Sean Andrew Maynard Photography : Photography : China

China Galleries

The Great Wall at Simatai : From Wikipedia: Simatai, (simplified Chinese: 司马台; traditional Chinese: 司馬臺; pinyin: Sīmǎtái) a section of the Great Wall of China located in the north of Miyun County, 120 km northeast of Beijing, holds the access to Gubeikou, a strategic pass in the eastern part of the Great Wall. Originally built during the Northern Qi dynasty (550-577) and rebuilt in the Hongwu years of the Ming dynasty by Qi Jiguang, this section of Great Wall is one of the few to retain the original features of the Ming dynasty Great Wall.

Simatai Great Wall is 5.4 km long with 35 beacon towers. This section of the Great Wall incorporated the different characteristics of each section of the Great Wall. A specialist on the Great Wall, Professor Luo Zhewen, has said "The Great Wall is the best of the Chinese buildings, and Simatai is the best of the Great Wall." UNESCO has designated Simatai Great Wall as one of the World Cultural Heritage sites.

Hanging precariously onto the Yanshan Mountain, Simatai Great Wall is known for its steepness.

Simatai Great Wall is separated by a valley into eastern and western parts. The western part appears gentle with 20 well-preserved watchtowers dotting along the wall. The eastern part is much steeper, following more rugged terrain that includes cliff edges and kilometre-high peaks. The 15 watchtowers are relatively closely spaced and provide spectacular views. Main attractions in the eastern part include Watching Beijing Tower, Fairy Tower, Heavenly Ladder and Sky Bridge, though they are currently closed to the public for safety reasons.

* Heavenly Ladder: Climbing the mountainside at a steep 80-degree gradient, the Heavenly Ladder is the way to Watching Beijing Tower and the Fairy Maiden Tower. Stretching upward along the abrupt mountain ridges, the narrowest part is just half a meter wide.

* Watching Beijing Tower: At an elevation of 986 meters, it is regarded as the summit of the Simatai Great Wall as well as the highest cultural relic in Beijing. Its name comes from the fact that at night (with good visibility), one can see the lights of Beijing shimmering in the distance 120 km away. More interesting is that the bricks used to built the walls here even stamped with the date on which they were made and the code numbers of the armies that made them.

* Sky Bridge: As little as 40 centimeters wide in places, this 100-meter long segment of the wall connects the Fairy Tower to Watching Beijing Tower. It is said that only brave man can traverse the Sky Bridge.

* Fairy Tower: With a sculpture of twin lotus flowers above the arched doors, it is considered by many to be the most beautiful of all towers and is known for its architecture. Legend goes that it was the dwelling place for an antelope reincarnated in the form of an angel who fell in love with a shepherd.

* Open Air Gondolas provide a way to ascend part way up the wall.

* A popular hike is to traverse from JinShanLing to Simatai

Goats played an important role in building this section of the Great Wall on such precarious mountain ridge centuries ago, with each goat carrying a single brick to the top on each trip. Ironically, goats also played an equally important role in its dismay centuries later after its construction. Peasants residing near the site raised goats to generate extra income, and the goats eat the vegetation that protects the soil around the wall from erosion. In order to protect and recover the vegetation, the Chinese government banned the local population from raising goats, but peasants protested, claiming that the governmental compensation was not enough, and that they do not receive any benefits from the tourism. Many peasants also blame low compensation on corruption, a controversy that remains to this date. The ban did, however, greatly help the recovery of the local vegetation.

The Great Wall at Simatai

Shishou : From wikipedia: Shishou (石首) is a county-level city in Jingzhou of Hubei province of the People's Republic of China. Shishou is located in the South of the province, near the border with Hunan province. Shishou City National Baiji Reserve for Chinese River Dolphins is nearby. Shishou is also the name of a river flowing into Yangtze River. Shishou was occupied by Japanese troops in 1943.
On June 16, 2009 the city was rocked by violent protest regarding the alleged suicide of a man at a hotel . Reports say that 70,000 people protested against the government and troops were called in to restore order. The clashes occurred after the man's parents raised suspicions about the nature of his death, the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said in a statement.
The report, which quoted local sources, also said the owner of the hotel where the man died was known to be a relative of the city's mayor. The centre quoted sources saying at least 200 people were injured in the clashes and that police reinforcements were arriving.

Tai Ping Dien : Tai Ping Dien is a small industrial town approximately 20km from Xiangfan in Hubei Province, China. Friends of mine were teaching English there when I was in China so I paid them a visit.

Kunming : From wikipedia: "Kunming (pronounced /ˌkʊnˈmɪŋ/; Chinese: 昆明; pinyin: Kūnmíng) is a prefecture-level city and capital of Yunnan province, in southwestern China. Because of its year-round temperate climate, Kunming is often called the "Spring City" or "City of Eternal Spring" (春城)."

Wuhan : From Wikipedia: "Wuhan (simplified Chinese: 武汉; traditional Chinese: 武漢; pinyin: Wǔhàn) is the capital of Hubei province, and is the most populous city in central People's Republic of China. It lies at the east of Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han River. Arising out of the conglomeration of three boroughs, Wuchang, Hankou, and Hanyang, Wuhan is known as the "thoroughfare of nine provinces"; it is a major transportation hub, with dozens of railways, roads and expressways passing through the city. The city of Wuhan, first termed as such in 1927, has a population of approximately 9,100,000 people (2006), with about 6,100,000 residents in its urban area. In the 1920s, Wuhan was the capital of a leftist Kuomintang (KMT) government led by Wang Jingwei in opposition to Chiang Kai-shek, now Wuhan is recognized as the political, economic, financial, cultural, educational and transportation center of central China."

Macau : From Wikipedia: The Macau Special Administrative Region, (traditional Chinese: 澳門特別行政區; simplified Chinese: 澳门特别行政区, Cantonese Yale: Oumun Dakbit Hangjeng Keui, Portuguese: Região Administrativa Especial de Macau), commonly known as Macau or Macao (pronounced /məˈkaʊ/, traditional Chinese: 澳門; simplified Chinese: 澳门; pinyin: Aòmén; Jyutping: ou3 mun4), is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China, the other being Hong Kong. Macau lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong province in the north and facing the South China Sea in the east and south. The territory has thriving industries such as textiles, electronics and toys, and a notable tourist industry. This makes it one of the richest cities in the world.

Macau was both the first and last European colony in China. Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 16th century and subsequently administered the region until the handover on December 20, 1999. The Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Macau stipulate that Macau operates with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049, fifty years after the transfer. Under the policy of "one country, two systems", the Central People's Government is responsible for the territory's defense and foreign affairs, while Macau maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, immigration policy, and delegates to international organisations and events.

Dali : These photos were taken in Dali, Yunnan, China.

From wikipedia: "Dali is the ancient capital of both the Bai kingdom Nanzhao, which flourished in the area during the 8th and 9th centuries, and the Kingdom of Dali, which reigned from 937-1253. Dali was also the center of the Panthay Rebellion from 1856-1863.

Dali is also famous for the many types of marble it produces, which are used primarily in construction and for decorative objects. In fact, Dali is so famous for the stone that the name of marble in Chinese is literally "Dali Stone" (Chinese: 大理石; pinyin: dali shi).

Dali is now a major tourist destination, along with Lijiang, for both domestic and international tourists."

Beijing : Photos taken in Beijing, China during summer 2006.

Lijiang : From wikipedia: "The world famous Old Town of Lijiang is located in Lijiang City. It is a UNESCO Heritage Site.

The town has a history going back more than 800 years and was once a confluence for trade along the old tea horse road. The Lijiang old town is famous for its orderly system of waterways and bridges. The old town of Lijiang differs from other ancient Chinese cities in architecture, history and the culture of its traditional residents the Nakhi people, therefore people there are called 胖金哥 and 胖金妹 (pàng jīn gē, pàng jīn mèi, male and female respectively)."

Hong Kong : Photos taken in Hong Kong in 2006 and 2007.

Stone Forest : From wikipedia: "Shilin (Chinese: 石林; pinyin: Shílín; literally "Stone Forest") is a notable set of karst formations in Shilin County, in the Yunnan province of southwest China, approximately 85 km from the city of Kunming. The tall rocks seem to emanate from the ground in the manner of stalagmites, with many looking like trees made of stone, creating the illusion of a forest made of stone."

Tiger Leaping Gorge : From wikipedia: "Tiger Leaping Gorge (Chinese: 虎跳峡; pinyin: Hǔtiào Xiá) is a canyon on the Yangtze River – locally called the Golden Sands River (金沙江; Jīnshā Jiāng) – located 60 km north of Lijiang City, Yunnan in southwestern China. It is part of the Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas World Heritage Site."

Tiger Leaping Gorge

Available Feeds | What are feeds?

Recent Galleries:

Atom |

RSS

Recent Photos:

Atom |

RSS