CHINA

Location - Asia; Capital - Beijing; Population - 1.3 billion; Currency - Yuan MORE CHINA

The bus from Sost in Pakistan takes passengers via the Karakoram Highway to the Chinese town of Tashkurgan, the start of my visit to China in July 1999.

1 Chinese Yuan

Tajik children in Tashkurgan

Kashgar, home of the Muslim Uighur people

Selling hats in the old city, Kashgar

Mao statue in Kashgar - this area feels a world away from Eastern China

Id Kah Mosque, Kashgar

Playing pool outdoors, Kashgar

Sweeping sand reduces visibility on a 46 hour bus journey through the Taklamakan Desert from Kashgar to Urumqi.
The bus was made up of 3 rows of beds, with no seats

Stopping off at a food stall in Urumqi with Mark - I don't think all the beer was for him..

Preparing noodles, Urumqi food stall

The Great Mosque in Xian - I'm not used to mosques looking like this

The Ming dynasty Drum Tower, Xian.
The terrified looking children are not posing for me, by the way

The grounds of the Big Goose Pagoda, from the Qing dynasty, Xian

Army of the Terracotta Warriors, Xian

Terracotta Warriors, from the Qin dynasty (204BC - 220AD) Xian

The Terracotta Warriors' bronze horses & chariot, Xian

Not sure what's going on here - Xian city centre

Tiananmen Square, Beijing

Sculpture next to Mao's Mausoleum, Tiananmen Square, Beijing

Tiananmen Gate, Beijing

View of the Forbidden City, Beijing

Inside the Forbidden City, Beijing

The Forbidden City was home to emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties (14th to 20th century), Beijing

The Summer Palace covers a huge area in North West Beijing

Temple in the Summer Palace grounds, Beijing

The Summer Palace, Beijing

The Simatai section of the Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China

Sections of the Great Wall of China were originally constructed during the Qin dynasty over 2000 years ago, and then joined up by successive kingdoms and armies

The Great Wall of China

The Oriental Pearl Tower and city of Shanghai

Strolling along the Bund next to the River Huangpu, Shanghai

Yuyuan Bazaar, Shanghai

The city backstreets, Shanghai

Site of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921, Shanghai

Garden of the Master of the Nets,Suzhou

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LINKS

www.chinatoday.com  - lots of info about China

http://en.beijing2008.cn - Official site for the Beijing Olympics

www.beijingeguide.com - guide to Beijing

I am not responsible for the content of external websites.