are to articles in
are to photos.
The Last Emporer, the movie and Wikipedia's notes
Forbidden City
The China Guide
Qing Dynasty
Fall of the Qing Dynasty
Tiananmen Square
The Goddess of Democracy
DongHuaMen Night Market and pictures
Cloisonne
On the left is my partly finished piece of cloisonne with my trusty eye dropper along side. On the right is one of hundreds of polished pieces in
the showroom
.
to Cloisonne
Silk
Hutongto Hutong
to Beijing
Tai chi
Shaanxi History Museum
Mongolian Hot Pot
Terracotta Warriors
Tang Dynasty show which included a special dance. Shortly after we returned home we received the following from a friend, a video of the "Thousand-hands" dance "There is an awesome dance, called the Thousand-Hand Guanyin, which is making the rounds across the net. Considering the tight coordination required, their accomplishment is nothing short of amazing, even if they were not all deaf. Yes, you read correctly. All 21 of the dancers are complete deaf-mutes. Relying only on signals from trainers at the four corners of the stage, these extraordinary dancers deliver a visual spectacle that is at once intricate and stirring. Its first major international debut was in Athens last year at the closing ceremonies for the 2004 Paralympics. But, it had long been in the repertoire of the Chinese Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe and had traveled to more than 40 countries. Its lead dancer is 29 year old Tai Lihua, who has a BA from the Hubei Fine Arts Institute. The video was recorded in Beijing during the Spring Festival celebrations this year."
to Tang Dynasty
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and a second report
to Xian
Chengdu & Pandas
Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Center
Giant Pandas
First 3 years in a Panda's life in photos and information about pandas.
to Chengdu
Tibet
Lhasa
Tibet-3 kings
Conserving Tibetan Art and Architecture
Potala Palace
Jokhang Temple
The Tibetan Government in excile
With all but one of these ancient marvels gone, USA TODAY and Good Morning America are now picking new ones: "The breathtaking Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple, chosen by our panel of experts as one of the seven New Wonders of the World, pierce the heart of Tibet's capital of Lhasa. Together, they have filled visitors with awe for centuries -- and still do, despite the tragedy of modern politics.
"Perched serenely on a hill above the modern clutter of an ever- more Chinese city, the red and white Potala dominates the Lhasa River valley. With 7th-century origins, the present structure was built in the 17th century by the "Great" Fifth Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual and temporal ruler.
"While the Potala has a museum-like feel, the Jokhang Temple, about a mile to the east, lives and breathes. There you rub shoulders with people "from the farthest reaches of Tibet," [Pico Iyer] says. "You see faces that have come out of the 13th century ... in a place that's all flickering candles and barely discerned statues and alive with the spirits of old Lhasa."
USA Today's story and pictures
ABC's photo and comment
One of the highlights of Tibet was a trip to the Dickey Orphanage. An example of some very caring people making a difference in the lives of some really great kids who happen to be orphans. Resources are limited but the kids are happy, energetic, clean and a pleasure to be with. They are learning English and have computers. They also have chores.
The orphanage is not yet fully accredited so they do not receive any money from the state -- they are working on it. Allen worked in an orphanage in Shanghai the first year after he finished college and he has been working with the people in Tibet and Shanghai to facilitate the accreditation process. A new facility is being built so there will be more room for beds and places to play.
There are a number of sites on the Web that make it clear that were are not the only ones who have been touched by what we have seen. There is a story of two girls who visited as part of an 8th grade trip, returned home and created The Tibetan Orphan Fund. The Backgroundon The Tibetan Orphan Fund and what they have been doing to raise money is part of the larger story. There is also their blog for a trip in 2006. It is hard to send money to almost any foreign country with any certainty it will get there. The Tibetan Orphan Fund looks like a great way to be sure a contribution will be received.
to Tibet
Chongquing
"Chungking) is the largest and most populous of the People's Republic of China's four provincial-level municipalities. The municipality of Chongqing has a registered population of 31,442,300 (2005), ... The population of the urban area of Chongqing proper was 12.057 million in 2005. ... Chongqing (Chungking) was the provisional capital of the government of Chiang Kai-shek during the Second Chinese-Japanese War from 1937 to 1945 and was heavily bombed by the Japanese Air Force.
Yangtze River & Three Gorges DamThe book to read for an introduction to this area is River Town by Peter Hessler.
Most of the statistics about the dam are from The Magnificent Three Gorges Project purchased in the gift shop at the dam. "Resettlement" page 70. Low water records page 102
The Yangtze River
The Shennong River Trackers
A Vanishing Way of Life
hanging coffins
The Three Gorges
Qutang Gorge, the first of the three gorges, the narrowest and considered to be the most beautiful.
Xiling Gorge, the largest and most dangerous
Our river cruise ship, the Katria is operated by "an American managed company."
The Three Gorges Dam
Wuhan
in Hong Kong.
to Hong Kong
We have friend who took this same tour with OAT and stayed in some different hotels. Here's where we stayed, you may or may not stay here:
In China, one in five adults is too heavy, and the rate of overweight children is 28 times higher than it was two decades ago. ... In China, animal fat intake has tripled in 20 years. Obesity isn’t just an American issue anymore
Yum Brands, operator of Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC reported, "profits rose on increased international sales, particularly in China." they have 2,400 locations in China and "could eventually have as many as 10,000 restaurants." NYT Oct. 12, 2006
The Chinese language
Population
Geography and demographics
World FactBook (CIA)
Background Notes (State Dept.)
Countries by Population
Relative sizes of cities
There are four provincial-level municipalities in China: Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing. In Mainland China, municipalities can be quite large. All four municipalities extend far beyond their urban areas into the surrounding areas, encompassing towns, villages, farmland, hills, and other areas that are much larger than the urban area. The largest municipality, Chongqing, is larger in size than the smallest province, Hainan. One result if for Chinese to talk about having some of the largest cities in the world -- somewhat of an example of "something lost in translation." There are
comparative statistics based on slightly different criteria that show:
Lyon, Popanz & Forester home | LPF Adventure | Our trip
October 2, 2006