China Cultural Chronicles December 7, 2012

  • Foo dog

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    Foo dog

  • Forbidden City, Beijing

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    Forbidden City, Beijing

  • Outside Forbidden City

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    Outside Forbidden City

  • CN-754611

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    CN-754611

    Shiren Hill

  • CN-738741

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    CN-738741

  • CN-733283

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    CN-733283

  • China, October2012 Alt RR #3 from #8 Tara

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    China, October2012 Alt RR #3 from #8 Tara

    Karakul Lake
    Xinjiang, China

  • China, October50-2012 RR from emillin

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    China, October50-2012 RR from emillin

    Malaysia Pavilion
    EXPO2010 Shanghai

  • China, October50-2012 RR from #25 Yotta

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    China, October50-2012 RR from #25 Yotta

    Tibetan Tibet

  • China, October50 2012 RR from #33 Jinzhou

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    China, October50 2012 RR from #33 Jinzhou

    East Church St.Joseph (1655)
    Beijing

  • CN-722506

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    CN-722506

    Jade

  • 2106 miles since

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    2106 miles since

    If you like my work and wanna show it by inviting me to one of your groups, you are very welcome to do that, but please do not leave any graphic logos! I'll delete them.

  • Dharma Festival at the monastery complex of Kumbum Jampa Ling, Tibet 2012

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    Dharma Festival at the monastery complex  of Kumbum Jampa Ling, Tibet 2012

    Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s...

    Founding (1560) Prior to 1950 there were 29 Tibetan monasteries, temples and hermitages of the Gelukpa school within Rushar. Before 1958, Kumbum had 3,600 monks. At present, there are 400, as the monastery was affected by the PRC Chinese policies from the late 1950s. The largest and best known being Kumbum Jampaling. Nowadays three of these have reopened with official permission, and eight have done so privately. Among them, Ame Zhidak Lhakhang lies 1 km south of Kumbum, Chesho Ritro Samtenling, a small branch of Kumbum Jampaling, lies 28 km southeast of the county town, while to the northwest are Zurgyi Chokhang (18 km) which contains revered relics of Tsongkhapa, Lasar Gonchung (27 km), and Sertok Gon (43 km).
    www.footprinttravelguides.com/c/2848/tibet/&Action=pr...

  • Virtues & Vices Tableaux, Tiger Balm Gardens

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    Virtues & Vices Tableaux, Tiger Balm Gardens

    The Tiger Balm Gardens, nowadays known as Haw Par Villa, are one of Singapore's most unique and iconic sites, a Chinese mythological sculpture park filled with colourful tableaux of vivid, often truly bizarre imagery.

    It was begun in 1937 by the two Aw brothers (Boon Haw - Gentle Tiger, and Boon Par - Gentle Leopard) who had found fortune marketing their father's popular invention, Tiger Balm, hence the original name of the park. Their intention was to create an educational theme park dedicated to Chinese culture, bringing to life various scenes from Chinese myth and legend, along with Buddhist themes such as virtue and vice, reincarnation and hell. It was intended for free public access, for families to learn from and enjoy.

    The park was taken over by the local authorities in 1979 and sadly it's revamp in the 1980s was not a happy one, as it was decided to make it into a paying visitor attraction through transformation into the 'Dragon World' amusement park, which entailed some of the original tableaux and sculptures being removed to make way for rides, and hefty entrance fees introduced, never part of the founders' vision.

    Over the years visitor numbers decreased sharply and the amusement park elements were eventually dismantled, leaving the sculptures as the main attraction once more and the park is again free to enter, though sadly short of visitors compared to the height of it's popularity when whole crowds thronged the place in the 1960s. Part of the problem lies in it's distance from the centre of Singapore, though with the new Haw Par Villa MRT station opening next door in 2011 getting there now couldn't be easier.

    The Tiger Balm Garden was somewhere I'd longed to see since childhood, having heard my parents descriptions with their photos of this fascinating, surrealist landscape of exotic sculpture (their last address in Singapore was a flat not far away on Pasir Panjang Road). It is a great pity a few of the pieces they photographed have since vanished (particularly a wonderful fish tableaux), but the bulk remains as it was, and to finally be visiting it myself was an amazing experience, there was simply no question of us leaving Singapore until we'd done it!

    www.kuriositas.com/2011/01/haw-par-villa-unusual-singapor...

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    2105 miles since

    If you like my work and wanna show it by inviting me to one of your groups, you are very welcome to do that, but please do not leave any graphic logos! I'll delete them.



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