China - Mutianyu Section of The Great Wall of China

Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall.

Sent by Francoise from Beijing, China.

Mutianyu (Chinese: 慕田峪; pinyin: Mùtiányù) is a section of the Great Wall of China located in Huairou District within the city limits of Beijing 70 kilometers (43 mi) northeast of the center of the city. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is connected with Jiankou in the west and Lianhuachi in the east. As one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall, the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall used to serve as the northern barrier defending the capital and the imperial tombs.

First built in the mid-6th century during the Northern Qi, the Mutianyu section is older than the better known Badaling section of the Great Wall. During the Ming dynasty, under the supervision of general Xu Da, construction of the present wall began, building over the previous wall. In 1404, a pass was built in the wall. In 1569, the Mutianyu Great Wall was rebuilt and still today most parts of it are well preserved. The Mutianyu Great Wall has the largest construction scale and best quality among all sections of Great Wall (read more).

China - Great Wall of China

Great Wall of China, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Sent by Moki from Hangzhou, China.

The Great Wall was continuously built from the 3rd century BC to the 17th century AD on the northern border of the country as the great military defence project of successive Chinese Empires, with a total length of more than 20,000 kilometers. The Great Wall begins in the east at Shanhaiguan in Hebei province and ends at Jiayuguan in Gansu province to the west. Its main body consists of walls, horse tracks, watch towers, and shelters on the wall, and includes fortresses and passes along the Wall.

The Great Wall reflects collision and exchanges between agricultural civilizations and nomadic civilizations in ancient China. It provides significant physical evidence of the far-sighted political strategic thinking and mighty military and national defence forces of central empires in ancient China, and is an outstanding example of the superb military architecture, technology and art of ancient China. It embodies unparalleled significance as the national symbol for safeguarding the security of the country and its people (read more).

China - Shandong Provice - City of Qingdao

The city of Qingdao, a vibrant port city located on the south coast of the Shandong Peninsula, known for its unique blend of eastern charm and Western influences. The tower on the left is Qingdao TV Tower.

Sent by Wong JunShi from Qingdao City, China.

Qingdao, archaicly known as Tsingtao, is a prefecture-level city in the eastern Shandong Province of China. Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, Qingdao was long an important fortress. In 1897, the city was ceded to Germany. For the Germans, Qingdao was a strategic trade center, port and base for its East Asia Squadron, allowing the German navy to project dominance in the Pacific. In 1914, following the outbreak of World War I, Japan occupied the city and the surrounding province during the Siege of Tsingtao. In 1915, China agreed to recognize Japan's special position in the territory through what became known as the Twenty-One Demands. In 1918, the Chinese government, under the control of the warlord Duan Qirui, secretly agreed to Japanese terms in exchange for a loan. Following the First World War, during the Paris Peace Conference, Japan secured agreements with the Allied powers to recognize its claim to the areas in Shandong, which included Qingdao, previously occupied by Germany. In 1922, Shandong reverted to Chinese control following the United States' mediation during the Washington Naval Conference. Today, Qingdao is a major nodal city of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that connects Continental and East Asia with Europe. It has the highest GDP of any city in the province (read more).

China/Japan/Hong Kong - Paper Crafting Technique

Paper Crafting Technique.

Paper crafting as Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) involves traditional skills to create ceremonial objects, art, and daily items, seen in UNESCO-recognized crafts like Xuan paper making (China) and Japanese gold leaf (kinpaku), and in Hong Kong's folk paper crafts (lanterns, fa pau). These techniques use natural materials (bamboo, mulberry, rice straw) and complex steps (steeping, beating, mounting, painting) to preserve cultural identity, spiritual practices, and artistic expression, though facing challenges from modernization. 

Sent by Liu from Shanghai, China.

China - Pangquangou Nature Reserve

Pangquangou Nature Reserve.

Sent by Wang from Fujian, China.

Located in the central Lüliang Shan mountains. The main ridge in the IBA extends 15 km from north to south, and is 14.5 km wide. The main habitat is temperate deciduous broadleaf forest. The nature reserve was mainly established for the protection of Crossoptilon mantchuricum.

This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas) (read more)

China - Chongqing - City of Bridges

Bridge scene in Chongqing, China with the sun silhouetted behind the structure of a large bridge.

Sent by Jennie from Chongqing, China.

Chongqing is a mountain megacity, it is also a city on rivers. Therefore, bridges are everywhere. As of now, the city occupies over 4,500 bridges. In 2005, Bridge Committee of Mao Yi-sheng Science and Technology Education Foundation recognized it as the only “the City of Bridges” in China.

Chongqing has a mass of ancient bridges with a long history, more than numerous modern bridges that are majestic and built with superb and diversified construction technologies. It is reported that nearly 800 ancient bridges are scattered across the city, and there are 17 Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the Provincial Level ascribed to their long history, complicated construction technologies or grand scale (read more).

China - Liaoning/Jilin/Heilongjiang - Harbin–Suifenhe Railway

The international train from Grodekovo to Suifenhe which serviced by Russian Railway is running in the border section in Harbin-Suifenhe Railway. Because of the different railway gauge between China and Russia, four rails constitute a special sight.

Sent by Weining from Shanghai, China.

The Trans-Siberian Harbin–Suifenhe railway, named the Binsui Railway (simplified Chinese: 滨绥铁路; traditional Chinese: 濱綏鐵路; pinyin: bīnsuí tiělù), is a double-track electrified trunk railway in Northeast China between Harbin and Suifenhe on the Russian border. The line was originally built by Russia as the eastern branch of the Chinese Eastern Railway, which linked Chita with Vladivostok. Today, the 548 km (341 mi) railway is administered by Harbin Railway Bureau.

Initial construction of the Binsui Railway as a Russian gauge line of the Sino-Russian Chinese Eastern Railway started on 9 June 1898 at the two termini of the line, Harbin in China and Ussuriysk in Russia. The partially built line was destroyed during the Boxer Rebellion between March and July 1900, causing the project to be suspended. Construction resumed in October, and on 14 November 1901 operation on a temporary basis was started. Official opening of the line took place on 14 July 1903 (read more).

China - Anhui Province - Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui – Xidi and Hongcun

Qiankou Dwellings (Ming Dynasty) / Huangshan City

Anhui Dwellings

Sent by Ting from Shenyang, China.

Xidi and Hongcun are two outstanding traditional villages, located in Yi County, Huangshan City in south Anhui Province, with commercial activities as their primary source of income, family and clan-based social organization, and well known for their regional culture. The overall layout, landscape, architectural form, decoration, and construction techniques all retain the original features of Anhui villages between the 14th and 20th centuries.

Deeply influenced by the traditional culture of pre-modern Anhui Province, these two villages, Xidi and Hongcun, were built by successful officials or merchants returning home from official appointments and business, and gradually developed into models of conventional Chinese village construction. Xidi is surrounded by mountains and built along and between three streams running east-west, which converge at the Huiyuan Bridge to the south. Hongcun is located at the foot of a hill next to a stream which forms two pools, the Moon Pond in the centre of the village and the other to the south. Characterised by rhythmic space variation and tranquil alleyways; and with water originating from a picturesque garden, the whole reflects the pursuit of coexistence, unity and the harmony of man and nature. The unique and exquisite style of Anhui buildings is conveyed in plain and elegant colors, their gables decorated with delicate and elegant carvings, their interiors filled with tasteful furnishings. The rigid patriarchal system together with gentle and sincere folk customs reflects the cultural ideas of scholar-bureaucrats in feudal society who paid special respect to Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism. These surviving villages bear scientific, cultural and aesthetic values with their 600-plus-year history. They are rich sources for the study of regional histories and cultures (read more).

China - Beijing - Fayuan Temple

The Buddha statue of the Pilu Hall in the Fayuan Temple.

Sent by Nic from China.

Fayuan Temple (Temple of the Origin of the Dharma) is situated in the south of Jiaozi Hutong, Xicheng District of Beijing. With a long history of more than 1,300 years, it is the oldest Buddhist temple in Beijing. In addition, the Buddhist Academy of China and Buddhist Library and Museum of China are located inside, making it an important place to study the Buddhist culture and cultivate young monks. With its time-honored history, distinctive cultural significance as well as the rich historical relics displayed, the temple is greatly appreciated by visitors. In 2000, the Taiwanese writer Li Ao published a novel, "Martyrs' Shrine: the Story of the Reform Movement of 1898 in China" (another name is Beijing Fayuan Si), set right in this temple, which made the temple even more famous. Since then, more and more Buddhist believers as well as tourists come to visit it year after year.

Fayuan Temple was originally built to mourn the dead soldiers by Emperor Taizong (598-649) of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). When finished in 696, Empress Wu Zetian (624-705) gave it the name Minzhong Temple, which means a temple to mourn the late loyal people. However, due to flood, earthquake, war and other damages, the temple has been destroyed, rebuilt, and renamed several times. It was not until the Emperor Yongzheng's throne in the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912) that it was greatly repaired and then renamed as Fayuan Temple, which has been retained to the present day. In fact, since the temple was first built to recall the dead soldiers, there were several loyal people who were associated to it in different dynasties. During the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Xie Fangde (1226-1289), official of the fallen former Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), starved himself to death in the temple as he would not surrender to the new rulers. In the late Qing Dynasty, after the leaders of the Reform Movement in 1898 had been killed, their coffins were stored in this temple for some time. For more than a thousand years, the temple has witnessed the change of history (read more).

China - Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing

China's World Heritage List

Temple of Heaven: an Imperial Sacrificial Altar in Beijing

Sent by Mikaela from Zhengzhou, China.

The Temple of Heaven, founded in the first half of the 15th century, is a dignified complex of fine cult buildings set in gardens and surrounded by historic pine woods. In its overall layout and that of its individual buildings, it symbolizes the relationship between earth and heaven – the human world and God's world – which stands at the heart of Chinese cosmogony, and also the special role played by the emperors within that relationship.

The Temple of Heaven is an axial arrangement of Circular Mound Altar to the south open to the sky with the conically roofed Imperial Vault of Heaven immediately to its north. This is linked by a raised sacred way to the circular, three-tiered, conically roofed Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests further to the north. Here at these places the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties as interlocutors between humankind and the celestial realm offered sacrifice to heaven and prayed for bumper harvests. To the west is the Hall of Abstinence where the emperor fasted after making sacrifice. The whole is surrounded by a double-walled, pine-treed enclosure. Between the inner and outer walls to the west are the Divine Music Administration hall and the building that was the Stables for Sacrificial Animals. Within the complex there are a total of 92 ancient buildings with 600 rooms. It is the most complete existing imperial sacrificial building complex in China and the world's largest existing building complex for offering sacrifice to heaven (read more).

China - Terra-Cotta Middle-Rank Officer

A terra-cotta middle-rank officer.

Sent by FuPing from Beijing, China.

A terra-cotta middle-rank officer is a life-sized statue from the Terracotta Army in China, distinguished from higher-ranking generals and lower-ranking soldiers by a specific set of uniform and armor details, such as armor that covers most of the upper body but not as heavily as a general's, and a height that is generally between that of a basic soldier and a general. These figures vary in height, hairstyle, and uniform, reflecting their rank and function within the army.  

Middle-ranking officers hold a rank above the common soldiers but below the generals. Their specific roles and uniforms reflect their position in the military hierarchy.Their armor is typically detailed and covers the upper body, with some examples having heavy armor covering the upper arms and most of the body. The specific type of armor, like the presence or absence of shin pads or the type of trousers, can vary to indicate differences in rank, function, and position in formation. 

Middle-ranking officers are often depicted as having a solid build. Their uniforms and hairstyles also vary based on their specific rank and duty. For example, one replica is based on a lieutenant officer who wears heavy armor and holds a sword and another long weapon. 

China - Jiangsu Province - Suzhou City Wall

Suzhou City Wall.

Sent by Gengxu from Dalian, China.

The Suzhou City Wall was the city wall that once surrounded Suzhou, a major city in southeastern Jiangsu Province in eastern China.

The state of Wu is recorded fortifying its capital of Wu (modern Suzhou) in 514 BC. The original city wall had only one entrance, the Pan Gate. Most of the current fortifications date to around 1662, when they were rebuilt under the early Qing dynasty to repair damage from the conquest of the Ming. Most of the wall was demolished in 1958.

Before its demolition, the city wall was 15,204 m (49,882 ft) long. Today, only 2,072 m (6,798 ft) remain (read more).

China - Jiangsu - Nanjing Fuzimiao

The Confucius Temple.

Sent by superqq87 from China.

Nanjing Fuzimiao (Chinese: 南京夫子庙) or Fuzimiao (Chinese: 夫子庙; lit. 'Confucian Temple'), is a Confucius Temple and former site of imperial examination hall located in southern Nanjing City on banks of the Qinhuai River. It is now a popular tourist attraction with pedestrian shopping streets around the restored temple buildings.

Nanjing Confucius Temple is located in Qinhuai District, Nanjing City, on the north bank of the Qinhuai River Gongyuan Street, Jiangnan Gongyuan west, located in the Confucius temple Qinhuai scenery belt core area, namely Nanjing Confucius Temple, Nanjing Confucian Temple, Wenxuanwang Temple, for the place of worship and sacrifice of Confucius, It is the first national highest institution of learning in China, one of the four major temples of literature in China, the hub of ancient Chinese culture, the place where Nanking history and humanities gather and is not only the cultural and educational centre of Nanjing in the Ming and Qing dynasties but also the cultural and educational architectural complex that ranks first in the southeastern provinces.

In first year of Jianwu reign of the Jin dynasty (CE 317), Nanking Imperial University was founded, initially on northern bank of Qinhuai River, and in the third year of Xiankang (CE 337) the campus extended to southern bank. Temple of Confucius was firstly constructed in the national school in the ninth year of Taiyuan (CE 384). The place was later destroyed. It was destroyed by fire during the Jianyan years of the Southern Song dynasty. In the first year of Jingyou during the Song dynasty (CE 1034), Confucius Temple was newly constructed on former site of imperial university, and was called Fuzimiao area along with Nanking Fuxue. The place became Imperial University again in 1365 in the early year of the Ming dynasty, and sixteen years later recovered to be the campus of Fuxue. During the Qing dynasty, there were two Xianxue (county schools of Shangyuan and Jiangning) in Fuzimiao area. In the end of Qing a primary school jointly sponsored by counties of Nanjing (Jiangning Fu) was established there. The current buildings date from the 19th century, in the Qing dynasty, with additions made since then. The temple lost all financial support by the state as a result of the revolution of 1911. During the late 1920s to 1931 and again in 1932 it was used as army barracks for troops the KMT regime and left in a dilapidated state. Some halls were used as picture gallery. In 1985 Fuzimiao area was restored (read more).

China - The Changbai Mountains

Paektu Mountain, also known as Baektu Mountain or Changbai Mountain, whichis an active stratovolcano on the border between China and North Korea.

Sent by Danbo from Sichuan Province, China.

The Changbai Mountains (simplified Chinese: 长白山脉; traditional Chinese: 長白山脈; lit. 'long white mountain range') are a major mountain range in East Asia that extends from the Northeast Chinese provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning, across the China-North Korea border (41°41' to 42°51'N; 127°43' to 128°16'E), to the North Korean provinces of Ryanggang and Chagang. They are also referred to as the Šanggiyan Mountains in the Manchu language, or the Great Paekdu in Korean. Most of its peaks exceed 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in height, with the tallest summit being Paektu Mountain at 2,744 m (9,003 ft), which contains the Heaven Lake, the highest volcanic crater lake in the world at a surface elevation of 2,189.1 m (7,182 ft). The protected area Longwanqun National Forest Park is located within the vicinity of the mountain range.

The mountain was first recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas under the name Buxian Shan (Chinese: 不咸山). It is also called Shanshan Daling (Chinese: 單單大嶺) in the Book of the Later Han. In the New Book of Tang, it was called Taibai Shan (Chinese: 太白山). The current Chinese name Changbai Shan was first used in the Liao dynasty (916–1125) of the Khitans and then the Jin dynasty (1115–1234) of the Jurchens (read more).

China - Speed Train "Harmony"

A high-speed train from China's railway system, specifically a CRH (China Railway High-speed) train, also known as a "Harmony" (和谐号) train.

Sent by Fei Mo from Beijing, China.

Hexie (Chinese: 和谐号; pinyin: Héxié hào; lit. 'Harmony'), also known as the CRH series EMU, is an umbrella term for the multiple unit high-speed and higher-speed trains operated by China Railway under the China Railway High-speed brand. All series of Hexie are based on foreign-developed technology and later manufactured locally in China through technology transfer licenses, with the ultimate goal of China acquiring the know-how and capability to produce high-speed rail trains.

The Harmony series does not belong to any single platform, instead encompassing all high-speed trains in China with roots in foreign technology, specifically CRH1, CRH2, CRH3 and CRH5. Although later variants of Hexie such as CRH380A were designed by Chinese companies, they are still classified as CRH due to incorporation of foreign technology.

In 2007, China's Ministry of Railways drafted a plan for China's future high-speed network. Bombardier Transportation, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Alstom and later Siemens joined the high-speed train manufacturing project that later became known as Harmony. Forming joint-ventures with Chinese company CNR and CSR, these four foreign companies signed agreements with China to manufacture high-speed trains for China as well as provide assistance for Chinese companies to manufacture train cars locally in the future (read more).

China - Sichuan - Zigong UNESCO Global Geopark

Traditional salt well structure in Zigong, Sichuan Province, China.

Sent by Huang Peijin from Zigong, China.

Zigong UNESCO Global Geopark lies in Zigong City, Sichuan Province, China, in the Asia-Pacific region. Zigong UNESCO Global Geopark belongs to the Ziliujing Depression of the Sichuan syncline on the Yangtze Platform. It connects with the southern margin of Weiyuan-Longnusi uplift on the north, the southern Sichuan lower folded zone on the southeast and the Liangshan folded zone on the southwest. The geoheritage in Zigong UNESCO Global Geopark is dominated by the extremely abundant dinosaur fossils and other vertebrate fossils, the typical Jurassic section and complete salt production relics. Most of this geoheritage is of national and international significance in scientific research. The widely distributed Jurassic terrestrial strata in the UNESCO Global Geopark yields a great amount of dinosaur and other vertebrate fossils, commonly forming large-scale taphonomic assemblages. Zigong UNESCO Global Geopark is rich in salt mines, with a production history of about two thousand years. A variety of the salt industry relics have been well preserved (read more).

China - Shanghai - Pudong Financial District

A cityscape with a prominent river and several tall skyscrappers, including the Shanghai Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center, in Pudong financial district in Shanghai, China.

Sent by Yuan Cheng from Shanghai, China.

Pudong is a district of Shanghai located east of the Huangpu, the river which flows through central Shanghai. The name Pudong was originally applied to the Huangpu's east bank, directly across from the west bank or Puxi, the historic city center. It now refers to the broader Pudong New Area, a state-level new area which extends all the way to the East China Sea.

The traditional area of Pudong is now home to the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone and the Shanghai Stock Exchange and many of Shanghai's best-known buildings, such as the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Jin Mao Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center, and the Shanghai Tower. These modern skyscrapers directly face Puxi's historic Bund, a remnant of former foreign concessions in China. The rest of the new area includes the Port of Shanghai, the Shanghai Expo and Century Park, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Shanghai Pudong International Airport, the Jiuduansha Wetland Nature Reserve, Nanhui New City, and the Shanghai Disney Resort.

Pudong—literally "The East Bank of the Huangpu River"—originally referred only to the less-developed land across from Shanghai's Old City and foreign concessions. The area was mainly farmland and only slowly developed, with warehouses and wharfs near the shore administered by the districts of Puxi on the west bank: Huangpu, Yangpu, and Nanshi. Pudong was originally established as a county in 1958 until 1961 when the county was split among Huangpu, Yangpu, Nanshi, Wusong and Chuansha County (read more).