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Luányú Táng
Luányú Táng is a 200-year-old union for actors playing martial and acrobatic roles in Cantonese opera. The union still gives theatrical martial arts training to children, and members come for opera ‘jamming’ sessions. Its the second-last unit along a small lane off Yongqing Erxiang
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Russian Orthodox Mission Church
Built in 1934, this lovely blue-domed church was designed for the huge influx of Russian worshippers to Shànghǎi in the 1930s. Faded murals grace the cupola, but the real reason to visit today is for a meander through the contemporary art gallery Space , which shows four to five ex
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Tashkurgan Fort
The 1400-year-old stone (tash) fortifications (kurgan) of this fort give the town of Tashkurgan on the Karakorum Hwy its name. The ruins were one of the filming locations for the movie Kite Runner. The boggy valley below is dotted with Tajik yurts in summer and offers some spectacu
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Monument to the People’s Heroes
North of Mao’s mausoleum, and also in the centre of Tiān’ānmén Sq, the Monument to the People’s Heroes was completed in 1958. The 37.9m-high obelisk, made of Qīngdǎo granite, bears bas-relief carvings of key patriotic and revolutionary events, as well as calligraphy from communist
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Mor Pagoda
At the end of a 45km drive northeast of town are the ruins of Ha Noi, a Tang-dynasty town built in the 7th century and abandoned in the 12th century. Little remains apart from an enigmatic pyramid-like structure and the impressive four-tiered Mor Pagoda. A round-trip taxi, includin
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Nàpà Hǎi
Some 7km northwest of Zhōngdiàn you’ll find the seasonal Nàpà Hǎi, surrounded by a large grassy meadow. Between September and March it attracts a myriad of rare species, including the black-necked crane. Outside of these months, the lake dries up and you can see large numbers of ya
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Northern Slope
The views of Heaven Lake from the northern slope are the best and most popular. The gateway town for this area, where travellers have to stay, is Èrdào Báihé (二道白河), generally known as Báihé. The town is undergoing heavy construction with roads and new buildings being upgraded to m
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Sunny Beach
Life’s a beach, even in the middle of Shànghǎi. If the sun comes out, pop down to this amusing artificial strip of sand right by the river and north of the Cool Docks. There youll find a backdrop of Lùjiāzuǐ, a bar, deckchairs, beach volleyball, Frisbee, tents and other fun beach a
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Húběi Provincial Museum
The centrepiece of this fabulous museum is the exhibition of the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, which includes one of the world’s largest musical instruments, a remarkable five-tonne set of 65 double-tone bronze bells. The museum is located beside the enormous East Lake (东湖, Dōng Hú).
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Slogans
Pop into 153 Xi Dajie for two red-blooded slogans from the Cultural Revolution that have survived on buildings within the courtyard. The one on the left intones: 工业学大庆 (‘Industry should learn from Dàqìng’); the rarer slogan on the right proclaims: 认真搞好斗批改 (‘Earnestly undertake stru
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Western Market
Textile vendors driven off nearby streets in the 1990s moved into this renovated market building (1906) with its red-and-white facade, four-corner towers and other Edwardian features. Now bolts of cloth flank the corridors of the 1st floor. Souvenir shops and restaurant Grand Stage
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Overhanging Great Wall
Running north from Jiāyùguān Fort, this section of wall is believed to have been first constructed in 1539, though this reconstruction dates from 1987. It’s quite an energetic hike up to excellent views of the desert and the glittering snowcapped peaks in the distance. The wall is
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Nányuè Temple
This sprawling Taoist and Buddhist temple was moved from Héng Shān summit to its foot in the Sui dynasty and then rebuilt many times, most recently in the Qing dynasty. Each carved panel in the main pavilion’s balustrade tells a legend of one of Héng Shān’s peaks. Its north gate is
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Tropical Flower & Plants Garden
This terrific botanic garden, west of the town centre, is one of Jǐnghóng’s better attractions. Admission gets you into a series of gardens where you can view over 1000 different types of plant life. Take the path on the left-hand side as you enter the gardens to head towards the l
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Shànghǎi Gallery of Art
Take the lift up to the 3rd floor of 3 on the Bund to this neat and minimalist art gallery for glimpses of current directions in highbrow and conceptual Chinese art. Its all bare concrete pillars, ventilation ducts and acres of wall space; there are a couple of divans where you can
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Shílǎorén Beach
On the far east side of town in Láo Shān district, this 2.5km-long strip of clean sand is Qīngdǎo’s largest and has the highest waves in town (decent for bodyboarding). The ‘Old Stone Man’ from which the beach gets its name is the rocky outcrop to the east. Take bus 301 (¥2, 50 min
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Shide Tratsang
Once one of the six principal temples encircling the Jokhang, this badly ruined temple is connected to Reting Monastery. It’s in a housing courtyard, down a back alley near Tashi I restaurant, and remains a rare example of what Lhasa looked like before the renovation teams moved in
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Guānyīn Cave
Crouch with an arched back into this magnificent, smoky and mysterious old grotto with a low, bonce-scraping ceiling to witness its assembly of Guanyins carved from the rock face along with small effigies of the goddess in porcelain and stone, draped in cloth. The cave is located i
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Nánwú Sì
Nánwú Temple belongs to the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) sect of Tibetan Buddhism and is the most active monastery in the area. Walk south along the main road, cross the river and keep going for about 200m until you see a small sign (南無寺) for the monastery on your right. Follow the road up
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East is Red Square
In this square, guards maintain a 24-hour vigil at the foot of a statue of Chairman Mao, and portraits of Marx, Engels, Stalin and Lenin (the original ‘Gang of Four’) rise up on all four sides. The square is deluged in shrill propaganda broadcast from speakers in true 1950s style,
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