THE GREAT WALL of CHINA
The Great Wall is one of the seven wonders of the medieval times and the symbol of China. In 1987, The Great Wall was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
From 1,000 meters above sea level, the lights of Beijing can be seen from The Great Wall. Apollo astronaut Neil Armstrong said it could be seen clearly from space.
Construction of the Great Wall began over 2,500 years ago.
7.8 meters high
6.5 meters thick
5.8 meters wide
8,852 kilometers long
Badaling is the first section opened to the public and is the best preserved section of the entire wall.
Shibaozhai Temple (Pagoda) ~ Yangtze River
The beauty and tranquility of the ancient architecture of the Shibaozhai Temple make it a "Precious Stone Fortress" shrouded in magical history, legend and myth.
Dumpling Banquet & Shaaxi Sunshine Lido Grand Theatre ~ Xi'An, China
DUMPLING BANQUET:
Pork and vegetable
Chicken, shrimp and pork
Purple sweet potato
Vegetable and mushroom
Pork ham and mushroom
Shrimp and pork
Boiled dumplings
Walnut dumplings
Duck and pork
Pork and fungus
Cabbage dumplings
Green bean and egg
Vegetable egg and tofu
Mushroom and pork
PROGRAM:
Tang Dynasty's Customs
Dun Huang Flying
Po Zhen
Spring Flowers on the Moonlit River
Lv Yao
Night Entertainment in the Fisherboat
Buddhism
The Sword Dance
The Imperial Feather Dance
Moonlit View of Qujiang
Glorious Tang Dynasty
The Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was the abode of the Chinese Emperors, their families, staff and government officials. It was occupied by emperors from Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is one of the most significant symbols of ancient Chinese government.
Interesting facts about the city.
1. The city was built from 1406 to 1420 and consists of 980 buildings that cover 720,000 square meters (7,800,000 square feet).
2. The Forbidden City was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1987 and also declared as the world's largest preservation of wooden structures from ancient world.
3. The Forbidden City is home to one of the biggest museums in the world - the Palace Museum - that boasts imperial collection spanning the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
4. Among the materials used to construct the palace include; marbles from the surrounding quarries, logs of precious Phoebe zhennan wood and golden bricks.
5. The Forbidden City was home to home of 24 emperors – 14 of the Ming Dynasty and 10 of the Qing Dynasty.
6. The city ceased to be the seat of political power in 1912 after Puyi, the last Emperor of China, abdicated and allowed the formation of new Republic of China.
7. The Forbidden City is an array of ancient building and artifacts that include; porcelain and jade, gardens, plazas, historic sites, and 9,999 rooms.
8. 90% of the roofs are finished with glazed yellow tiles. Yellow was the official color of Chinese Emperors.
9. Each of the 9,999 rooms is decorated with statues. As the importance of each building grows, the number of statues increases. The most important room has a maximum of 10 statues.
10. About one million artifacts that are housed within the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City are considered Chinese National Heritage items and are thus under the protection of the Chines government.
The Forbidden City is the main attraction to tourists in the Chinese capital - Beijing. It is one of the most visited ancient sites in the world and a tour here will be an eye opener. Very few other museums in the world can claim as much history as the Forbidden City.
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It is the world's biggest ancient palace
It is considered to be among the world's top 5 most important palaces
China's most popular tourist attraction
The structure is almost 600 years old
Home of dynastic clans for 500 years
A million articles are considered national heritage
1987 UNESCO World Heritage List
The largest collection of ancient wooden structures in the world
A stunning array of ancient treasures and buildings: with ancient porcelain and jade, gardens, plazas, historic sites, and 9,999 rooms
The Most Popular Sections
Tian'anmen Square
Entrance: Tian'anmen
Outer Court: Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihe Dian), Hall of Central Harmony (Zhonghe Dian), Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohe Dian), Gate of Heavenly Peace (Qianqing Men) Inner Court: Palace of Heavenly Peace (Qianqing Gong), Palace of Union and Peace (Jiaotai Dian), Palace of Terrestrial Tranquility (Kunning Gong)
Gardens: Imperial Garden, Mental Cultivation Hall (Yangxin Dian)
Exit: Gate of Divine Might