Discover China

In my travels in China I’ve been fascinated by Chinese houses and their architecture, and when visiting the Imperial Palace (Forbidden City) in Beijing last month I was delighted to come across the book Chinese House in one of the Palace Museum shops.

Chinese House is a captivating pictorial biography of the common buildings in the cities and countryside of China. It’s produced by the Beijing-based Popcorn Idea Factory.

Other books in the Popcorn Idea Factory Essentially Chinese series include Chinese Stuff, a detailed exploration of the things usually used by ordinary people in their daily lives in China.

Last night we went to the cinema to see the new movie “Shaolin”. Much more than just a Kung Fu film, the fast-paced, breathtaking Shaolin is an experience in the benevolence, wisdom and enlightenment of Chinese Buddhism. I visited the Shaolin Temple, which is located at Dengfeng near Zhengzhou in Henan Province, during my trip to Henan, Anhui, and Zhejiang in 2009. Rather than risk damage to the real Shaolin Temple, which last year gained World Heritage listing, a replica film set was built in Zhejiang Province.

Shaolin begins with feuding warlords trying to expand their power by warring over neighboring lands. Fuelled by his success on the battlefield, young and arrogant warlord Hao Jie sneers at Shaolin’s masters when he beats one of them in a duel. But pride comes before a fall. When his own family is wiped out by a rival warlord, Hao is forced to take refuge with the monks. There he confronts the harm he has done, learning Shaolin martial arts and repenting. As the civil unrest spreads and the people suffer, Hao and the Shaolin masters are forced to take a stand against the evil warlords and foreign colonists who are exploiting the Chinese people to plunder ancient treasures (something that has sadly happened in real life, one of the worst examples being the French and English looting and destruction of Yuanmingyuan).

Find out more at Emperor Motion Pictures – Shaolin.

Did you know that the Shenzhen district of Longgang has about 100 historic walled Hakka villages? These fortified towns were built mainly in the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty, and unlike the more famous round “tulou” of Fujian, the villages in Longgang are all built to square plans. To find out more read James Baquet’s Shenzhen Daily article Hakka Houses in Longgang.

New editions (Edition 4) of the Shenzhen Visitors Guides are now available. The new editions include updated Shenzhen Metro information, updated links and more. To view or download the new editions:

• Just click the “Click here to view as a PDF” button on the About Shenzhen, Shenzhen Attractions and Plan Your Shenzhen Visit pages (these pages have also been updated), or
• Visit the Downloads page.

The 23rd day of the year’s last lunar month marks a traditional Chinese holiday called Xiao Nian, which means Preliminary Eve, the prelude to the Lunar New Year’s Eve celebration. Find out more in the CNTV story China celebrates Xiao Nian festival.