Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China is a Chinese fortification built from the end of the 14th century until the beginning of the 17th century, during the Ming Dynasty, in order to protect the Ming Empire from raids by Mongol, Turkic, and other nomadic tribes coming from areas in modern-day Mongolia and Manchuria. It was preceded by several walls built since the 3rd century BC, the most famous being the Great Wall built between 220 BC and 200 BC by the First Emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, which was located much further north than the current Great Wall of China built during the Ming Dynasty, and little remains.
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The Wall stretches over a formidable 6,352 km (3,948 miles), from Shanhai Pass on the Bohai Sea in the east, at the limit between China proper and Manchuria, to Lop Nur in the southeastern portion of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City or Forbidden Palace located at the exact center of the ancient city of Beijing, was the imperial palace during the mid-Ming and the Qing dynasties. Known now as the Palace Museum, its extensive grounds cover 720,000 square meters, 800 buildings and more than 8,000 rooms. As such, it is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world, and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987 as the "Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties". The imperial palace grounds are located directly to the north of Tiananmen Square and are accessible from the square via Tiananmen Gate. It is surrounded by a large area called the Imperial City.
Although no longer occupied by royalty, the Forbidden City remains a symbol of Chinese sovereignty and the image of its entrance gate appears on the seal of the People's Republic of China. The Palace Museum is now one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world. Recently, the site has been under much renovation which has limited visitors to the main courtyards and a few gardens.
It should not be confused with the National Palace Museum in Taiwan. Both museums derive from the same institution, but were split after the Chinese Civil War.
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Terracotta Army ( Qin Dynasty)
The Terracotta Army is a collection of 8,099 life-size terra cotta figures of warriors and horses located in the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. The figures were discovered in 1974 near Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China.
The terracotta figures were buried with the first Emperor of Qin (Qin Shi Huang) in 210-209 BC. Consequently, they are also sometimes referred to as "Qin's Army."
All 8,099 lingling's are unique and distinguishable with different height and facial features. The soldiers are modeled after selected soldiers from the time period who were considered to be the finest of China. The figures are in several poses including standing infantry and kneeling archers as well as charioteers with horses. Each figure's head appears to be unique showing a variety of facial features and expressions as well as hair styles.
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Three Gorges ( YangZi River)
The Three Gorges region is a scenic area along the Yangtze River in China with a total length of approximately 200 km. The Three Gorges occupy approximately 120 km within this region. Although it is primarily famous for its scenery, the Three Gorges region is historically, and culturally an important region in China.
The Three Gorges region is located along the Yangtze River between the cities of Fengjie (奉节) and Yichang in Chongqing municipality and Hubei province.Currently the Three Gorges region is most famous for the Three Gorges Dam.
The Three Gorges Dam is under construction at a place called Sandouping (三斗坪) in the middle of the Xiling Gorge. The dam is not yet complete, but the construction has already cut off the flow of the river, and therefore the water level in the Qutang, Wuxia, and the western portion of the Xiling Gorges has already begun to rise. In addition to the impacts of the dam on the ecology and people (i.e. the mass relocation of towns and villages) of the region, the dam will also change the scenery of the Three Gorges.
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Because the water level will be higher, the gorges will be less narrow and the mountains will appear lower. Proponents of the dam point out that because the mountains reach several thousand feet above the river, the gorges are still likely to offer spectacular views of the surrounding cliffs, and it should be noted that most riverboat companies that operate in the Three Gorges intend to continue to offer tours of the region. The increase in width of the Gorges will also allow larger ships through the gorges and it is anticipated that river traffic of all kinds will increase.
Beijing
Beijing, a city in northern China, is the capital of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Beijing is one of the four municipalities of the PRC, equivalent to a province in China's administrative structure. Beijing Municipality borders Hebei Province to the north, west, south, and for a small section in the east, and Tianjin Municipality to the southeast.
Beijing is China's second largest city in terms of population, after Shanghai. It is a major transportation hub, with dozens of railways, roads and expressways entering and leaving it in all directions. It is also the focal point of many international flights to China. Beijing is recognized as the political, educational, and cultural center of the PRC, while Shanghai and Hong Kong predominate in economic fields.
Beijing is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. It will also host the 2008 Summer Olympics.
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Shanghai
Shanghai situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta, is China's largest city. The city is one of the most important cultural, commercial, financial, industrial and communications centers of China. Administratively, Shanghai is one of four municipalities of the People's Republic of China that have provincial-level status. Shanghai is also one of the world's busiest ports.
Originally a sleepy fishing town, Shanghai became China's most important city by the start of the 20th century and was the center of popular culture, vice, intellectual discourse and political intrigue in Republican China. After the Communist takeover in 1949, Shanghai languished under heavy central government taxation and much of its bourgeois elements were purged. Since the government authorized the market-economic redevelopment of Shanghai in 1992, Shanghai quickly surpassed early-starters Shenzhen and Guangzhou, and has since led China's economic growth. One of the challenges for Shanghai in the early 21st century is to regain its former status as a world-class city and also make city life more comfortable for all of its residents, including migrant workers from poorer provinces.
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Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China is one of the two special administrative regions (SAR) of the People's Republic of China (PRC), together with Macau. It is commonly known as Hong Kong (Chinese: 香港), which is often spelled as Hongkong in some older English-language texts.
Geographically, Hong Kong is located at the eastern side of the Pearl River Delta on the southeastern coast of China, facing the South China Sea in the south, and bordering the Guangdong Province in the north. It has one of the world's most liberal economies and is a major international centre of finance and trade.
Hong Kong was formerly a British colony, and was handed over to the PRC in 1997. As a special administrative region, Hong Kong is guaranteed by the Basic Law to have a relatively high degree of autonomy under the policy of "One Country, Two Systems". For instance, Hong Kong retains its own legal system, currency, customs policy, and immigration laws. Furthermore, Hong Kong also maintains its own delegation in most international organizations, such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and international sport events, such as the Olympic Games, under the designation "Hong Kong, China". Also, while the traffic in mainland China drives on the right, Hong Kong still maintains its own road rules, with traffic continuing to drive on the left. Only the defence and the diplomatic relations of Hong Kong are the responsibilities of the Central People's Government in Beijing.
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Taiwan
Taiwan commonly used to refer to the territories currently governed by the Republic of China (ROC), which include the Taiwan island group (including Lanyu (Orchid Island) and Green Island), the Pescadores in the Taiwan Strait, Kinmen and Matsu off the coast of mainland Fujian, and Taiping and the Pratas in the South China Sea, and more informally and controversially, it is the ordinary name used for the state and government called the Republic of China.
The main island of Taiwan is located in East Asia off the coast of mainland China, south of Japan and north of the Philippines. Also known as Formosa (Portuguese sailors called it Ilha Formosa, which means "beautiful island"), it is bounded to the east by the Pacific Ocean, to the south by the South China Sea and the Luzon Strait, to the west by the Taiwan Strait and to the north by the East China Sea. The island is 394 kilometers (245 miles) long and 144 kilometers (89 miles) wide and consists of steep mountains covered by tropical and subtropical vegetation. The legitimacy of the independence enjoyed by Taiwan is contested by the People's Republic of China (PRC), which considers Taiwan to be part of its own territory, though the PRC government does not and has never exercised control over Taiwan.
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