Planning war on China – part 23 – Angelo and Brian – 2021 to 2022 – don’t miss it

The ancient town of LiJiang, in YunNan province, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with over 800 years of history. It was an important hub of the South Silk Road, along which many items were traded, including tea. It is home to the NaXi ethnic minority. LiJiang has lots of boutique hotels and cosy hostels in traditional architecture. The town, with its cobbled streets, streams and bridges, features many crafts (embroidery, silverware, drums and more) plus a wide variety of street snacks and restaurants.

XiShuangBanNa located in the south of YunNan province, south China, is a charming international eco-tourism resort on the reaches of the Mekong river (known as the LanCang river in China), bordering with Laos and Myanmar, and adjacent to Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Esteemed for its captivating tropical landscapes and exotic cultures of the 13 native minorities, this land is home to China's largest tropical rainforest and abundant biological resources, and the Dai Water Splashing Festival (which lasts for three days from April 13 to 15). The Six Famous Tea Mountains region, 六大茶山 (Liù Dà Chá Shān) produce some of the most highly regarded Pu-Er tea. There are daily flights from KunMing, DaLi and ChengDu.

YT comment : dominique ridoux : True story: I once visited a couple of friends in their flat in downtown Shanghai city. When I arrived the whole street was under construction, the road, the side walks, everything... We had lunch, played mahjong, then dinner. When I went out after the evening dinner, the street was completely finished! New asphalt, sidewalks paved and new trees planted all the way. I even went back thinking my friend's building had 2 entrances... The big difference with us in Europe is when a decision is made the do some infrastructure work, they will put as many workers as needed to do it very quickly, they cannot afford to have streets blocked for weeks in a city of 23 million people like Shanghai. In China everything is about efficiency because they have no other choice. Can you afford to queue for tickets and so on in a city of 23 millions? No! Ok, let's all use Wechat and Alipay to increase efficiency... Done in a few years! Almost nobody is using cash anymore in China! They apply the same mindset to everyday activity, may it be transportation, food industry or even paying your taxes! The result is (as far as I am concerned) a full body check (including check in, CT scan, blood work etc) in less than 2 hours including a complementary breakfast for less than 400 Euros. Or Visa application done in 20 minutes. All car parkings are using plate recognition technology decreasing time wasting again and again. High speed train are efficient, can move large amounts of people at a fantastic pace. Also as mentioned by many people, they build "hubs", you get out of the train and you have 2 or even 3 subway lines to bring you to your final destination, more and more you even have the airport hub at a walking distance! We have a similar hub in Paris (CDG with RER and TGV within the airport walking distance) but the size of it in Shanghai makes it spectacular! YT comment : rhn94 China spent 1 Trillion USD over 10-15 years building this network, that is 1/4th the cost of the Iraq War the US paid. YT comment : Pal Sih China is building their country. USA is destroying other countries. YT comment : thata xx The best part of China's high speed train is you can order food from any of the restaurants in the station on your phone and designate at what time during which stop to have it delivered to you. During the 2-3 minutes stop, your food is already there waiting to be distributed to you on the train. I miss it so much.

With Walk For You ...

The nearly one million square meter Palace Museum lies at the heart of Beijing ...

Awesome feel-good dance video ... Locations: The Great Wall, the Summer Palace, the "Bird's Nest" Beijing National Stadium, QianHai - HouHai, the Temple of Heaven, ZhongShan Park and The Place mall. Music：the fantastic Pink Martini - "Wo Yao Ni De Ai  我要你的爱"  (I Want You, To Be My Baby) http://swingbeijing.com/

Highlights of an eight week trip though Tibet, YunNan, SiChuan, GanSu and QingHai provinces (2007).

The delightful China Central TV concert of 2013 ... * Children of the Dragon (HOU Dejian, 侯德健), performed by Green QIU (QIU Wutong, 邱梧桐, 10 years old), Xiaolong (小龙, 11 years old), and JIN Zhuofan (金卓凡, 12 years old), all from China. * Memory (musical Cats, Andrew Loyd Webber), performed by Jessie Hillel (11 years old) from New Zealand. * You Raise Me Up, performed by LI Zewei (李泽维, 11 years old), ZHONG Chenle (钟辰乐, 11 years old), and LIU Bo (柳博, 10 years old), all from China. * Turkish March (土耳其进行曲), by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (莫扎特), performed by ZOU Yufei (邹宇飞, 4 years old), WANG Liya (王丽雅, 11 years old), ZHU Zihe (朱梓赫, 8 years old), and YE Zifan (叶子凡, 12 years old), all from China. * He is a Pirate, performed by CHEN Qingli (陈庆丽) from Hong Kong, China. * I can fly, performed by Teressa from the U.S. (5 years old). Teressa is of Chinese and American heritage. * Baby, performed by NIE Jieming (聂杰铭, English name: James Robert Nicol, 11 years old) from Australia. * Spicy Girl, performed by Tianyuan (Chinese name:恬源, English name: Tyerra, 8 years old) from the U.S. Tianyuan is of Chinese and American heritage. * Kalinka, performed by Russian children from Russian Embassy School in Beijing, and Xiao Ding Dang Childrens Choir of the Russian Culture Center in Beijing. * Love to Flowers and Earth Song, performed by Fairies in Rain Forest (Chinese name:雨林精灵, Pinyin: Yu Lin Jing Ling). Fairies in Rain Forest is formed by two sisters: Linda LEE (李林妲, LI Linda) and Wanda LEE (李宛妲, LI Wanda) of Chinese and German heritage. Their fater, Josef Margraf, is a German ecologist. Love to Flowers is a folk song of ethnic Hani Chinese, sung in the Hani language. Earth Song by Michael Jackson. * I Just Can't Wait to be King (from The Lion King), performed by the Popcorn Band (Chinese name: 爆米花乐团) from China and Chelsey Mark (Chinese name: 麦小龙, Pinyin: MAI Xiaolong) from Canada; Chelsey Mark is a well-known host of CCTV. * You'll Be in My Heart (Phil Collins), performed by Ming-An Fasquelle (11 years old, French-American, born in France, raised in Beijing). * I Have a Dream (Abba), performed by WANG Xinyi (王馨怡, 10 years old) from China. * ABC (Jackson 5) performed by SH' Boss Boys from the U.S. * We Will Rock You (Brian May / Queen), performed by Xiaolong (小龙), Huolong (火龙), LI Shuxi (李淑昕), ZHENG Xiao (郑宵), Tianyuan (恬源), 奥斯卡 (Oscar), 成宇朵儿 (CHENGYU Duo-Er), Popcorn Band (爆米花乐队), Zaizai (仔仔), and Kent Niepert (Xiaolong's dad).

A documentary series by RT. Text by RT. The Ancient Silk Road was a trade route that began in China in the 2nd century BC and, for more than 1700 years, linked Europe and Asia. As well as goods, it facilitated a cultural exchange between the continents, knowledge, religion, art, philosophy and tradition all passed back and forth between distant nations. Modern China now has the strongest economy in Asia and is a major world power. This series examines the enduring influence of the Silk Road in making the nation what it is today and how its legacy still thrives in China. PART ONE From the 2nd century BC onwards, the great Silk Road was a vital trade route that provided a link between Eurasian countries. It began during China’s Han dynasty and eventually stretched all the way to Rome. Throughout its 17 centuries of existence, it played a crucial role in enabling cultural interaction between nations and peoples all over the continents. As well as establishing economic ties, it also facilitated the exchange between countries of knowledge, religious practice, architectural styles, art, philosophy and traditions. Modern Chinese culture has been heavily influenced by centuries of trade with neighbouring countries. Today, there are still sites in China that preserve the history of the Silk Road and the country’s role in it. Tang West Market Museum in the city of Xi'an marks the ancient starting point of the Silk Road and displays relics unearthed from what used to be a major centre for international trade. The Silk Route Museum in the city of Jiuquan celebrates the first ever customs checkpoint in history. This city served as an outpost on China’s border with unforgiving and perilous nomadic lands. Meanwhile, a network of grottos called the Mogao Caves bears witness to Buddhism arriving and thriving in China. Today, China remains true to the well-established tradition of cultural exchange with its neighbours. 2016-2017 are dedicated to furthering Russo-Chinese relations and bilateral media ties. The history of collaboration between the two countries dates back as far as 400 years, when religious missionaries crossed the borders to introduce the other side to their homeland’s rich cultural practices. PART TWO China is developing a unique blend of socialism and capitalism. The state-owned sector dominates but there has been a sudden surge in privately owned businesses operating in a new market economy. The two systems coexist in apparent harmony despite the seemingly contradictory ideologies of capitalism and communism. Private businesses began to appear after the country’s economic reforms of the late 1970s, ushered in by then premier, Deng Xiaoping. The emergence of private entrepreneurship led to rapid economic development for China. The country is still among the world’s fastest growing economies and is often the first to tap into new markets. To further expand its regional economic influence, China has launched a programme to revive the famous old Silk Road. They are confident that the route will develop new international markets and forge new business alliances. The multifaceted programme involves improving road infrastructure and modernising key cities along the ancient Silk trading route. They are also creating more favourable conditions for business with incentives like company tax breaks and duty-free towns near the borders with neighbouring countries. The project has been dubbed the ‘One Belt, One Road initiative’, and involves cooperation with more than 60, mostly neighbouring countries, with Russia among the major partners. RTD examines examples of Sino-Russian cooperation carried out under the ‘One Belt, One Road’ umbrella, including large-scale government projects and private trade deals with Russian customers. PART THREE - The Ancient Silk Road was a major trade route that linked Europe and Asia between the 2nd century BC and the late 16th AD. - Modern China is a rapidly growing economy. “One Belt, One Road” is an initiative to revive the Silk Road to help the country play a bigger role in global affairs. - Ancient towns that were once key outposts on the Silk Road are undergoing rapid growth both economically and in infrastructure as they are to reprise their roles as major trading waypoints along the route - Citizens now enjoy new business opportunities and contribute further to developing their cities In its heyday, the ancient Silk Road was Eurasia’s most important trade route, connecting two rich continents to facilitate trade and cultural exchange. Modern-day China has seen near constant economic growth. It boasts of several record figures, including the highest number of skyscrapers and the longest railroads. Five years ago, the government announced a new plan, “One Belt, One Road”, an initiative to revive the Silk Road. The strategy seeks to help China play a bigger role in global affairs through developing an infrastructure that will unite the countries of the two continents under a cohesive economic area. Many ancient Chinese cities that were once outposts along the Silk Road, desert oases or transport hubs are now rapidly transforming themselves into megacities, so that they can, once again, service and profit from the trade route. New businesses are opening, facilitated by the development of a reliable transport system, which in turn brings greater tourist flow. Some cities are also grated the status of special economic area, offering attractive tax incentives to foreign investors. We visit two very different cities; Lanchjou and Urumchi, united by the Silk Road’s history. Both are experiencing rapid development. We meet businessmen who tell us how it feels to watch their home towns transform into economically and politically significant conurbations and how it inspires them to aim for international markets and seek new outlets for their businesses to grow.