Discover China

At 2,155 meters above sea level, the peak of the rugged Huashan range is the highest of the five sacred mountain groups in China. But it is not just the altitude that makes the mountains in Huayin, Shaanxi province stand out, it is more about the Huashan’s importance in human history stretching back thousands of years. Read more in the China Daily article Haunting beauty of the Huashan.

Fuzhou, capital of East China’s Fujian province, is carrying out an ambitious plan to renovate its 163-kilometer-long urban canal system. The project is expected to re-establish the city’s waterway transport in the next few years, and in the long term its charm as the “Oriental Venice”. Read more in the China Daily article Fuzhou plans to restore the romance of its waterways.

China has passed the country’s first law for intangible cultural heritage (ICH) to better preserve the nation’s traditions of historic, literary, artistic and scientific value.  To find out more visit the CNTV News item China adopts first law for intangible cultural heritage protection.

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.