Life in ShangHai 上海

Chinese technology company Tencent, the driving power behind instant messaging apps WeChat and QQ, is planning to build an entire mini-city off the banks of the Pearl River in ShenZhen, where the company has its headquarters.

Geo-politics - 2021 review, and what might be in 2022. With The New Atlas - Angelo Giuliano and Brian Berletic ... Anything one hears on MSM, or social media, is probably BS. Real freedom is when there is a pause between propaganda and reaction - when one stops to first think (am I being duped?) ... Keep being real and sane is this crazy world. The world is full of richness. But insanely imbalanced in distribution. That's the reality, so long as the many are duped into believing that that is how it should be ! Into 2022, cherish what you have and love all around you. Always be above division and manipulation. In China, the people are family. In the West, the people are livestock. While China acts to build a better world, the West only strives to try to preserve its dominance. Sad, but true. Bonus film - with Pascal Coppens ...

With Wei's Travel ...

An awesome film - don't miss it ... September trip, in 2017; charming couple. XinJiang, north west China, includes the Tien Shan and Kunlun Shan mountains, the Taklimakan Desert, and the Tarim Basin.

1. 1.4 billion - China's population, making it the most populous country in the world. 2. 23 - The number of provinces in China. 3. 56 - The number of recognized ethnic groups in China. 4. 9,596,960 square kilometers - China's total land area. 5. 1949 - The year the People's Republic of China was founded. 6. 70 - The percentage of the world's total silk production that comes from China. 7. 2,000 - The approximate number of years the Great Wall of China has been in existence. 8. 1971 - The year when China was admitted to the United Nations. 9. 34 - The number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in China. 10. 4,000 - The years of recorded history in China. 11. 3.7 million square kilometers - The area covered by China's desert, the Gobi Desert. 12. 88 - The number considered lucky in Chinese culture. 13. 40,000 - The length of China's high-speed railway network in kilometers. 14. 1.4 trillion - The approximate number of disposable chopsticks used in China each year. 15. 4 - The number of official Chinese characters on the national flag. 16. 2nd - China's rank in the world for the largest economy. 17. 2008 - The year Beijing hosted the Summer Olympics. 18. 7 - The number of consecutive years China has been the world's largest exporter. 19. 1.4 billion - The number of mobile phone users in China. 20. 60 million - The approximate number of empty homes in China. 21. 40,000 - The approximate number of characters in the Chinese language. 22. 1,411 meters - The height of the Shanghai Tower, the second-tallest building in the world. 23. 8.98 million - The size, in square kilometers, of the Tibetan Plateau, often called the "Roof of the World." 24. 800 million - The number of internet users in China. 25. 50,000 - The number of rivers in China, each with a basin exceeding 100 square kilometers. 26. 300 million - The number of Chinese people practicing Buddhism. 27. 20 million - The number of Chinese Muslims. 28. 64 - The average life expectancy in China. 29. 45 - The percentage of China's population living in urban areas. 30. 1.39 billion - The number of active social media users in China. 31. 7,546 - The length, in kilometers, of the Grand Canal, the world's longest artificial waterway. 32. 15 million - The number of babies born in China each year. 33. 37 - The number of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage items in China. 34. 2003 - The year China became the third country to launch a manned space mission. 35. 2.3 million - The size, in square kilometers, of the Taklamakan Desert, China's largest desert. 36. 12,000 - The number of terracotta warriors buried with China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. 37. 520 - A term in Chinese internet culture representing "I love you." 38. 100 million - The number of tourists who visit the Great Wall of China annually. 39. 2 - The number of pandas given as gifts by China to foreign countries as goodwill ambassadors. 40. 65 - The percentage of the world's total production of solar panels that comes from China. 41. 2,300 - The length, in kilometers, of the Yangtze River, China's longest river. 42. 1 - The number of children per couple allowed under China's one-child policy (recently replaced by a two-child policy). 43. 7 - The number of Chinese astronauts who have been in space. 44. 200 million - The number of bicycles in China. 45. 5,000 - The number of years tea has been consumed in China. 46. 300 - The number of TV channels in China. 47. 1.1 billion - The number of Chinese people who watch the annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala. 48. 221 BC - The year Qin Shi Huang unified China and became the first emperor. 49. 4 million - The number of college graduates in China each year. 50. 5 - The number of autonomous regions in China. 51. 3,300 - The length, in kilometers, of the Yellow River, China's second-longest river. 52. 49 - The percentage of the world's total coal consumption that comes from China. 53. 16,000 - The length, in kilometers, of the Great Wall of China, including all of its branches. 54. 1949 - The year when the Chinese currency, the Renminbi (RMB), was introduced. 55. 2.5 million - The number of electric vehicles sold in China in 2020. 56. 2,200 - The length, in kilometers, of the Mekong River, which originates in China. 57. 22 - The number of provinces, regions, and municipalities directly under the central government. 58. 150 million - The number of square meters of new construction added daily in China. 59. 8,848 meters - The height of Mount Everest, which straddles the border between China and Nepal. 60. 1966-1976 - The years of the Cultural Revolution in China. 61. 80 - The percentage of the world's total rare earth elements produced by China. 62. 8 - The number of major Chinese cuisines, including Sichuan, Cantonese, and Shandong. 63. 1.4 billion - The number of people covered by China's national health insurance. 64. 2 - The number of sessions of the National People's Congress held each year. 65. 1980 - The year China implemented its one-child policy. 66. 7 - The number of national holidays in China. 67. 80 million - The number of people who visit the Forbidden City in Beijing annually. 68. 5 trillion - The total value, in U.S. dollars, of China's foreign exchange reserves. 69. 1,417 meters - The depth of the South China Sea, China's marginal sea. 70. 10 - The number of Renminbi (RMB) denominations, including the yuan and jiao. 71. 26 million - The number of university students in China. 72. 9 - The number of dragon's pearls on the Chinese national flag. 73. 1,100 - The number of Giant Pandas remaining in the wild. 74. 25 - The percentage of the world's total steel production that comes from China. 75. 3,300 - The number of characters in a standard Chinese dictionary. 76. 1978 - The year China began economic reforms under Deng Xiaoping. 77. 2 million - The number of people employed in the Chinese military, the largest in the world. 78. 40 - The percentage of global e-commerce transactions that take place in China. 79. 7.6 million - The length, in kilometers, of China's highway system. 80. 35 - The percentage of the world's total cotton production that comes from China. 81. 700 million - The number of Chinese people lifted out of poverty since economic reforms began. 82. 9,144 kilometers - The length of China's land borders. 83. 600 BC - The approximate date of the earliest recorded Chinese characters. 84. 10 - The number of years it took to build the Bird's Nest Stadium for the 2008 Olympics. 85. 20 - The percentage of the world's total energy consumption that comes from China. 86. 1971 - The year when ping pong diplomacy improved relations between China and the United States. 87. 2 - The number of pandas sent to the U.S. as a result of ping pong diplomacy. 88. 70 - The percentage of the world's total solar water heater capacity installed in China. 89. 2,213 meters - The height of Mount Lushan, China's most famous mountain. 90. 200 million - The number of Chinese tourists who travel abroad each year. 91. 1969 - The year China successfully tested its first nuclear bomb. 92. 2,000 - The number of years the Chinese have been drinking tea. 93. 4 million - The number of square kilometers of arable land in China. 94. 10 million - The number of university graduates in China each year. 95. 120 - The number of years the Qing Dynasty ruled China (1644-1912). 96. 30 - The number of world heritage sites in China. 97. 100 - The percentage of electric buses in Shenzhen, the first city in the world to achieve this. 98. 1949 - The year China adopted the "five-star" national flag. 99. 70 million - The number of Chinese households that play Mahjong regularly. 100. 80 - The percentage of global Bitcoin mining that takes place in China.

JiuZhaiGou ('Nine Villages Valley') in south west China is a UNESCO World Heritage site, nature reserve and scenic area. A great film by Sticker Travel ...

YuanMingYuan, also known as the 'Old Summer Palace', was constructed during the 18th and early 19th century and was a wonderland of lakes and waterways, bridges, hills and pavilions. One third of the ground of YuanMingYuan was taken up by over 200 small hills with steep sides, secluded valleys, rock walls and stone caves. Half of the garderns are covered by the waters of lakes, winding streams and ponds. It was at YuanMingYuan that the emperors of the Qing Dynasty resided and handled government affairs - until it was destroyed; the Forbidden City was mostly used only for formal ceremonies at this time. The southern part of YuanMingYuan was where emperors handled state affairs, while the other parts were primarily for personal use and comprised of more than 150 scenic spots, involving rare exotic flowers and trees from different parts of the country. There were originally towers, terraces, pavilions, halls, corridors, pagodas and bridges with a total construction area of 150,000 square meters - corresponding in scale to that of the Imperial Palace. Artisans were recruited from all over China to enact the exquisite settings. The various styles of architecture, standing encircled by hills and rivulets, presented a most picturesque view. Many were reproductions of scenic mountains, rivers and famous gardens in China (mostly southern China). During his many tours of the country, emperor QianLong made it a point to have pictures of famous gardens and scenes drawn so that he could have replicas built in Beijing. Most famous of these were the ten scenic spots of the West Lake in HangZhou. The Old Summer Palace is often associated with the European-style palaces (Xi Yang Lou) that were built of stone. The designers of those structures, the Jesuits Giuseppe Castiglione and Michel Benoist, were employed by emperor QianLong to satisfy his taste for exotic buildings and objects. However, more than 95% of the Imperial Gardens consisted of essentially Chinese-style buildings. There were also a few buildings in Tibetan and Mongolian styles, reflecting the diversity of the Qing empire. In addition, hundreds of invaluable Chinese art masterpieces and antiquities were stored in the halls, including some unique copies of literary works and collections. In 1860, during the 'Second Opium War', the British and French expeditionary forces looted the Old Summer Palace. Later, on October 18 1860, a British general - despite protestations from the French (who in fact had began the looting) - gave the order to set fire to the huge complex, which burned to the ground. In 1900, those buildings that had partly survived or been restored were burnt for good by the Western expeditionary forces sent to quell the 'Boxer Rebellion'. Many priceless artifacts were plundered and made their way to museums and private collections in Europe. The ruins were further plundered by the warlords of the early republican period and further destruction of the ruins took place during the 'Cutural Revolution'. After all this destruction, what was left was truely just an empty shell. Empress dowager CiXi later directed the forming of YiHeYuan (Garden of Nurtured Harmony), into a new Summer Palace; this was near to the Old Summer Palace, but on a (somewhat) smaller scale. Nearest subway station : YuanMingYuan on line 4.