ZhangJiaJie 张家界 scenes, HuNan province

In SiChuan province ...

With The New Atlas ... Bonus films ...

Filmed in spring 2012.

'Battle Masters Beijing'. The second film is from a pairs contest in Germany, 2011.

We need to upgrade our server around the 23rd November which might entail some downtime for our website - maybe hours, maybe days. So, if at that time we are not loading, don't panic, as we will be back as soon as possible. Anyone out there who knows about PHP and fixing old code (partly WordPress), do let us know if you can lend a hand. As always, a big thank you to all our visitors; let's get to 20 years of BB ! : )

Mount Tai is one of China's Five Sacred Mountains and has been a place of worship for at least 3,000 years. Mount Tai (or TaiShan, though there is a city called TaiShan in GuangDong - a different place) is a mountain of both historical and cultural significance which is located north of the city of Tai'An in ShanDong province. The tallest peak is the Jade Emperor Peak which reaches a height of 1,533 meters (just over 5,000 ft). In total, there are 22 temples, 100 ruins, 820 stone tablets, and over 1,000 cliff-face and rock inscriptions, including the Wordless Stela that stands in front of the Jade Emperor Temple. Legend tells that the emperor who commissioned the stela was dissatisfied with the planned inscription and decided to leave it blank. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Jiddu Krishnamurti talks about how we are enslaved, and how to be free; clear sight, without prejudice, reveals the truth / what is - that is the true knowing / now. "Distortion will inevitably come into being when there is fragmentation, when one part of you condones or condemns what you observe. We are the result of propaganda, what we have been told from childhood to believe and not to believe. Knowledge is the past; there is no knowledge in the present. To be aware without choice is to observe without the observer, which is the past, the image-maker." BB says : truth begins when belief ends ... To be free, to be eternal, is to be here, right now, not chained to the past (baggage that blinds us), or forever focused on the future (in fear). This, is it. Until we realise it, the past controls us - both own own experience (in those chains), and all that we have believed. The past gives rise to fear. Love is the absence of fear.

A guide to one of China's most vibrant cities ...

Bonus film - the world's longest sea bridge ...

Near / on the border with Vietnam ...

Isabel and David Crook : We belonged, and this is why we stayed ...