The first courtyard of the Forbidden City 紫禁城

Starting with 'Now you're in Beijing (commie jungle mix)', music video. Plus Beijing's popular attractions, a trip to the blue sky city, QianHai Lake (in central Beijing), the BeiJing to ShangHai sleeper train, and The Forbidden City (documentary; in English) bonus films ... 'Now you're in Beijing ...' - think about it - you're in Beijing, China - it might be different but that is here and not there; sure some things could be better - such as rights and protections for migrant workers, but Rome wasn't built in a day, as they say. A few words on the Hu JinTao / Wen JiaBao era - definately one of China's most successful jumps forward; a major rise in prosperity for all, the growth of great infrastructure, such as the high-speed rail system, and much more, the Beijing Olympics, the Shanghai World Expo, space exploration, and the list goes on ... A happy retirement to two leaders who helped guide China back to greatness ! Mao ZeDong unified the country and helped defeat the Japanese invaders, and for that is a national hero. But things didn't go so well subsequently and on his death the 'Gang of Four' were arrested and China took a new path, though slowly at first following the courageous efforts of Deng XiaoPing. But it was not until circa 1990 that China really began to take off. So its rise to greatness, once more, is remarkable for having been achieved, from so little, in just 25 years. Obviously, they have done most things very right.

Best of the Tibet Amdo Losar New Year Gala 2016 ...

Located in the North Square by the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Every evening at 8pm; free. The fountains cover over 100,000 square meters and form the world's most spectacular fountain complex. There are 2000 sets of nozzles, over 3000 sets of lights plus a professional audio system. The huge site can be attended by over 10,000 people.

Bonus films - how to get to JinShanLing Great Wall, one of the most beautiful sections near BeiJing (well, about 3 hours away) by bus (cheaper than a coach tour) ... If you have 3 or 4 days spare, also check out ChengDe Imperial Summer Resort, a bit further in the same direction from BeiJing.

With Walk East ... XiJiang QianHu, Miao village ... 'Little ShangHai' ...

With Josh Reid ...

A scenic area / nature reserve in SiChuan province. Also, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

"There's a century-old walnut tree growing in JiuFang, YunNan province, which can yield more than 1,500 kilograms of walnuts a year. Each year during the harvest season, I would go and get some walnuts for later use. Compared to newly grown trees, its walnuts are more fragrant and tasty. They are the perfect ingredients for making porridge or cold salad dish."

A composition of aerial and time-lapse scenes ...