism Resort area, which is one of the first 5A Tourism Area in China. Covering an area of 1 million square meters and invested with over 2 billion RMB by the Chimelong Group, Chimelong Paradise is blend of thrilling rides, stunning performances, and world class service. Since its opening in April 7.2006, the park has received millions of tourists, with the highest daily reception of guests reaching 50 thousand people.

Yerpa is one of the holiest cave trtreats ever

Drak Yerpa is about 18 miles to the norhteast of Lhasa, it is probably not of great interest for the average traveller, but for those with a particular interest in Tibetan Buddhism, Yerpa is one of the holiest cave trtreats ever. At one time the hill at the base of the Cave— dotted cliffs was home to Yerpa Monastery. The history of Dark Yerpa includes many of the great names responsible for the establishment of Buddhism in Tibet Emperor Songtsen Gampo meditated in seclusion here: Guru Rimpoche and several of his disciples also meditated here. Here Jowo Atisha chose to preach extensively. Although the ancient Kadampa Gompa has been destroyed, the geomantic qualities that made Drak Yerpa a major power place still remail and still attract hermits to its caves.

Yerpa, also called Brag Yer-pa, Drak Yerpa, Dagyeba, Dayerpa or Trayerpa, is about 16 km northeast of Lhasa on the northern bank of the Kyichu River. Walking for another 10 km, you then reach the spectacular limestone cliffs of the Yerpa Valley, also the location of one group of the famous ancient meditation caves in Tibet. The other famous group of meditation caves in Tibet is located at Chim-puk Hermitage in Lhokha.
  In the Valley are a number of small Drak Yerpa temples, shrines and Drak Yerpa hermitages. Also, the cliffs contain meditation sites, some of which are thought to be the earliest known meditation sites in Tibet. There are some of them that can be dated back to pre-Buddhist times. Some more famous are connected with Songtsän Gampo, first emperor to unite Tibet. The Drak Yerpa temple here was founded by Monza Triucham, his Tibetan queen.

The Prince Gong Mansion is known as one of the most ornate and extravagant residence compounds in all of Beijing

  The Prince Gong Mansion, also called the Prince Kung’s Mansion, is a museum located in the western part of central Beijing, China, north of the Shichahai Lake. Consisting of large mansions in the typical siheyuan layout and gardens, the Prince Gong Mansion is known as one of the most ornate and extravagant residence compounds in all of Beijing.

 
  The buildings at the forefront of the mansion are on three axes, and apart from a two-story building consisting of ninety-nine and half rooms, all are in traditional style. Duofu Study is on the eastern axis, and its structure is in the Ming style. On each of the two side axes are four courtyards, the second courtyard on the western axis being strikingly spacious. In the third courtyard, called Xijin Studio, there is a seven-roomed, exquisitely furnished hall. All the beams and pillars are made of nanmu, and its sandalwood partitions are reminiscent of those found in Ningshou Palace in the Forbidden City. Between the buildings and the rear garden there stands a 165-meter-long two-story building.

  The distinctive halls, platforms, houses and pavilions, together with waters and plants have created delicate and elegant scenery. As a masterpiece of classical private gardens, the garden of Prince Gong’s Mansion is worth a good enjoying.

Yueyaquan is a crescent-shaped lake in an oasis

  Yueyaquan is a crescent-shaped lake in an oasis, 6 km south of the city of Dunhuang in Gansu Province, China. It was named Yueyaquan in the Qing Dynasty. According to measurements made in 1960, the average depth of the lake was 4 to 5 meters, with a maximum depth of 7.5 metres (25 ft) In the following 40 years, the depth of the lake continually declined. In the early 1990s, its area had shrunk to only 1.37 acres (5,500 m2) with an average depth of 0.9 meter (maximum 1.3 meter).

 

  In 2006, the local government with help of the central government started to fill the lake and restore its depth; its depth and size have been growing yearly since then. The lake and the surrounding deserts are very popular with tourists, who are offered camel and 4×4 rides.
  You may be wondering how this desert wonder formed. Research has discovered that in this special crescent landform the wind created this depression, as the cross-ventilated theory states, the falling sands from the surrounding mountains would be sent back to the other side of nearby Echoing-Sand Mountains. Thus, the sands do not smother the spring. And this particular earth movement keeps the sand dunes and spring eternally in a harmonious and almost paradoxical existence.

  Tourists ride camels at the scenic spot of Crescent Lake in Dunhuang City, northwest China’s Gansu Province, October 4, 2012. Dunhuang, a major stop on the ancient Silk road well known for its Mogao Caves (Caves of 1,000 Buddhas), Crescent Lake and Mingsha Mountain, has attracted large numbers of tourists from both home and abroad during the National Day holiday.

The Ming Tombs are located in Changping District

  The Ming Tombs are located in Changping District, about 50kilometers to the northwest of Beijing. This imperial cemetery covers an area of 80square kilometers with 13Ming emperors, 23 empresses, many imperial concubines, princes and princesses buried here. These tombs are the best preserved of all Chinese imperial tombs. There are a total of 13Ming Emperors buried in this area, so it is called the “Thirteen Ming Tombs” in Chinese. In 1961, the Chinese Government listed the “Thirteen Ming Tombs” as one of the important historical monuments under special preservation, and in 2003 the ”thirteen Ming Tombs” were listed as a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO.

  Only the Changling and Dingling tombs are open to the public. Changling, the chief of the Ming Tombs, is the largest in scale and is completely preserved. The total internal area of the main building is 1956 square meters. There are 32 huge posts, and the largest measures about 14 meters in height. It inhumes Emperor Zhudi, the fourth son of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. We  recommends the Ling’en Palace in its second yard as really deserving a visit. This is unique as it is the only huge palace made of camphor wood. It covers about 1956 square meters. The ceiling is colorfully painted and supported by sixteen solid camphor posts. The floor was decorated with gold bricks.
  A scared Way is always found in an imperial cemetery. The Scared Way of the Ming Tombs is 7.3 kilometers long from the Memorial Stone Archway to the gate of Changling. The main structures along the Scared Way are: Marble Archway, Great Palace Gate, Tablet Tower, Stone Statues and Dragon and Phoenix Gate. The Scared Way originally built for Changling, Emperor Yongle’s Tomb, but since the other twelve tombs were also built in this area, either to the right or to the left of Changling, The Scared Way became the main road for all of the thirteen tombs.

Canton Tower is an observation tower in Guangzhou

  The Canton Tower has a slender asymmetric hyperboloid form created by drawing straight lines between two rotated ellipses. This allows for a fluid shape which is still structurally robust, and generates a form which (apparently) embodies feminine characteristics – according to the press release it is “complex, transparent, curvy and gracious”, even “sexy”.

  The tower topped out in August 2009 and was completed in September 2010. It was officially renamed as Canton Tower, to represent the traditional European name of the city, and opened in October 2010.
  Canton Tower, formerly known as Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower, is an observation tower in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. It was completed in 2009 and opened in September 2010 for the 2010 Asian Games. The Canton Tower is the fifth tallest structure in the world and the second freestanding structure in the world.

  Built in 2010 and standing at 600 meters high, this is the tallest structure in China, and besides offering some extraordinary views of old and new Guangzhou, there is plenty to keep young and old occupied: Bubble trams, Mega Drops, glas platforms to name a few.

Lychee Wan Chung

  How can you miss this fascinating and charming place recovered from 2,000 years ago?
  Taking a wooden boat in this water town on the emerald green water you can enjoy stunning vistas and traditional buildings presenting the Lingnan culture along the banks.

  Its history can be traced back to 206 B.C.in the Han Dynasty. Because of its beautiful scenery with a number of river branches and luxuriant Lychee trees, it was turned into a Royal Garden and a summer resort. In the Tang Dynasty when the fruit of Lychee was ripe, the emperor and his family members and high officials would come to stay there for a time enjoying the sweet fruit. The decline of Lychee Wan started in the 40s of the 20th century, the streams and river branches were seriously polluted. In 1999, the government of Liwan District put forward a plan to restore Lychee Wan Chung. By October 2010, the huge projection of its restoration was completed.