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Mùtiányù
Famed for its Ming-era guard towers and excellent views, the 3km-long section of wall at Mùtiányù, northeast of Běijīng in Huairou County, is largely a recently restored Ming dynasty structure that was built upon an earlier Northern Qi dynasty edifice. US President Bill Clinton vis
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Xiānnóng Altar & Běijīng Ancient Architecture Museum
This altar – to the west of the Temple of Heaven – was the site of solemn imperial ceremonies and sacrificial offerings. Located within what is called the Hall of Jupiter (太岁殿; Tàisuì Diàn) – the most magnificent surviving hall – is the excellent Běijīng Ancient Architecture Museum
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Sānqīng Shān
Imagine a hiking trail built into a sheer rock face, looking out onto a forest of fantastical granite spires and a gorgeous canopy sprinkled with white rhododendron blooms. This is one of the many walks you can do at Sānqīng Shān, one of the most underrated national parks in easter
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Trappist Monastery
Northeast of Mui Wo and south of Discovery Bay is the Roman Catholic Lady of Joy Abbey, better known as the Trappist Monastery. The Trappists gained a reputation as one of the most austere religious communities in the Roman Catholic Church and the Lantau congregation was establishe
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Ramoche Temple
The main image here is the fabulously ornate Jowo Mikyöba (Akshobhya) image, which represents Sakyamuni at the age of eight. The statue is in the inner Tsangkhang, protected by the four guardian kings and a curtain of chain mail, which pilgrims rub for good luck. The lower half of
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Cháng Líng
The resting place of the first of the 13 emperors to be buried at the Ming Tombs, Cháng Líng contains the body of Emperor Yongle (1402–24), his wife and 16 concubines. Its the largest, most impressive and most important of the tombs. Like all the tombs, it follows a standard imperi
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Chénxiānggé Nunnery
Sheltering a community of dark-brown-clothed nuns from the Chénhǎi (Sea of Dust) – what Buddhists call the mortal world, but which could equally refer to Shànghǎi’s murky atmosphere – this lovely yellow-walled temple is a tranquil refuge. At the temple rear, the Guanyin Tower guide
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Yángměi
A former market town on the Yōng River (邕江; Yōng Jiāng). Yángměi was founded a millennium ago and flourished in the 17th century, earning the nickname Little Nánníng.Spend a couple of hours wandering the cobbled streets, munching on fried fish (from ¥2), steamed rice rolls (¥4) and
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Siberian Tiger Park
This park controversially bills itself as a breeding and preservation centre for Siberian tigers, which are among the worlds rarest animals (and largest felines). Tours are given in safari-style buses that do a circuit of the enclosures. There are also walking paths around large fe
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Tǎyuàn Temple
At the base of Spirit Vulture Peak (灵鹫峰; Língjiù Fēng), the distinctive white stupa rising above, Tǎyuàn Temple is the most prominent landmark in Wǔtái Shān and virtually all pilgrims pass through here to spin the prayer wheels at its base or to prostrate themselves, even in the sn
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Tent Camp
About 4km beyond Rongbuk in the direction of Base Camp is this messy corral of yak-hair tents (5050m), parked Land Cruisers and souvenir stalls. This is the furthest point vehicles can drive to; from here youll have to walk the final 4km to Everest Base Camp or take a minibus (¥25
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Ancient Observatory
This unusual former observatory is mounted on the battlements of a watchtower lying along the line of the old Ming City Wall and originally dates back to Kublai Khan’s days, when it lay north of the present site. Kublai, like later Ming and Qing emperors, relied heavily on astrolog
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Lhagang Monastery
The story goes that when Princess Wencheng, the Chinese bride-to-be of Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo, was on her way to Lhasa in 640CE, a precious statue of Jowo Sakyamuni Buddha toppled off one of the carts in her entourage. A replica of the statue was carved on the spot where it la
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Shànghǎi Arts & Crafts Museum
Repositioned as a museum, this arts and crafts institute displays traditional crafts such as embroidery, paper cutting, lacquer work, jade cutting and lantern making. Watch traditional crafts being performed live by craftspeople and admire the wonderfully wrought exhibits, from jad
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Dūjiāngyàn Irrigation Project
This system of channels, floodgates and weirs, constructed in the 3rd century BC, is the oldest and only surviving non-dam irrigation system in the world. Still in use, this feat of engineering is in a beautifully scenic area with forested hills, ancient temples, hilltop pagodas an
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HSBC Building
Make sure you have a close-up look at the stunning headquarters of what is now HSBC (formerly the Hongkong & Shanghai Bank) headquarters, designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster in 1985. The building is a masterpiece of precision, sophistication and innovation. And so i
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Shēnhǎi Salt Well
This fascinating museum is also a working salt mine. Its 1001m-deep artesian salt well was the world’s deepest well when it was built in 1835 and it remains the deepest salt well ever made using percussion drilling, a technique invented here and later applied throughout the world.
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Xūmí Shān
These Buddhist grottoes (Xūmí is the Chinese transliteration of the Sanskrit sumeru, or Buddhist paradise) some 50km northwest of Gùyuán are southern Níngxià’s must-see sight. Cut into the five adjacent sandstone hills are 132 caves housing more than 300 Buddhist statues dating bac
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Temple of Mystery
Lashed by electronic music from the shops alongside, the Taoist Temple of Mystery stands in what was once Sūzhōu’s old bazaar, a rowdy entertainment district with travelling showmen, acrobats and actors. The temple dates from 1181 and is the sole surviving example of Song architect
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Black Dragon Pool Park
On the northern edge of town is the Black Dragon Pool Park; its view of Yùlóng Xuěshān (Jade Dragon Snow Mountain) is the most obligatory photo shoot in southwestern China. The Dōngbā Research Institute is part of a renovated complex on the hillside here. You can see Naxi cultural
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