-
Chóngwǔ
The ancient ‘stone city’ of Chóngwǔ has one of the best-preserved city walls in China. The granite walls date back to 1387, stretch over 2.5km and average 7m in height. Scattered around the walls are 1304 battlements and four gates into the city. The town wall was built by the Min
-
Shen’s House
Near Fú’ān Bridge, this property of the Shen clan is a lavish piece of Qing-style architecture boasting three halls and over 100 rooms. The first hall is particularly interesting, as it has a water gate and a wharf where the family moors their private boats. You can picture the com
-
Zǔmiào
The 11th-century Zǔmiào temple is believed to be the site where Cantonese opera flourished. The art is still performed today during festivals to entertain the gods, and the tourists. Sharing the complex are a Confucius temple (c1911) and memorial halls dedicated to two martial arti
-
Wénshū Temple
This Tang-dynasty monastery is dedicated to Wénshū (Manjushri), the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, and is Chéngdū’s largest and best-preserved Buddhist temple. The air is heavy with incense and the low murmur of chanting; despite frequent crowds of worshippers, there’s still a sense of ser
-
Drampa Gyang Temple
This small but significant monastery and ruined dzong is just north of Lhatse in the village of Lhatse Chöde (Lāzī Zhèn in Chinese). The temple is one of Songtsen Gampo’s demoness-subduing temples; in this case it pins the troublesome demoness’ left hip.To reach the village head 1k
-
Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences
This small museum features medical accoutrements, including an old autopsy table and herbal medicine chests, a rundown of how Hong Kong coped with the 1894 bubonic plague, and exhibits comparing Chinese and Western medical approaches. Equally interesting is the building, a breezy E
-
Sūbāshí
Sūbāshí was a Buddhist complex that thrived from the 3rd to the 13th centuries. Its less visited than other ancient cities in Xīnjiāng, but with its starkly beautiful desert setting, is a highlight for many travellers in the region. Most people visit the west complex, with its larg
-
Asia Society Hong Kong Centre
An architectural feat, this magnificent site integrates 19th-century British military buildings, including a couple of explosives magazines, and transforms them into an exhibition gallery, a multipurpose theatre, an excellent restaurant and a bookstore, all open to the public. The
-
Ani Sangkhung Nunnery
This small and politically active nunnery is the only one within the precincts of the old Tibetan quarter. The site of the nunnery probably dates back to the 7th century, but it housed a monastery until at least the 15th century. The principal image, upstairs on the 2nd floor, is a
-
Qiuci Palace
Located in the old town, 3.5km west of the centre, is the newly restored (ie rebuilt) Qiuci Palace, the residence of the kings of Qiuci until the early 20th century. The museum has a good collection of Buddhist frescoes, some from the nearby Kumtura and Simsim caves, and there are
-
Qīngliáng Pavilion
Completed in 1581, this three-storey pavilion was supposedly the work of one thoroughly crazed individual (Yu Xichun, who wanted to be able to see Běijīng from the top). It was, according to legend, built entirely at night, over a 16-year period, without the help of any other villa
-
Wànnián Temple
Reconstructed in the 9th century, Wànnián Temple (1020m) is the oldest surviving Éméi temple. It’s dedicated to the man on the white elephant, the Bodhisattva Pǔxián (also known as Samantabhadra), the Buddhist Lord of Truth and patron of the mountain. This 8.5m-high statue cast in
-
Tin Hau Temple
At the western end of Stanley Main St, past a tiny Tai Wong shrine and through the Stanley Plaza shopping complex, is a Tin Hau temple, built in 1767. Its appearance has completely changed over the years, however, and it’s now a concrete pile. The walk here is well worthwhile for t
-
Chöde Gompa
At the north end of town, the large Chöde Gompa is a Tibetan monastery that was built for the third Dalai Lama. Inside is a statue of Sakyamuni, believed to have been carried from Lhasa by foot. Don’t miss climbing onto the roof of the main hall on the far right for great views of
-
Chinese Printed Blue Nankeen Exhibition Hall
Follow the blue signs through a maze of courtyards until you see bolts of blue cloth drying in the yard. Originally produced in Jiāngsū, Zhèjiāng and Guìzhōu provinces, this blue-and-white cotton fabric (sometimes called blue calico) is similar to batik, and is coloured using a sta
-
Bird Island
This island on China’s largest lake (now in fact a peninsula) is the breeding ground for thousands of wild geese, gulls, cormorants, sandpipers, extremely rare black-necked cranes and other bird species. Perhaps the most interesting are the bar-headed geese that migrate over the Hi
-
Léitái Sì
The pride and joy of the city, the bronze Flying Horse of Wǔwēi (飞马) was discovered here in 1969 and has since been adopted as the unofficial symbol of Gānsù. It was found in a secret tomb beneath this temple, built on top of steep earthen ramparts. While it’s a thrill to explore a
-
Hénán Provincial Museum
The excellent collection here ranges from the artistry of Shang-dynasty bronzes, oracle bones, relics from the Yīn ruins in Ānyáng, to gorgeous Ming and Qing porcelain and pottery specimens. The dioramas of Song-dynasty Kāifēng and the magnificent, and now obliterated, Tang-dynasty
-
Sun Yatsen’s Former Residence
Sun Zhongshan predictably receives the full-on hagiographic treatment at this shrine to China’s guófù (国父; father of the nation). A capacious exhibition hall next door further pampers his memory and serves as a full-on prelude to his pebble-dash ‘Spanish-style’ home. Once you get t
-
Bell Tower & Drum Tower
Now marooned on a traffic island, the Bell Tower sits at the heart of Xī’ān and originally held a large bell that was rung at dawn, while its alter ego, the Drum Tower , marked nightfall. Both date from the 14th century but the Drum Tower was renovated in 1740 while the Bell Tower
Total
2381 -travel
FirstPage PreviousPage NextPage LastPage CurrentPage:
87/120 20-travel/Page GoTo Page:
