China Emerging

The Forbidden City Named thus due to the fact that is was out of bounds to the public for over five hundred years, the forbidden city was the  imperial court for emperors from the Ming dynasty till 1911.

20 Aug

Places to see before you die - China

Posted in on 20.08.11

The Forbidden City

Named thus due to the fact that is was out of bounds to the public for over five hundred years, the forbidden city was the  imperial court for emperors from the Ming dynasty till 1911. The buildings are the best preserved in the whole of china, and often the emperors never left the 'city', choosing to stay in the vast collection of buildings here, staying in the safety of the moat. Unfortunately, the buildings were looted in the eighteenth century, so the city now remains as a shell, but it is still majestic and gives you the thought of how grand it used to be.

The Li River

The Chinese believe that the Guangxi Province has the most beautiful rivers and mountains under heaven, and the stunning natural beauty here only escalated this belief. The river runs through majestic scenery, and its banks are peppered with picturesque chocolate box villages where women wash the clothes and children bathe the water buffalo. See farmers in their rice paddies, and fishermen using the ancient fishing tool of a bird with a ring around its neck, attached to a stick.  Take a bike ride to really appreciate the wonder of this hidden area.

Lhasa, China

Overlooking the city is the ancient Potala, a thirteen storey fortress which once was the winter house of the Dalai Lama. Each of the Dalai Lamas is believed to e the reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddhist embodiment of compassion and has always been seen in the country as a high power.

 

Pack your Travel Insurance, passport and travel guide, and get visiting!

Author: Laura Hartson