Travel To China

Itay Lahad asked:


Is it true that the great wall of china was made to keep the mexicans out?

Calvin

sdsrfbum69 asked:


I’ve travelled to Australia and Thailand and loved them both. Had a good time and always felt safe. Probably because everyone in these countries speaks english. Should China be my next choice or should I go somewhere else in the Far East?

Nelson

Rakesh Gaikwad asked:


China is much more than just a country, when you visit China it’s like being in a whole different world. The heritage and history of this beautiful country that spans back over 5,000 years, virtually makes it a wonderland for millions of tourists each year!

China offers over 15,000 attractions that range from man made and natural, to spiritual and cultural. With it’s desert lands, dramatic mountains and natural rivers and amazing shore lines, China is one of the most popular destinations in East Asia.

There are a vast number of different escorted tours of China available, including several once in a lifetime opportunities. The Great Wall of China stretches from east to west covering about 4,163 miles, winding through valleys and across mountains! The construction began around 600-700 BC and continued for over 2000 years and through 20 dynasties!

The wall is as much as 25 feet high in some areas and is one of the world’s largest building projects ever completed. The wall began as a series of sections built by individual states for protection, but was joined together as one wall during the Qin Dynasty.

Many different companies offer a range of tours of China, but it is important to book with one that offers experience as well as local knowledge, which is why Kuoni are one of the most popular companies with UK travellers.

Uncovered in 1974, the Terracotta Warriors are a breathtaking example of the talent of China’s artisans! These amazing warriors are over 2000 years old and form a complete life size army along with chariots and horses!

With the painstaking attention given to even the smallest of details, every statue in this extraordinary army is different and unique. Each on has it’s own personality that displays a deep sense of pride in China’s artisans.

You won’t want to miss China’s Forbidden City, home to the world’s largest palace. Construction of The Forbidden City was begun in 1406 and it served as the home to 24 emperors from the Qing and Ming Dynasties.

Setting in the heart of Beijing, the Palace was erected as a replica of the Purple Palace in Heaven where God lived. The complex holds 90 palaces and courtyards, there are 980 buildings that have 8,704 rooms!

The magnificent architecture is an attraction in itself, but now called the Palace Museum, it contains thousands of historical treasures. There are hundreds of thousands items on display from ceramics, paintings, bronze ware, jade, porcelain and much more!

The mystical paradise of Shangri-La became a reality in 2002, when the Chinese government granted Zhongdian County the permission to officially change it’s name! This picturesque little township emits the harmonious tranquility that became so famous in the novel.

Shangri-La’s snow capped mountains, beautiful natural lakes and forests have captivated tourists and locals for many years. It was also honoured by becoming the first national park in China.

There are numerous natural rivers, lakes and waterfalls and its vast shoreline is populated with over 5,000 islands! There’s something for everyone from bike trails, hiking, mountain climbing, skiing, snowboarding and cave exploration!

With all the different China Toursto choose from, you can truly discover this land of enchantment and experience some of the most beautiful architecture in the world. No one could visit this wonderful country without being affected by its proud sense of history and culture!



Edward

Inquiring Atheist asked:


Who is a bigger threat to China out of the world super powers?

Also what do you think the CCP seeks to increase their soft powers or hard powers?

Recently we heard that China is expanding it’s military forces. (hard power) however what we don’t hear is how China is increasing their soft powers for almost a decade now.

Dallas

Deidre Bissonette asked:


Tea comes from the plant “Camellia Sinensis.” Tea is made from one type of leaf or a blend of leaves. Black tea and green tea both come from the Camellia Sinensis. Red Tea is originally from South Africa is caffeine free and also has some antioxidant properties. Herbal tea comes from roots and berries and is called a “Tisane.” Herbal Tea is not considered a true tea however, and does not have the antioxidants that black, green, oolong and red teas have. Tea comes from China originally and is picked now all over the world, such as Siam, South China, Burma, Assam, Kenya, South Africa and other countries.

The T’ang Dynasty was in 618-906 AD, and during this time Taoist and Buddhist monks used tea for spiritual reasons. The origin of tea can also be found in the “cha ching” wrote by Lu Yu. “The Jade Queen” was also a name for tea and symbolized the mysteries of the universe. People of this time would drink teas made of things such as orange blossoms, onions, peppermint and lotus. Tea, however, was prepared in which to experience peace and serenity, and to drink and meditate with.

During the Sung Dynasty of 960-1279 tea bricks were thrown away while the tea leaves were ground into a fine powder to make a whipped frothy tea. The cups used were wide brimmed and were brown, blue, and purple in color. During the Ming Dynasty of 1358-1644 the west was introduced to tea. Tea cups used were white in order to enhance the color of the tea.

In modern times tea became popular between the east and west. The 1800s saw England becoming addicted to tea. Tea and Opium smugglers were the head of trade. The opium war from 1839-1842 was between England and China, and China had to sign a free treaty. Soon, however, England would create tea production in India, and China became less popular for tea cultivation.

Tea consumption really began in the east and was introduced to the west through trade. In 1618 Russia was introduced to tea, but tea was difficult to obtain, because they could not trade with China. In the eighteenth century Russia formed a caravan route of camels that would journey for many months. They would meet at a neutral zone between Russia and China, and than take the tea back to the aristocrats of Russia. Russian peasants would use a “Samovar,” an urn that stores hot water, and was used for tea.

England at one time thought tea was unhealthy and so tea became a controversial issue. Tea was also taxed very highly. Queen Elizabeth I thought tea to be a valuable investment, and in 1600 she formed a pact of trade in the East with the East India Company. The company was involved with the rise and fall of the British Colonial Empire for over 250 years. Tea became an afternoon affair in England in the 1700s. Cakes, pastries and sandwiches accompanied the precious pot of tea. Tea gardens flourished all over England. In America, colonists tried to copy England by having tea gardens similar to those in London. Tea was still misunderstood and unfavorable among Americans, but by the American Revolution tea was being drunk by trappers, early settlers and soldiers. People in high society traded tea for liquor.

Tea became a political issue when Westminster Parliament decided to tax tea. Britain’s East India Company was not doing well financially and in order to help the company, Britain decided to tax the tea. The company would not have the regular duties and tariffs, and this would cause American merchants to be undersold. The American colonists wanted representation with the taxation, and thus the famous Boston tea party occurred. This happened when three ships carrying tea were sent by the East India Company, but were turned away by all ports except for Boston. Men dressed as Indian Mohawks stormed the ships and destroyed them using hatchets and axes, and all of the tea was dumped into the ocean.

Sri Lanka and India now provide 70% of the world’s tea. Kenya is also producing tea, and America is now the second biggest importer of tea.

Deidre R. Bissonette



Adrienne

Neil R asked:


How did the struggle for China lead to unification and who finally won the battle?

Patrick

Rob asked:


Just curious: what were the primarily religions of China during the turn of the BCE/CE time frame?

And for extra credit: what is the time frame of the origin of Buddhism?

Kristopher

Strawberry Tart asked:


Does China have the potential to be just as big if not bigger than the US in terms of superpower status ? and will India be a force to reckon with ?

Jonathon

jackyluo asked:


 

Is it possible to walk the length and breadth of China within a single day?

One place you could do just that is at the Chinese Ethnic Culture Park, south of the Bird’s Nest and within the Olympic Green.

The huge park has been a labor of love and precisely re-creates life in all 56 of China’s ethnic groups.

From some of the “mountains” or “plateaus,” you can see Beijing’s main Olympic venues, as well as the Three Towers of Dali in Yunnan province, vivid replicas of the Jokhang Temple and many other ethnically significant buildings.

The park covers 45 hectares of land within the North Fourth Ring Road and a leisurely stroll throughout will take six or seven hours. It is also an anthropological museum, the China Nationalities Museum.

When construction started in 1992, it was part of China’s plan to bid for the 2000 Olympics. China lost the bid in 1993, only to win it eight years later for the 2008 Games.

“It is actually a good thing for us, for we had eight more years to do research work for the museum and collect cultural relics from various ethnic groups,” says museum curator Wang Ping.

It took three to five years for the park and museum to prepare the construction of each ethnic group’s area. Although the first phase of the park opened back in 1994, work has been going on non-stop ever since.

“I have done fieldwork in all the ethnic minority regions in China - I have never been to some tourist attractions like the Huangshan Mountain or Taishan Mountain but I have been to many villages around the Himalayan Mountains,” Wang says.

Every ethnic group has a “village” in the park to display its architecture, religion, lifestyle and cultural relics. Various crops are also planted in accordance with different ethnic groups, including paddy rice for the Dong people, highland barley for the Tibetans and buckwheat for the Yi.

“We hope to encourage visitors to enter the lives of different ethnic groups,” says Wang.

Some buildings in the park are original, taken apart at their original spots and then transported to, and reassembled in, Beijing. Others were prepared in the original place and assembled in Beijing.

For example, the symbol of the village of the Salar, a Muslim ethnic group in Northwestern China, is a minaret from the Shangbaizhuang village, Baizhuang township, Xunhua Salar autonomous county, Qinghai province. The minaret was built around 300 years ago, and was moved to the Chinese Ethnic Culture Park in 2003.

In the southern part of the Chinese Ethnic Culture Park, one can visit a replica of the Ermin Tower, an ancient tower in Turpan, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Standing a towering 44 m, it is exactly the same size as the original. The grey-yellow bricks were all made manually in Xinjiang and assembled in Beijing by Uygur craftsmen from Xinjiang.

In the northernmost part of the park, a drum tower, opera stage and “rain and wind bridge” represent the surroundings of a village of the Dong people. A field of paddy rice and ducks and fish in the lake further add to the idyllic atmosphere of the environment.

The park also features live cultural performances. Every morning real lamas from the Tar Monastery of Qinghai province chant Tibetan Buddhist sutras to pray for peace at the Tibetan monastery, while a dongba priest burns incense and says his prayers at the Naxi village.

Then performers of the Miao minority put on a show of “walking on blades”, a traditional Miao stunt, while singers and dancers of other ethnic groups such as the Va, Jingpo and Tu entertain visitors with their program in each village.

Throughout the year, festivals of various ethnic groups are celebrated, including the Tibetan Shotan Festival, the Water-sprinkling Festival of the Dai people and the Torches Festival of the Yi.

“Most minority people are very good at singing and dancing. Participating in their activities helps us understand and respect their cultures more,” says Lei Feng, a 47-year-old visitor to the park.

Liu Li, a 29-year-old visitor, took part in the “bamboo-pole dance” of the Dai people and found in it a long-lost joy like that of the “skipping elastic band” game in her childhood.

“In the past, I had to travel a long way to experience minority people’s lives but now I’ve found it in Beijing,” she says. “Separated only by a wall from the hustle and bustle of the North Fourth Ring Road, it is a totally different world here.”

Wang says that after the outer construction of the Chinese Ethnic Culture Park and China Nationalities Museum is complete, they will still have a lot of work to do, especially in improving the presentation of ethnic culture and enriching collections.

The China Nationalities Museum has so far collected about 100,000 cultural relics of various ethnic groups. Especially valuable among them are 5,000 cultural relics of the Qiang people, housed in a typical watch tower. In the recent earthquake in Sichuan, the Beichuan Qiang autonomous county was badly hit and many cultural relics were ruined.

“Had we not collected these cultural relics, they would probably have been lost forever,” says Wang.

As an anthropological museum, China Nationalities Museum mainly collects items that reflect ordinary people’s lives and on July 15, the museum will open a new exhibition titled Ordinary People’s Exhibition - Our History and Our Root, displaying items such as needles, bowls and pouches.

The preface of the exhibition states: “Most of the production tools and daily utensils of the common people arelost without any trace in history. However, it is these articles that give us a vivid picture of our life and culture they tell us about our history and help us find our roots.”

“What should we present to the world during the Olympic Games? It’s our culture and our people, I believe,” says Wang.



Crystal

chankljp asked:


As a Chinese that lives in China myself, I’m very curious about how the increasing amont of Chinese tourist is affect the tourist Industry worldwide.

All answers are welcome as criticism is very important for developing countries like China. So please, let us know what you think.

Kennedy