JiaXing 嘉兴, ZheJiang province

First, a beautiful time-lapse film by KevinWK. Don't miss it ... Plus, A trip to LiJiang (and Shangrila), YunNan ...

Filmed May 2012.

With Walk East ...

With CGTN ...

YT comment - Marcus Silvio : "This song, for me at least, has always represented an enlightened global perspective; we are all just souls passing through the mist of life - not one of us more special or important then the other. It's up to as Humans, not men and women, not white and black, but as humans, to put aside petty differences and spread love; a love not restricted and shared with a few, but with everyone. As Roger said 'there is no Us and Them, just US'." ~~~ Choose LOVE ~~~ The Great Gig in the Sky ... The Lockdown Recordings (don't miss it - 99 seconds to midnight on the doomsday clock) ...

The Ming Tombs are a collection of mausoleums built by emperors of the Ming dynasty. They lie within the ChangPing District of BeiJing Municipality, 40 kilometers (25 miles) north-northwest of Beijing city center. The site was chosen based on the principles of Feng Shui by the third Ming emperor, YongLe. Construction began after completion of the Imperial Palace (Forbidden City) in 1420. Subsequent emperors placed their tombs in the same valley; 13 in total. The siting of the Ming dynasty imperial tombs was carefully chosen according to Feng Shui principles. A key guide is that bad spirits and cold winds from the north must be deflected; therefore, an arc-shaped valley area at the foot of the JunDu Mountains was selected. This 40 square kilometer area, enclosed by mountains in a pristine, quiet valley with dark earth and tranquil water became the necropolis of the Ming dynasty. A 7 kilometer (4 mile) path named the Spirit Way, or Sacred Way, leads into the complex, lined with statues of guardian animals and officials, with a front memorial gate consisting of three arches called the Great Red Gate; constructed in 1540, it is one of the biggest stone archways in China. Further in, lies the ShenGong ShengDe Stele Pavilion with a 50 tonne stone statue of BiXi carrying a memorial tablet. Four white marble HuaBiao (pillars of glory) are positioned at each corner of the pavilion; at the top of each is a mythical beast. Then come two pillars on each side of the path, whose surfaces are carved with a cloud design, and tops are shaped like a cylinder; these are of a traditional design and were originally beacons to guide the soul of the deceased, The path leads to 18 pairs of stone statues of mythical animals, which are all sculpted from single blocks; these are all larger than life size. After, the path leads to a three-arched gate known as the Dragon and Phoenix Gate. Two of the mausoleums are open to visitors, but it is the beauty of the valley, with orchards, and the sheer scale of the area used for the tombs, that make this a nice day out in the countryside.

With KSquared ... Bonus films - taking a look at Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) ...

LiaoNing province. With Nadine in China ... With Gecko Walks ...