Archive March 11, 2020

The Yarlung Tsangpo River is the longest plateau River in China, located in Tibet Autonomous Region, and one of the highest rivers in the world. In Chinese, Yarlung Tsangpo River means water flowing down from the crest. Found in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, known as ‘the roof of the world’, this is the biggest river in Tibet and also holds the position as being the river found at the highest altitude across the world.

Yarlung Tsangpo River Valley is rich in forest resources, owning 2,644 thousand hectares’ of virgin forest. Rare and unique plants and animals along with a natural treasure house of wildlife such as yew and Zoraptera insects can be found here. From the Pottery shard and stone objects of the Neolithic Period discovered in Nyingchi County, the ancient culture of Yarlung Tsangpo River can be traced back thousands of years. To some extent, it is the cradle of Tibetan civilization.

The Great Canyon of Yarlung Tsangpo River is absolutely a highlight. It is the largest and deepest canyon in the world, being 504.6 kilometers (314 miles) long and 6,009 meters (19,715 feet) deep at its deepest. The average depth is 2,268 meters (7,441 feet). Nine Natural Vertical Zones ranging from the Alp Ice-snow belt to tropical seasonal forests are represented in this area. All kinds of wildlife exist here, so the Great Canyon is regarded as ‘the Gene Pool of Biological Resources’, whilst enjoying fame as a ‘Geological Museum’ due to the various geological phenomena found.

The Yarlung Tsangpo River not only ranks first in the world in terms of its depth and width, but also attracts the attention of world scientists for its rich scientific connotation and precious resources. The Yarlung Tsangpo River Grand Canyon is the world’s first Grand Canyon, and has been certified as the world’s deepest Grand Canyon and the world’s longest canyon by the China World Records Association. The Yarlung Tsangpo River Basin is rich and beautiful. It nurtures the fertile land on both sides of the river. It is the cradle of Tibetan people’s culture. As a “Tianhe”, the Yarlung Zangbo River brings the Tibetan people not only the past, but also a brilliant future.

The reason why Lhasa has the reputation of “holy land” is related to the Jokhang Temp. Jokhang Temple has a history of more than 1300 years, and has the supreme status in Tibetan Buddhism. Dazhao temple is the most splendid building in the Tibetan period, and also the earliest wooden structure in Tibet.

The Tang Dynasty (618 – 907), was characterized by economic prosperity and great progress in politics. During this time, China was considered the cultural and political center of the world. King Songtsem Gampo (617 – 650, the 33rd king of Tibet) was the leader of the Tubo (or Tibetan) Kingdom. He actively promoted Buddhism in that region and under his reign, Tibet achieved great progress in social innovation and realized the integration for the first time. In order to promote friendly relationships with the neighboring countries, he successively married Princess Bhrikuti of Nepal and Princess Wen Cheng of the Tang Dynasty. When the two wives arrived there, each brought a statue of Jowo Sakyamuni. During this time, most people lived in tents and there were few palaces. To house the Buddha brought by Princess Wen Cheng, King Songtsem Gampo constructed the Little Jokhang. Jealous of her, Princess Burikuti asked Gampo to build a Jokhang for her as well. Therefore, in 647 the giant complex was built.

The Jokhang Temple was built on the former site of a lake. According to the legend, the lake site was chosen after many failed attempts to build a temple in the region. Prior to this, every time a monastery was built, it would collapse. Confused by this phenomenon, Princess Bhrikuti turned to Wen Cheng for help. Being a learned woman, Wen Cheng told the Princess that the geography of Tibet was very much like a hag, with the lake at the heart. In order to build the monastery, Wen Cheng advised they must demolish the hag by filling and leveling the lake using 1,000 goats to carry soil from a mountain far away. When the construction work was done, it was called Ra-Sa-Vphrul-Snang (‘ra’ meaning goat and ‘sa’ meaning earth in Tibetan) to commemorate those goats.

Whether the legend is true or not, the Jokhang Temple brought Buddhism into this land and became an inseparable part of Tibetan history and culture. The city of Ra-Sa grew around the temple and over time, become known as Lhasa, a holy land.

Jokhang Temple integrates the architectural styles of Tibet, Tang Dynasty, Nepal and India, and becomes the eternal model of Tibetan religious architecture. The temple is surrounded by incense all day long. The faithful worship left deep marks on the bluestone floor in front of the gate.

Located at the foot of Tatipu Hill in the northern suburb of Lhasa City, Sera Monastery  is one of three famous monasteries in the city along with the Drepung Monastery and the Ganden Monastery. There are tens of thousands of Vajra and Buddha statues in sera temple, mostly made in Tibet. There are also many bronze Buddhas brought from the mainland or India. A large number of original color murals are preserved on the four walls of the main hall and the zacang scripture hall. The most famous statue is the “horse headed King Ming” in the hall. The monastery is magnificent and covers an area of 114,946 square meters. Its main buildings are the Coqen Hall, Zhacang and Kamcun. Scriptures written in gold powder, fine statues, scent cloth and unparalleled murals can be found in these halls. Colorful debates on Buddhist doctrines are held here and these employ a style distinctive from those at Lhasa’s other famous monasteries.

The Coqen Hall, which was built in 1710, is a four-storey building in the northeast area of the monastery. This main assembly hall where various rituals are held is supported by 125 pillars of varying heights and covers about 2,000 square meters (0.5 acre). It consists of five chapels which give honor to the Maitreya, Sakyamuni, Arhats, Tsong Khapa, and Kwan-yin with one thousand hands and eleven faces. The delicate Gangyur of Tripitaka in Tibetan is the proudest possession of the monastery which now holds 105 out of the original 108 volumes. These priceless volumes, the earliest sutras printed by engraving in China, were presented as a gift to Jamchen Chojey by Chengzhu, a Ming Dynasty Emperor.

Zhacang, which means Buddhist College in Tibetan, acts as the arena for the monks to study the Buddhist Classics. There are three Zhacangs in the monastery: Me Zhacang, Je Zhacang and Ngaba Zhacang. The oldest of these, the Me Zhacang, was built in 1419 during the Ming Dynasty and features a well-preserved fresco. In the Je Zhacang the Hayagriva displayed is extremely famous throughout Tibet. The Ngaba Zhacang is the smallest and newest arena where one of its founders, Jamchen Chojey, is worshipped.

The early buildings are centered on mazacang and abazacang, and then have the scale of today after the renovation and expansion of previous dynasties, so there is no overall plan in the plane layout. However, the buildings of sera temple are dense but not crowded, miscellaneous but not disordered. They are adapted to local conditions and the main body is prominent, which reflects the unique style of the Gelug temple. It is a religious city.

Everest is the main peak of the Himalayas and the highest mountain in the world. It is located on the border between China and Nepal and is the highest peak in the world.

Mt. Everest is a giant pyramid, majestic and towering, with extremely steep terrain and complex environment. The Himalayan area where Everest is located was originally an ocean. In the long geological time, a large amount of gravel and sediment were washed from the land and accumulated in the Himalayan area, forming a marine sedimentary rock layer with a thickness of more than 30000 meters. Later, because of the strong orogeny, the Himalayas region was squeezed and uplifted violently. It is estimated that the average increase is about 20-30 meters every 10000 years. Up to now, the Himalayas is still in the process of rising, rising by 7 cm every 100 years.

Its Tibetan meaning of ‘Goddess the Third’ adds more mysterious color and magic power to the subject. As a result, it has intrigued all kinds of people since it was first discovered. Pilgrims trek long distances to present a pious worship, climbing enthusiasts run great risks to challenge its high altitude and the common visitors also yearn for a reverent look at this holy peak.

As the supreme point of the world, Mt. Qomolangma is also blessed with many extreme wonders. The top part of the mountain is covered with snow all the year round. When the glaring sun shines on the mountain, the peak is just like a white pyramid miraculously transformed by the Goddess, leading us to imagine her semblance further. More often than not, the thick freely moving clouds and fogs, seeming as if a flag with the mast of the peak was swinging, will shroud the peak. This peculiar phenomenon is known as ‘Flag Cloud’. An additional wonder generated here are the bright glaciers, where ices are formed into various shapes like bridges, pagodas and others. You can also find miles of efflorescent rock physiognomy there, such as stalagmites, stelae, stone sword, and stone pagodas. The climbing pathfinders call this splendor at such high attitude ‘the Largest Park on the High Mountain’.

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Tientsin Eye, also known as the Tianjin Eye, is a Ferris wheel as tall as 120 meters. Tianjin Eye is also the No. 1 Ferris wheel in Asia, the only Ferris wheel built above a bridge and the tenth tallest Ferris wheel in the world. You can ride Tianjin Eye to enjoy the scenery of Tianjin or appreciate Tianjin Eye from afar on Jingang Bridge which is also enjoyable.

Tianjin eye is a national 4A level scenic spot in Hebei District of Tianjin (funded by the government of Hebei District of Tianjin). It is the first Ferris wheel in Asia. It is a Ferris wheel with river crossing construction and bridge wheel integration. It has both sightseeing and transportation functions.

Except for riding Ferris wheel, looking at Tianjin Eye from afar and taking photos are also good choices. This Ferris wheel is like an eye when looking from afar and this is how Tianjin Eye is named. The best place for that is Jingang Bridge, about 800 meters (900 yards) south of Tientsin Eye. When standing on the bridge, Tianjin Eye surrounded by beautiful buildings on the bank of Hai River appears before your eyes. It’s best to come at night when Tianjin Eye and Hai River interact with each other under the illumination of lights and you can see a totally different Tianjin here.

The ferris wheel is equipped with 48 transparent cockpits, each of which can hold 8 people. There are air conditioners and fans in the cabin to adjust the temperature, which can be used for 384 people to visit at the same time. The time when the ferris wheel rotates for one circle will be affected by the number of passengers and the weather change, and it will be kept between 20 and 40 minutes. Each cabin of the ferris wheel of Yongle bridge in Tianjin covers an area of about 12 square meters, which can be used by 8 people at the same time. It is understood that 48 cockpits will rotate at a constant speed driven by electric power, and it will take about 30 minutes to rotate a circle. It can be used for 300-400 people to visit at the same time. The diameter of the ferris wheel is 110 meters, so the technical content of its rotating shaft is very high. The rotating shaft of Tianjin eye is made in Germany. The ferris wheel has passed the strength tests of compression resistance, seepage resistance, bending resistance and frost resistance.

Panshan scenic spot, located in Tianjin, covers an area of 106 square kilometers and is also known as the “The First Mountain East of Beijing”. It is a tourist and leisure resort that combines natural landscape with scenic spots, Buddhism culture and royal culture. It is listed as one of the top fifteen mountains in China.

The mountain acquired its present name, early in the Eastern Han (25-220). Taizong, the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), was prodigal of his praise of its scenery on his chance visit when he led the army in a campaign. Seventy-two temples, thirteen pagodas and numerous Xanadus and towers were built on the mountain in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Qianlong, a brilliant and wise Qing Dynasty emperor was so impressed that he made thirty or so visits and wrote 1366 poems to express his admiration of the area. In the first half of the twentieth century, the whole resort all fell to ruin due to hostilities and neglect. It has undergone a process of restoration since the 1990s and is now regaining its fame.

It is famous for jade pine trees, strange and astonishing peaks, clear waters, grotesquely shaped rocks and clusters of ancient temples. On its top, numerous pines hide the sky from view and block out the sunshine. Rugged rocks in a variety of shapes, some of which resemble a toad, a general or a boa, will greet you in the middle of the mountain. At its foot, clear water splashes on the rocks. The mountain consists of five peaks, with the main one, Guayue (Moon Hanging) Peak. Although Guayue Peak is only 2,835 feet(864 meters ) above sea level, to the north it is possible to see a section of the Great Wall while to the west Mt Taihang can be seen.

From the Wei State during the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280) onwards, emperors enthusiastically commissioned the building of temples, towers and Xanadus resulting in over 160 such sites. There are four main temples: Tiancheng Temple (God Proposing Temple), Yunzhao Temple (Cloud-Hiding Temple), Wanfo Temple (Ten Thousand-Buddha Temple) and Wansong Temple (Ten Thousand-Pine Temple). Tiancheng Temple built in the Tang Dynasty, was enlarged and repaired in the Ming and the Qing dynasties. To the east of this temple stands the Ancient Dagoba. As the biggest tower in this mountain, it has thirteen floors. The roof of the Yunzhao Temple was golden yellow, a color that normally was only allowed to be used on imperial buildings. By granting permission for this, Emperor Qianlong demonstrated his approval and admiration of the mountain. Wanfo Temple (Ten Thousand-Buddha Temple) has 10,960 small Buddha statues.