Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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The Forbidden City
Construction of the Palace commenced in 1406, during the Ming Dynasty and was completed in 1420. From completion to now, for over 570 years, the palace endures turmoil rises and falls of dynasties. In 1420, Ming emperor Zhu Di moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing-formerly known as Peking. In 1911 civil revolution led to…
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The Great Wall
It’s more than 2,000 years old, but the Great Wall of China remains one of the greatest wonders of the world, an engineering feat rarely matched in the 22 centuries since its construction began. Stretching 4,500 miles, from the mountains of Korea to the Gobi Desert, it was first built to protect an ancient Chinese…
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BeiJing, An Ancient City
Beijing’s city walls have a long history. Kublai Khan of the Yuan Dynasty built his capital at the present site, which he called Dadu. Rebuilding and extension operations were carried out on the city during the Ming Dynasty. The city acquired a ermanent shape in the middle of the 16th century. The constructionof the city…
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Tian’anmen
With a total area of 440,000 square meters, Tiananmen Square is the largest square in the center of Beijing. For over a hundred years, many ceremony and demonstrations have been held here. The grandeur of Tiananmen Gate (Heavenly Peace Gate) is a national symbol, with the Great Hall of the People on the western side…
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Tian’anmen square
Though the square itself is not particularly good-looking, it is immense(covering 44 hectares, it is the largest square in the world) and filled with tourists from all parts of China every day. In the middle of the square is the Monument to the People’s Heroes. Directly north is Chang’an Avenue, Beijing’s main drag. Acorss the…
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Temple of Heaven
Providing all information on the famous attraction in Beijing-the Temple of Heaven. The Temple of Heaven is situated in the southern part of the city in Chongwen district. As famous as the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace, it is a “must” for every visitor. In ancient China, the emperor was regarded as the “Son…
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Histrical Introduction of Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven : legitimising the Emperor’s rule The Temple of Heaven is the most holy of Beijing’s Imperial temples. For this is where the Emperor came every winter solstice to worship heaven and to solemnly pray for a good harvest. Since his rule was legitimised by a mandate from heaven, a bad harvest…
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Beihai Park
About one bus stop, or half a kilometer to the west of the north gate of the Forbidden City is the famous Beihai Park. It is used to be the former palace of the emperors in successive dynasties, called the Winter Palace by Westerners. Early in the 10th century, the Liao dynasty a secondary imperial…
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Beijing Palace Architecture
Palace Architecture – its incorporation of the occult sciences Home of the Emperor, the Forbidden Palace was constructed in accordance with the laws of geomancy or fengshui. Every element was considered according to its prescriptions, the most fundamental being the positioning of the palace along a north-south axis. The occult art of numerology similarly played…
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Zhongshan Park
Zhongshan Park is located to the west of Tian’anmen Rostrum in the heart of the Inner City. It is the site of the former Altar of Land and Grain. Entering through the main southern entrance, one comes to a large vestibular pavilion with long corridors running off to the east and west. In front of…
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Zhongnanhai (Central and South Lakes)
Immediately to the west of the Forbidden City is a large lake area which court officials of the Qing Dynasty called the Western Lake (Xihaizi) or the Pool of Great Secretion (Taiyechi). Centuries ago, this stretch of water was divided into three sections- North Lake (Beihai), Central Lake (Zhonghai) and South lake (Nanhai). The area…
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Temple of the Poor and the Wild Mulberry (Tanzhesi)
The Temple of the Poor and the Wild Mulberry was first built in the Western Jin and Eastern Jin dynasties (265-420), when it was known as the Temple of Excellent Blessings. In the Tang Dynasty it was renamed the Dragon Spring Temple and in the Jin Dynasty rebuilt as the Temple of Longevity. Additions were…
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Miaoying Monastery and White Dagoba
The Miaoying Monastery is situated on the north side of Fuchengmennei Street in the West City District of Beijing. The Whiter Dagoba in the monastery was first built in 1096 of the Liao Dynasty and was considerably expanded and elaborately redecorated in 1271 during the reign of Emperor Shizu (Kubla Khan) of the Yuan Dynasty.…
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Huangpu River
The scenic Huangpu River Cruise on the Huangpu River Riding a cruise boat along the Huangpu River. you will take a glimpse of the today and yesterday of Shanghai. On one side of the river. there is the Bund, a landmark of Shanghai. Lining the boulevard of the waterfront are grandiose solid buildings of Western…
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Shanghai Stadium
Shanghai Stadium is a giant sports facility boasts unique designing. Covering a floor area of 190,000 square meters, the stadium is a sphere in an radium of 300 meters. The saddle-shaped stadium has a total construction space of 150,000 square meters Above audiences’ stands there are awnings that could be spread out in case of…
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Yu Garden
Yu Garden, a classical garden in downtown Shanghai, boasts a history over 400 years. Each pavilion, hall, stone and stream in the garden is expressing the quintessence of South China landscape design from Ming and Qing Dynasty. Over forty spots, divided by dragon walls, wound corridors and beautiful flowers, form an unique picture featuring one…
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Garden
Located in Chenxiang Town, Jiading County, the Qiuxia Pu Garden(Autumn Clouds Garden) was built in 1502(Ming Dynasty). It is the oldest garden in Shanghai and one of the famous classical gardens in the south of China. When first built, it had 10 sites such as shuyuzhai, Sanyintang, Goufengling, Yingyudi, Suihanjing, Baiwutai, Taohuatan, etc.
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Fang Ta
Located on Zhongshan Road(E) of Songjiang County, the Fang Ta was erected in Yuan You period of the Song Dynasty(949-1094 AD.),has a history of 400 years. It is one of the best-known pagodas south of the Yangtse River and follows the type of Buddhist square pagoda of Tang Dynasty. In front of the Square Pagoda…
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Longhua Pagoda
LONGHUA Temple and pagoda in the southwest area of the city was a major tourist attraction for foreigners in the days of Old Shanghai. It has eight sides and seven storeys and was first built in the year 274AD. The pagoda itself is closed but can easily be seen from the road. The temple complex…
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Guyi Yuan
Situated in the town of Nanxiang, Jiading County, the Guyi (Ancient Splendour) Garden was built in 1566(Ming Dynasty). The name of the garden stemmed from “the beauty of green bamboo”. Its main structures are pavilions, corridors and winding paths. The Tang stela inscribed with Buddhist scriptures and a stone tower of the Song dynasty are…
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Shanghai Grand Theater
Shanghai Grand Theater is at the northern part of the People’s Square,at the intersection of the square’s Central Boulevard and Huangpi Road.The theater covers a floor space of 11,528 square meters. The east-west length of the theater is about 120 meters and the south-north length is about 1,378 meters. The modern and grandeur theater has…
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Shanghai Museum
Shanghai Museum is situated at the southern side of the People’s Square. Total construction space is 38,000 square meters. The museum structure, 29.5 meters in height, includes five floors aboveground and two floors underground. Total investment of the museum is 432.69 million yuan. The museum opened to visitors at the end of 1995. The design…
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The Bund
The Bund is the birthplace of Shanghai. Cruise boats meander eastward along the golden waterway to the intriguing “three-layer waters” at the Wusong Mouth. The Bund is the most famous sightseeing spot in Shanghai. The Waibaidu Bridge, the long embankment along the Hungpu River, and the imposing array of tall buildings known as “an international…
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Zhouzhuang Town
Zhouzhuang Town, once called Zhenfengli, is located in Kunshan City, 30 km to the southeast of Suzhou in Jiangsu Province covering an area of 0.4 sq. km. Apart from Kunshan, it is also closely linked with Qingpu, WuJiang and Wuxian County. The above four places were called Yaocheng in ancient times and were the fief…
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