Discover China

After eight months of voting and evaluation, 10 aspects of Guangdong culture, ranging from opera styles to outstanding historical figures, have been chosen by the Guangdong Provincial Government to represent the cultural gems of Guangdong. The 10 gems are Guangdong opera, Cantonese cuisine, the Cantonese arcade building style, Cantonese music, lion dance, the Lingnan school of painting, Duan inkstone, Kaiping diaolou, and two historic figures: Sun Yat-sen, the leader of China’s republican revolution, and Huineng, the sixth Patriarch of the Zen. The Kaiping diaolous in Kaiping County, named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2007, are fortified multi story towers built from reinforced concrete. They served mainly as protection against bandits. To read more about the Kaiping diaolous see the Shenzhen Daily article Kaiping diaolou.

In just under a month the 16th Asian Games will commence in Guangzhou with what will undoubtedly be a spectacular opening ceremony. Final preparations are being put in place for this major event and the torch relay is underway. To find out more about the Guangzhou Asian Games host locations, venues, events, torch relay and preparations see the CNTV Special Feature Guangzhou Asian Games.

The CNTV website profiles the Top 10 most beautiful geological parks in China, famous for their excellent scenery as well as their unique geologic formations.

Established in 2004, the Creative Cities Network connects cities who want to share experiences, ideas and best practices for cultural, social and economic development. Cities may apply to be endorsed by the Network and join the programme to ensure their continued role as centres of excellence and to support other cities, particularly those in developing countries, in nurturing their own creative economy. The Network is divided into seven categories including literature, film, music, crafts and folk art, design, media arts, and gastronomy. A total of 25 cities have joined the Network. The Shenzhen conference on 6-9 December 2010 will be the first UNESCO Creative Cities Network meeting to be held in China. Scholars, industry insiders and government officials from all around the world are invited to attend the conference. To find out more visit UNESCO Creative Cities Network 2010 Shenzhen International Conference.

China’s moon exploration project, Chang’e, was named after a Chinese legend about a goddess who flew to the moon. Since its commencement in 2004, the program has attracted attention from around the world. The first spacecraft of the program, Chang’e 1, was an unmanned lunar orbiter launched in 2007. The second lunar orbiter, Chang’e 2, was launched on 1 October 2010 (Chinese National Day) and is currently carrying out it’s mission of research within the moon’s orbit to lay the foundation for future moon landings and exploration.  To find out more see the CNTV Special Feature – China Launches 2nd Moon Orbiter.