User:Vmenkov/Wishlist/China

Some places that I would like to visit some day... and maybe take photos for Wiki Commons.

Great Wall of China
Various locations, from Jiayuguan, Gansu to Shanhaiguan, Hebei.

Shaanxi

 * Xi'an: the Stele Forest museum

Liaoning

 * Dalian - Lüshun

Jilin

 * Wulajie (north of Jilin City)

Shandong
A potential Shandong route (for spring / fall, esp. by bike): Qufu - Mount Taishan - Qingdao - Zhaoyuan City Luoshan Forest Park - Yantai - Weihai.

(Admission prices below are from a year 2008 Lonely Planet book, so they must have been in effect in 2007)


 * Zoucheng (23 km south of Qufu): Mencius temple. Ancient, quieter than Qufy, highly recommended by the "Lonely Planet"; lots of bixi too :-), 8:00-18:00, Y40
 * Qufu
 * Temple of Confucius (Kong Miao), 8:00-17:30
 * Confucius Mansion (Kong Fu), 8:00-17:00
 * Confucius Forest (Kong Ling), 7:30-18:00. A combination ticket for these 3 sites was Y105 ; now, Y130 (winter rate)
 * Yan Temple (Yan Miao; dragons and bixi!). 8:00-17:00,  Y10
 * Mausoleum of Shao Hao (少昊陵), (A Song "mausolem" of a legendary ancient character). 8:00-17:00, Y20
 * Mausoleum of Shao Hao (少昊陵), (A Song "mausolem" of a legendary ancient character). 8:00-17:00, Y20
 * Mount Taishan
 * Luoshan Forest Park (罗山国家森林), Zhaoyuan City, Yantai Prefecture: Golden Ao statue: photo on Panoramio.com : "Asia's largest ao statue, 15 m tall and 20 m long. It can be seen on Google Maps satellite view: 37.46°N, 120.47278°W)

Grouped by potential day trips

 * 1) A group of Liang Dynasty tombs in the Gan Jia Xiang (甘家巷) area of Qixia District (eastern suburbs), with their stone animals and stelae. This group, about 10 km NE of downtown, includes:
 * 2) * Tomb of Xiao Xiu, Liang Dynasty Prince of Anchengkang (梁安成康王萧秀墓, Liang Anchengkang Xiao Xiu Mu). (An article: 梁安成康王萧秀墓石刻 (Sculptures at the Tomb of Xiao Xiu) ; Mapped photo on panoramio.com)
 * 3) * Some 3 km further east, Mt Qixia Temple (Qixia Shan Si) with its Relic-housing Pagoda (Sheli Ta) (棲霞山棲霞寺舍利塔) Southern Tang (南唐937至975年. Photo: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/11000498 ), and 1000 Buddhas carved in a cliff side.
 * 4) Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, and the "third tortoise" nearby.  Besides the two tortoise-borne steles in Ming Xiaoling complex, in 1999, another, unfinished, stone tortoise and an unfinished  stele lying on the ground were discovered in a ravine just over 100 to the southeast from the Sifangcheng Pavilion, and even closer to Madame Chiang Kai-Shek's former villa (known as Meiling Gong). The tortoise,  larger than those under the Shengde stele and the Kangxi Emperor's steles, and the matching blank stele were recognized by experts as being products of the early Ming, but the reasons for their manufacture and abandonment became subjects for speculation among historians. A number of possible explanations - from faulty material to the overthrow of the Jianwen Emperor by the Yongle Emperor in 1402 - have been advanced. In the meantime the tortoise and the blank stele (无字碑)  have been moved to the Red Mansions Cultural Park (红楼艺文苑, Honglou Yiwen Yuan), located just east of the Ming Xiaoling complex. (Elsewhere, the park is described as located at the NE side of the Meihua Shanl it's over 75,000 sq. m = 7.5 ha in area). )
 * 5) The unfinished stele for the Hongwu Emperor. It was prepared by the Yongle Emperor for installation in Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, but, due to its size, abandoned at the quarry, in Yangzhan Mountains. A smaller stele was installed instead. See a report at Panoramio. A site entry on Google Maps.
 * 6) Zheng He museum and supposed grave on Niushou Mt. There are also plenty of pagodas, stone Buddhas, etc. on the Niushou Mt. There is also Hong Bao's grave on Zutang Mt (祖堂山) nearby (farther south), discovered in 2010 (originally identified at ZH's; and later correctly identified).
 * 7) Temple of Tianfei (南京天妃宫, Nanjing Tian Fei Gong - Nanjing Tianfei Palace), and in particular the tortoise-based stele there put up by the Yongle Emperor ( 天妃宫碑); see photo in 天妃宫碑 . (For articles: en:Zheng He, en:Yongle Emperor)
 * 8) Nanjing Museum. Among the exhibits: a hunping funerary jar, dating to 272 AD, with a miniature architectural composition on top, depicting, among other objects, a tortoise carrying a stele erected by the Jin Dynasty governor of Changsha in honor of a local dignitary. Pieces of the Porcelain Tower of Nanjing.


 * Chaotian Palace (朝天宮, Chaotian Gong), inside Shuiximen (Western Water Gates); ca. 1384. Now, it is  Nanjing Municipal Museum (南京市博物馆; not to be confused with Nanjing Museum, 南京博物院), (Bells; a bixi)


 * Tomb of Sultan of Brunei - 浡泥王墓, pp 658-661

Of secondary interest (if we have time, or if they are on the way...)

 * Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge - socialist realism, river views. Entry from the park.


 * Ruins of the Longjiang Treasure Ship wharf (龙江宝船厂遗址, Longjiang Baochuan Chang Yizhi). Nothing is left of the original facility of course, but at least some water to take a picture of, and there are some archaeological exhibits. (NJMQJZ, pp. 134-137)


 * Small bridges in general, and Qi Qiao Weng (七桥瓮) - sculpted bridge piers - in particular


 * White Horse (Bai Ma) Park (新迁往白马公园), with a preserved stele from Nanjing's "sweet water well" (醴泉, liquan) of Ming Dynasty (pp. 192-206).


 * Wumiao Water Gate (南京城墙武庙闸) - lots of brickwork, and a stele


 * Qingliang Temple (清凉寺), on Qingliang Mountain's southern slope, and Stone City (石头城). (NJMQJZ, pp. 247-250)


 * The former site of the Porcelain Tower of Nanjing (Liuli Ta), a.k.a Bao'en Si. Nothing is left probably, although a 1911 photo does show an ancient stele.


 * Jingming Si (静明寺), with a nice ancient stele. (NJMQJZ, pp. 306-308)


 * Catholic Church (石鼓路天主教堂) at Shigu Lu 112 (NJMQJZ, pp 343-344)


 * Shi Mao Fang (石猫坊), or Bai Mao Fang (百猫坊), next to the former mansion of Yu Tonghai (俞通海) - 南升州路上浮桥东100米左右 - location -  photos (p. 360)


 * Wu Long Tan Park (乌龙潭) - some interesting sculptures

Ming Founders' tombs, with Shendao


 * Li Jie Tomb (李杰墓) - usual Shendao stuff: generals, rams, bixi, etc. (In Yuhuatai Park south of Zhonghua Gate; p. 626-630)


 * Deng Yu Tomb (邓愈墓) - complete Shendao; pp 638-642. In Dengfu Shan, somewhere outside of ZH Gate


 * Xu Da Tomb (徐达墓) - same (p 646-648)


 * Su Cheng Tomb (宋晟墓), 2 bixi, pp 664-665.


 * Fang Xiaoru Tomb (方孝孺墓), restored, with a cute bixi

Sites already visited, or with "analogs" elsewhere

 * Confucius Temple (Fuzimiao) - maybe; not if we've seen the one in Qufu already
 * Drum Tower with Kangxi's bixi stele, and Bell Tower with bells - seen already. 5Y in 2008.
 * Ancient observatory on top of Jin Zi Shan (seen its copy in Beijing). Great dragons though...

Extra info
Partial list of the Six Dynasties tombs around Nanjing (Yang Xinhua et al, p. 781):
 * (12?) Emperor Wu of Liu Song - Ningling - 2 qilins - Jiangning District, Qilin Town, Qilinpu Village
 * (9) Xiu Ge (Liang Dynasty, Prince of Guiyangjian) - 2 bixie, 1 column
 * (7) Xiao Xiu (Liang, Prince of Anchengkang) - 2 bixie, 2 columns, 4 steles (2 on round pedestals, 2 on turtles)
 * (5)


 * More sites: a Nanjing Gallery by udo54 on Panoramio.


 * Scenic spots in Nanjing - a handy brief list
 * Another list


 * Mausoleum Stone Carvings of Southern Dynasties in Nanjing


 * Another nice site: - http://www.jllib.cn/ffy/index.htm - nationwide, but with focus on Nanjing

Nanjing Six Dynasties site map in:

Northern Jiangsu

 * Ming Zuling mausoleum, in Xuyi County, on the SW shore of Hongze Lake - 33.08528°N, 118.47167°W

Anhui

 * Fengyang County - the ruins of Zhongdu and the Huangling Mausoleum

Fujian

 * Quanzhou
 * Remains of ancient (Song Dynasty) ships (in particular, the famous Quanzhou ship) and their modern models, on display at the speicial "Quanzhou Bay Ancient Ships Exhibit" (in the former Kaiyuan Temple) of the Quanzhou Overseas Relations Museum (泉州海外交通史博物馆).  More info: Quanzhou Overseas-relations History Museum


 * Fujian Tulou, at some of their locations


 * Xiamen - only saw it from the air so far. (And, yes, it would be cool to cross to Jinmen...)

Guangdong

 * Foshan: Zu Miao (Ancestral Temple)
 * Shaoguan: Nanhua Temple (the one seen by Matteo Ricci already)
 * Zhaoqing?: (Ricci's early stay)
 * The eastern tip of the province: Shantou etc, Nan'ao Island... They just look good on a map!

Sichuan

 * Sanxingdui (in Guanghan County, Deyang Prefecture)
 * Ya'an City, Lushan County: Fan Min tomb (205 AD - Eastern Han Dynasty) (樊敏). It is known as "Fan Min's Gate Towers (que, 阙) and Sculptures" (樊敏阙及石刻); the earliest extant full-size tortoise-born dragon-crowned stele. Photos: http://www.bangbenw.com/szwm/sc1/bswh/201009/t20100915_203096_1.shtml
 * Ya'an City: Gao Yi's que