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Views of Lhasa, seen from the Potala
The Exit Ramp of the Potala (North Side)
The More Modern, Chinese-Looking Sections of Lhasa
Modern Shanghai: Nanjing Road and Vicinity
Modern Shanghai: Fancy Buildings and Elevated Highways
More Ordinary Shanghai Buildings
Street Scenes and Public Parks
Beautifying Shanghai with Trees and Shrubs
Overviews of Southwestern Shanghai. The Huating Hotel and Towers is located in the southwestern part of Shanghai, near where the north-south elevated highway Zhongshan Xi Lu curves around to become the east-west elevated highway Zhongshan Nan Er Lu. These four photos, taken from our room, overlapping (each view is a bit to the right of the previous one), show a considerable portion of this section of the city. The newer buildings (some of which are still under construction) are typically about 30 stories tall; older ones are shorter.
Vehicular Traffic, Beijing: There were a lot of motor vehicles in Beijing, enough so that some main roads were reserved for motor vehicles only. I doubt it was easy persuading bicyclists they were no longer permitted to use these roads. These photos give an idea of the mix.
First
Second
Third
Fourth; note the McDonald's Restaurant in the background in
this one. McDonald's seemed by
far the most common American fast-food restaurant in Beijing, although in Xi'an, it was
Kentucky Fried Chicken that was the most common.
Bicycles, Three-Wheelers, Etc. (Most of these photos are from Beijing; the last one is from Xi'an.)
Traffic at
intersection, including bicycles and three-wheelers
Three-wheeler carrying
cargo, with buildings under contruction in background
Major intersection
just south of Tiananmen Square, with two-passenger pedicab
Beijing
streets are kept clean by sweepers using the very traditional brooms
you can see in the back of this three-wheeler
Very bulky
load on a three-wheeler in Xi'an
City bus, powered
by electricity from overhead wires
Apartment buildings
Traffic stopped
for a red light at an intersection
The Third Ring Road,
a major highway, elevated for much of its length. This
was taken due east of the city center, where the ring road runs north-south
High-rise
buildings under construction
Pedaled traffic
and motor vehicles using separate lanes, going through an intersection
The Center of Beijing (2): Tiananmen Square and Vicinity
Decaying Remains of the Old City Wall, Beijing: Most of the old city wall of Beijing was torn down in the 1950s. But a significant section on the south side was still there in 2002, in bad shape. Just outside the wall were low, cheaply-built structures, apparently built to a signficant extent out of bricks from the wall. I think these had been built in the 1950s, maybe the 1960s. These buildings were being demolished in 2002. These photos were taken from the south (outer) side of the wall. The four photos are pretty similar to one another; if you have a slow connection, you might want to settle for looking at one or two of them.
First
Second
Third
Fourth; note the modern high-rise buildings under
construction in the background, on the
far side of the wall. The construction crane is just visible beyond a tree, a bit
to the left of center.
Photos of the palaces in Beijing are listed below under "Antiquities"
Xi'an (Sian), in the valley of the Wei River, is the capital of Shaanxi (Shensi) province. Under the name Chang'an, it was the capital of China during the Western Han Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty.
Street scene
Shops
Stores, and vehicles parked
on sidewalk
A fancy modern high-rise
Kentucky Fried Chicken. This
was the main American fast-food chain in Xi'an.
Billboard
Billboard for lingerie. I
don't recall seeing such a billboard in Beijing.
On the other hand, I don't
recall seeing anything like this large billboard of
President Jiang Zemin in Beijing, either.
McDonald's Restaurant
Train, apartment buildings,
bilingual road sign.
Xi'an City Wall, and Vicinity. These photos were taken at and near the South Gate, where the north-south street that is Nandajie immediately inside (north of) the wall, Nanguan Zhengjie immediately outside it, and Changan Lu farther south, passes through the wall.
The Yangzi River (Yangtse, Chang Jiang). Between Chongqing and Fengdu.
A large tug,
pushing a group of barges
Same, zoomed for
closer view
Not many boats
travel the river at night. One reason is rocks like these.
A fair sized boat
loaded with what is probably coal. I think the building on
the hillside is a watch post of the agency that monitors river traffic.
It could just
have been major renovations to existing boats, but I am pretty
sure cargo boats were actually being built on the riverbank. Note the satellite dishes
on the roof of the building above them. The blue-and-white vessel in the foreground
is designed primarily for carrying passengers.
Same, zoomed
for more detail
Another boat
apparently under construction, a considerable distance downstream
from the last
Suspension bridge
across the Yangzi
The Banks of the Yangzi (Yangtse, Chang Jiang). All but one of these were taken between Chongqing and Fengdu; the last one was taken downriver from Fengdu.
Fengdu. A town on the Yangzi, about 115 kilometers northeast of Chongqing. The old town will be drowned by the water from the Three Gorges Dam.
From the top
of the mountain Mingshan one can look down and see the old town
of Fengdu, slated soon to be destroyed. Beyond the town, cruise boats are moored
on the river. On the far side of the river is the new city being built to hold
people displaced by the submersion of their former homes.
Somewhat
closer view of a section of the doomed old town
The business
district still seemed to be bustling, despite its oncoming demise
A man carrying
melons on a cart; shop fronts
The new city
being built across the river
Same, zoomed for more detail
Closer view of
cruise boats. The one elaborately decorated as a dragon, with
head occupying the whole bow and scaly tail sticking up at the stern, is the one we
were on.
On Mingshan, above the old town, is what is called in English the "Ghost City" (Gui Cheng in Chinese). This is a cross between a temple complex and a theme park. The English word "ghost" is not a very good translation of the Chinese gui.
A statue of one gui.
Here is another
gui, the Temptress. She doesn't look very Chinese to me, and I
wonder whether the sculptor, wanting her to look both alluring and evil (note
her vampire-like fangs), deliberately chose to make her look rather western.
The large one,
with fangs, is inscribing the character "gui" on the thigh
of the smaller one. I do not know the significance of this.
Countryside in Hubei Province (1)
The trees on the hillside are in rows, so they are presumably an orchard (orange trees?)
Corn fields, fish ponds, buildings, and a minor road.
Farther from Yichang, the valleys got wider, and broad rice fields appeared.
Countryside in Hubei Province (2)
I think this peasant is harvesting rice.
There are traces of traditional decoration on the roofs of these village buildings.
I think the white specks on the more distant pond are egrets.
Countryside in Hubei Province (3), between Jingzhou and Wuhan
Countryside along a Highway, near Xi'an in Shaanxi Province
Mountains, Buildings, and Roadside Scened North of Beijing (these are not great photos)
Jingzhou is a city of moderate size in Hubei province, on the road from Yichang to Wuhan. In ancient times is was the capital of the state of Chu. It has been significantly touched by the outside world, but not as extensively as the major cities. The guide who was in charge of our tour group had been considering just taking the group through it without stopping, until a local guide assured him that yes, there was one restaurant in Jingzhou which would be a suitable place to take a group of American tourists.
Street and buildings; note the small two-wheeled cart pulled by a small tractor.
A major intersection, with widely assorted traffic: modern vans, a motor scooter, bicycles, pedaled three-wheelers, and a large two-wheeled cart, carrying what looks like a very heavy load of bricks, pulled by a tractor.
Jingzhou (3): Shops and Businesses
This was the section of the wall that looked fanciest.
Another view in the same general area.
A different section of the wall, with modern buildings on the far side (the inner side) of the wall.
Another angle of view, in the same general section as in the previous two photos.
Beijing: The Imperial Palace (1)
Beijing: The Imperial Palace (2)
Bronze statue of a mythical beast.
View across Kunming Lake; parties were held in the buildings on the hillside.
Different view across Kunming Lake.
The famous marble boat. Note the small paddlewheel on the side; it was apparently a marble steamboat. It is said that the Empress Dowager Cixi diverted what were supposed to be naval construction funds to build this, a few years before the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95.
Big Goose Pagoda, Xi'an (just one photo)
The Terra-Cotta Army Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of China, died in 210 b.c. He was buried near the modern city of Xi'an. Near his grave, in underground chambers, were thousands of terra-cotta statues of soldiers, approximately life size.
When a chamber is opened, the statues are for the most part found badly broken. Most of the damage is believed to have been caused by earthquakes.
The pieces are removed and reassembled. Here, five horses and a man.
A different chamber, with horses as well as men.
Just this one section (there are several) has row after row of chambers.
The Temple of the Jade Buddha, Shanghai
Modern China: A History, by Edwin Moise. London and New York: Longman, 1986. Second edition London and New York: Longman, 1994.
Copyright © 2002, 2005, Edwin E. Moïse. Revised July 19, 2005. All opinions expressed in these pages are my own. They could not be the opinions of Clemson University, since Clemson University does not have opinions on the issues in question.
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