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North Korean Border
For views of the border, stroll along the riverfront Yālùjiāng Park that faces the North Korean city of Sinuiju. The area’s most intriguing sight is the shrapnel-pockmarked Broken Bridge . In 1950, during the Korean War, American troops ‘accidentally’ bombed the original steel-span
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Emerald Pagoda Lake
Also known as Pǔdácuò (普达错), a Mandarinised-version of its Tibetan name, Emerald Pagoda lake is 25km east of Zhōngdiàn. The bus to Sānbà can drop you along the highway. From there, its 8km down a trail (a half-hour by pony), and while the ticket price is laughably steep, there are
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Cǎo’ān Manichaean Temple
This quirky temple is dedicated to Manichaeism, a religion originating in Persia in the third century, combining elements of Zoroastrian, Christian and Gnostic thought, which reached China in the 7th century.The well-restored stone complex you see today is a rebuild dating to the Y
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Bamboo Temple
This serene temple (no photos allowed inside) is definitely one to be visited by sculptors as much as by those interested in temple collecting. Raised during the Tang dynasty, it was rebuilt in the 19th century by master Sichuanese sculptor Li Guangxiu and his apprentices, who fash
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Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves
Seventy-five kilometres northwest of Kuqa are the Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves, the largest Buddhist cave art site in Xīnjiāng. The interior murals date from the 3rd to the 8th centuries and as ancient Kuqa was an ethnically diverse place, artisans were inspired by Afghanisti, Persi
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Tsedru Monastery
At 4800m this is one of Tibet’s highest monasteries, and its location, strung out along a ridgeline below a series of natural cliffs and caves, is one of the most fantastical you can imagine. This is considered Tibet’s largest and oldest Bön monastery and is home to more than 200 m
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Yòuníng Monastery
Well known throughout the Tibetan world, this 17th-century hillside monastery in the Hùzhù Tǔzú (互助土族) Autonomous County is considered one of the greats of the Gelugpa order. The monastery lies at the edge of a forested valley, and many chapels perch wondrously on the sides of a cl
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Guǎngzōng Sì
Once one of the most magnificent monasteries in Inner Mongolia, Guǎngzōng Sì has a stunning setting in the mountains 38km south of Bayanhot. At its height, some 2000 monks lived here. So important was the monastery that the main prayer hall, Gandan Danjaling Sum, contains the remai
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Kumbum Monastery
One of the great monasteries of the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) sect of Tibetan Buddhism, Kumbum Monastery was built in 1577 on hallowed ground – the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, founder of the sect.It’s of enormous historical significance, and hundreds of monks still live here but, perhaps
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July 1st Glacier
About 90km southwest of Jiāyùguān, this glacier sits high in the Qílián Shān range at 4300m. Hikers can walk a 5km trail alongside the glacier. Icy winter weather grinds transport to a halt from November to March. In summer its a great place to come to escape the heat of the desert
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Site of the 1st National Congress of the CCP
On 23 July 1921 the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was founded in this French Concession building (then 106 rue Wantz). In one fell swoop this fact transformed an unassuming shíkùmén block into one of Chinese communism’s holiest shrines. Beyond the communist narcissism, there’s litt
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Imperial Tombs
A large number of imperial tombs (皇陵, huáng líng) dot the Guānzhōng plain around Xī’ān. They are sometimes included on tours from Xī’ān, but most aren’t so remarkable as to be destinations in themselves. By far the most impressive is the Qián Tomb , where China’s only female empero
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Chim
Chim-puk Hermitage is a collection of cave shrines northeast of Samye that grew up over the centuries around the meditation retreat of Guru Rinpoche. Chim-puks Tantric practitioners were once famed for their ability to protect fields from hailstorms. It is a popular hiking excursio
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Loseling College
Loseling is the largest of Drepung’s colleges, and studies here were devoted to logic. If you have time, pop into the small debating courtyard west of Loseling College. Monks sometimes practise their music in the garden here, blowing huge horns and crashing cymbals. The main hall h
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Cǎohǎi Lake
Guìzhōu’s largest highland lake and southwest China’s most significant wetland, Cǎohǎi Lake draws some 180 or so protected bird species, including black-necked cranes, black and white storks, golden and imperial eagles, white-tailed sea eagles, Eurasian cranes and white spoonbills.
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Shuǐ Dòng Gōu
The archaeological site of Shuǐ Dòng Gōu, 25km east of Yínchuān, right on the border with Inner Mongolia, has been turned into something of an adventure theme park. The site is divided into two parts; the first is a museum that resembles Jabba the Hut’s bunker and which contains th
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Confucius Forest
About 2km north of town on Lindao Lu is the peaceful Confucius Forest, a cemetery of pine and cypress covering 200 hectares bounded by a 10km-long wall. Confucius and more than 100,000 of his descendants have been buried here for the past 2000 years, a tradition still ongoing. When
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Duolun Road Cultural Street
This pleasantly restored but sleepy street of fine old houses, just off North Sichuan Rd, was once home to several of China’s most famous writers (as well as several Kuomintang generals), when the road was known as Doulean Rd. Today it is lined with art-supply stores, curio and Bur
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Former Residence of the 7th Dalai Lama
Kelzang Gyatso (1708–1757), the 7th Dalai Lama, was born in the basement of this house during a period of intense political struggle. Eventually growing into a visionary leader, under his rule Tibet established a national archive, instituted civil-service training programs, and for
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Wǔlóng County National Geology Park
A vast area of natural beauty, this park contains a large number of attractions – endless caves, giant canyons and many waterfalls – the unmissable one is the Three Natural Bridges . Towering above huge, hollowed-out karst formations, these natural bridges (you dont walk across the
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