Huangguoshu Waterfall

Legend has it that, when a Chinese general named Wu Sangui (1612-1678) was defeated in battle, he threw all of his gold and silver into the Rhinoceros Pool at the bottom of Huangguoshu Waterfall. He then defected to the Qing Dynasty, turning on the Ming imperials who he had once served. His attempt to betray the Qing Dynasty proved to be his downfall, as he was defeated and executed by them. Years after his death, it was said that an old couple settled beside the Huangguoshu Waterfall. They planted over 100 fruit trees there but they were all barren. Only one fruit tree stood out among the rest and bore on its branches one large, yellow fruit.

One day, a Taoist priest happened to be passing by and he saw the yellow fruit. He was so overwhelmed by joy at the sight of this fruit that he offered the old couple 1,000 liang (about 5,000 kg) of silver for it, but only on the proviso that they did not pick the fruit for 100 days. The old couple were delighted by the offer and promised to watch the tree until the priest returned on the 100th day. After 99 days, the old couple began to grow anxious. They worried that birds may try to eat the fruit or insects may bury into it. They made the decision to pick the fruit, as it was only a few hours until dawn. When the Taoist priest returned to collect the fruit and found that it had been picked early, he was overcome with disappointment.

The old couple did not understand why he was so upset, so he took them to the Rhinoceros Pool and tossed the huge, yellow fruit into the water. The fruit began swirling round and round in the pool and, as it turned, it became larger and larger, sucking in all of the water. The more water it absorbed, the brighter the pool became, until finally all of the water was gone and Wu Sangui’s treasure was uncovered. The old couple were delighted by the treasure but, before they had a good chance to look at it, the yellow fruit burst and the water filled up the Rhinoceros Pool, covering the treasure once again. The Taoist priest told the elderly couple that, according to prophecy, if this magical yellow fruit had been left for 100 days, it would have absorbed all of the water and allowed them to retrieve the lost treasure. The waterfall was then named Huangguoshu or “Yellow Fruit Tree” Waterfall, in honour of this legend. Some believe that the rainbow above the Rhinoceros Pool is actually just the light shining off of Wu Sangui’s hidden treasure.

Huangguoshu Waterfall maintains its mystical atmosphere to this day. It is 74 metres (243 ft.) high and 81 metres (266 ft.) wide, making it the largest waterfall in China. It is actually a cluster of waterfalls and is named after the largest waterfall of the cluster, Huangguoshu Waterfall, but also contains Doupotang Waterfall, Luositan Waterfall, Spider Cave Waterfall, Lumei Pond Waterfall, and Longmen Flying Waterfall, to name but a few. Each of these waterfalls has its own unique charm, but Huangguoshu Waterfall is undoubtedly the most magnificent. This cluster of waterfalls is located on the Baishui River and is about 45 kilometres southwest of Anshun City, Guizhou. It is more often referred to as Huangguoshu Waterfall National Park.

The waterfall makes for a perfect tourist attraction, as you can view the cascading water from a variety of vantage points. The three recommended viewing stations are the Waterfall-Viewing Pavilion (Guanputing), the Water-Viewing Pavilion (Wangshuiting) and the Waterfall-Viewing Stage (Guanbaotai). At the Waterfall-Viewing Pavilion you’ll be treated to a panoramic view of the whole waterfall. At the Water-Viewing Pavilion you’ll get a unique birds-eye view of the waterfall. At the Waterfall-Viewing Stage, near the Rhinoceros Pool, you can enjoy the unusual, rhinoceros-shaped pool or crane your neck upwards and watch the waterfall thundering above you.

Huangguoshu Waterfall01All of these vantage points undoubtedly provide any tourist visiting Huangguoshu Waterfall with stunning views of the waterfall and plenty of gorgeous photographs to remember their trip by. However, the most popular viewing platform, the Water-Curtain Cave (Shuiliandong), is by far the most exceptional. The Water-Curtain Cave is a naturally formed cave that is 134 metres (440 ft.) long and sits directly behind the waterfall. It is actually made up of about 6 separate caves and this system of caves allows visitors to walk behind the waterfall. At the fourth cave, known as Mopu Flat (Moputai), you can even reach out and touch the water as it is falling.

The best time to visit Huangguoshu Waterfall is between May and October, during the rainy season, as the flow of water will be at its strongest. The peak tourist season is between July and August. Watching a rainbow curve its way over the stunning Huangguoshu Waterfall as it thunders into the Rhinoceros Pool is certainly a wonder to behold. Perhaps, on your visit, you may even find a big, yellow fruit!

Dragon Palace Cave

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The Dragon Palace Cave Scenic Area boasts a network of underground caves and natural Karst rock formations that are unparalleled throughout China. The area is so-named because the Dragon Palace Cave, or Longgong Cave, is so magnificent that it is believed to resemble the legendary palace of the Dragon King. It is home to the longest underground river and the largest underground waterfall in China. The attraction is separated into four main parts: the Rapeseed Lake, the Whirlpool, the Leech Pass, and the Dragon Palace. It is located in the Matou Township, about 32 kilometres away from Anshun City, Guizhou.

This magnificent underground cave system covers a colossal 60 square kilometres (23 square miles) and is made up of lakes, waterfalls, stalactites and stalagmites. The underground river stretches some 5,000 metres in length and flows beneath 20 hills, connecting over 90 limestone caves. Currently only about 1,000 metres (1 km) of the river is open to tourists. Tourists can enter the cave system by rowboat via the mouth of a cave on Heavenly Lake (Tianchi Lake). From there, they can enjoy a calming boat ride along the underground river and watch the landscape change as they go deeper and deeper into the caves.

dragon palace cave waterfallAt the entrance to the Dragon Palace Cave, you’ll find the largest underground waterfall in China: the Dragon Gate Fall. The waterfall crashes down directly from Heavenly Lake through a crescent-shaped hole and falls into a pool inside the Dragon Palace Cave. It is 38 metres high and 25 metres wide, forming a solid column of rushing water, and from the bottom it looks like a beautiful white dragon flying out of the cave. On entering the Dragon Palace Cave, you’ll be met with a stunning display of coloured lights that are used to illuminate it. The cave is full of huge stalactites and stalagmites, all curving up from below the water or down from the ceiling. They look strangely beautiful when lit up and add to the supernatural atmosphere of the cave.

The region surrounding this tourist site is home to the Bouyei ethnic minority, so a trip to Dragon Palace Cave provides anyone with the perfect opportunity to visit a few Bouyei villages and communities along the way. This region is also well-known for its towering mountains, crystal clear lakes and stunning rape flower blossoms. Due to the unusual shape of the Karst landscape, when the rape flowers blossom they create beautiful waves of yellow and gold across the mountains and plains. If you visit the Dragon Palace Cave in spring, you may even get to see some of the local Bouyei performances for the Rape Blossom Festival, which is celebrated between February and March every year. With its thundering waterfalls, glistening stalactites, and shadowy caves, the Dragon Palace Cave Scenic Area is truly a sight worth seeing, both inside and out.

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Fuzhou

Located on the banks of the Min River, the capital city of Fuzhou has been around for more than 2,200 years. In the 2nd century B.C. it was the capital of the Yue Kingdom and, during the 10th century, it became the capital of the autonomous state of Min.

The Black and White Pagoda and several of the other monasteries and temples in Fuzhou date back as far as the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Even the banyan trees on Fuzhou’s streets are nearly 1,000 years old.

During the Song Dynasty, Fuzhou enjoyed its period of greatest prosperity due to foreign trade, and it quickly became an economically flourishing port. However, during the 14th century, the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) severely limited foreign trade in southern China and this caused an economic downturn in Fuzhou. Four centuries thereafter, because of the Opium War, Fuzhou was forced to open again as an international port for European merchants.

The Sanfang-Qixiang District

Sanfang-Qixiang DistrictIn the center of the city, surrounded by modern skyscrapers, the Sanfang-Qixiang district still houses about 150 ancient dwellings, which cover a surface area of about 100 acres. These ancient buildings are inhabited by old residents of Fuzhou and some of them also act as sites of cultural interest, selling things such as traditional Fuzhou-style snacks and craftworks.

Sanfang-Qixiang’s history dates back to the late Western Jin Dynasty (266-316). However, the surviving houses in the district were mainly built during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties. There are several mansions there that once belonged to famous historical figures, such as Lin Zexu, who was an official during the Qing Dynasty and who was praised for his forceful opposition to the opium trade.

Sanfang-Qixiang District02Sanfang-Qixiang District03

The Summer Palace

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The Chinese name for the Summer Palace is “Yi He Yuan”, which means “the garden of good health and harmony” in Chinese. It covers a total area of 290 hectares, 193.4 feet of which is taken up by Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake.

The Summer Palace has survived for over 800 years. In 1153, the Jin dynasty chose Beijing (named Yanjing) as its capital, and an imperial palace, named “the Golden Hill Travelling Palace”, was built on the current site of the Summer Palace. In 1750, Emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty built the Garden of Clear Ripples using 4.48 million taels of silver. It took an astounding 15 years for the construction of this garden to be completed. In 1860, the Anglo-French Allied Forces invaded Beijing and burned down the palace. In 1888, Cixi, the Queen Regent, spent the 30 million taels (937,500 kilogrammes of silver) that were meant to be used developing the national navy on restoring the garden.

the summer palace04It was Cixi who renamed this palace the Summer Palace. Unfortunately, it was plundered again in 1900 by invading troops from the Eight-Power Allied Forces (Britain, the United States, Germany, France, Tsarist Russia, Japan, Italy and Austria). The huge temple and the halls on Longevity Hill were all destroyed. The only buildings that survived were the non-wooden structures, such as the Bronze Pavilion in Baoyunge, the Marble Boat and the Sea of Wisdom Temple. But, in 1903, Cixi once again sunk plenty of money into the reconstruction of the palace. Now the Summer Palace is more or less the same as it was when it was rebuilt in 1903.

The Hall of Benevolence and Longevity

The Queen Regent Cixi and her nephew, the Emperor Guangxu, dealt with state affairs and met officials in this hall. The hall was first built in 1750 and was named the Hall of Industrious Government. Although the sentiment does not translate well, the term “Industrious Government” in Chinese means “working hard on issues and concerns related to the government”. Of course this hall was so-named for the emperor, implying that he worked assiduously on government issues.

There was a throne in the middle of the hall which followed the nine-dragon design. There were also two big fans made of peacock feathers on either side of the throne.

The inscription on the tablet in the altar states that if the emperor employs great benevolence when managing the government then he will live a long life.

There is a pair of wooden lions in the hall that were carved from the roots of two birch trees. There is also a wooden elephant there, which was considered a symbol of universal peace. Around the throne are placed tripods and lamps in the shapes of phoenixes and cranes. Candles, sandalwood and incense were burned inside of these lamps to heighten the mystical atmosphere of the hall.

the summer palace02Other famous halls or rooms in the Summer Palace include:

The Hall of Happiness and Longevity

Youngshuo Room

The Hall of Dispelling Clouds

The Hall of Jade Ripples

The Tower of Buddhist Incense

According to the original plan, a nine–storey tower was built in the Garden of Clear Ripples by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty.  The tower was designed after the famous tower in Hangzhou – Liuhe tower. But not long after finishing the eighth storey of the tower, some of the architects argued that this tall, thin building did not suit the surrounding hills and the lake. They thought a more imposing structure would be more suitable. Emperor Qianlong accepted their argument and so the Tower of Buddhist Incense was built instead.

When you come to the Summer Palace nowadays, you will find a three-storey tower, which is 41 metres high. This is the Tower of Buddhist Incense. The Queen Regent Cixi used to worship the Gods here. It was rebuilt twice: first in 1860 after it was destroyed by the Anglo-French Allied Force and then again in 1900 after it was destroyed by the Eight-Power Allied Force.

The 17-Arch Bridge

summerpalaceThis bridge is on Kunming Lake and provides passage to Penglai Island (South Lake Island), which is where you will find the Temple of the Dragon King.

The bridge is 150 meters long. From a distance, it looks like a rainbow hanging across the river. There are 544 carved stone lions on the bridge, all of them in various different poses. It’s a lot of fun just looking at the diversity of appearance among the lions on the bridge.

Other famous places in the Summer Palace include:

The Long Corridor

The Marble Boat

Wenchang Courtyard

The Gilt Bronze Ox

Yeli Chucai Memorial Temple

The Sea of Wisdom Temple

What’s more, if you visit the Summer Palace during the spring, you will be treated to what is considered its most beautiful view. There are hundreds of peach trees in the park, all along the edge of Kunming Lake. In the spring, when the peach trees blossom, the view from across the lake is breathtakingly beautiful.

Pu’er Tea

Pu'er tea

 

Generally speaking, Pu’er Tea is a generic term that refers to tea in bulk or in its compressed form. This tea is made from the sun-greened raw tea that is grown in the six well-known tea-growing mountains near the Lancang River basin and that is then withered, rolled and dyed.

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The first written record of Pu’er Tea appeared during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), so the history of Pu’er Tea can be traced back at least 1,700 years.

What makes Pu’er Tea different from other types of tea, in terms of its unique taste, is the post-fermentation process. In the past, plain tea was initially sun-greened to make the primary tea, and then the primary tea was dried, steamed and moulded into different shapes of compressed tea. Usually this compressed tea had a high moisture content. Before these teacakes were delivered to the distribution centre, water had to be sprinkled onto the surface of the teacakes in order to prevent them from being crushed. Thus the preliminary cold fermentation process was completed whilst the tea was on the road. At the distribution centre, the finest quality tea was selected and then sent to Tibet. This long journey took several months and, whilst the tea was on the road once again, it completed the secondary slow cold fermentation process.

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Nowadays, people have found a much faster way to perform these fermentation processes. The sun-greened primary tea is piled up, sprinkled with water and covered with linen for 24 hours. The fermentation process is aided by microorganisms that thrive in the hot and humid environment. Thanks to this process, the texture of the tea becomes milder, and the colour turns from green to yellow, to brownish red, and sometimes even to a dark red.

Pu’er tea can be made via the pilled fermentation process, called the “Cooked Tea” process, or it can be made following the natural fermentation process, called the “Raw Tea” process. The natural fermentation process usually takes at least 5 to 8 years but the aroma of the tea produced is stronger and the texture is milder than tea made by the pilled fermentation process.

The Ming Mausoleums

There are a total of 13 mausoleums for Emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) here, so it is generally called the Thirteen Mausoleums. In fact, in the mausoleums you will find 13 emperors, 23 empresses, 2 princes, about 30 imperial concubines and even 1 palace eunuch, who were all cremated and placed in this group of tombs.

Shendao

“Shendao” in Chinese means “the way of the spirit” or “the sacred way”. It is 7 kilometres long, and stretches from the Memorial Arch through to the gate of the main tomb, Changling Mausoleum (the mausoleum of Emperor Yongle).

The Memorial Arch is made of white marble and was built in 1540. It has 5 arches supported by 6 pillars, each with beautiful bas-relief carvings of qilin (Chinese unicorns), lions, dragons, other unusual animals and lotus flowers pared into them.

After the Memorial Arch, you’ll find the Great Red Gate, which was built in 1426. About 457 metres away from the Great Red Gate, there stands the Tablet House. A marble column, known as a Mubiao, stands at each corner of the Tablet House. A Mubiao was an ornamental column which was erected in front of a tomb, much like a tombstone. A huge tablet, which is 6.5 metres high, stands in the middle of the Tablet House and rests on the back of a marble tortoise.

The most distinctive work of art in the mausoleums is known as the “avenue of stone animals and statues”. Avenues of stone animals and statues can often be found at the entrance to imperial mausoleums from the Han Dynasty (206 BD— 220 AD), but none of them are as famous as this one.

The avenue, which boasts 36 stone animals and statues, has two columns (called wangzhu in Chinese) on either side of the entrance. They are hexagonal, with a cloud design carved into them, and the top of them is shaped like a cylinder. The animals included in the avenue were specifically chosen because culturally they are all symbolic. There are lions, which were symbols of power. There are xiezhi, which were mythical feline beasts that were said to be able to distinguish right from wrong and thus were symbols of justice. There are camels, which were symbols of transportation, and elephants, which were symbols of peace. There are qilin, another mythical animal with a scaly body, a cow’s tail, deer’s hooves and a horn on its head, which were also symbols of peace. And finally there are horses, which were symbols of expedition. There are 24 stone animals in all. These beasts are followed by a group of 12 human statues (officials), which symbolize the funeral cortege of the deceased emperors.

Dingling Mausoleum

Dingling Mausoleum is the only one of the Ming mausoleums that has been excavated so far. The excavation lasted more than two years and took place from 1956 to 1958.

定陵It is the mausoleum of the Emperor Wanli (1563-1620) and his two wives – Empress Xiaoduan and Empress Xiaojing. Empress Xiaoduan died only a few months before his death. Empress Xiaojing died in 1612, eight years before the emperor’s death, and was buried in a nearby tomb reserved for imperial concubines. Since Xiaojing did not hold the title of Empress at the time of her death, she wasn’t initially permitted the privilege of sharing the emperor’s tomb.

Xiaoduan never bore the Emperor a son, whilst Xiaojing gave birth to one son, who then became the emperor after Wanli’s death. Although Xiaojing’s son was only emperor for 29 days, he left the throne to his son. When Xiaojing’s grandson ascended to the throne and became the emperor, he promoted his grandmother to the rank of queen dowager and it was decided that her body should be moved into the imperial mausoleum.

The construction of the mausoleum started in 1584, when Emperor Wanli was only 22 years old. The mausoleum was finished when he was 28, and he had to wait another 30 years to finally use it.

When the Ming Dynasty collapsed in 1644, the tomb was damaged in a peasant uprising led by Li Zicheng and was not restored until the reign of the Qing Emperor Qianlong (1736-1795).

The underground palace is 27 metres below ground level and has a total surface area of 1,195 square metres. It is divided into 5 chambers – the antechamber, the middle chamber, the rear chamber and the left and right annex chambers. The vaulted chambers are built of stone, without employing a single beam or column. The antechamber and central chamber form a long passageway, at the end of which is the rear chamber, with the two annex chambers set at right angles to it forming a T-shape.

Beihai Park (the Winter Palace)

beihai park

Located in the centre of Beijing, Beihai Park is adjacent to the Forbidden City in the west, and to Coal Hill Park in the east. It connects the Central Lake and the South Lake, and borders Shichahai Lake in the north. Beihai Park has the longest history among the Chinese imperial parks. Its history also ties in with the history of Beijing’s development as a city.

In 938, under its original name “White Lotus Pool”, Beihai Park though it was not an official palace, was occupied by its first imperial resident, Emperor Tai of the Liao Dynasty (907-1125). During this time it was renamed Yaoyu Palace. After the Liao Dynasty ended, the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234) took over and chose Beijing (named Zhongdu then) as its capital, extending and expanding the whole city in the process. Yaoyu Palace was also renovated and the Hall of Jade was added.

From 1163 to 1179 the emperor Shizong of the Jin dynasty used the clay from the lake to make a small island in the centre of the lake, which he named Jade Island (Qionghua Island). With the centre of Jade Island, he extended the palace and renamed it Daning Palace. The Palace in the Moon (Daning Palace) was built on top of this island. During the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the whole palace area was repaired three times. The Palace in the Moon was extended and made into a large, luxury palace, and this was where Kublai Khan (one of the emperors of the Yuan Dynasty) used to live. Many other buildings were also built on top of the hill (named Longevity Hill then) on Jade Island. Unfortunately, this fabulous palace collapsed in 1579, during the Ming Dynasty. Now the Temple of Eternal Peace sits on the former site of this palace. During the Ming Dynasty even more restoration and construction was done in Beihai Park. The Five Dragon Pavilions and galleries were built during that period. However, the whole palace was badly damaged during the war, towards the end of the Ming Dynasty.

beihai park02The Emperor Qianlong of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) revelled in building gardens. So for 44 years, from 1742 right through till 1786, he oversaw the construction of a monumental project. The project included 126 halls, numerous arches over gateways and temples, 35 pavilions, 25 bridges, 16 stone tablets, and renovations and reconstructions of 12 existing buildings on the shore of the lake. Then came the arrival of one of the most famous women in Chinese history – the queen dowager Cixi. She took a lot of money that was supposed to be allocated to the army and used it to renovate the palace. She even built a 1,510.4 metre long railway, which started at the Tower of Vermilion Light (in the Middle Sea) and ended at the Clear Mirror Study (the Heart – Ease Study) in Beihai Park. During the Qing Dynasty, Beihai Park was regarded as a place of recreation for the imperial family, and was known thereafter as the Winter Palace.

 

The White Dagoba

276-0606At the top of Jade Island sits the White Dagoba, which is a Tantric Buddhist monument built in honour of the Dalai Lama. The Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty adopted a Tibetan Lama priest named Momhan, and it was Momhan who persuaded him to build the White Dagoba and also the White Temple in 1651. In 1743, when Qianlong was the emperor, the White Temple was renamed the Temple of Eternal Peace.

The White Dagoba is 35.9 metres tall, and was built using bricks and stones that were whitened in lime. There is purposefully no entrance to the White Dagoba. It is said that a red emblem on the surface of the building marks the opening, which was sealed after some sacred articles were stored inside. It is also said that there is a small box painted with a symbol of Taiji hidden inside the dagoba, and it is rumoured that this box contains two Buddhist relics.

The Dagoba rests on a square base constructed from huge stone slabs, and it is topped with two bronze parasols. 16 bronze bells hang around these parasols, and each of them weighs about 8 kilogrammes.

What is the difference between a dagoba and a pagoda?

A dagoba is a multi-storeyed Buddhist temple or sacred paramedic tower, which usually has an odd number of storeys and which is usually built over a sacred relic or as a work of devotion. A pagoda, on the other hand, is a single rounded structure crowned by a golden spire.

The Round City

beihai park round cityThe Round City was built during the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234), and was famous for being a city within the city. It stands at the south gate of Beihai Park. It is surrounded by a 4.6-metre-high circular wall and has a distinctive courtyard with halls, pavilions and ancient trees. It was originally an islet in the Pool of Great Secretion (Taiyechi). It was formed from the lake excavations and served as an imperial garden. There are two gates leading into the Round City – the Clear View Gate (Zhaojingmen) to the east and the Extended Auspiciousness Gate (Yanxiangmen) to the west.

The building of most significance in the Round City is the Hall to Receive Light (Chengguangdian), which was built during the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) and renovated once during the Ming Dynasty and once during the Qing Dynasty respectively. In the middle of the Round City is the 13 square-metre Jade Jar Pavilion, which has a blue roof and white columns.

Other important attractions in Beijing Park include:

The Temple of Eternal Peace (Yong’an Temple)

The Imperial Court Restaurant

The Temple of the God of Agriculture

The Temple of the God (Creator) of Agriculture was the site of imperial sacrifices dedicated to the cult of Shennong, the Holy Farmer. It is located in the southern part of the city, directly to the west of the Temple of Heaven, and occupies a total area of three-square kilometres.

According to ancient Chinese legend, there were three wise kings, referred to as Fu Xi, Shennong and Suiren. Fu Xi was the ruler of greatest antiquity, credited with the invention of hunting and fishing and the domestication of animals; Shennong was the second ruler and he was supposed to have invented the plough and discovered the curative properties of certain plants. Suiren was the third legendary ruler and he supposedly discovered fire.

According to the rites of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), on the day of the Vernal Equinox, as fixed by the lunar calendar, the emperor would come to this altar to make a sacrifice to the sacred tablet of Shennong. Following this ceremony, the emperor would plough several furrows of land with his own hands. These would be the first furrows ploughed in that year. Then the emperor would go back to the observation platform to watch the princes, ministers and a representative group of ordinary people finish the task.