This is LiuZhou 柳州, GuangXi province

With Democracy Now ... On 'Western Civilization', with ShangGuan JieWen ...

Some of her favorite places in the city ...

A beautifully understated, from the heart, performance. It gets our vote ...

Bonus films - Great Wall of China trip, a glimpse of ShenZhen, and NanJing ...

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.

With lots and lots of street food : ) Sun Kissed Bucket List ...

Grab some popcorn and enjoy a night-in at the BeiJingBuzzz cinema. New love, love perturbed, love re-found, love passed ... 'Fate ?' 《天目湖漫生活》 远离喧嚣 追寻宁静 世外桃园 浪漫生活 风景片 'Love More' Bii 畢書盡 《LOVEMORE CuBii 愛神降臨》 微電影全球首播 《连云港渔湾》微电影 山上的特别美丽魅力风景（爱情） 'Let's Get Married' (2015) Title song by Jane Zhang 張靚穎 《咱們結婚吧》 電影版主題曲《終於等到你》 (短版 MV) We cannot decide all that happens in life, but we can control how we react. Love is there, if we are ready and open the door. Love is not hard to find (to be); but it is easy to lose. In the end, what we get counts for nothing; it is what we give (leave behind) that matters - and every moment leaves a ripple in the ocean of life. Sneakers are fine; but the bare-foot memories will be most chrished. Love doesn't just flow to the naturally beautiful; it is those with love in their hearts who shine ; it is love that creates beauty.