The economics of Western imperialism

China in the snow; all in just 3 minutes ... Bonus film ...

GuangDong province.

Xi’An : • City Wall • Terracotta Army ZhangYe : • MaTi Si • Rainbow Mountains • DanXia Grand Canyon DunHuang : • Gobi Desert

Plus - TianHe Lake ... Plus - a secret stone forest ...

With Cyrus Janssen ... Bonus films ...

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.

ZhuHai is sometimes referred to as the 'Chinese Riviera' and located close to GuangZhou, ShenZhen, Macau and Hong Kong in GuangDong province, south east China. The city is regarded as a 'garden city' ...

Summer 2012.

Part 1 : BeiHai Park, the Beijing Botanical Garden, the Confucius Temple, Ditan Park, the Minorities Ethnic Culture Park (Minzu), the Forbidden City, the Great Wall (at Badaling), JingShan Park, ZhongShan Park Part 2 : the Temple of Heaven, Tian'AnMen Square, QianMen, the Birds Nest national stadium, QianHai, PanJiaYuan, LiuYin Park, QingNianHu Park, RiTan Park, LianHuaChi Park, LongTan Park, NanLuoGuXiang and the Beijing Botanical Garden Part 3 : the Summer Palace, YuanMingYuan, XiangShan Park, TuanJieHu Park, XuanWu Park, Yuan Dynasty DaDa City Wall Park, YongHeGong Lama Temple and ZhongGuanCun, XiDan, CBD, ChongWenMen New World Center ice rink