Although Beijing’s Imperial Vault of Heaven itself astounds tourists and worshippers, it is the temple’s outer wall that truly amazes those who discover it. Dubbed the “Echo Wall,” this temple’s surrounding circle utilizes the theory of sound waves, enabling long distance conversation to travel the length of the wall. Words whispered from the landmark’s east base reverberate along the wall allowing an individual at the west side to hear the spoken words.  At the Echo Wall, speech can travel more than 100-feet unaided by modern technology – now that is true wireless communication!

Xi’an – one of the most important cultural cities in China – was once the capital of the Chinese Empires for more than 1,500 years. However, when the center of China moved to the east, Xi’an quickly moved out of the spotlight and was soon known as a secondary city. It wasn’t until the 1970s that the discovery of the Terra-Cotta Warriors there put Xi’an back on the map. The Terra-Cotta Warriors were actually a cultural landmark left by Emperor Qin Shihuang – the first Chinese emperor. Read the rest of this entry »

The Great Wall of China – known as one of the seven wonders if the world – is the only man-made object that can be seen from space by the naked eye. The current remains of the Great Wall wander through the northern part of China – connecting the eastern China Sea to the barren desert in the west. Today, more than 5,000 kilometers of the wall are still visible. Read the rest of this entry »

Originally a religious ritual born nearly 2,000 years ago, The Lantern Festival – or Yuanxiao Jie – began when Buddhist leaders lit lanterns on the 15th day of the first lunar month, on the last day of the Chinese New Year, to show respect to their spiritual founder. Shortly after this religious observance developed, the ceremony spread to the Imperial Palace by edict of Emperor Mingdi and Chinese society followed by turning it into a national celebration. Read the rest of this entry »

The Forbidden City – the largest imperial palace in the world – is situated in the center of Beijing and covers more than 178 acres of land in China. As an ancient Chinese legend goes, “the God resided in the heavens, known to all as the “Purple City.”” During the 17th Century, Chinese emperors claimed to be the sons of the God in an effort to justify their absolute power, and thus their homes would be considered a forbidden area to the common people. As a result, “Purple Forbidden City” became the official name for the emperor’s palace. Read the rest of this entry »