-
Army of Terracotta Warriors
The Terracotta Army isn’t just Xī’ān’s premier site, but one of the most famous archaeological finds in the world. This subterranean life-size army of thousands has silently stood guard over the soul of China’s first unifier for more than two millennia. Either Qin Shi Huang was ter
-
Labrang Monastery
With its endless squeaking prayer wheels (3km in total length), hawks circling overhead and the throb of Tibetan longhorns resonating from the surrounding hills, Labrang is a monastery town unto itself. Many of the chapel halls are illuminated in a yellow glow by yak-butter lamps,
-
Shàolín Temple
The largely rebuilt Shàolín Temple is a commercialised victim of its own incredible success. A frequent target of war, the ancestral home of wǔshù was last torched in 1928, and the surviving halls – many of recent construction – are today assailed by relentless waves of selfie-shoo
-
Tashilhunpo Monastery
One of the few monasteries in Tibet to weather the stormy seas of the Cultural Revolution, Tashilhunpo remains relatively unscathed. It is a real pleasure to explore the busy cobbled lanes twisting around the aged buildings. Covering 70,000 sq metres, the monastery is now the large
-
Red Palace
You start the tour of the main palace building from the top and descend through the bowels of the building to exit on the ground floor. The gilded Buddhas, intricate mandalas and towering funeral stupas you pass en route rank as the highlights of the Potala. Third Floor On the thir
-
Main Debating Courtyard
If you’re here in the afternoon, save some time to watch the monk-debating (lots of shouting, hand slapping and gesticulation) between 2.30pm and 4.30pm in the main debating courtyard in the northeast corner of the monastery (photos ¥15).
-
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
The French were granted permission to build this impressive twin-spired Roman Catholic cathedral after the second Opium War, between 1863 and 1888. It features a neo-Gothic style and is constructed entirely of granite, with massive towers reaching a height of 48m.
-
Lèyè Geopark
There are 28 naturally formed sinkholes (天坑; tiānkēng ) here, including six major ones. Of these, only two were open at the time of research. The area was acquired by a private company from the state in 2011, and theyre building an escalator that will take about four years to finis
-
St Lazarus Church District
A lovely neighbourhood with colonial-style houses and cobbled streets. Designers and independents like to gather here, setting up shop and organising artsy events, such as the weekly Sun Never Left – Public Art Performance . Tai Fung Tong Art House , G32 and the Old Ladies House ar
-
Xuán Villa
Foreboding and beautiful Xuán Villa was built in 1936 by a wealthy Malaysian Chinese who was a member of a secret society tied to Sun Yatsen. Parts of the building doubled up as an air-raid shelter. If the owners let you in, you’ll see crumbling but elegant staircases and sweeping
-
Po Lin Monastery & Big Buddha
Po Lin is a huge Buddhist monastery and temple complex that was built in 1924. Today it seems more of a tourist honeypot than a religious retreat, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors a year and still being expanded. Most of the buildings youll see on arrival are new, with
-
Lake Manasarovar
Lake Manasarovar, or Mapham Yum-tso (Victorious Lake) in Tibetan, is the most venerated of Tibet’s many lakes and one of its most beautiful. With its sapphire-blue waters, sandy shoreline and snowcapped-mountain backdrop, Manasarovar is immediately appealing, and a welcome change o
-
Shāmiàn Island
To the southwest of the Guǎngzhōu is the dappled oasis of Shāmiàn Island. It was acquired as a foreign concession in 1859 after the two Opium Wars. Shamian Dajie, the main boulevard, is a gentle stretch of gardens dotted by old houses, cafes and galleries. The Church of Our Lady of
-
AFA (Art for All Society)
Macau’s best contemporary art can be seen at this nonprofit gallery, which has taken Macaus art worldwide and holds monthly solo exhibitions by Macau’s top artists. AFA is near the Mong Há Multi-Sport Pavilion . Disembark from the bus at Rua da Barca or Rua de Francisco Xavier Pere
-
Mausoleum of the Nányuè King
This superb mausoleum from the 2000-year-old Nányuè kingdom is one of China’s best museums. It houses the tomb of Zhao Mo, second king of Nányuè, who was sent south by the emperor in 214 BC to quell unrest and established a sovereign state with Guǎngzhōu as its capital. Don’t miss
-
Chén Clan Ancestral Hall
An all-in-one ancestral shrine, Confucian school and ‘chamber of commerce’ for the Chen clan, this compound was built in 1894 by the residents of 72 villages in Guǎngdōng, where the Chen lineage is predominant. There are 19 buildings in the traditional Lǐngnán style, all featuring
-
Drum Towers
A drum tower resembles a flamboyant, multi-eaved pagoda plonked on a rectangular pavilion. The taller ones are built entirely of cedar. Donate a few coins as you enter, and look up at the receding beams and the scale-like tiles. Some towers have a fire pit. Once the social and reli
-
Chéngyáng Wind & Rain Bridge
The grandest of over 100 nail-less wind-and-rain bridges in the area, this photogenic black-and-white structure (78m) was built from cedar and stone over 12 years in the 1910s. It features towers with upturned eaves, pavilions where people gather to socialise or take shelter from t
-
Ohel Moishe Synagogue
Built by the Russian Ashkenazi Jewish community in 1927, this synagogue lies in the heart of the 1940s Jewish ghetto. Today it houses the synagogue and the Shànghǎi Jewish Refugees Museum, with exhibitions on the lives of the approximately 20,000 Central European refugees who fled
-
Sūzhōu Museum
An architectural triumph, this IM Pei–designed museum is a modern interpretation of a Sūzhōu garden, a confluence of water, bamboo and clinical geometry. Inside is a fascinating array of jade, ceramics, wooden carvings, textiles and other displays, all with good English captions. L
Total
2381 -travel
FirstPage PreviousPage NextPage LastPage CurrentPage:
113/120 20-travel/Page GoTo Page:
