The Chinese sculptural art can be traced back to the prehistoric stone carving and pottery making. The large numbers of pottery and wooden funeral figurines of human beings and animals of the Warring States period and Qin and Han dynasties (5^th century BC-AD 220) exemplified the native Chinese sculptural art. Along with the introduction of Buddhism in the turn of Western and Eastern Han dynasties (1^st century), Buddhist sculpture developed quickly in China. It started in simple forms with a strong flavor of Indian Buddhist sculptures and became more expressive and nationalized in Northern Qi and Northern Zhou dynasties (550-581). The Tang sculptures (681-907), nourished by the cream both of Indian and native sculptural arts, turned out very distinguished, such as the polychrome glazed pottery figurines which vividly portrayed the social life of the time. The Song statues (960-1279), mainly of painted clay and wood, were executed more realistically. However, Buddhist sculptures lost their vitality in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties (1279-1911), when traditional Chinese crafts of decorative carving made remarkable achievements.

Pottery Figures
Western Han dynasty(206BC-AD24)

Two pottery standing female figures, one is making an obeisance by cupping one hand in the other before the chest; the other is in a dancing movement with one hand raising and the long sleeve over the shoulder. The carving is very simple, outlining the dress and postures of the figures.

Stone statue of Sakymuni
Northern Qi dynasty(550-577)

This statue of Buddha, Sakyamuni, sitting cross-legged on a round double-waisted and lotus-petal-designed stand, has a peaceful and kindly smiling facial expression. Behind his back is nimbus decorated with designes of Buddha images, flames and floral sprays, which increases a mysterious atmosphere of the religion. The carving was very fluently executed. �
Tang dynasty(618-907)

The image of Bodhisattva is quite feminized in the Tang dynasty. This one in a half-squatting and half-kneeling posture wears a high crown, jeweled necklaces, ornamental strings and draperies. The white stone and skill full carving very well depicted the fine skin and the beautiful figure and face of Bodhisattra.

Stone statue of Bodhisattva

The National Day Grand Ceremony began at 10:00 am, local time in the Tian’anmen Square. There was a massive military review and massive parade.

China’s military parade reached a climax as a formation of Guard of Honor of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) three services marched past Tian’anmen in the center of Beijing.

The guard of honor of the Chinese People's Liberation Army

The tall and handsome soldiers, dressed in green, white and blue ceremonial PLA uniforms, marched past Tian’anmen in swift and impeccable goosesteps, leaving spectators intoxicated in admiration.

The Special Forces of the Chinese People's Liberation Army marches in 60's anniversary

The Air force show

Civilian paraders marched through Tian’anmen Square Thursday morning as another centerpiece of the National Day fete to mark the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.

Leading the mass pageant was the formations presenting the national flag and national emblem.

The national flag and national emblem

Surrounded by 720 bunches of flowers, the flag, the largest-ever displayed during China’s national day parades, is 28.8 meters in length, 19.2 meters in width and covers nearly 600 square meters, bigger than a basketball court. Following was a float carrying the national emblem and the huge figures of “1949-2009″. The float was escorted by 2,009 people.

Dancers perform a group dance during a parade in celebration of the 60th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China on Tian’anmen Square

Chinese youth celebrate China 60's Anniversary in Parade

THE red-crowned crane is the popular choice to be the national bird of China and just awaits the approval of the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature.

The State Forestry Administration has handed the nomination to the NPC after it held an online poll to choose a national bird in 2004, Heilongjiang Daily reported today.

During the poll more than 64 percent of the 5 million netizens who took part wanted the red-crowned crane to be the national bird.

Delegates of the People’s Congress of Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province said the red-crowned crane is a symbol of good luck, dignity and long life. The Zalong Wetland nature Reserve in Qiqihar is a major habitat for the red-crowned cranes.

Delegates in Qiqihar proposed the red-crowned crane as the national bird in 2004 and again this year.

There are criteria for the national bird. The bird must be a rare species with most of them living in China it must reflect the national spirit it must be able to be spotted easily by the public it must be well known and it must be worth protection and research.

In China, the Red-crowned Crane is often featured in myths and legends. In Taoism, the Red-crowned Crane is a symbol of longevity and immortality. In art and literature, immortals are often depicted riding on cranes. A mortal who attains immortality is similarly carried off by a crane. Reflecting this association, Red-crowned Cranes are called xian he, or fairy crane. The Red-crowned Crane is also a symbol of nobility. Depictions of the crane have been found in Shang Dynasty tombs and Zhou Dynasty ceremonial bronzeware. A common theme in later Chinese art is the reclusive scholar who cultivates bamboo and keeps cranes.

More than 40 countries have national birds. The United States started the trend for national birds when it made the Bald Eagle its avian representative 200 years ago.
It is important for China to name its national bird, delegates said.

Hangzhou, long famed as ‘Heaven on Earth’, is typical of the celestially bewitching natural scenery of the region of South of the Yangtze River. It has long been a famous tourist attraction. The widely expressed Chinese proverb, “in heaven there is paradise and on earth there are Hangzhou and Suzhou” combined with the words of Marco Polo who described this place as, “the most beautiful and magnificent city in the world” have helped to make Hangzhou one of the biggest tourist attractions in the entire country. Today it is named as the Top Business city in China by Forbes.

Fortunately, while any city would struggle to live up to a reputation as “paradise”, Hangzhou makes a good stab at it. Despite the crowds, hoards of tour groups and the idyllic preconceptions one might have before arrival, it is hard not to like this city. Even the most cynical traveler will appreciate the West Lake for its space and beauty, if nothing else.

The enchanting West Lake , also called ‘Xizi Lake’ (Xizi is recognized as the most beautiful lady in the ancient China), boasts the surrounding mysterious cloud-shrouded hills and the picturesque river scenery. ‘There are 36 west lakes in the world while the best is in Hangzhou’, goes the chant of a former poet who had traveled here. The unparalleled beauty of the lake is beyond words – you must see for yourself. The magic of the lake is further enhanced by the surrounding pavilions, pagodas, temples, mausoleums. Lingyin Temple that has unceasing burning of incenses; the fantastic Feilai Peak, the protruding Solitary Hill, the drinkable Hupao Spring, the majestic and overlooking Six Harmonies Pagoda and the historical Mausoleum of General Yue Fei are always the well-trodden areas for visitors.

The enthralling wonders of Hangzhou also include Qiantang River Bore, the grandest and most exciting river tidal stretches you can experience in China. Qian Dao Hu in an amazing setting of a thousand islets, produces the well-known Chinese natural mineral water ‘Nongfu Spring’. The Tiantai Mountain Scenic Area not far from the city is home to a Chinese Buddhist sect and also draws many pilgrims and sightseers.

Hangzhou is also reputed as ‘The Home of Silk’ and ‘The Land of Tea’. The well-known green tea in China-Longjing (Dragon Well) Tea is the product of this region. The silk production in Hangzhou has had a long tradition and the soft and delicate products have become a golden world-renowned trademark of this city. From the National Silk Museum and National Tea Museum, it is possible to appreciate varieties of these products and learn deeper of these cultures.

Shanghai came in at No 2, with Beijing remaining in sixth position for the second straight year. Wuxi was third, Nanjing fourth and Ningbo fifth.

Forbes China short-listed 194 mainland cities from a pool of 652 candidates with an annual GDP above 19 billion yuan in 2006.

Of the top 42 cities, 10 are from Jiangsu province, nine are from Zhejiang and seven are from Guangdong. Cities in the Yangtze River Delta rated well, despite the gloomy global economic outlook, the survey said.

“In Zhejiang province alone, over 5,000 SMEs emerged this year. Jiangsu province’s Changzhou, with its environmental protection industry and great market potential, has outdone other cities to move into ninth place,” Chen Lan, Forbes China editor, said yesterday.

The Yangtze River Delta region was represented by Shanghai and another 23 cities from Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui.

Chen said the Forbes list was based on each city’s climate for business start-ups and private capital, which is why Hangzhou beat Shanghai for the top placing.

“In Hangzhou, more than 92 percent of the city’s GDP is created by private companies, but Shanghai is the traditional business center for foreign investment,” Chen said.

Although Beijing hosted the Olympics last month, Chen said the business and investment benefits are yet to come.

“We might see Beijing climb higher on the list in two to three years,” she said.

The survey looks at the quality of the labor force, business costs, market size and capitalization to find the top business cities in the country.

There is no more big event in the wide world of sports than a closing ceremony at the Olympic Games. It’s like watching the final marathon runner cross the finish line hours after the leaders. As the Greatest Celebration of Humanity reached its final phase, host-city Beijing made a final farewell to the athletes and its guests. The Ceremony was held on 24th August at Beijing Olympic Stadium, also known as The Birds‘ Nest, under Beijing’s full moon.

Then, the flag-bearers entered with all the countries’ flags, followed by the athletes, who rushed in the Stadium without distinction of nationality, to celebrate unified the end of the greatest celebration of humanity and to set the foundations for new competitions at the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games. After short speeches by Liuqi and Jacques Rogge, the national anthems of United Kingdom and China were heard and the Olympic flag was handed over to the mayor of London.

The double layer bus from London

Beyonce Knowles was singing in London’s 8 minutes

David Beckham kick a football to the audience

Immediately after that, the Bird’s Nest came into carnival.

Huge drums in the sky

Many drummers hit their drums, showing their happiness. Later, there is a huge tower built in the center of stadium, acting as a flame in people’s heart. And Its shape changes quickly to display many flowers.

Many silk Ribbon fly into the sky, giving the audience a great surprise.

Later, there came a duet “Flame of love” by tenor Placido Domingo and Chinese soprano Song Zuying.

Tenor Placido Domingo and Chinese soprano Song Zuying singing “Flame of Love”

And sequentially, there came together many Chinese famous singer, Jackie Chan, Andy Lau，EMIL CHAU，Karen Mok，most of whom come from Hongkong.

Finally, the IOC President declared the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games closed.

The video comes from China National Tourism Administration , it includes snapshot of all famous attractions across China, like The Greate Wall, The forbidden City, The Westlake,Mountain Huangshan, Mountain Taishan, Shanghai …..

Also, the video includes many snapshots of Chinese culture, like Tea Ceremony，Embroidery, Beijing Opera ….

Welcome to China, the charming China!

XijinZhai, which imitates ningshougong(Palace of Tranquil Longevity),

is one the facts of Mr Heshen’s crime.

Gongwangfu, the mansion of prince gong opens to public for the first time ever since 1776.

Yesterday, Gongwangfu, Beijing’s last princely mansion, has finally completed for its 31-months maintain which causes more than 30 million dollars. Start from August 20th, the 232 years long mansion will open to public.

Before totally open to public, only its garden is accessible for tourists, which charges 20 RMB. Later after, the admission ticket will be around 30 RMB to visit the whole mansion. The handicapped need to pay only half of the admission ticket.

For introduction of Gongwangfu, please refer to here.

Mr. HeShen-Founder of the mansion, is the wealthiest Man in the World

Beijing’s last princely mansion

In China’s feudalist society, no one was allowed to live in the Forbidden City complex except the emperor and his families. Therefore, the kinsfolk or relatives of the emperor had to build their own mansions, hence the princely mansions. Today, about 60 princely residences of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) are still extant. Among them, Gongwangfu, or Prince Gong’s Residence, is China’s largest and best-preserved princely residence.

Exquisite royal garden

A wander through the old hutongs around Shichahai Lake leads to a large wooden gate with golden doorknockers. Behind the door lies Gongwangfu, the only princely mansion partially open to the public.

Built in 1776 as the residence of He Shen, a corrupt favorite minister of Qing Emperor Qianlong, Gongwangfu was bestowed by Emperor Xianfeng to Prince Gong in 1852, hence its present name. Gongwangfu is comprised of the residence and garden, covering an area of about 60,000 square meters.

Known as “a half of the Qing history,” Gongwangfu is not only big but also of high ranking in the hierarchy, which is reflected in its five-room facade and a great number of rooms. It is also further indicated by the presence of two stone lions guarding the main gate, especially the 12 lines of hair knots on them — the emperor was entitled to 13 lines of hair knots.

Gongwangfu’s garden is best known for its three uniqueness: a Western-style gate, a stele with the emperor ’s handwriting “福”(good luck), and the grand theater house.

Mr. HeShen-Wealthiest Man in the World

Mr. HE Shen (和珅, 1746~1799) died with about 800 million ounces of silver in his estate. That was 10 times China’s government income. It is hard to imagine who will be wealthier than Mr. He in the 18th century.

乾隆 (QianLong, 4th emperor of the Qing dynasty, one of the most successful and respected ones in China history) trusted and loved him. Out of pure favorism, he promoted He Shen to pretty much the highest possible position in the government. He Shen made his fortune embezzling. During those 20 years in power, he amassed vast fortune. In 1777, when he was 31 and about 7 years in his accelerated career, he built this grandeur mansion. He lived there better than the emperor, with 45 wives (two foreigners) and numerous servants. The warehouse for all his possessions is a two-story building with about 100 rooms that categorized his collection.

乾 隆’s successor, 嘉庆 (JiaQing), bestowed him a piece of white cloth (so that he can kill himself gracefully) and confiscated all his belongings. 嘉庆’s successor gave the mansion to 奕昕 (YiXing), the effective prime minister of the late Qing dynasty. 奕昕 is a royalty with the official title of 恭亲王 (GongQinWang: King Gong who is close to the emperor). People started to call the mansion 恭王府(GongWangFu, the house of King Gong). This is the largest, best built, and best preserved imperial style residential building in Beijing. The whole estate is about 60,000 square meters (more than 13 acres) and the garden is about 28,000 sq meters (6 acres) in area. Only the garden is open to the public.

恭王府 (GongWangFu) is in the area where tricycle HuTong tour is popular. Make sure you buy the “group guided tour” ticket. It is worth the 60RMB. English capable guides are available too.

The whole estate is obsessively decorated with 福 (Fu: good fortune). In Chinese, bat is pronounced similarly and you can see that all over the place, even a pond that shapes like one.

The climax of the 福 (Fu) obsession is a stele of the single Chinese character of 福. This stele is so well placed that even it was originally stolen from the palace, emperor 嘉庆 (JiaQing) could not take it back when he confiscated the rest of the estate. (Replicas from the rubbing of the stele is for sale.) The stele is known to have magical healing power and the possessor will be blessed with talents, offspring, longevity, lands, and, of course, good fortune. I bought one for good measure.

The pathway leading to the pinnacle of the garden is called 升官发财路 (career and fortune way). It is a steep slope up and you are supposed to walk up “in short steps, evenly, and quickly.” Hmm, why not? I am sure all those tourists that day, like myself, will experience the same with their career and fortune.

There is this one stone standing alone in the garden like a statue. On the top, there appears to have an engraving of 乐峰 (LeFeng: happy hill). But facing upward, where viewers standing on the ground cannot see, there was another character 独 (Du: solitary). The stone was then named “solitary joy stone.” That character changed the mood of the stone from joyous to sadness, since Chinese always treasure enjoyment of company and consider oxymoron to be joyous alone. People speculated that was the mood of Mr. YiXing when he was serving CiXi (慈禧), the famed empress of Qing dynasty. Poetic.

Taishan Mountain, a typical representative of the Chinese famous traditional mountains, is a mountain with a long history and a special historic status. In 1982, Taishan Mountain was up into the list of State key scenic spots and was formally listed in the directory of World Natural and Cultural Heritage in 1987. It becomes a precious heritage of human being.

Taishan Mountain locates in the east of North China Plain and the middle of Shandong province erecting from the Shandong hills. It is prominent around other hills. The prominent peak, Yuhuang peak, is 1545 meters high and locates in east 117.6 degree, north 36.16 degree. The south of Taishan Mountain is higher than the north. Its south foot of mountain begins from Tai’an city and its north foot of mountain stops in Jinan City, the distance between which is 60kms. In Taishan Mountain, the transportation is convenient with the Jinghu railway passing by in the west. In its north is Jinan city, which has another name of “spring city”. The distance between Taishan Mountain and Qubu is 70kms. Many roads and railways such as Taifei, Taixin, Taining, and Taiji meet in Tai’an city, which just locates in the south of Taishan Mountain.

Taishan Mountain is in a superior geographic location with abundant water and thermal resources, and its climate belongs to the warm temperate zone half wetness monsoon climate. As regard to its historic position, in the ancient times, Taishan Mountain is a developed region—— in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. As regard to its cultural position, it is the center of Dongyi culture. In the south foot of Taishan Mountain, there is Da Fenkou culture, and there is Longshan Culture in its north foot, it is the center of Qi and Lu. And its transportation is more superior. Taishan Mountain is in a key position where the railway from central plains to Shandong peninsula meets the railway connecting the south and north of the east coast. There are no hills between Taishan Mountain and the capitals in the ancient times as well as the developed regions. This superior condition helps Taishan Mountain gain the first position among the Five Famous Mountains in China.

As a mountainous scenic spot, Taishan Mountain has high values in term of aesthetics and science, especially the aesthetic value, which is the foundation for Taishan Mountain becoming a famous mountain in the history and the world natural and cultural heritage today. For thousands of years, during the process of studying on Taishan Mountain in terms of adoration, taste, religion and science, the people has created extremely abundant and valued Taishan scenic culture. Moreover, in the Taishan scenic culture, the natural scene plays the key role with the literacy scene assisting. The nature and culture penetrate into each other. Here we can see the philosophy, aesthetics and science idea about the harmonious development of Sky, Ground and Human beings. Thereby, either from the point of time or space, Taishan Mountain contains extremely abundant contents with high aesthetic, science and historic value. We can say that Taishan Mountain is the symbol of spiritual culture of China and the unique heritage of the world.

Sunrise Timetable