Wenfeng Pagoda (Cultural Peak Pagoda) in Fenyang, Shanxi Province, was built at the end of the Ming Dynasty in the middle of the 17th century. The structure is 84.93 metres tall and has 13 floors. After a magnitude 6 earthquake in 1932, the pagoda began to tilt towards the east and, further owing to the collapsible nature of the yellow […]
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The building in the cliff edge is a library in the ancient Cloud Rock Temple (云岩寺) in Sichuan Province. There are a thousand paths to enlightenment, but only two ways to access the 1,000-year-old sutra library: one is via a long and winding mountain track that is time-consuming, and another is a shortcut through a bridge formed by just two […]
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Blessing Light Pagoda (瑞光塔) near Pan Water Gate in Suzhou has 8 elevations and 7 floors with a total height of 43m. The ancient pagoda was part of a large Buddhist monastery next to the 2,500-year-old city gate. However, in 1860, the monastery was burned to the ground in a war, with a structurally damaged pagoda being the sole survivor left in […]
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Yueyang Terrace Pavilion Looming on the shore of Lake Dongting in Hunan province, Yeyang Terrace (岳阳楼) is one of the three most celebrated ancient multistory pavilion architectures in the south of Yangtze River. In the pavilion, there is one of China’s most celebrated couplets composed by Fan Zhongyan (范仲淹), a great statesman, philosopher, writer, educator, military strategist and philanthropist: 先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐: Be the […]
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What are the secrets for Forbidden City to surviving so many earthquakes in 600 years? To find the answer, specialist carpenters have built a one to five scale model to replicate the classic Forbidden City structure onDou a shake table to simulate earthquake forces. To be as accurate as possible, the model is made using traditional Chinese carpentry tools and […]
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Ying County Buddhist Pagoda, situated in Shanxi Province in northern China’s Yellow Plateau, is the oldest surviving timber-frame pagoda in the world. The pagoda was built in 1056 during the North Song Dynasty, measuring 67 metres tall and 30 metres in diameter, supported by a double-layered timber-frame structure, with 24 columns in the external supporting system and 8 columns forming […]
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This is Village of Eight Trigrams located in Lanxi, Zhejiang Province in China’s east coastal region. In the centre, there is a Taichi-shaped pond surrounded by village houses arranged in eight groups as an Inner Eight Trigrams. Around the village in a short distance, eight hills form an Outer Eight Trigrams. A Taichi core together with the inner and the […]
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Bamboo and willow branch are commonly used to make furniture and, occasionally, simple building structures in China. Binzhou, in China’s east province Shandong, is well-known for its handmade willow products. And now a village in Binzhou is building an e-commerce trading centre, that looks like made of willow branches, to sell its willow products online. A Chinese village’s e-commerce centre […]
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A Daoist Temple in a Cave COMMENTS FROM GOOGLE PLUS Sheila Nagig I love the red that the Chinese use. It’s such a strong, beautiful shade of the color. All Things Chinese From the Taoist point of view, deep red (China Red) is a color attracting the maximum yang qi, while the black and white reflecting the extreme yin energy, […]
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In the Gaofeng High Summit Hill in Sichuan Province, there are 8 ridges like eight dragons looking back at the mountain peak, and over 500 aging pine trees, some as old as a thousand years, all stretching their branches towards that same apex of the mountain. There are 4 gates located in the 4 directions respectively as entrances to a […]
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This is a giant village house supported by 1,322 timber columns, located in the outskirts of Shaoxing in Zhejiang Province. Shaoxing is an ancient city with a rich cultural tradition and the homeland to some prominent figures in Chinese history, including the greatest hydraulic engineer and last ruler of Xia Dynasty Yu the Great (大禹, 4,000 BC), China’s greatest calligrapher […]
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In China’s Sichuan Province there are two rocky hills hosting a temple accommodating both Daoist and Buddhist faiths. In this multi-faith temple, built in 874 during Tang Dynasty (618 – 907), there are two groups of buildings. Those in the west following the way of Daoism and the ones in the east pursue Buddhist path. The main hall in a […]
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