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Western Xia Tombs
The Western Xia Tombs, which look like giant beehives, are Níngxià’s most famous sight. The first tombs were built a millennium ago by Li Yuanhao, the founder of the Western Xia dynasty. There are nine imperial tombs, plus 200 lesser tombs, in an area of 50 sq km – there are electr
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Old Town
Much of Dàtóng’s old town has been levelled to restore what was there before. Illogical for sure, but this is China. Renovations were ongoing at the time of writing, with Red Flag Sq completely inaccessible and the area around the Drum Tower emerging as‘Ye Olde Qing Quarter’.
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Ngagpa College
Ngagpa is one of Drepung’s four tratsang, or colleges, and was devoted to Tantric study. The chapel is dedicated to bull-headed Dorje Jigje (Yamantaka), a Tantric meditational deity who serves as an opponent to the forces of impermanence. The cartoon-style Dorje Jigje image in the
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Yúliáng
Little-visited Yúliáng is a historic riverine port village on the Liàn River (练江, Liàn Jiāng). The cobbled and picturesque alley of Yuliang Jie (渔梁街) houses former transfer stations for the wood, salt and tea that plied the river; the teashop at No 87 is an example. Note the firewa
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Buchu Monastery
This small Gelugpa monastery (Bùjiǔ Sì) dates from the 7th century, when it was built at the command of King Songtsen Gampo as one of the demoness-subduing temples; it pins the demoness’ right elbow. Inside are a number of holy relics including a footprint of Guru Rinpoche and a la
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Temple of the Chief Minister
First founded in AD 555, this frequently rebuilt temple vanished along with Kāifēng in the early 1640s when rebels breached the Yellow River’s dykes. During the Northern Song, the temple covered a massive 34 hectares and housed over 10,000 monks. The showstopper today is the mesmer
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Bibliotheca Zi
The magnificent St Ignatius Catholic Library, the Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei is one of several Jesuit monuments defining historic Xújiāhuì. Established in 1847 by the local Jesuit mission, its priceless book collection in the main library (大书房; Dà Shūfáng) can only be seen by applicatio
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Détiān Waterfall
The picturesque Détiān Waterfall belongs to the Chūnguī River (春归河, Chūnguīhé), which flows between China and Vietnam. The river is only 30m across in this upstream section, which means that people on both sides can see each other going about their business. Its not grand like Niag
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Qiao Family Courtyard
This 18th-century complex of courtyards at the Qiao Family Courtyard is one of the finest remaining examples of a traditional private residence in northern China. Once home to a celebrated merchant, it’s an austere maze of doorways and courtyards that lead onto seemingly endless ro
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Shāpōtóu
The desert playground of Shāpōtóu, 17km west of Zhōngwèi, lies on the fringes of the Tengger Desert at the dramatic convergence of sand dunes, the Yellow River and lush farmlands. It’s based around the Shāpōtóu Desert Research Centre, which was founded in 1956 to battle the ever-wo
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Singing Sands Mountain
Six kilometres south of Dūnhuáng at Singing Sands Mountain, the desert meets the oasis in most spectacular fashion. From the dunes it’s easy to see how Dūnhuáng gained its moniker ‘Shāzhōu’ (Town of Sand). The view across the undulating desert sands and green poplar trees below is
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Zhālíng & Èlíng Lakes
Set in stunning, barren, high-plateau scenery, these two lakes purportedly host the source of the Yellow River (黄河源头, Huánghé yuántóu), China’s most revered waterway. The scenery around the two lakes here, and en route, is awesome. While here you might spot includes fox, marmot, ea
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Tsogchen
The current main assembly hall, or Tsogchen, had been completely gutted at the time of research as part of a huge renovation project. Things were due to return to normal from 2015. The main inner shrine, the Ütse, has a central statue of Jampai Dorje, an unusual amalgam of the gods
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Ralung Monastery
If you want to get off the beaten track, make a 8km detour south across the huge, sweeping plain to Ralung Monastery (4750m) from the road between Nangartse and Gyantse. Ralung was founded in 1180 and gets its name from the ‘self-arising’ image of a ra (goat) that spurred the monas
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CCTV Headquarters
Shaped like an enormous pair of trousers, and known locally as Dà Kùchǎ (大裤衩), or Big Underpants, the astonishing CCTV Tower is an architectural fantasy that appears to defy gravity. Its made possible by an unusual engineering design which creates a three-dimensional cranked loop,
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Keru Lhakhang
The main chapel of Keru (or Drakmar Keru) is one of Tibets oldest temples, dating from the mid-8th century, before Samye Monastery was even a glimmer in Songtsen Gampos eye. The main draws are the original statues, possibly the oldest left in Tibet. The temple was used to store sal
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White Horse Temple
Although its original structures have all been replaced and older Buddhist shrines may have vanished, this active monastery outside Luòyáng is regarded as China’s first surviving Buddhist temple, originally dating from the 1st century AD. When two Han-dynasty court emissaries went
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Sunday Livestock Market
No visit to Kashgar is complete without a trip to the Livestock Market, which takes place once a week on Sunday. The day begins with Uighur farmers and herders trekking into the city from nearby villages. By lunchtime just about every sellable sheep, camel, horse, cow and donkey wi
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Talung Monastery
Talungs most important structure was its Tsuglhakhang (grand temple), also known as the Red Palace. The building was reduced to rubble but its impressively thick stone walls remain.To the south of the Tsuglhakhang is the main assembly hall, the Targyeling Lhakhang . Look out for th
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Workers Cultural Palace
Despite the prosaic name and its location at the very heart of town, this reclusive park, between Tiān’ānmén Sq and the Forbidden City, is one of Běijīng’s best-kept secrets. Few visitors divert here from their course towards the main gate of the Forbidden City, but this was the em
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