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Tomb of Qin Shi Huang
In its time this tomb must have been one of the grandest mausoleums the world had ever seen. Historical accounts describe it as containing palaces filled with precious stones, underground rivers of flowing mercury and ingenious defences against intruders. The tomb reputedly took 38
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Hong Kong Museum of History
For a whistle-stop overview of the territory’s archaeology, ethnography, and natural and local history, this museum is well worth a visit, not only to learn more about the subject but also to understand how Hong Kong presents its stories to the world. ‘The Hong Kong Story’ takes vi
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Mt Kailash
Going to western Tibet and not completing a kora around Mt Kailash (Kang Rinpoche, or Precious Jewel of Snow, in Tibetan) would be like visiting a great capital and stopping short outside its most famous treasure. Mt Kailash dominates the region with the sheer awesomeness of its fo
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Chiu Monastery
Located 33 kilometres south of Darchen, Chiu (Sparrow) Monastery enjoys a fabulous location atop a craggy hill overlooking Lake Manasarovar. The main chapel contains the meditation cave of Guru Rinpoche, who is said to have passed away here, but most people focus on the lake views,
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Imperial Palace
This impressive palace complex resembles a small-scale Forbidden City. Constructed between 1625 and 1636 by Manchu emperor Nurhachi (1559–1626) and his son, Huang Taiji, the palace served as the residence of the Qing-dynasty rulers until 1644. The central courtyard buildings includ
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Wǔyí Shān Scenic Area
The entrance to the area is at Wǔyí Gōng, about 200m south of the Wǔyí Mountain Villa. Trails within the scenic area connect all the major sites. Good walks include the 530m Great King Peak (大王峰; Dàwáng Fēng), accessed through the main entrance, and the 410m Heavenly Tour Peak (天游峰
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Tousewe Museum
Alongside a middle school along Puhuitang Rd, this fascinating museum is dedicated to the arts and crafts of the former red-brick Tousewe Orphanage, established here by the indefatigable Jesuits in 1864. The Catholics taught orphans the techniques of Western art: one of the first t
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Yāntái Hill Park
This quaint park of stone paths, leafy gardens and ocean vistas is also a museum of Western treaty port architecture. Stroll by the former American Consulate Building , which retains some original interior features and contains an exhibit on Yāntái’s port days. Nearby, the former Y
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Qīnghǎi Provincial Museum
At the east end of Xīníng Square, the provincial museum looks like an ominous government building from afar, but once inside, three galleries offer a sophisticated presentation of local history and artifacts, ranging from 5000-year-old pottery recovered from excavations in Qīnghǎi
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Tiānzǐ Shān Scenic Area
This area is on top of the plateau, and hence enjoys most of the parks more spectacular (and busiest) viewpoints. Touring here means manoeuvring around particularly large crowds (and waiting in long lines for buses), but the vistas are worth it; not least the No 1 Highest Natural B
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Confucius & Chénghuáng Temples
In the heart of the old town, the tranquil Confucius Temple is the pick of the sights in Hánchéng itself. The weathered Yuan, Ming and Qing buildings give an understated sense of how long they have stood the test of time. They contrast with the dramatic towering cypress trees, half
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Yeshe Ö’s Mandala Chapel (Nampar Nang Lhakhang)
Once the main building in the Thöling complex, Yeshe Ö’s Mandala Chapel was also known as the Golden Chapel. All the images have been destroyed but the four chörtens remain along with a few remaining torsos, disembodied heads and limbs, scattered around the chapel like the leftover
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Temple of the Town God
Chinese towns traditionally had a Taoist temple of the town god, but many fell victim to periodic upheaval. Originally dating to the early 15th century, this particular temple was badly damaged during the Cultural Revolution and later restored. Note the fine carvings on the roof as
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Sunday Market
A Uighur primer: Boish-boish! means Coming through! Youd best hip yourself to this phrase, or risk being ploughed over by a push cart at the Sunday Market, which, despite its name, is open every day. Step carefully through the jam-packed entrance and allow your five senses guide yo
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Sìdònggōu Valley
This 4.5km long valley is forested with ancient ferns, as well as being dotted with gushing cataracts. Paths follow both sides of a river, as minifalls gush down over them, and take you past four ‘proper’ waterfalls. The biggest and most impressive is the last one, the 60m-high Whi
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798 Art District
A vast area of disused factories built by the East Germans, 798 Art District, also known as Dàshānzi (大山子), is Běijīng’s main concentration of contemporary art galleries. The industrial complex celebrates its proletarian roots in the communist heyday of the 1950s via the retouched
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Dǎngjiācūn
This perfectly preserved, 14th-century village nestles in a sheltered location in a loess valley. Once the home of the Dang clan, successful merchants who ferried timber and other goods across the Yellow River (黄河, Huáng Hé), it’s since evolved into a quintessential farming communi
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Yǎdān National Park
The weird, eroded desert landscape of Yǎdān National Park is 180km northwest of Dūnhuáng, in the middle of the Gobi Desert’s awesome nothingness. A former lake bed that eroded in spectacular fashion some 12,000 years ago, the strange rock formations provided the backdrop to the las
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St Stephen’s College
WWII history buffs can visit the beautiful campus of St Stephen’s College which sits right next to Stanley Military Cemetery. Founded in 1903, the school was turned into an emergency military hospital on the eve of the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong in 1941 and became an internment
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Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree
This large banyan tree, laden with coloured streamers of paper tied to oranges, was long considered a good-luck spot. The idea was to write your wish on a piece of paper, tie it to the citrus fruit and then throw it as high as you could up into the tree. If your fruit lodged high i
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