Ulysses Travel
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My pictures of China
This page provides a list of the main things to see in China. "++" identifies the top attractions.
BEIJING
Beijing (north):
  • +Summer Palace of 1888 (Marble boat in Kunming Lake) [Subway to Xizhimen+Line 13 to Wu Dao Kou + taxi]
  • Old Summer Palace/ Changchun Yuan/ European garden/Fountain ruins of 18th c [Subway to Xizhimen+Line 13 to Wu Dao Kou + taxi]
  • Guguan Xiangta observatory of 1446 [Jianguomen]
  • Yonghegong temple of 1694 [Yonghgong]
  • Kong Miao temple of Confucius of 1306 [near Yonghegong]
Beijing (central):
  • +Qian Men (1420)
  • Tianan Men
  • +++Forbidden city (1420)
  • Museum of History
Beijing (west):
  • Baiyuan taoist temple of 741 [Nanlishilu or Muxidi]
  • West railway station [Junshibowuguan]
Beijing (southwest):
  • Niujie Libaisi mosque of 996 [Changchunjie]
  • Faiyuan temple of 696 [near mosque]
Beijing (east):
  • Dongyue temple [Chaoyangmen]
  • China World Trade Center Tower 3 (200?)
Beijing (south):
  • +Tiantan/ Temple of Heaven (1420) [10' south of Qian Men, several buses]
Near Beijing:
  • Tanzche Si temple of 3rd c (45 km west) [Subway to Pingguoyuan + one-hour bus to temple]
  • Shisanling tombs of 15th-17th c (50 km NW)
  • +Great Wall (usually seen with Shisanling)
LIAONING (northeast)
Shenyang: Gugong (imperial palace of 1636)
HEBEI (north of Beijing)
Chengde (3 hr from Beijing): Summer Palace
Mancheng (25 km west of Baoding, near Chengde, 137km south of Beijing): Han-period tomb of Liu Sheng, king of Zhongshan (206 AD)
Dingzhou City: Kaiyuan temple pagoda (1055 AD), 84 meters high, eleven storeys, tallest of all extant ancient buildings
SHANDONG (south of Beijing)
Qufu: Kong Miao/Temple of Confucius (Han dynasty gates, Great Pavilion of Constellations of the Scholars of 1190)
Taian: Tai Shan (Taoist pilgrimage mountain)
JIANGSU (south of Shandong)
Nanjing: tombs on Zijin Shan (Ming Xiaoling) and Zhongshan ling (1920 mausoleum of Sun Yatsen)
Zhouzhuang (Venice of China)
SHANXI (between Beijing and Xian)
Taiyuan: Shuangta monastery with 13-storey pagoda, Jin monastery of 1020 (25 km southwest of Taiyuan)
Datong: Nine dragon screen in Jiulong Bi, +++Yungang caves of 386-534 AD (+Cave9, +Cave 13), Huayan/Hunyan hanging monastery of 1140 (in Yingxian)
Pingyao (traditional village of Ming dynasty, 1.5 hour from Taiyuan)
Tianlong Shan (near Jinci, 50 kms from Taiyuan): cave temples of 6th c (sculptures of Cave 19)
Yingxian: Pagoda (11th c), oldest extant wooden pagoda
Heng Shan: Hsuan-kung Ssu hanging monastery
HENAN (between Beijing and Xian)
Luoyang: +Longmen Caves of 494-750 AD (1352 grottoes, 40 pagodas including +Seated Buddha in cave 13 (527), +cave 20, +cave 6), Baima monastery of 1st c BC (first Buddhist temple in China), Han-dynasty tomb of 1st c BC (with earliest wall painting of China)
Zhengzhou: Shang ruins
Kaifeng: Iron Pagoda (1049)
SHAANXI (central)
Xian
  • city walls
  • history museum
  • +Banpo neolithic village (Yangshao culture of 4500-3750 BC)
  • Dayan Ta pagoda of 652
  • ++Qin Shi's tomb of 210 BC (with 8,000 terracotta soldiers)
  • +Jingi
Near Xian
  • Maoling (45 kms from Xian, mausoleum of emperor Wudi, 206 AD)
  • +Qianling (80 kms northwest of Xian, mausoleum of Tang emperor Gao Zong, his consort and his children, 690 AD, with stone animal carvings and statues of foreign envoys)
  • +Zhaoling (83 kms from Xian, mausoleum of Tang emperor Taizong/Li Shimin, 741 AD, first tomb not in tumulus)
SHANGHAI (central East Coast)
  • Bund/Waitan on Zhongshan Rd (waterfront promenade)
  • Yu Yuan bridge of 16th c in Yu Yuan gardens
  • Jade Buddha temple (with two white jade Buddhas)
  • Yangpu bridge (world's longest suspension bridge)
  • Tomorrow Square (2003)
  • World Financial Center (2006)
  • Jin Mao Building (1998)
  • Oriental Pearl TV tower (one of the world's tallest buildings)
  • Jin Mao building (1998),
  • Hong Kong New World Centre (2001)
ZHEJIANG (south of Shanghai)
Hangzhou: Liuhe Pagoda (Six Harmonies Pagoda) of 1165 AD
FUJAN (south of Zhejiang)
Quanzhou: twin pagodas of Kaiyuan temple
GUANGDONG (southern East Coast)
Guanzhou/Canton: Shamian Dao (island with colonial architecture), Foshan temple of Ming dynasty (16km from Canton)
Shenzen: Skyline
Hong Kong:
  • Skyline
  • Central Plaza (374m),
  • Bank of China Tower (369m)
  • The Centre (350m)
  • Cheung Kong Center (290m)
  • Manulife Plaza (240m)
TIBET (southwest)
  • Eastern Tibet
  • Mt Kailash area
    SICHUAN (Eastern Tibet)
    Le Shan: Da Fo, largest Buddha in the world of 803
    Emeishan (pilgrimage mountain)
    Chengdu: Baoguang monastery of 2nd c AD
    Garze monastery of 1642
    Dzongchen monastery (main Buddhist temple in East Tibet)
    YUNNAN (south of Sichuan)
    Kunming : stone forest (100 km southeast)
    Lijiang (border of Tibet): old town, temple frescoes
    Dali: old town, three pagodas
    Jinghong: Dai villages
    Damenglong (border of Myanmar): Hanfeilong pagoda of 1204
    CHONGQING (east of Sichuan)
    Dazu Xian: +Beishan caves of 9th-13th c (10,000 carved stone statues with 250m-long Buddha Crescent), Baodingshan caves of 1179-1249
    Cruise to Yangtze gorges
    INNER MONGOLIA (north)
    Dongsheng: Genghis Khan's mausoleum (1952)
    Kublai Khan's palace of Xanadu (destroyed)
    GANSU (east of Xinjiang)
    Dunhuang/Tun-Huan: +++ Mogao caves of 366-907 AD (Cave 272 of 420s with "Dome of Heaven" and "Lantern Ceiling"; Cave 259 of 450s with "Treasure Stupa"; Cave 254 of 470s with stupa pillar and Sivi and Mahsattva Jatakas; Cave 249 of 540 with fresco of Buddha in preaching pose and ceiling imagery mixing Chinese tradition and Buddhist belief; Cave 285 of 538 with Vihara architecture and ceiling imagery with traditional Chinese iconography; Cave 428 of 570 with stupa pillar, gable roof, decorative "Lantern" ceiling; Cave 96 of 690s with a female Buddha Maitreya; Cave 217 of 710 with western Paradise and Lotus Sutra)
    Jiayuguan fort of the Great Wall (1372)
    XINJIANG (far west)
    Urumqi:
    • City Commercial Bank
    • New Holiday Inn and Xin Jiang Grand Hotel
    • Mopark
    • Jin Gu Hotel
    • China Construction Bank & Jinsin building
    • Entertainment Square
    • People's Hotel & Construction Bank
    • Hong Xin hotel
    • Hoi Tak hotel
    • Bank of China
    • Fountain Plaza
    • Hong Xin hotel
    • Li Hua hotel

    Kashgar:
    • 17th c mausoleum of Apak Khoja
    • 11th c mausoleum of Uygur poet Yusup Has Hajib
    • Id Kah mosque of 1442
    Kucha/Kuche (between Kashgar and Turfan): Buddhist monastery of Kyzyl Kara, Thousand Buddha caves of Kezier Qianfo Dong (70kms from Kucha, but very little left to see)
    Turfan: Gaochang (ancient Uygur capital)
    Turfan: Jiaohe (ancient capital of the Cheshi kingdom of 7th-10th c)
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