Portrait: Marco Polo and the Book of the Marvels of the World

14 January 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Portrait Reading Time:  14 minutes

Travels of Marco Polo - Marco Polo in China

Travels of Marco Polo – Marco Polo in China

Marco Polo (September 15, 1254 – January 8–9, 1324) was a Venetian merchant traveller whose travels are recorded in Livres des merveilles du monde (Book of the Marvels of the World, also known as The Travels of Marco Polo, c. 1300), a book that introduced Europeans to Central Asia and China. He learned the mercantile trade from his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, who travelled through Asia, and met Kublai Khan. In 1269, they returned to Venice to meet Marco for the first time. The three of them embarked on an epic journey to Asia, returning after 24 years to find Venice at war with Genoa; Marco was imprisoned and dictated his stories to a cellmate. He was released in 1299, became a wealthy merchant, married, and had three children. He died in 1324 and was buried in the church of San Lorenzo in Venice. Marco Polo was not the first European to reach China (see Europeans in Medieval China), but he was the first to leave a detailed chronicle of his experience. This book inspired Christopher Columbus and many other travellers. There is a substantial literature based on Polo’s writings; he also influenced European cartography, leading to the introduction of the Fra Mauro map.   read more…

The Jiaozhou Bay Bridge

9 August 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Pechristener/cc-by-sa-2.0

© Pechristener/cc-by-sa-2.0

Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is a 26.7 km (16.6 mi) long roadway bridge in eastern China’s Shandong province, which is part of the 41.58 km (25.84 mi) Jiaozhou Bay Connection Project. As of December 2012, Guinness World Records lists the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge as the world’s “longest bridge over water (aggregate length)” at 41.58 km (25.84 mi).   read more…

Shanghai World Financial Center

28 June 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

Shanghai World Financial Center (left) and Jin Mao Tower © Mr.XY/cc-by-sa-3.0

Shanghai World Financial Center (left) and Jin Mao Tower © Mr.XY/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Shanghai World Financial Center is a supertall skyscraper located in the Pudong district of Shanghai in China. It was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and developed by the Mori Building Company, with Leslie E. Robertson Associates as its structural engineer and China State Construction Engineering Corp and Shanghai Construction (Group) General Co. as its main contractor. It is a mixed-use skyscraper, consisting of offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, and ground-floor shopping malls. Park Hyatt Shanghai is the tower’s hotel component, comprising 174 rooms and suites. Occupying the 79th to the 93rd floors, surpassing the Grand Hyatt Shanghai on the 53rd to 87th floors of the neighboring Jin Mao Tower. It is the second-highest hotel in the world after The Ritz-Carlton in Hong Kong, which occupies floors 102 to 118 of the International Commerce Centre. The building has a floor area of about 380,000 m² (4,107,500 sq ft). The construction costs reached USD $ 1.20 billion.   read more…

Shanghai, Paris of the East

23 November 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Pudong © J. Patrick Fischer/cc-by-sa-3.0

Pudong © J. Patrick Fischer/cc-by-sa-3.0

Shanghai is the largest city by population in the People’s Republic of China and the largest city proper by population in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities of the PRC, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010. It is a global city, with influence in commerce, culture, finance, media, fashion, technology, and transport. It is a major financial center and the busiest container port in the world.   read more…

Chengdu, panda bear capital of the world and capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China

19 June 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Tianfu Square © Fangoufang/cc-by-sa-3.0

Tianfu Square © Fangoufang/cc-by-sa-3.0

Chengdu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status. The urban area houses 14,047,625 inhabitants: 7,123,697 within the municipality’s nine districts and 6,730,749 in the surrounding region.   read more…

Shenzhen, the ‘iPod City’ in China

16 November 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Shenzhen © Joe.H.K.

Shenzhen © Joe.H.K.

Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China’s Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China’s first – and one of the most successful – Special Economic Zones (SEZs). It currently also holds sub-provincial administrative status, with powers slightly less than a province.   read more…

Country overview

9 November 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

In addition to the regular search function, a country overview is available here. Click on the country name to see all currently available blog entries.   read more…

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Chongqing, the biggest city in the world

13 July 2011 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

Chongqing at night © Jonipoon

Chongqing at night © Jonipoon

Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of the People’s Republic of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC’s four direct-controlled municipalities (the other three are Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin), and the only such municipality in inland China.   read more…

Hakka Tulou roundhouses

23 November 2010 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Architecture, Sustainability Reading Time:  8 minutes

© china-guide.de

© china-guide.de

Almost by chance we found during research these fascinating circular buildings. It is a closed inherently functional form of settlement in China. On the one side it was a residential accommodation for large families and clans, on the other side through meter-thick outer walls a passive protection which for weeks withstands enemy attacks, while self-sufficient through small areas of farm land to grow food for daily needs and stables for livestock. An exciting concept, which shows like almost no other from this time how sustainability in practice work on a small space, while at the same time is a practical advice for today’s needs, according to the motto “Think global, act local!”.   read more…

Return to TopReturn to Top