http://RealAdventures.com/vacations/436913_beijing-china-articles.htm Check out some of the recently updated travel & vacation listings on RealAdventures. Be inspired, go explore! en-us Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:25:19 GMT Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:25:19 GMT http://RealAdventures.com http://RealAdventures.com/vacations/436913_beijing-china-articles.htm 100 100 http://RealAdventures.com/listings/1184735_The-Simatai-Great-Wall-a-real-adventure-tour http://RealAdventures.com/listings/1184735_The-Simatai-Great-Wall-a-real-adventure-tour Articles China Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:10:17 China is a country of amazing contrast. If you are a nature lover, it's easy to find a scenic city in China. If you are interested in Chinese history, you can visit historic cities like Beijing and Xi'an. -
China is a country of amazing contrast. If you are a nature lover, it's easy to find a scenic city in China. If you are interested in Chinese history, you can visit historic cities like Beijing and Xi'an.


China is a country of amazing contrast. If you are a nature lover, its easy to find a scenic city in China. If you are interested in Chinese history, you can visit historic cities like Beijing and Xian. If you are a shopaholic, you will love Shanghai and Hong Kong. If you are a pious pilgrim you may go to the Tibet and Chinas famous Buddhist Temples. What if you are an adventurer? Have you got any ideal about China? Do not hesitate. China could be your dreamland for a great adventure.

We will write serial articles to introduce the most exciting adventurous sites for you. Let us start from the Simatai Great Wall of Beijing.

The Great Wall is the biggest ancient military defensive system on the earth. It was initially built in 221 BC and did not end until the Ming Dynasty (13681644). It starts from the eastern coast line, winding through on the mountain ridges, crossing the rivers and valleys, snaking deep into the heart of western deserts. The wall's length was estimated to be anywhere from about 1500 to 31250 miles. Chinese simple call it the Tenthousandmile Great Wall. There many awesome sites along the magnificent Great Wall for hiking and trekking. You can choose from easy to hard area depends on your physical level. If you are up to challenge, the Simatai section will be ideal for you. The Simatai Great Wall is 5.4 km long with 35 beacon towers. It is maintained in its original appearance since the Ming Dynasty (13681644) and noted for the steepness, queerness, and intactness. Chinese people always called it as the wild Great Wall. The Simatai Great Wall is separated into eastern and western parts. The western part has 20 wellpreserved watchtowers dotted along the wall and appears gentle. In comparison, the eastern part is unbelievable steep and sited on the sheer mountain ridge. When you climb the eastern Simatai Great Wall, you will be stunned by ancient Chinese peoples architecture skill. This part is the most exciting hiking site for brave tourist. During the hiking, you will pass four tourist attractions. They are named the Watching Beijing Tower, Fairy Tower, Heavenly Ladder and Sky Bridge. Among them the Heavenly Ladder and Sky Bridge are the most dangerous and exciting areas. There are 16 beacon towers in the eastern of Simatai section. When you climb to the 14th beacon tower, you will see the most precipitous and slope parts of the Great Wall. This is why the 14th to the 15th is called the heavenly ladder. Heavenly ladder stretches up on the steep mountain cliff. The narrowest part of the wall is just more than half meter wide like a ladder rising up into heaven. You can imagine excitement of this fantastic hiking. If the heavenly ladder did not yet frighten you, there is even more breathtaking hiking site for you, the Sky Bridge. When you climb to the 15th and 16th beacon tower, you will see the Sky Bridge. It is a 40 cm wide and 100m long path connects the Fairy Tower to the Watching Beijing Tower. Only bravest people can pass the Sky Bridge. Are you the fearless one? Go for it!

In our followup articles, you will know more interesting adventurous site in China, including Lhasa, Chengdu, Lijiang, Guilin, and more.

Details & Reservations: The Simatai Great Wall a real adventure tour
RealAdventures | China Articles

]]> http://RealAdventures.com/listings/1156326_Culture-Journey-in-Beijing http://RealAdventures.com/listings/1156326_Culture-Journey-in-Beijing Articles China Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:01:23 A cultural tour in the ancient city of Beijing, where I got to know the secrets of Chinese royal architectures. Here I just want show what I have learnt! -
A cultural tour in the ancient city of Beijing, where I got to know the secrets of Chinese royal architectures. Here I just want show what I have learnt!


Mystery of Chinese Royal architecture
With vivid characteristics, Chinese royal buildings, especially the most popular tourist attractions in Beijing, are mysterious to todays people. Nearly every small part of the architecture is different and has some symbolic value! Here we take the Forbidden City as an example and collect something interesting about this imperial palace. If explore it without a guide, you will never know the secrets. Lets feel it more than just watch it!

The Ornamental Pillars (Hua Biao)
A pair of marble pillars, decorated with exquisite clouds and entwined dragons carvings, can be often found in front of most large royal complexes. They were originally made of wood and used to solicit public opinions from the people. They were also treated as landmarks or road signs. But later they were only used to decorate important buildings.
The most famous Huabiaos are located at Tiananmen, two in front of the gate of Tiananmen and two behind the gate. On top of the Huabiaos, there sits a mythical animal called Hou. It is believed that the positioning of the Hous' heads was a reminder to the emperor of the hopes of the people. The two behind the gate looking at the palace (north) mean expecting the emperor to go out often and to understand the life of the people better. The two in front facing south express longing for the emperor's return to run state affairs when he was absent from the palace for too long.

Stone/Bronze Lions
Lion is a special animal to Chinese people. A pair of stone or bronze lions, a male and a female, can often be seen in front of the gates of traditional buildings. The male lion is on the left with his right paw resting on a ball, and the female on the right with her left paw fondling a cub.

Marble Terrace
Most of Chinese ancient royal buildings stand on marble terrace. The white marble terrace can not only support and magnify the single building on it, but also protect the wood structure from dampness. It also has a deeper meaning. It reflects the rank of the building.

Grand Roof
Roofs are very important to Chinese architecture. Palaces had particularly impressive elaborate roofs. The distinctive roof of Chinese architecture involves a great deal of symbolism. Symbolism is present in the colors and tiers of the eaves, roofing materials and roof top decorations.
Yellow, regarded as an auspicious color, was exclusively used by the imperial families of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Imperial roofs are certainly brilliant gold or imperial yellow.

Tunjishou (the ridgedevouring beast)
Watch carefully, you will find the ridges of each roof are topped with figures of mythical creatures. Fierce and formidable, it looks as if it were ready to devour the whole ridge so it is also known as tunjishou or the ridgedevouring beast.
What were they used for? For decorative purposes only? According to architects, these strangelooking creatures can prevent the roof from sliding. Moreover, the number and the size of the creatures on the eaves indicate the importance of the building. When visiting the royal palace, it can be very interesting to count the animals on the eaves and get to know exactly how important the building was.

Tianhe Dian
Now, it is very easy to figure out that the Hall of Taihe Dian is the main hall of the Forbidden City. First, the building is raised on a triple marble terrace, 8 m (26 ft) high, enclosed by marble balustrades, whilst those around the same courtyard were kept lower so as to set off the magnificence of the hall. Second, it has a roof with double eaves and is decorated with carved dragons and phoenixes, most of which are gilded. Third, dont forget the little mythical creatures on the eave. There are 12 in total, the most of all! The Hall of Taihe Dian was the place where emperors in the Ming and Qing dynasties held.

Colors in the Forbidden City
The Forbidden City is a complex painted in just two colors, yellow and red, which can be seen throughout the city. The color red signifies happiness and yellow signifies earth. In ancient China, the color yellow in particular, was most extensively and exclusively used by the emperors, who were regarded as the Sons of Heaven and the supreme rulers of humanity. Therefore, yellow became the dominant color in the Forbidden City. Roofs are built with yellow glazed tiles decorations in the palace are painted yellow even the bricks on the ground are made yellow by a special process.

There is much more in the Forbidden City waiting for you to discover. Why is it that no trees in the grand courtyard of the Hall of Taihe Dian.? Hundreds of gilt bronze vats are scattered in the Forbidden City. What were they used for? Only when you get there can you reveal its mysterious veil!

Details & Reservations: Culture Journey in Beijing
RealAdventures | China Articles

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