The Forbidden City

The Meridian Gate

The emperor would come to the Meridian gate to review his armies and announce the new year.

During Imperial times only the emperor could walk through the central archway. Anyone else who walked through this central archway would have been guilty of a capital offense. Officials and royal family members used either of the two side archways.

History

24 emperors called The Forbidden City home. The last emperor was Emperor Puyi in 1924, 11 years after he abdicated his throne.

After Puyi left, the Forbidden City was opened to the public, and is often referred to as “The Palace Museum.”

Architecture

The city was built on a line that can be drawn from the north to the south, through the numerous gates. The emperor could take his throne and symbolically look out over his entire kingdom.

Vermillion walls, clear lines, white marble terraces, staircases, and yellow-tiled roofs all come together to form the 980 buildings inside this compound. Surrounded by a moat and protected by 27 foot high walls, the Forbidden City is very impressive.

Shanghai

Background

Shanghai, the “Pearl of the Orient,” has always been a popular and wonderous city. Gateway to the Yangtze River, Shanghai has always been a mixing place for Chinese and foreigners. The Chinese Communist Party was also formed here in 1921. Today, Shanghai is fully embracing the rapid modernization and progressive development seen throughout much of China.

Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower

The Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower is an unmistakable feature in Shanghai. Besides being a TV tower, the skyscraper is a place 
to shop, enjoy entertainment, and eat at restaurants that overlook the Bund.

A basement history museum illustrates the early days of Shanghai as a walled fort under the Ming dynasty, its life during European influence, and recent history.

Name’s origin

The Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower gets its name from the 11 round "pearls" of various sizes, positioned from the top to the bottom of the tower. The tower bridges the blue sky with the green grass below it.

The Pearl Tower designers envisioned precious expensive pearls falling 1,500 feet from the blue sky and dropping onto a green jade plate below

The desired effect is to show the building's name, which can be translated as “economy and trade” and “gold and prosperity.” This desire is definitely reality.

The Tower symbolizes wealth and prosperity. It reflects the Buddhist belief in lucky numbers by having 88 floors and 13 bands.

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Hall

Overview

The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Hall is a major international conference venue which hosts more than 45 international trade fairs each year. The Hall also hosted the historic handover of Hong Kong by the British to China on 1 July 1997.

Highlights

Xi’An Terracotta Warriors

History

B.C. 221 - China's first emperor, Qin Shihuang, was 13 years old when he commanded over 70,000 people to build replica palaces, pavilions, ships and the famous terracotta warriors and horses. The complex was completed 36 years later, just after he died.

It is rumored that the artisans and craftsmen were buried inside to make sure they never revealed the emperor's secrets, much like the pyramid builders in ancient Egypt.

Contents

This massive mausoleum remembers an emperor known for his brilliance and brutality. He built replica stables, an inner and outer city, and populated it with terracotta clay-made soldiers, and buried alive soldiers, concubines, and servants. This elaborate tomb was designed to provide for and serve the emperor in his afterlife.

The Warriors

Each clay soldier is approximately 1.8 meters tall (5’ 9”) tall. They were brightly painted and highly individualized according to the artisan’s desires.

Many of the figures held original weapons of the day, which proved to be a wonderful archeological discovery. Many of these weapons had been treated specially to protect their surfaces from rust, and many are still sharp and well-preserved today.

The Terracotta Warriors section is only a part of the emperor’s tomb complex. The soldier’s vault is approximately 12,000m2 and is buried 5m       (~16 feet) in the ground.

Not Forgotten

The tomb lay forgotten until 1974. Local people discovered this mausoleum while drilling a well. Today many tourists traveling to Xi'An are sure to include a trip to this unforgettable tomb.

Great Wall

He conscripted some 500,000 laborers, many prisoners of war, to work for 10 years to join together previous, unconnected sections of the wall. It is believed that up to 70% of them died from exhaustion and starvation. Continuous repairs occurred over the next hundreds of years.

Improvements

Where the Great Wall sprawled close to the Silk Road in western China, towers and gates served as customs ports, and unwanted citizens were thrust out to face the wild west on their own.

Defeat

Despite its defensive features and massive size, the Great Wall repeatedly was breached by Genghis Kan in 1215 and Mancy tropps in 1644.

Psychological Success

The Great Wall helped forge a sense of nationhood by marking a physcial boundary between China and the rest of the world, between civilization and chaos.

Today

The Great Wall's role today continues to be a symbol of pride in country and ingenuity. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Wall now welcomes visitors from abroad, instead of trying to keep them out.