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Star Ferry
You can’t say you’ve ‘done’ Hong Kong until you’ve taken a ride on a Star Ferry , that wonderful fleet of electric-diesel vessels with names like Morning Star, Celestial Star and Twinkling Star . Try to take your first trip on a clear night from Kowloon to Central. It’s not half as
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Treasured Summit Hill
Of all the stunning sculptures here, which are believed to have been carved between 1174 and 1252, the centrepiece is a 31m-long, 5m-high reclining Buddha depicted entering nirvana, with the torso sunk into the cliff face. Next to the Buddha, protected by a temple, is a mesmerising
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Drum Tower
Along with the older-looking Bell Tower , which stands behind it, the magnificent redpainted Drum Tower used to be the city’s official timekeeper, with drums and bells beaten and rung to mark the times of the day. Originally built in 1272, the Drum Tower was once the heart of the M
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Samye Monastery
About 170km southeast of Lhasa, on the north bank of the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) River is Samye Monastery , the first monastery in Tibet. Founded in AD 775 by King Trisong Detsen, Samye is famed not just for its pivotal history, but its unique mandala design: the main hall, o
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Běijīng Botanic Gardens
Exploding with blossom in spring, the well-tended Běijīng Botanic Gardens, set against the backdrop of the Western Hills and about 1km northeast of Fragrant Hills Park, makes for a pleasant outing among bamboo fronds, pines, orchids, lilacs and China’s most extensive botanic collec
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Zhījīn Cave
As the largest cave in China, and one of the biggest in the entire world at 10km long and up to 150m high, Zhījīn Cave gets tourist accolades. Lord of the Rings has been used to describe the abstract landscape of spectacular shapes and spirals, often cathedral-like, reaching from t
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Princess Wencheng Temple
This temple is dedicated to the Tang-dynasty Chinese Princess Wencheng, who was instrumental in converting her husband and Tibetan king, Songtsen Gampo, to Buddhism in the 7th century. The temple marks the spot where the princess (and possibly the king) paused for a month en route
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Rongphu Monastery
Although religious centres have existed in the region since around the 8th century, Rongphu Monastery (4980m) is now the main Buddhist centre in the valley. While not of great antiquity, Rongphu can at least lay claim to being the highest monastery in Tibet and, thus, the world. It
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Jiǔzhàigōu National Park
This enchanting Unesco World Heritage Site is one of Sìchuān’s star attractions. More than two million visit annually to gawk at its famous bluer-than-blue lakes, rushing waterfalls and deep woodlands backlit by snowy mountain ranges. The parks major sites are easily accessible on
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Pénglái Pavilion
About 75km northwest of Yāntái perched on a bluff overlooking the waves, the 1000-year-old Pénglái Pavilion is closely entwined with Chinese mythology and the Taoist legend of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea . The route up to the pavilion passes the grounds of an ancient naval
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Drepung Monastery
Along with Sera and Ganden Monasteries, Drepung functioned as one of the three pillars of the Tibetan state and this one was purportedly the largest monastery in the world, with around 7000 resident monks at its peak. Drepung means rice heap, a reference to the white buildings dott
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White Palace
As you arrive on the roof, head right for the private quarters of the 13th and 14th Dalai Lamas. The Dalai Lamas would have watched festival dances performed in the courtyard below from the hidden balconies of these personal chambers. The first room you come to is the throne room (
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Kuei Temple
The remote, little-visited Cave Temple is one of the oldest monasteries in Inner Mongolia. Construction began in the mid-17th century and was expanded in 1831 by the famed Outer Mongolian monks, Danzan Ravjaa. The temples were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution but have since
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Éméi Shān
A cool, misty retreat from Sìchuān basin’s usual heat, stunning Éméi Shān (3099m) is one of China’s four sacred Buddhist Mountains (the others being Pǔtuó Shān, Wǔtái Shān and Jiǔhuá Shān). A farmer built the first Buddhist temple near its summit in the first century CE, marking Bu
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Ganjia Grasslands
The Gānjiā Grasslands, 34km from Xiàhé, aren’t as pretty as at nearby Sāngkē , but there is more to explore. From Xiàhé the bumpy road crosses the Naren-Ka pass (impassable after long rains) before quickly descending into wide grasslands dotted with herds of sheep and backed by eve
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Jiāyùguān Fort
One of the classic images of western China, the fort guards the pass between the snowcapped Qílián Shān peaks and the Hēi Shān (Black Mountains) of the Mǎzōng Shān range.Built in 1372, it was christened the ‘Impregnable Defile Under Heaven’. Although the Chinese often controlled te
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Lǐjiāshān
An absolute dream for travellers wanting to experience Shānxī’s cave houses (窑洞; yáodòng ), this remote, supremely peaceful 550-year-old village, hugging a hillside with terraces of crops running up it, has hundreds of cave dwellings scaling nine storeys. Once home to more than 600
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Yungdrungling Monastery
Just visible across the river from the road between Lhasa and Shigatse is the Bönpo Yungdrungling Monastery. The monastery, founded in 1834, was once the second most influential Bön monastic institution in Tibet and home to 700 monks. At first glance, Yungdrungling looks much like
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Seven Fairy Mountain
About 39km southeast of Wǔzhǐshān lies the small and conspicuously orderly Li town of Bǎotíng (保亭). While that orderliness may strike you as noteworthy after a few weeks spent travelling in China, the main reason to come here is to climb the 1126m peak, comprising an eye-catching r
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Chi Lin Nunnery
One of the most beautiful and arrestingly built environments in Hong Kong, this large Buddhist complex, originally dating from the 1930s, was rebuilt completely of wood (and not a single nail) in the style of the Tang dynasty in 1998. It is a serene place, with lotus ponds, immacul
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