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Chinese civilization has evolved
and survived throughout a longer span of time than that of any other
nation in the world, allthough it is only from the latter half of the
second millenium B.C. that China started to take form as a social unit.
Traditionally, the Chinese have believed that civilization was created
by wise rulers of remote antiquity. Documented history begins with the
Shang dynasty which orthodox Chinese chronology dates 1766-1122
B.C.
In the summer of 1997, I travelled to Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, where "free" trade reigns, traffic chokes the freeways, and ancient temples border modern high-rises. It is a city where a huge burocracy rules an empire that covers a vast area of eastern Asia with a total land ara of allmost four million square miles. The city has the best of everything: the best food, the best hotels, the best transport, the best temples. But I often felt it was just a stage where the Communist party's politburo could showcase it's political platforms. Nevertheless, it remains a fascinating city to explore, especially when one wanders of the beaten tourist path, which I have a tendency to do! For more information about China, go to BigChina.com. Click on thumbnails for a larger image and a desciption. To ensure faster downloads, most images are less than 30 K. |
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