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Strange Slope Scenic Area is located at the foot of Maoshan mountain in Shenbei New District of Shenyang, facing the wilderness and backing on the mountains. It descends eastwards from its western peak, occupying an area of nine sq kilometers (5.6 sq miles). It is 80 meters (262.5 feet) long and 15 meters (49.2 feet) wide.

In April, 1990, the discovery of the Strange Slope in Shenyang, Liaoning Province drew attention worldwide. Its fame continues to spread as visitors from home and abroad flock to see this rare sight. Its uniqueness lies in its apparent violation of gravity. If a car stops at the foot of the slop, it will run to the top of the slop without any difficulty. The contrary occurs when cars attempt to drift downwards. Experts and scholars have attempted to discern the mystery of it. Commonly scholars attribute this phenomenon to magnetic fields and optical illusions. Owing to the lack of evidence for a solid explanation, Strange Slope is still regarded as a mystery.

Today, the Slope lies at the heart of the Strange Slope Scenic Area, which also features a number of other natural attractions, including those which comprise the area’s well-known ‘Three Mysteries’ and ‘Five Great Mountains’.

Xiangshan is located on a hillside 100 meters (328 feet) away from Strange Slope Scenic Area. Here, when one stomps on the hillside, he/she hears a loud sound resonating from the earth below. Its name, Xiangshan, means a hill which produces a heavy sound. Wongding is another hilltop located close by. Similarly, its name (pronounced ‘wong’) describes the sound which results from a wooden hammer or a stone hitting the ground. Together with the Strange Slope, these sights comprise the ‘Three Mysteries’ of the scenic area.

The area surrounding the Strange Slope Scenic Area is lush and mountainous. Yunmaoshan Mountain is tranquil yet prominent with its lofty peak remaining veiled by clouds year-round. Wolongshan Mountain winds up and down like a crouching dragon with valleys on its foot covered with Chinese scholartrees. Every year during May and June, petals whirl around covering the whole valley with a snowy guise. Guibeishan Mountain, which looks like three tortoises floating in the water, together with other two mountains, Changkongshan Mountain and Dagushan Mountain, make up the famous ‘Five Great Mountains’ of the Scenic Area.

There are many other attractions around Strange Slope Scenic Area such as enchanting lakes and a fresh spring, Xiamei Spring. There is a labyrinth between the Strange Slope and Xiangshan, as well as a path with 518 steep steps. The view from atop the steps is fully worthwhile; here visitors can view a panorama of the scenic area as well as the nearby Wolong Temple.

The Mukden Palace is located at No. 171, Shenyang Road, Shenhe District in Shenyang City. It is the only existing royal palace in China outside of the Forbidden City in Beijing. It can be divided into three sections-the eastern section, the middle section and the western section. Each section boasts of unique characteristics. Besides the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Mukden Palace, namely the Shenyang Forbidden City, is the only other existing palace complex in China. Within its walls much is revealed about the early Qing Dynasty. It was listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2004 as an extension of the Forbidden City and is now the most popular and renowned tourist attraction in Shenyang.

The eastern section of Shenyang Imperial Palace contains the very impressive Hall of Great Affairs (Da Zheng Dian). Here emperors ascended the throne, enacted imperial edicts, and welcomed victorious generals and soldiers. A group of pavilions, known as the Ten Kings Pavilion, stand to its east and west. They formerly served as the place where emperors and leaders from the eight banners (Ba Qi) settled national affairs.

This architectural style of the Mukden Palace is unique. The style of the buildings, which displays an amalgamation of Han, Manchu and Mongolian cultures, all originated from the shape of a nomadic tent. The eastern section of the palace is representative of the whole palace.

The middle section starts from the Da Qing Gate, with Chong Zheng Dian (Jin Luan Dian), the Phoenix Tower and Qingning Palace arranged on a central axis from south to north. Chong Zheng Dian is the place where Abahai held court. It is the most important building in the Mukden Palace. The Phoenix Tower, a three-storied building, was the highest structure in the whole city at that time. Qingning Palace was the bedchamber for Abahai and his concubines.

The western section was constructed by order of Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799). Its main structure is the Wen Su Pavilion. In front of this, there are the Opera Stage and Jiayin Hall and behind it is the Yang Xi Room. The Wen Su Pavilion, which contains the Complete Collection of Four Treasures, has a black roof because black was considered to represent water which could be used to extinguish a fire to protect the priceless books contained inside.

Xibaipo is a village located in the middle of Pingshan County of Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province. It got the name Xibaipo, literally a slope with cypresses, from verdant cypresses on a hillside behind the village. Covering an area of around 16,440 square meters (4 acres), it once served as the headquarters of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCCPC), Central Working Committee and Chinese People’s Liberation Army. In Xibaipo Village, the Central Committee and Chairman Mao commanded three major campaigns including Liaoshen, Pingjin and Huaihai Campaigns during the Chinese civil war (1946-1949) against the Kuomingtang, convened the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee and National Land Conference. On March 23th, 1949, the headquarters were moved to Beijing.

After years of development, Xibaipo Village has become a patriotism base as well as a popular tourist site. The main attractions are the Former Site of CCCPC, the Memorial Hall, the Garden of Monuments, the National Security Education Hall, the Sculpture Garden of Former Chinese Leaders, the Anti-corruption Education Hall and the Youth Garden, among which the first three are definitely worth a visit.

Originally, the Former Site of CCCPC was located in the east of the Xibaipo Village. However, Gangnan Reservoir was built near the village in 1958. Therefore, another new village patterned on the original one was built on a hill near the reservoir in 1971, so is the current site. Until now, 196 rooms with a total floor space of around 2,760 square meters (3,300 square yards) have been rebuilt, such as the former residences of former Chinese leaders including Chairman Mao, Zhu De, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Ren Bishi and Dong Biwu, Command Room of the Central Military Commission, the Site of the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh CCCPC, the air-raid shelter.

The Memorial Hall was built to the southwest of the Former Site of CCCPC in 1977. It was opened to the public in May of 1978, housing more than 2,000 pieces of revolutionary relics. Some precious ones are Chairman Mao’s desk, Liu Shaoqi’s document case, Zhu De’s metal chair and Dong Biwu’s walking stick.

The Garden of Monuments was expanded from the Garden of Stone Inscriptions constructed in 1997. To commemorate the 90th anniversary of the founding of Chinese Communist Party in 2011, the Garden of Stone Inscriptions was enlarged and renamed as the Garden of Monuments. There is a giant black marble slab inscribed with more than 560 pieces of calligraphy works of Chinese former leaders and generals, well-known national calligraphers and social celebrities. The central monument is made of a 8.7-meter (28.5-foot) tall triangular marble slab with the inscriptions of the former Chinese leaders (Chairman Mao, Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin).

Pingyao Ancient City was established in the centre of Shanxi Province, and is well-known for the Local Resident Houses of the famous Jin (short name of Shanxi)  Merchants who indulged in business and then returned many years later when they were quite rich. At this sight, we usually can’t help wondering ‘How has a prospering business like this existed in Pingyao’. Here, on the Ancient Ming-Qing Street, the called ‘Wall Street of China’ and where Liang’s Compound is located, we’ll find an answer.

Ancient Ming-Qing Street was the noisiest centre of business at that time. The street is not very wide, with various kinds of shops orderly arranged along the road. These shops were all built with bricks and stones completely in the style of Ming and Qing architecture, which are all the prototypes of the aged buildings and quite different from the imitation works now. In the granite thresholds of each decent house, two lines of deep trails left by the running-over carriages can still be found, which provides evidence of the former bustle of business and also the pride held for them in the old days.

Pingyao had been the focus of trade and lead the national finance for decades since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). On the main streets of South Avenue, West Avenue and East Avenue, various shops, firms and banks are scattered, along with a wide range of businesses, including a teashop, cloth shop, salt shop, silk shop, general merchandise shop, hockshop, exchange shop among others. West Avenue, where the known nowadays as the ‘Countryside Grandfather’ of sundry Chinese banks, Rishengchang Former Bank is located, was called ‘the First Financial Street of Great Qing (1644-1911)’.

Nowadays, many shops on the Ancient Ming-Qing Street have been rebuilt to be used as museums or restaurant. For example, Baichuantong Exchange Shop now displays furniture, calligraphy, household utensils and other articles of the previous housemasters. Yonglonghao Exchange Shop has been rebuilt as the national lacquer museum and Yunjincheng Chinese Medicine Shop as Pingyao Traditional Famous Food Restaurant.

Walking to the centre of the Ancient Ming-Qing Street, you can see a tall pavilion building. Here almost all the businesses in this city were concentrated back then. This building, also called City Building, along with the City Wall, has become witnesses to the long history of this ancient city in the people’s eyes. A well is hidden in the southeast of the building, the color of its water is said to be closest to gold. Hence the building is also called ‘Golden Well Building’. The spot had entered into the directory of Twelve Sceneries of Pingyao in the Qing Dynasty and this area is also listed as a key spot now under provincial cultural protection.

Entering the Ancient Ming-Qing Street, you can not only feel the atmosphere of the flourishing businesses formerly established but also appreciate the really ancient building designs. Don’t pass by the chance to properly taste some of the delicious food available in Pingyao, such as noodles made as dishes, savory beefs as well as the uniquely fragrant and dainty ‘Wantuo’. With so many interesting and historical attractions to visit and divine concoctions to sample, this area is sure to make a lasting impression on you once you venture here.

Tiger Hill, known also as Surging Sea Hill, is a large hillock covering about 3.5 acres and only 118 feet in height. Climbing it, you will find a number of historical sites some of which can be traced back over 2,500 years to the founding of Suzhou. Although the hill is relatively small it has rich history. These are just some of the highlights of what to be found there.

In 496 BC during the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC-476 BC), He Lu, King of the Wu State perished during the war fought against the Yue State. His son buried him on the hill and three days after the funeral a white tiger came and sat upon the grave as though guarding it. From that time on it has been known as Tiger Hill.

The pagoda stands on the hill’s summit and is the Pagoda of the Yunyan Temple. As the oldest pagoda in the vicinity of Suzhou it has come to be a symbol of the city and has the distinction of being China’s Leaning Tower. Built during the Northern Song Dynasty (959-961), it is a seven-storey octagonal tower following the style of the timber pagodas built during the early Tang Dynasty (618-907). It is 158 feet high and for the past four hundred years has leant 3.59 degrees to the northwest.

King He Lu was a zealous collector of rare swords and it is said that he tested them upon this stone. The crevice thus made in the rock is the only evidence of the existence of these swords, as it is believed that they were buried beneath the Sword Pool as funerary objects. Another mystery that surrounds the tomb is the whereabouts of the remains of the 1,000 workers who built it and who were put to death upon completion of the task.

Built in the tenth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the villa is a masterpiece of the splendid gardens for which Suzhou is so famous. As the only garden without lakes or pools in Suzhou, the villa distinguishes itself from others. It was constructed according to the outline of the hill with exquisite pavilions, paths, and decorated by luxuriant woods and flowers. The Verdant Mountain Villa was designed so that it embraced the natural vistas and views from the halls and porches, which are the most pleasing to the eye.

The ancient art of bonsai tree growing originated in China and there are hundreds of magnificent specimens on display at this villa. Many of the specimens you can see have been awarded prizes in prestigious bonsai competitions. The miniature replicas of full-sized gardens are sure to amaze you and will give an insight into the skill and artistry of Chinese master gardeners that has been handed down from long ago.

There can be little doubt that Tiger Hill is a wonderful sight with its leaning pagoda, waterfalls and landscaped paths. It is hard to believe that it was man made to be the cemetery of king but this is yet another part of the wonder in China, a land that will never cease to amaze and enthral the visitor with its heritage.

Shantang Street, an ancient riverside pedestrian road in northwest Suzhou, Jiangsu, is very popular with tourists. From Changmen Gate (the west gate of the ancient city) in the downtown, it winds northwest on the northern bank of the Shantang River, and ends at scenic Tiger Hill. It extends about 2.2 miles (seven li), hence the name ‘Seven-Li Shantang’.

Shantang Street can be sectioned into two by Bantang Bridge. The east part, from Duseng Bridge in Changmen, is built up with houses and shops; while the west part, from the Tiger Hill, is natural landscape. The entire block features typical characteristics of south China in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The clear river meanders along under small arched bridges interspersed with wooden boats adrift, passing numerous old residences and shops on the bustling street. All the above is a picturesque rendering of a beautiful ancient water town in south China. It is ideally a place to stroll, try all kinds of local snacks and pick up souvenirs. You should go boating to take in the street scene from a different angle. When night falls and the red lanterns glimmer below the eaves, it becomes hard to resist.

The old street sector is about 360 meters long. Although it fills only one tenth of the length, it has the essence of the Shantang block and is called the ‘miniature of the old Suzhou’ and the ‘window of Jiangsu culture’. It was a commodities hub, where merchants conducted business and community staged folk activities. It was one of the most eventful streets in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Qing Emperor Qianlong liked the Shantang Street very much. When he toured Suzhou in 1762, he left words to praise the wonderful scene.

Nowadays the street reflects prosperity of both the present and the bygone era, with numerous shops and commercial guild halls. Tourists can try various snack shops with time-honored brands, including Caizhizhai, Wufangzhai and Qianshengyuan. There are also many specialty shops selling featured souvenirs like wood engravings, stones carvings and embroideries. There are eight side bridges on the riverbanks and seven bridges spanning across the river, and the most famous one is Tonggui Bridge, a single arch stone bridge. It is 21 yards long and 2.5 yards wide. Looking like a half moon, the arch of bridge and its shadow in the water form a perfect circle. The bridge is not unique, but it is the most photographed. It is worth a boating trip to experience the life of ancient residents there.

This exquisite Master of Nets Garden was first designed during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) as a residence for a government official. At that time, the garden was named “the Hall of Ten Thousand Books” because the owner housed numerous books in three studies within the garden. Later on, it went through vicissitudes in different dynasties until an official named Song Zongyuan bought and restored the garden around 1765 in the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911). It is said that in a moment of frustration with bureaucracy he declared that he would rather be a fisherman than a bureaucrat. Therefore, he changed the name of this garden to “Wangshi Yuan”, meaning a fisher’s garden in English, to express his will.

The Master of Nets Garden is divided into three sections: a residential section, the central main garden and an inner garden. The main garden has a large pond that is surrounded by pathways and a variety of buildings such as the Ribbon Washing Pavillion (Zhuoying Shuige) and the Pavillion for the Advent of the Moon and Wind (Yuedao Fenglai Ting). There are many more buildings that are situated so that there is never a sense of crowding, but always of spaciousness. As is common in Suzhou gardens, the pond has a small pavilion in it. Here the pavilion is accessible by a bridge that is less than one foot wide.

As you walk about the gardens and along the walkways, you can often see beautiful flowers or plants through delicate windows which frames the scenery from a distance and draw you to a single sight, a moment of peaceful natural beauty. As you walk through the buildings, it is easy to imagine the life that the original residents lived in a feudal society where these gardens were solely for their pleasure and the pleasure of their guests.  The various buildings are constructed so that you can always access the main garden from any room.

The inner garden Dian Chun Yi which is only about 660 square feet, has the distinction of being used as the model for the Ming Hall Garden at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and also completely miniaturized for an exhibit in the Pompidou Center in Paris in 1982. This garden is reputed to be the most well-preserved one in Suzhou and should not be missed. It is small in size, but is like a beautifully cut diamond whose beauty is of everlasting fascination and pleasure.

Zhonghua Gate is the South Gate of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. As a precious cultural relic, it has the double characteristics of the largest castle gate in China and the most complex castle in the world. It is the magnificent scale, exquisite structure and superb construction technology of this castle that have left an important position in China’s military and architectural traditions.

Construction of the castle took twenty-one years, from 1366 to 1387. The Zhonghua Gate, originally called the ‘Gate of Gathering Treasure’ carries a legend from the time of its creation in the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). According to the legend, when Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty, had the gate built, the ground kept sinking. The gate collapsed again and again. It was not until a treasure bowl was buried underground that it stood firm. In 1931, to commemorate the revolution of 1911 and the Republic of China (1919-1949) that emerged as a result, the Gate of Gathering Treasure was renamed Zhonghua Gate. In Chinese Pinyin, Republic of China is written as Zhonghua Minguo.

Nanjing was the capital of China during the Ming Dynasty under the reign of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Di, the son of Zhu Yuanzhang, moved the capital to Beijing in 1420. In 1366, Zhu Yuanzhang began to build a wall around the city of Nanjing to defend it from attack. The Gate of Gathering Treasure was built on the site of a previous gate, the south gate of the city built during the Later Tang Dynasty (923 – 936). The new one, the grandest among the thirteen gates of the new castle, was an architecturally complex structure composed of three closed courtyards and four arched doors serving as the entrance. There were double paneled wooden doors and with additional stone door set behind. If the enemy broke through the wooden doors, they could be separated and trapped in the three closed courtyards upon dropping the stone doors.

Twenty-seven tunnels were built in the castle to store large quantities of food and weapons and to hold approximately 3,000 soldiers. Wide and steep ramps were built on the east and west side to allow people to carry materials upward. The entire structure was built with massive bricks mortared together with special cement made from lime, sticky rice juice and tung oil. In order to guarantee the quality of the construction, every brick underwent a strict quality control process. The brick makers and builders were ordered to mark their names on each brick. Even today, it is possible to find Chinese characters and numbers on the bricks. No doubt, this detailed attention to quality of construction is one of the reasons why the condition of the castle remains so remarkably good today.

At No. 292, Changjiang Road, Xuanwu District, the Nanjing Presidential Palace, originated in the Ming Dynasty as a royal residence, is now the biggest China Modern History Museum. More than 90,000 square meters, the Nanjing Presidential Palace covers three exhibiting sections: the middle section, the western section, and the eastern section respectively, comprising altogether eleven halls.

Through the western style gatehouse rebuilt in 1929, there are audience waiting rooms on both sides. Going forward, this road leads to the great hall, an ancient Chinese building with double eaves. The great hall has undergone many dramatic changes, but it is always ready for various occasions, such as the completion of Sun Yat-sen’s West Wing at the back of the Great Hall in 1912.

A North corridor connects the great hall and the auditorium as well as the retro second level hall in the late Qing Dynasty. The second level hall serves as a ceremonial place for the reception of envoys. Go north, pass a reception room and Kirin gate, and you will arrive at the government administration. There are many interesting materials in the exhibition. Go on, and you will arrive at the main building of Nanjing presidential palace, that is, Zichao building. There are five floors in the tower, one for civil servants, two for president and vice president, and three for meetings.

Xuyuan is located in the west side of Nanjing presidential palace, so it is also called “Xiyuan”. As a typical garden in the south of the Yangtze River, Xuyuan has stone boat,Lianyi Pavilion, Yinxin stele house, etc. The most notable building is the office of the interim president, where the first cabinet meeting of the interim republican government took place on 21 January 1912. Later occupied by military organizations of the National Government.

It had once been the site of an administration building and is now used to display some important historical documents and records. Exhibitions on different themes are often held here.

Located at the foot of Zijin Mountain, about 6km from the center of Nanjing, Meilin palace is a magnificent villa built by President Jiang Jieshi for his wife Song Meiling. Therefore, it is also known as “May-ling Villa”. The villa is the largest in Nanjing, with a total area of more than 2000 square meters. Its formal name is National Government Chairman Residence.

Finished in 1934, Meiling Palace was specified as a residence for the chairman of the National Government, and then it was used as a restroom for officials paying homage at nearby Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Mausoleum. After the war between China and Japan ended in 1946, the National Government moved back to Nanjing and Chairman Chiang Kai-Shek used this villa as his official residence. He and his wife spent a lot of time here during holidays, receiving foreign guests and worshiping Jesus.

Seen from above, the villa looks like an emerald necklace. The ring road with green plane trees is the chain and the villa with shining glazed tiles under the sunlight is the emerald pendant.

The villa is in traditional Chinese style with double eaves and a gable and hip roof covered by green glazed tiles, while the interior is in a luxurious western style. On the glazed tiles, more than 1,000 phoenixes are carved, which is the only example in China. Famous brushwork painter, Chen Zhifo, painted the eaves with beautiful birds and flowers.

The main building of Meiling Palace is a two-storey mansion, with an underground basement and a mezzanine between the first and second floor. On the east side of the basement is a staffroom, and on the west is a kitchen. On the first floor, there are reception, cloak, secretary and guard rooms. The mezzanine has a hall, a drawing room, and a grand ballroom, and the upper floor is where the Chiang couple lived, with bedrooms, studies, bathroom, Victory Chapel, and a skip-floor on the north as their private dining room. Inside the villa there are typical western fireplaces, large floor-to-ceiling windows, and modern sanity facilities.The villa was made of reinforced concrete and has a grand garden in front, a big balcony on the middle floor and terrazzo mosaic ceramic tiles. It is a perfect integration of the traditional Chinese architectural style and culture and western modern construction technology and skill. Thus Meilling Palace was praised by the former United States ambassador in China, Leighton Stuart, as the “Best Villa in Far East”.

The whole Meiling Palace shows feminine traits, in the 1000 phoenixes on the roof, and the 34 white marble pillars, each with a phoenix on it, 34 indicating Soong’s birthday date, March 4th. The inner function division also demonstrates femininity. For example, the master bedroom was furnished to Soong May-ling’s liking while the second bedroom was to Chiang’s. Soong’s secretary’s room was on the middle floor while Chiang’s secretary had a room in the basement. It’s postulated that Meilling Palace was a gift to Soong May-ling from Chiang Kai-shek.

There are several exhibitions in Meiling Palace now, showing Soong May-ling’s life as a politician, a diplomat and an artist as well as stories about this grand villa. On the second floor are a book store and a café bar.