Famous places in the world: Asia

Burj Khalifa hồ hải phong

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<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Hồ Hải Phong Soaring 828 meters above the
metropolis of Dubai, the Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building. The
design for the 162-story tower combines local cultural influences with
cutting-edge technology to achieve high performance in an extreme desert
climate. </b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMoQxIqIrobVmP5sRrMpKZ9AA65fA_7PddTXzDIU-inl4zjmXgGqbJSONgqitynRIZbKllqbjREkM8BFKLbt9L8LEA4WUxtSGf2IcYyQpneeUkkJgQrSRq3gSXxY8bnWb9kpMYaGXHjI/s1600/Burj-Khalifa-04.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMoQxIqIrobVmP5sRrMpKZ9AA65fA_7PddTXzDIU-inl4zjmXgGqbJSONgqitynRIZbKllqbjREkM8BFKLbt9L8LEA4WUxtSGf2IcYyQpneeUkkJgQrSRq3gSXxY8bnWb9kpMYaGXHjI/s400/Burj-Khalifa-04.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
 <span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">The centerpiece of a large
mixed-use development, the Burj Khalifa contains offices, retail space,
residential units, and a Giorgio Armani hotel. A Y-shaped floor plan maximizes
views of the Arabian Gulf. At ground level, the skyscraper is surrounded by
green space, water features, and pedestrian-friendly boulevards</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCG_qi4XENb-dwv034X_V3l378pQO6beFfYsQ_MhPKWvnzMbTWwtQD0mVkX2oaA-zUEWYnpM2UdLwLEcrqGw2BqXPZ29u49XdL9uncqESK3Tbi3vqS5ahlnJ91RJt2yfksil5HOoJWl8o/s1600/Burj-Khalifa-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCG_qi4XENb-dwv034X_V3l378pQO6beFfYsQ_MhPKWvnzMbTWwtQD0mVkX2oaA-zUEWYnpM2UdLwLEcrqGw2BqXPZ29u49XdL9uncqESK3Tbi3vqS5ahlnJ91RJt2yfksil5HOoJWl8o/s400/Burj-Khalifa-01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">The tower’s overall design
was inspired by the geometries of a regional desert flower and the patterning
systems embodied in Islamic architecture. Built of reinforced concrete and clad
in glass, the tower is composed of sculpted volumes arranged around a central
buttressed core. As the tower rises from a flat base, setbacks occur in an
upward spiraling pattern, reducing the building’s mass as it reaches skyward.
At the pinnacle, the central core emerges and forms a spire. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-EZjd7j10EmktRs4iw6nbRqQ0MbL8JmswmnWwetLfW07X_aOMUcYVOEawVcSLJRniJgt-psfKbxlG703Cs9F0orlVuYUmTX2lvojWmLWsoKkVSZBln9PwCKObHH821U3g1aF3Uolx9E/s1600/Burj-Khalifa-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-EZjd7j10EmktRs4iw6nbRqQ0MbL8JmswmnWwetLfW07X_aOMUcYVOEawVcSLJRniJgt-psfKbxlG703Cs9F0orlVuYUmTX2lvojWmLWsoKkVSZBln9PwCKObHH821U3g1aF3Uolx9E/s400/Burj-Khalifa-03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">Beyond its record-breaking
height, the Burj Khalifa incorporates new structural and construction
efficiencies to reduce material usage and waste. These include a “sky-sourced”
ventilation system, in which cool, less humid air is drawn in through the top
of the building. The tower also has one of the largest condensate recovery
systems in the world</span><span style="background: white; color: #5b5b5b; font-family: "simhei"; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; color: #5b5b5b; font-family: "simhei"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2wUWjWZEAm3TlGuf0KgJKohl4UQ1H95QOZW5vjChgPgzQ236l1-FP6p8bsTTtAnS4bztEc7SP_wTSlzlICKvd2ZVn2kzXjC_G1r2CoF8DO1l6M7OSOfX7d6pzoPRIw-yh_6l3JXLGB8/s1600/Burj-Khalifa-05.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; font-family: SimHei; font-size: 10pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2wUWjWZEAm3TlGuf0KgJKohl4UQ1H95QOZW5vjChgPgzQ236l1-FP6p8bsTTtAnS4bztEc7SP_wTSlzlICKvd2ZVn2kzXjC_G1r2CoF8DO1l6M7OSOfX7d6pzoPRIw-yh_6l3JXLGB8/s400/Burj-Khalifa-05.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="image-caption"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">som.com<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>

Asia Burj Khalifa hồ hải phong

Hồ Hải Phong Soaring 828 meters above the metropolis of Dubai, the Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest building. The design for the 162-sto...

Burj Al Arab Hotel

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<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Standing on an artificial island and with its curved façade
built to resemble the sail of a dhow ship, Dubai’s Burj
Al Arab hotel became an emblem for the city (and its unrestrained
approach to architecture) when it opened in late 1999. This year the landmark
is to be redefined, with the addition of a new “North Deck”, a 10,000sq metre
outdoor space that spreads fan-like to a distance of 100 metres over the
Persian Gulf.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZC-VOOt26e-TIZLutLaG9yUUq2YSSDEKA0dNt9iRpzAnSzX-NgnCo7pwe5A-l_n5CBCZ16NT1v3qk8-5UT2ORWtNzPhWRFTM1i7iZECboFV9SVDvHUP_BKIUqvPi-CVmN0IzjKncrYlc/s1600/Burj_Al_Arab_Hotel_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZC-VOOt26e-TIZLutLaG9yUUq2YSSDEKA0dNt9iRpzAnSzX-NgnCo7pwe5A-l_n5CBCZ16NT1v3qk8-5UT2ORWtNzPhWRFTM1i7iZECboFV9SVDvHUP_BKIUqvPi-CVmN0IzjKncrYlc/s400/Burj_Al_Arab_Hotel_01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;">Radically altering its silhouette, the immense addition to
the building will provide space for two curved swimming pools (one salt water,
one fresh water), 32 cabanas and a new restaurant and bar. Made from steel and
weighing about 5,000 tonnes the deck was constructed in a shipyard in Finland
and is currently being transported by sea in six separate sections to Dubai. It
is due to arrive by mid-February and after some finishing touches are put in place
it is expected to open to guests of the hotel by late spring.  </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;">Guests at the all-suite hotel, part of the Jumeirah Hotels
& Resorts portfolio, already have access to four swimming pools, a private
beach and nine on-site restaurant and bars, and are served by 1,600 staff
(meaning there is a staff-to-suite ratio of 8:1) but the debut of the deck
should go some way towards reasserting Burj Al Arab’s as one of the best hotels
in the emirates, and worldwide.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_c9JpOj1ZvDViM2O-4LMSYiw0tckjAktdvgitcCRs-v617-C_QTdJZZn-ZG_LG1pueZkWaA83iqc2c9V3GKqAGKo54MaYvSFj8xPDLZlqrQdUqPoC7NHvDjnZq9157hneZDcCrKA5Chg/s1600/Burj_Al_Arab_Hotel_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_c9JpOj1ZvDViM2O-4LMSYiw0tckjAktdvgitcCRs-v617-C_QTdJZZn-ZG_LG1pueZkWaA83iqc2c9V3GKqAGKo54MaYvSFj8xPDLZlqrQdUqPoC7NHvDjnZq9157hneZDcCrKA5Chg/s400/Burj_Al_Arab_Hotel_03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;">Though a bold Arabian colour scheme – think vivid blue
carpets, bright greens and gold leaf – may not be to the taste of all foreign
guests, the hotel is a multiple winner of </span><span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;">Telegraph
Ultratravel’s “best hotel in the world” award</span><span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;">and was recently named one of </span><span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;">the
world’s 50 best hotels</span><span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;"> by Telegraph Travel writers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The hotel is also a focal point for celebrations in Dubai,
with extravagant fireworks displays at the site a highlight of annual New
Year’s Eve celebrations and the building providing a base for major
celebrations and events. To mark the 100 anniversary of Aston Martin, a
new Aston Martin Vanquish was hoisted by helicopter onto the hotel’s
cantilevered helipad; that same helipad was also notably transformed into a
tennis court for a one-off match between Andre Agassi and Roger
Federer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;">Some 11.6 million tourists visited Dubai in 2014 (2015
figures have yet to be confirmed) and luxury travellers are particularly well
catered to here. Recent </span><span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;">luxury
hotel openings</span><span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;"> in the emirate include </span><span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;">Four
Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach</span><span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;">, Taj Dubai and the St. Regis Dubai.
The top end of the market looks set to become even more competitive in the
years to come, with highly anticipated openings in 2016 including the Yabu
Pushelberg-designed Viceroy Dubai Palm Jumeirah, complete with a 100-metre-long
pool that will stretch from the lobby to the beach, and the </span><span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;">Zaha
Hadid-designed ME Dubai</span><span style="font-family: "tahoma"; font-size: 10pt;">, another sinuous landmark property that will
include four penthouse suites with private roof terraces.</span></div>
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<i>telegraph.co.uk</i></div>
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Asia Burj Al Arab Hotel

Standing on an artificial island and with its curved façade built to resemble the sail of a dhow ship, Dubai’s Burj Al Arab hotel became an...

Mount Everest

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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">On May 29, 1953,
Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay completed the first confirmed ascent of Mount
Everest, which stands 29,035 feet above sea level. Though the two mountaineers
spent only about 15 minutes on the snow-covered summit, they managed to snap a
few photos, share a celebratory hug and eat a bar of mint cake—an early version
of today’s energy bars. Tenzing, a Nepalese Sherpa, also left some of the
sweets as a Buddhist offering, and Hillary, a beekeeper from New Zealand,
placed a cross nearby. On the 60th anniversary of their widely celebrated feat,
which Hillary described as knocking “the bastard off,” here are seven things
you may not know about Earth’s highest mountain.</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">No one knew of
Everest as the roof of the world until the 19th century</span></b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">In 1802, the British launched what became known as the
Great Trigonometrical Survey in order to map the Indian subcontinent. Heavy
equipment, rugged terrain, monsoons, malaria and scorpions made the work
exceedingly difficult. Nonetheless, the surveyors were able to take
astonishingly accurate measurements. They soon proved that the Himalayas—and
not the Andes, as previously believed—were the world’s highest mountain range.
By 1852, they had fingered Everest, then called Peak XV, as the king of them
all, and by 1856 they had calculated its height as 29,002 feet above sea level.
A 1999 survey using state-of-the-art GPS technology found them off by only 33
feet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Hillary and Tenzing
might have been beat to the summit.</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">George Mallory, a British schoolteacher, participated in
the first three documented attempts to scale Mount Everest from 1921 to 1924.
Before the last of those expeditions, he wrote, “It is almost unthinkable…that
I shan’t get to the top; I can’t see myself coming down defeated.” On June 4,
1924, a teammate made it within about 900 vertical feet of the summit before
turning back. Mallory and climbing partner Andrew Irvine then made their own
attempt for glory. They departed the 26,800-foot Camp VI on June 8 and were
last seen that afternoon trudging upwards in their tweed coats, hobnailed boots
and other primitive apparel. Some people believe that Mallory and Irvine
reached the summit before dying on the way down. A camera they supposedly
carried could perhaps solve the mystery, but it was not among the items in
Mallory’s pockets when his corpse finally was discovered in 1999. Irvine’s body
remains unfound.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Tenzing had almost
reached the top once before.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">After Mallory’s death, the next 10 or so expeditions to
Mount Everest also failed. Tenzing gained valuable experience participating in
six of them, starting off as a porter and later progressing into a full team
member. In 1952 he and a Swiss climber came within about 800 vertical feet of
the top—likely higher than anyone had ever gone. He broke his own record the
next year by reaching the summit with Hillary. Since then, around 4,000 other
mountaineers have likewise climbed Everest, including Hillary’s son and one of
Tenzing’s sons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Corpses are often
left behind when a climber dies en route.</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">About 240 people have died attempting to climb Mount
Everest. Avalanches, rockslides, blizzards, falls, altitude sickness, freezing
temperatures, exhaustion and combinations thereof have all proven fatal,
particularly in the so-called “death zone” above 26,000 feet. Since getting
them down is grueling and dangerous, most of the corpses remain up there. They
are well preserved in the snow and apparently serve as trail markers for
climbers who pass by. Everest’s deadliest day occurred in May 1996, when eight
people perished in a storm. Yet that incident, made famous by Jon Krakauer’s
book “Into Thin Air,” did nothing to stem the tide of people willing to shell
out tens of thousands of dollars for a chance to tame Earth’s highest mountain.
Traffic jams have even been reported near the top, and a fistfight broke out
this April between three European climbers and more than 100 Sherpas, over what
the guides deemed to be rude and dangerous behavior during an attempted ascent.
Meanwhile, the deaths keep coming, including at least 10 last year and around
eight this year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjceOsXQzXfaznWZaFzAoRXbpWuLftxWAcw2pJqFlQh9kIAgyyT45Tc5j6ZrbH7cpUkDCptq_inZ9UZm75jaiYha-MlZ5Qm2p09V0oEB5vv9ZGGpGHjBUCZz-LLDn38mC7Cpw4p6CUC7fQ/s1600/Mount_Everest_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjceOsXQzXfaznWZaFzAoRXbpWuLftxWAcw2pJqFlQh9kIAgyyT45Tc5j6ZrbH7cpUkDCptq_inZ9UZm75jaiYha-MlZ5Qm2p09V0oEB5vv9ZGGpGHjBUCZz-LLDn38mC7Cpw4p6CUC7fQ/s400/Mount_Everest_03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Everest’s litter
problem goes well beyond cadavers.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">As early as 1963, a climber wrote in National Geographic
that parts of Mount Everest had become “the highest junkyard on the face of the
Earth.” Empty oxygen bottles, human excrement, food packaging, broken climbing
gear and torn tents continue to spoil the environment there. A single cleanup
in spring 2011 removed over 8 tons of trash from Everest, and many more tons
remain uncollected. In order to counteract the problem, Nepal’s government now
requires climbers to bring back all of their equipment or risk losing a $4,000
deposit. New trash bins and a waste incinerator have also recently been
installed near the mountain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wDI-JkdpU3COFFGXrLgc8TBpNWhQt7lCu72loM3h8NhqDF1V9lvTvV8mssG5Q0xg50Mo75qbFFo2muaK7n3JSxinC-VYWKk8qvFdfy438EDUJQGBqUMtKJLToSLJ3UVBSvRM4qsqzMo/s1600/Mount_Everest_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wDI-JkdpU3COFFGXrLgc8TBpNWhQt7lCu72loM3h8NhqDF1V9lvTvV8mssG5Q0xg50Mo75qbFFo2muaK7n3JSxinC-VYWKk8qvFdfy438EDUJQGBqUMtKJLToSLJ3UVBSvRM4qsqzMo/s400/Mount_Everest_04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Few animals venture
into Everest’s upper reaches.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sagarmatha National Park, which includes Mount Everest and
surrounding peaks, supports a variety of mammals at its lower elevations, from
snow leopards and musk deer to red pandas and Himalayan tahr. About 150 bird
species also reside within the park. Almost no wildlife, however, is found
above 20,000 feet, the point at which permanent snow prevents even the hardiest
lichens and mosses from growing. Among the exceptions are Himalayan jumping
spiders, which have been observed as high as 22,000 feet, where they eat
insects blown up by the wind; yellow-billed choughs, a crow-like bird, which
have followed mountaineers up to about 26,500 feet; and bar-headed geese, which
migrate over Mount Everest on their way from the Tibetan Plateau to India’s
marshes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPmwWT37H-7SOVS5Bbor2dH0IeUNet_BD7fo76wsYeLygxcwGne7eHd9lQzSm9gL9ZIEl77TKY_vTlYpA94tgZEtHX0QRb43NloOxF2UWIG4AEEdP15XFXB4ohO1tKguEfTDKO67_cbRg/s1600/Mount_Everest_05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPmwWT37H-7SOVS5Bbor2dH0IeUNet_BD7fo76wsYeLygxcwGne7eHd9lQzSm9gL9ZIEl77TKY_vTlYpA94tgZEtHX0QRb43NloOxF2UWIG4AEEdP15XFXB4ohO1tKguEfTDKO67_cbRg/s400/Mount_Everest_05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Everest is the
highest point from sea level, but other mountains are taller.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Mauna Kea, a volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island, tops out at
13,796 feet above sea level. But because it rises from the ocean floor, its
base-to-summit height is actually more than 33,000 feet, making it, by that
measurement at least, the tallest mountain in the world. Nor is Everest the
closest to outer space. Because Earth isn’t a perfect sphere—it bulges at the
middle—that honor belongs to 20,561-foot Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">history.com<span class="image-caption"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>

Asia Mount Everest

On May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay completed the first confirmed ascent of Mount Everest, which stands 29,035 feet above se...

The Forbidden City, China

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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">In the early 1400s,
the third Ming Emperor, YongLe, moved the capital of China to Beijing. In 1406,
he began construction of a new 'Forbidden City' that would include an imperial
palace complex of vast proportions - a grand design.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Located at the exact
center of the ancient city of Beijing, the palace was the home and center of
power for 24 emperors during the mid to later Ming and Qing dynasties.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJoY6sKGneJiASklFe2VcYNECQYfNE78lNFnasdnMtvoME9CUFdA6HFrwjTPOaO4I3M7rgdcRIUYfCu61ro2RWel-SCNpFok_LOJMn9LEDtB4laPwC6GQgm2XxoGftM1kzIBiaBlp-sQ/s1600/The_Forbidden_City_China_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJoY6sKGneJiASklFe2VcYNECQYfNE78lNFnasdnMtvoME9CUFdA6HFrwjTPOaO4I3M7rgdcRIUYfCu61ro2RWel-SCNpFok_LOJMn9LEDtB4laPwC6GQgm2XxoGftM1kzIBiaBlp-sQ/s400/The_Forbidden_City_China_01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">In this guide, we open the doors of the Forbidden City and
tour inside this beautiful palace with its 500 years of history. The guide
includes over 600 photographs, 2 videos, and describes in detail all the main
places of interest. It also presents a useful map.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Now officially renamed as the 'Palace Museum' ('GuGong' in
Chinese, meaning simply 'Old Palace'), the extensive grounds cover over 700,000
square meters. There are around 800 buildings that have about 9,000 rooms in
total. The Forbidden City is the world's largest palace complex. Indeed, it is
listed by UNESCO as the world's largest collection of preserved ancient wood-based
structures and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Although the founations are stone and the walls made of
brick, the buildings themselves are constructed almost entirely of wood. The
skills for this are quite amazing, but there is the problem of fire, especially
with candlelight and incense burning. That's why ne sees many large vats all
around the palace, to store water for any outbreak of fire. The vats are raised
on stone feet so that a fire could be lit underneath to stop the water freezing
during harsh winter weather.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwueLLx6tQxoYjFHlM_NcB-GDtT_DRChIYfut-KSErVTIgsWv311u8GHhmOsQMYcD4t4h8UA2mj7bMZyz1DKJccDmHZCdpmkItmWOZx93aI0Ty7MMpB7d-FXNUs6CH1nt4ZSq6tX9GtE/s1600/The_Forbidden_City_China_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwueLLx6tQxoYjFHlM_NcB-GDtT_DRChIYfut-KSErVTIgsWv311u8GHhmOsQMYcD4t4h8UA2mj7bMZyz1DKJccDmHZCdpmkItmWOZx93aI0Ty7MMpB7d-FXNUs6CH1nt4ZSq6tX9GtE/s400/The_Forbidden_City_China_02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">The Forbidden City is encircled by a 50 meter wide moat
then a 10 meter high purple wall; the perimeter is almost 3.5 kilometers long
and the enclosed area about twice the size of Tian'AnMen Square. It lies at the
center of YongLe's reconstructed Beijing, and symbolically between the Temple
of Heaven (TianTan) to the south, and the Temple of Earth (DiTan) to the north
along a central axis 8 kilometers in length. It was to be a reflection of
heavenly order and a symbol of the emperor's heavenly mandate. At the heart of
the walled city, and also a walled inner city, the palace was a city within a
city.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">The Forbidden City is located directly to the north of
Tian'AnMen Square and can be accessed from the square via Tian'AnMen Gate. This
takes you through the grand and enveloping south gate of the palace (WuMen),
the 'front door'.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">The Forbidden City remains a national symbol and an image
of its entrance gate is part of the official seal of the People's Republic of
China.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbaYOd4IlRI7ksyqXm-CkmUDwiRcSYIs6kMPCX2TujYwpevy6ag89BSOBgcHVykHyCpv0xaEf4ofc6CAUGRshylt7fIlYvgtOdTSu34lEwtwY-Ug0VW3qoKbjc2NF_fi_00snOcT5zJFo/s1600/The_Forbidden_City_China_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbaYOd4IlRI7ksyqXm-CkmUDwiRcSYIs6kMPCX2TujYwpevy6ag89BSOBgcHVykHyCpv0xaEf4ofc6CAUGRshylt7fIlYvgtOdTSu34lEwtwY-Ug0VW3qoKbjc2NF_fi_00snOcT5zJFo/s400/The_Forbidden_City_China_03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">The last emperor of China, PuYi, ascended the throne aged
3, but just four years earlier the republcan movement brought an end to
imperial era in 1912. PuYi was forced to stay in the palace during the
following twelve years but was evicted in 1924, and in 1925 ordinary folk
entered the palace for the first time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Today, the Palace Museum is open to the public and has
become one of the world's most popular tourist attractions. Visitors can wander
through the traditional palace architecture, view the art and artefacts in
exhibitions and recreations, and learn of the many legends involving the
imperial family and court. Electronic audio tours in many languages are
available. Over 1 million treasures are stored here in total.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79N2nfm8yb4aTMfBNq13UfteJ_WpV-U7bz9EdA1Jfu1UMdQ49XHbpjrCxGG9IkYK1Q3fVa-BHsHfuW0KGLa9LwST4NBwH1A8guWUqr07G3eIMf4Sn7EuN3ry0kogyUg7KnPGYLqBwSYM/s1600/The_Forbidden_City_China_04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79N2nfm8yb4aTMfBNq13UfteJ_WpV-U7bz9EdA1Jfu1UMdQ49XHbpjrCxGG9IkYK1Q3fVa-BHsHfuW0KGLa9LwST4NBwH1A8guWUqr07G3eIMf4Sn7EuN3ry0kogyUg7KnPGYLqBwSYM/s400/The_Forbidden_City_China_04.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">The Chinese government has made a considerable investment
in the the Forbidden City and it is now a fantastic place to meander and
imagine the scenes that once played out here. Walls of terra-cotta and white
marble, deep red pillars, roofs of golden glazed tiles, and gilded beams all
unite to create a vista of outstanding beauty.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Recently, the Forbidden City has been under a major
renovation that has limited visitors to a few areas. However, it remains open
and the great majority of places are accessible. This renovation will be
completed 2020 to mark the 600th anniversary. The palace was opened in 1420,
after 14 years of construction that involved 200,000 workers and artesans. In
its heyday, around the end of the 18th century, nearly 10,000 people lived and
worked within its confines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5l3W88OaIgqWq1lhO24Mt6M_NBVKikLf_G3ivJyNRNvolTeg2ZhAmjOmQ_NaFLxVhBiLP72xHNhSJWHA7pxG_h6NrlESQleYQJO7Gr-IqYeuFfr8xWcir9m7L6zknRktteo0U4eZj0k/s1600/The_Forbidden_City_China_05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5l3W88OaIgqWq1lhO24Mt6M_NBVKikLf_G3ivJyNRNvolTeg2ZhAmjOmQ_NaFLxVhBiLP72xHNhSJWHA7pxG_h6NrlESQleYQJO7Gr-IqYeuFfr8xWcir9m7L6zknRktteo0U4eZj0k/s400/The_Forbidden_City_China_05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">The Palace Museum is China's most magnetic tourist
destination and receives nearly 10 million visitors each year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">YongLe was the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty (Han
Chinese, 1368 - 1644). He restored BeiJing ('north capital') as the official
capital, as it had previusly been set by Kublai Khan of the previous Yuan
Dynasty (Mongolian, 1271 - 1368) when it was known as Dadu ('great capital').
YongLe put in place not just the Forbidden City but the basic layout and main
features of the historical Beijing that we see today. He also renovated and
restored use of the Grand Canal to bring goods from South China to the capital.
He also supported the grand sea voyages of ZhengHe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">YongLe died just four years after the palace was completed.
The later Ming Dynasty is associated with the building of a new, stone and
brick Great Wall, the one on whose ruins we walk today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Asia The Forbidden City, China

In the early 1400s, the third Ming Emperor, YongLe, moved the capital of China to Beijing. In 1406, he began construction of a new 'For...

Taj Mahal

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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Commissioned in 1632
by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the remains of his cherished wife,
the Taj Mahal stands on the southern bank of the Yamuna River in Agra, India.
The famed mausoleum complex, built over more than 20 years, is one of the most
outstanding examples of Mughal architecture, which combined Indian, Persian and
Islamic influences. At its center is the Taj Mahal itself, built of shimmering
white marble that seems to change color depending on the sunlight or moonlight
hitting its surface. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983, it
remains one of the world’s most celebrated structures and a stunning symbol of
India’s rich history.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0oprspXh23iUD8W9xLlBgRR2uBXKPLlWsSKRVywFlr-arzIG7hbFl5Qz6btxG7KflVSc0jVi9jPkafSKlphIbaAAH4MbQiR_KLKpmkeb06EnbhZrJ_Z8VlwQ3sCpuvYqlRkCpD6tDH8/s1600/Taj+Mahal_01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0oprspXh23iUD8W9xLlBgRR2uBXKPLlWsSKRVywFlr-arzIG7hbFl5Qz6btxG7KflVSc0jVi9jPkafSKlphIbaAAH4MbQiR_KLKpmkeb06EnbhZrJ_Z8VlwQ3sCpuvYqlRkCpD6tDH8/s400/Taj+Mahal_01.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">TAJ MAHAL: SHAH
JAHAN’S ROMANTIC GESTURE</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Shah Jahan was a member of the Mughal dynasty that ruled
most of northern India from the early 16th to the mid 18th-century. After the
death of his father, King Jahangir, in 1627, Shah Jahan emerged the victor of a
bitter power struggle with his brothers, and crowned himself emperor at Agra in
1628. At his side was Arjumand Banu Begum, better known as Mumtaz Mahal
(“Chosen One of the Palace”), whom he married in 1612 and cherished as the
favorite of his three queens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Did You Know?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">“</span><i><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">According to one gruesome (and most likely sensational) story, Shah
Jahan had his minions cut off the hands of the Taj Mahal's architect and his
workers after the structure was completed, ensuring they would never build
another of its kind</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">”</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI73GHG3UUUXauiTctxUK7rxHxwRFNFdat_a11s9H9EL32hPwcVdTqEniUmd5hl1xcNau75YPpu29j_CcCkA99cE9I-Pk7ySrRVhmIkFmNrGmXz-KjzpGOD6Y8p09DtlrTnVSwe0P86m4/s1600/Taj+Mahal_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI73GHG3UUUXauiTctxUK7rxHxwRFNFdat_a11s9H9EL32hPwcVdTqEniUmd5hl1xcNau75YPpu29j_CcCkA99cE9I-Pk7ySrRVhmIkFmNrGmXz-KjzpGOD6Y8p09DtlrTnVSwe0P86m4/s400/Taj+Mahal_02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">In 1631, Mumtaz Mahal died after giving birth to the
couple’s 14th child. The grieving Shah Jahan, known for commissioning a number
of impressive structures throughout his reign, ordered the building of a
magnificent mausoleum across the Yamuna River from his own royal palace at
Agra. Construction began around 1632 and would continue for the next two
decades. The chief architect was probably Ustad Ahmad Lahouri, an Indian of
Persian descent who would later be credited with designing the Red Fort at
Delhi. In all, more than 20,000 workers from India, Persia, Europe and the
Ottoman Empire, along with some 1,000 elephants, were brought in to build the
mausoleum complex.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">DESIGN AND
CONSTRUCTION OF THE TAJ MAHAL<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Named the Taj Mahal in honor of Mumtaz Mahal, the mausoleum
was constructed of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones (including
jade, crystal, lapis lazuli, amethyst and turquoise) forming intricate designs
in a technique known as pietra dura. Its central dome reached a height of 240
feet (73 meters) and was surrounded by four smaller domes; four slender towers,
or minarets, stood at the corners. In accordance with Islamic tradition, verses
from the Quran were inscribed in calligraphy on the arched entrances to the
mausoleum, in addition to numerous other sections of the complex. Inside the
mausoleum, an octagonal marble chamber adorned with carvings and semi-precious
stones housed the cenotaph, or false tomb, of Mumtaz Mahal. The real
sarcophagus containing her actual remains lay below, at garden level.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3__26ixidN66y_pLc3y2oclRVwC8Y8qBHGbXiwoo1lDv3Fq6vR3yNmM7SaC8JBiKO695ezbcO0-o6kAbQl8sqM7yluYHs81RqXdaoxrNTOeiUeuCRHSQHrQvkKxWvzjVwU9jkejanjs/s1600/Taj+Mahal_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY3__26ixidN66y_pLc3y2oclRVwC8Y8qBHGbXiwoo1lDv3Fq6vR3yNmM7SaC8JBiKO695ezbcO0-o6kAbQl8sqM7yluYHs81RqXdaoxrNTOeiUeuCRHSQHrQvkKxWvzjVwU9jkejanjs/s400/Taj+Mahal_03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">The rest of the Taj Mahal complex included a main gateway
of red sandstone and a square garden divided into quarters by long pools of
water, as well as a red sandstone mosque and an identical building called a
jawab (or “mirror”) directly across from the mosque. Traditional Mughal
building practice would allow no future alterations to be made to the complex.
As the story goes, Shah Jahan intended to build a second grand mausoleum across
the Yamuna River from the Taj Mahal, where his own remains would be buried when
he died; the two structures were to have been connected by a bridge. In fact,
Aurangzeb (Shah Jahan’s third son with Mumtaz Mahal) deposed his ailing father
in 1658 and took power himself. Shah Jahan lived out the last years of his life
under house arrest in a tower of the Red Fort at Agra, with a view of the
majestic resting place he had constructed for his wife; when he died in 1666,
he was buried next to her.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwgRv2a1NyarQ7gnUxpG8CrCnjKI81-KN3J-M8q0ggmrMXtKza5lklMXk3J6vsv6Q3IFIG1dsk9MhNy01RM1IUymJVNxBIgpXhIsOjvuMHgAbVH6Lxy4cqTfnczs-auF33lvg1EeUi68/s1600/Taj+Mahal_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwgRv2a1NyarQ7gnUxpG8CrCnjKI81-KN3J-M8q0ggmrMXtKza5lklMXk3J6vsv6Q3IFIG1dsk9MhNy01RM1IUymJVNxBIgpXhIsOjvuMHgAbVH6Lxy4cqTfnczs-auF33lvg1EeUi68/s400/Taj+Mahal_04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">THE TAJ MAHAL OVER
THE YEARS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Under Aurangzeb’s long rule (1658-1707), the Mughal empire
reached the height of its strength. However, his militant Muslim policies,
including the destruction of many Hindu temples and shrines, undermined the
enduring strength of the empire and led to its demise by the mid-18th century.
Even as Mughal power crumbled, the Taj Mahal suffered from neglect and
disrepair in the two centuries after Shah Jahan’s death. Near the turn of the
19th century, Lord Curzon, then British viceroy of India, ordered a major
restoration of the mausoleum complex as part of a colonial effort to preserve
India’s artistic and cultural heritage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqqNYRzi9kZ39BKvx8-XjsUf45xi1PD6JQld-XNqEZhYOxItpPBVNWsx8NOWeBAyxINUpuFuWFoINpplKSSF9bsPYX-lADXyOV6_FxPF0rzhtOSYan-WaN9cDqy3LQeZZKnwdDcexoBs/s1600/Taj+Mahal_05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtqqNYRzi9kZ39BKvx8-XjsUf45xi1PD6JQld-XNqEZhYOxItpPBVNWsx8NOWeBAyxINUpuFuWFoINpplKSSF9bsPYX-lADXyOV6_FxPF0rzhtOSYan-WaN9cDqy3LQeZZKnwdDcexoBs/s400/Taj+Mahal_05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Today, some 3 million people a year (or around 45,000 a day
during peak tourist season) visit the Taj Mahal. Air pollution from nearby
factories and automobiles poses a continual threat to the mausoleum’s gleaming
white marble façade, and in 1998, India’s Supreme Court ordered a number of
anti-pollution measures to protect the building from deterioration. Some
factories were closed, while vehicular traffic was banned from the immediate
vicinity of the complex.</span></div>
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Asia Taj Mahal

Commissioned in 1632 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the remains of his cherished wife, the Taj Mahal stands on the southern bank...

Great Wall of China

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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Perhaps the most recognizable symbol of China and its long
and vivid history, the Great Wall of China actually consists of numerous walls
and fortifications, many running parallel to each other. Originally conceived
by Emperor Qin Shi Huang (c. 259-210 B.C.) in the third century B.C. as a means
of preventing incursions from barbarian nomads into the Chinese Empire, the
wall is one of the most extensive construction projects ever completed. The
best-known and best-preserved section of the Great Wall was built in the 14th
through 17th centuries A.D., during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Though the
Great Wall never effectively prevented invaders from entering China, it came to
function more as a psychological barrier between Chinese civilization and the
world, and remains a powerful symbol of the country’s enduring strength.</b></span><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdecvHbCi134yuda4R27fdLrQVnmH4J7Ha5Qu0_5ftyh1OM85DCI9J0WXJDXBnpZdHg9Agrt0ptAsLZG5z0Hy_DZkqINB_NKJrK-M8vckjB6Ul_jLBGj85hAmXyyoE_Bx0-1_PrPglcwE/s1600/Great+Wall+of+China-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdecvHbCi134yuda4R27fdLrQVnmH4J7Ha5Qu0_5ftyh1OM85DCI9J0WXJDXBnpZdHg9Agrt0ptAsLZG5z0Hy_DZkqINB_NKJrK-M8vckjB6Ul_jLBGj85hAmXyyoE_Bx0-1_PrPglcwE/s400/Great+Wall+of+China-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>QIN DYNASTY CONSTRUCTION</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Though the beginning of the Great Wall of China can be
traced to the third century B.C., many of the fortifications included in the
wall date from hundreds of years earlier, when China was divided into a number
of individual kingdoms during the so-called Warring States Period. Around 220
B.C., Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a unified China, ordered that earlier
fortifications between states be removed and a number of existing walls along
the northern border be joined into a single system that would extend for more
than 10,000 li (a li is about one-third of a mile) and protect China against
attacks from the north.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzsfoG-R20rkeBB_GzidMIGrYJxnvVeR_asg3HdAxGSzfnB4SvByPCBe5SPYYSF28AQXiodGde-md1nmSCOO8Ng6VhlwFa6fRfwQyGSlzUqgF3CLCBxoiiI34DSRb3ZM54my0s5REMNg/s1600/Great+Wall+of+China-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzsfoG-R20rkeBB_GzidMIGrYJxnvVeR_asg3HdAxGSzfnB4SvByPCBe5SPYYSF28AQXiodGde-md1nmSCOO8Ng6VhlwFa6fRfwQyGSlzUqgF3CLCBxoiiI34DSRb3ZM54my0s5REMNg/s400/Great+Wall+of+China-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Did You Know?</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">"When Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered construction of the
Great Wall around 221 B.C., the labor force that built the wall was made up
largely of soldiers and convicts. It is said that as many as 400,000 people
died during the wall's construction; many of these workers were buried within the
wall itself"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAy4bQQe97QAL2s2h9TGnSeyvhhxwgXUMtHNP4kJ4QATUJYVdm7C27bY5XCVhXW5LDpet4nKxFeYC2jPG1xFDq70BsFKVfk_8QzExxO9q4nQBMO6wf4HOy0YGLIz6Bc-XFmIpoSU7IaA8/s1600/Great+Wall+of+China-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAy4bQQe97QAL2s2h9TGnSeyvhhxwgXUMtHNP4kJ4QATUJYVdm7C27bY5XCVhXW5LDpet4nKxFeYC2jPG1xFDq70BsFKVfk_8QzExxO9q4nQBMO6wf4HOy0YGLIz6Bc-XFmIpoSU7IaA8/s400/Great+Wall+of+China-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">Construction of the “Wan Li Chang Cheng,” or 10,000-Li-Long
Wall, was one of the most ambitious building projects ever undertaken by any
civilization. The famous Chinese general Meng Tian directed the project, and
was said to have used a massive army of soldiers, convicts and commoners as
workers. Made mostly of earth and stone, the wall stretched from the China Sea
port of Shanhaiguan over 3,000 miles west into Gansu province. In some
strategic areas, sections of the wall overlapped for maximum security (including
the Badaling stretch, north of Beijing, that was later restored by the Ming
dynasty). From a base of 15 to 50 feet, the Great Wall rose some 15-30 feet
high and was topped by ramparts 12 feet or higher; guard towers were
distributed at intervals along it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA THROUGH THE CENTURIES</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">With the death of Qin Shi Huang and the fall of the Qin
dynasty, much of the Great Wall fell into disrepair. After the fall of the Han
dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), a series of frontier tribes seized control in
northern China. The most powerful of these was the Northern Wei dynasty
(386-535 A.D.), which repaired and extended the existing wall to defend against
attacks from other tribes. The Bei Qi kingdom (550–577) built or repaired more
than 900 miles of wall, and the short-lived but effective Sui dynasty (581–618)
repaired and extended the Great Wall of China a number of times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8Sv50Z0UUBXMtdoVXXKizvuDCLazIRidQLI0fZHHWq2b_Rud_mVN440_fnulI4N_briMEVAuGSkHPZWuoR3rne4D26FzppOadTAeQA0DTUAKWnNWQpwto_GzWVZmIx4s9KmZaPT5kG8/s1600/Great+Wall+of+China-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8Sv50Z0UUBXMtdoVXXKizvuDCLazIRidQLI0fZHHWq2b_Rud_mVN440_fnulI4N_briMEVAuGSkHPZWuoR3rne4D26FzppOadTAeQA0DTUAKWnNWQpwto_GzWVZmIx4s9KmZaPT5kG8/s400/Great+Wall+of+China-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">With the fall of the Sui and the rise of the Tang dynasty
(618-907), the Great Wall lost its importance as a fortification, as China had
defeated the Tujue tribe to the north and expanded past the original frontier
protected by the wall. During the Song dynasty (960-1279), the Chinese were
forced to withdraw under threat from the Liao and Jin peoples to the north, who
took over many areas on both sides of the Great Wall. The powerful Yuan
(Mongol) dynasty (1206-1368) established by Genghis Khan eventually
controlled all of China, parts of Asia and sections of Europe. Though the Great
Wall held little importance for the Mongols as a military fortification,
soldiers were assigned to man the wall in order to protect merchants and
caravans traveling along the profitable trade routes established during this
period.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>WALL BUILDING DURING THE MING DYNASTY</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Despite its long history, the Great Wall of China as it is
exists today was constructed mainly during the mighty Ming dynasty (1368-1644).
Like the Mongols, the early Ming rulers had little interest in building border
fortifications, and wall building was limited before the late 15th century. In
1421, the Ming emperor Yongle proclaimed China’s new capital, Beijing, on the
site of the former Mongol city of Dadu. Under the strong hand of the Ming
rulers, Chinese culture flourished, and the period saw an immense amount of
construction in addition to the Great Wall, including bridges, temples and
pagodas. The construction of the Great Wall as it is known today began around
1474. After an initial phase of territorial expansion, Ming rulers took a
largely defensive stance, and their reformation and extension of the Great Wall
was key to this strategy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">The Ming wall extended from the Yalu River in Liaoning
Province to the eastern bank of the Taolai River in Gansu Province, and winded
its way from east to west through today’s Liaoning, Hebei, Tianjin, Beijing,
Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia and Gansu.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Starting west of Juyong Pass, the Great Wall was split into
south and north lines, respectively named the Inner and Outer Walls. Strategic
“passes” (i.e., fortresses) and gates were placed along the wall; the Juyong,
Daoma and Zijing passes, closest to Beijing, were named the Three Inner Passes,
while further west were Yanmen, Ningwu and Piantou, the Three Outer Passes. All
six passes were heavily garrisoned during the Ming period and considered vital
to the defense of the capital.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpqWeflBImLZ1QppqDekx8kyvFHcEdgCFIVjazf0drt-ggsDwOR3s4yObCsM8h8YGslhSr7Y5mxbgwYP6qnsrzro_keg9XkKI5TX59-JDSmSMDlNH55PsIyYglMXTTl4Q4h85Xg5EhqA/s1600/Great+Wall+of+China-5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpqWeflBImLZ1QppqDekx8kyvFHcEdgCFIVjazf0drt-ggsDwOR3s4yObCsM8h8YGslhSr7Y5mxbgwYP6qnsrzro_keg9XkKI5TX59-JDSmSMDlNH55PsIyYglMXTTl4Q4h85Xg5EhqA/s400/Great+Wall+of+China-5.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">SIGNIFICANCE OF THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">In the mid-17th century, the Manchus from central and
southern Manchuria broke through the Great Wall and encroached on Beijing,
eventually forcing the fall of the Ming dynasty and beginning of the Qing
(Manchu) dynasty (1644-1912). Between the 18th and 20th centuries, the Great
Wall emerged as the most common emblem of China for the Western world, and a
symbol both physical–a manifestation of Chinese strength–and psychological–a
representation of the barrier maintained by the Chinese state to repel foreign
influences and exert control over its citizens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Today, the Great Wall is generally recognized as one of the
most impressive architectural feats in history. In 1987, UNESCO designated the
Great Wall a World Heritage site, and a popular claim that emerged in the 20th
century holds that it is the only manmade structure that is visible from the
moon. Over the years, roadways have been cut through the wall in various
points, and many sections have deteriorated after centuries of neglect. The
best-known section of the Great Wall of China–Badaling, located 43 miles (70
km) northwest of Beijing–was rebuilt in the late 1950s, and attracts thousands
of national and foreign tourists every day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Asia Great Wall of China

Perhaps the most recognizable symbol of China and its long and vivid history, the Great Wall of China actually consists of numerous walls a...

Tokyo Tower

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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10.0pt;">Tokyo Tower, a symbol of Tokyo and major sightseeing spot,
was built in 1958 as a broadcasting tower to cover a 100-kilomete zone in the
Kanto area. Costing a total of 3 billion yen at that time, it required a year
and a half and mobilized 220,000 workers in total for completion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYqUOBb4AwNL0LnZFj6JQ9rtVBJdWyHaZvHgzF5SmfK-Gg1z9pCigUf511YwpB6_1c3IZFGUGc_2VN3Jma0lfMCPk9q4kVwyduKZVNap2An2Z5SJ_Eygk2u8h_RZoKvo53ZkPEYmuEWc/s1600/Beautiful+Tokyo+Tower+Wallpaper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzYqUOBb4AwNL0LnZFj6JQ9rtVBJdWyHaZvHgzF5SmfK-Gg1z9pCigUf511YwpB6_1c3IZFGUGc_2VN3Jma0lfMCPk9q4kVwyduKZVNap2An2Z5SJ_Eygk2u8h_RZoKvo53ZkPEYmuEWc/s400/Beautiful+Tokyo+Tower+Wallpaper.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">The tower has the main observatory at 150 meters and the
special observatory at 223.5 meters, both enabling visitors to enjoy a
360-degree panoramic view of Tokyo, such as high-rise buildings in the nation's
capital, the Tokyo Skytree broadcasting tower which began operating in 2011 and
Tokyo Bay. If it is fine, visitors can also see the Boso peninsula, Mt. Tsukuba
and even Mt. Fuji far in the distance. From the observation cafe at night,
visitors can overlook the dazzling night view of Tokyo while drinking tea. On
the Club 333 special stage set up next to the tower, jazz, pop and other music
events are held under the concept of night scenery and music.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZliWmxg8sZpZ9ElstW0RpGEziVl5jsFawtUfUY_FNRPEUoYuG_aY2ubXGn4cep2vDqjYsILT-jw-btNIX6O_qCH9TRr3ewT6dwZ-yWuBgmbhZAh7pdEJFA2P1XCdBGf3WT3GFKeGRWQ/s1600/24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZliWmxg8sZpZ9ElstW0RpGEziVl5jsFawtUfUY_FNRPEUoYuG_aY2ubXGn4cep2vDqjYsILT-jw-btNIX6O_qCH9TRr3ewT6dwZ-yWuBgmbhZAh7pdEJFA2P1XCdBGf3WT3GFKeGRWQ/s400/24.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 10pt;">The four-story FootTown building directly under Tokyo Tower
houses Tokyo Tower Aquarium, souvenir shops and Asia's biggest wax museum where
visitors can meet world-famous people. Visitors should not miss the
illumination of Tokyo Tower that begins at sunset. In addition to the
conventional pattern of illumination, seven lighting colors illuminate the
tower by means a mechanism called "Diamond veil" to match promotional
and other events, spellbinding viewers.</span></div>
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Asia Tokyo Tower

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