Winter wonderland in JiLin province

A beautiful film - don't miss it ...

With CCTV's Travelogue ...

10,000 pearls of wisdom; when follow The Way, it is one pearl. The truths found in the Tao Te Ching are universal and timeless. A book of wisdom written by a sage named Lao-Tzu / Lao Zi, circa 500 BC, China. Read by the late Wayne Dyer ... The audio as well as the translation of the version you hear is from a book called Living The Wisdom of The Tao: Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life by Wayne Dyer. His book includes a detailed commentary on each of the verses ...

YuanMingYuan, also known as the 'Old Summer Palace', was constructed during the 18th and early 19th century and was a wonderland of lakes and waterways, bridges, hills and pavilions. One third of the ground of YuanMingYuan was taken up by over 200 small hills with steep sides, secluded valleys, rock walls and stone caves. Half of the garderns are covered by the waters of lakes, winding streams and ponds. It was at YuanMingYuan that the emperors of the Qing Dynasty resided and handled government affairs - until it was destroyed; the Forbidden City was mostly used only for formal ceremonies at this time. The southern part of YuanMingYuan was where emperors handled state affairs, while the other parts were primarily for personal use and comprised of more than 150 scenic spots, involving rare exotic flowers and trees from different parts of the country. There were originally towers, terraces, pavilions, halls, corridors, pagodas and bridges with a total construction area of 150,000 square meters - corresponding in scale to that of the Imperial Palace. Artisans were recruited from all over China to enact the exquisite settings. The various styles of architecture, standing encircled by hills and rivulets, presented a most picturesque view. Many were reproductions of scenic mountains, rivers and famous gardens in China (mostly southern China). During his many tours of the country, emperor QianLong made it a point to have pictures of famous gardens and scenes drawn so that he could have replicas built in Beijing. Most famous of these were the ten scenic spots of the West Lake in HangZhou. The Old Summer Palace is often associated with the European-style palaces (Xi Yang Lou) that were built of stone. The designers of those structures, the Jesuits Giuseppe Castiglione and Michel Benoist, were employed by emperor QianLong to satisfy his taste for exotic buildings and objects. However, more than 95% of the Imperial Gardens consisted of essentially Chinese-style buildings. There were also a few buildings in Tibetan and Mongolian styles, reflecting the diversity of the Qing empire. In addition, hundreds of invaluable Chinese art masterpieces and antiquities were stored in the halls, including some unique copies of literary works and collections. In 1860, during the 'Second Opium War', the British and French expeditionary forces looted the Old Summer Palace. Later, on October 18 1860, a British general - despite protestations from the French (who in fact had began the looting) - gave the order to set fire to the huge complex, which burned to the ground. In 1900, those buildings that had partly survived or been restored were burnt for good by the Western expeditionary forces sent to quell the 'Boxer Rebellion'. Many priceless artifacts were plundered and made their way to museums and private collections in Europe. The ruins were further plundered by the warlords of the early republican period and further destruction of the ruins took place during the 'Cutural Revolution'. After all this destruction, what was left was truely just an empty shell. Empress dowager CiXi later directed the forming of YiHeYuan (Garden of Nurtured Harmony), into a new Summer Palace; this was near to the Old Summer Palace, but on a (somewhat) smaller scale. Nearest subway station : YuanMingYuan on line 4.

GanSu's UNESCO World Heritage Site ...

A fascinating, hour plus documentary by CCTV's Travelogue (from the English language CCTV9 channel). Dali is a four and a half hours drive from KunMing, the provincial capital of YunNan in south China, or forty minutes by air. By rail it is also connected to nearby LiJiang. We haven't posted a Travelogue for a couple of years, but are very happy to say that it is back to its best - intelligent presenter and beautiful cinematography. Highly recommended. Inhabited predominantly by the Bai and Yi ethnic groups. 1 : Dali Old Town 1/1 In this segment, presenter Katrina Yu tours the artistic cobblestone streets of the Old Town, meeting adventurous travelers along the way -- and shows where you can party with musical locals at night. 1/2 Katrina sails across the serenely beautiful ErHai Lake, enjoying a taste of ethnic Bai culture along the way. She also gets a lesson in an ancient handcraft and peeks inside a luxurious lakeside guesthouse. 1/3 Katrina strolls through the surrounding grounds of Dali's iconic Three Pagodas, and shows audiences the breath-taking view from the top of the soaring CangShan Mountains. 2 : The outskirts of Dali 2/1 Katrina hikes the holy paths of JiZu Mountain, one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in China, and discovers the historic temples which have given the area the nickname of "scented wonderland" 2/2 Katrina visits the traditional ethnic Bai village of XinHua. Join her as she is treated to a colorful 'Eight bowl' Bai banquet and gets a lesson in an age-old handicraft from a master silver maker. 2/3 Katrina wanders through the ancient town of ShaXi. Join her as she savors the sights and tastes of the bustling weekly market, and finds out how this age-old center has succeeded in becoming a modern tourist destination while maintaining its old-world charm. 3 : The 'thousand year old' village of NuoDeng, deep in rural Dali 3/1 Katrina and the crew arrive at the hillside village. They get a taste of Nuodeng's famous salted ham and meet a local man whose character is just as interesting as the temple he guards. 3/2 Katrina visits a unique family museum, and has her pulse checked at a guesthouse where the owners offer holistic health treatments as well as accommodation. 3/3 Katrina plays teacher and student for a day, getting a lesson in local culture at Nuodeng's lively primary school.

With Professor Richard Wolff / Democracy At Work ... On the Occupy Wall Street movement ... On capitalism, with RJ Eskow ...

* University cultural festival; afternoon ... * QianHai and HouHai lakes and hutongs area, central Beijing; early evening ...

Geo-politics - 2021 review, and what might be in 2022. With The New Atlas - Angelo Giuliano and Brian Berletic ... Anything one hears on MSM, or social media, is probably BS. Real freedom is when there is a pause between propaganda and reaction - when one stops to first think (am I being duped?) ... Keep being real and sane is this crazy world. The world is full of richness. But insanely imbalanced in distribution. That's the reality, so long as the many are duped into believing that that is how it should be ! Into 2022, cherish what you have and love all around you. Always be above division and manipulation. In China, the people are family. In the West, the people are livestock. While China acts to build a better world, the West only strives to try to preserve its dominance. Sad, but true. Bonus film - with Pascal Coppens ...

The Animals - blues / rock from the 60s (blues music) ...