1.
China
–
China, officially the Peoples Republic of China, is a unitary sovereign state in East Asia and the worlds most populous country, with a population of over 1.381 billion. The state is governed by the Communist Party of China and its capital is Beijing, the countrys major urban areas include Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Tianjin and Hong Kong. China is a power and a major regional power within Asia. Chinas landscape is vast and diverse, ranging from forest steppes, the Himalaya, Karakoram, Pamir and Tian Shan mountain ranges separate China from much of South and Central Asia. The Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, the third and sixth longest in the world, respectively, Chinas coastline along the Pacific Ocean is 14,500 kilometers long and is bounded by the Bohai, Yellow, East China and South China seas. China emerged as one of the worlds earliest civilizations in the basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain. For millennia, Chinas political system was based on hereditary monarchies known as dynasties, in 1912, the Republic of China replaced the last dynasty and ruled the Chinese mainland until 1949, when it was defeated by the communist Peoples Liberation Army in the Chinese Civil War. The Communist Party established the Peoples Republic of China in Beijing on 1 October 1949, both the ROC and PRC continue to claim to be the legitimate government of all China, though the latter has more recognition in the world and controls more territory. China had the largest economy in the world for much of the last two years, during which it has seen cycles of prosperity and decline. Since the introduction of reforms in 1978, China has become one of the worlds fastest-growing major economies. As of 2016, it is the worlds second-largest economy by nominal GDP, China is also the worlds largest exporter and second-largest importer of goods. China is a nuclear weapons state and has the worlds largest standing army. The PRC is a member of the United Nations, as it replaced the ROC as a permanent member of the U. N. Security Council in 1971. China is also a member of numerous formal and informal multilateral organizations, including the WTO, APEC, BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the BCIM, the English name China is first attested in Richard Edens 1555 translation of the 1516 journal of the Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa. The demonym, that is, the name for the people, Portuguese China is thought to derive from Persian Chīn, and perhaps ultimately from Sanskrit Cīna. Cīna was first used in early Hindu scripture, including the Mahābhārata, there are, however, other suggestions for the derivation of China. The official name of the state is the Peoples Republic of China. The shorter form is China Zhōngguó, from zhōng and guó and it was then applied to the area around Luoyi during the Eastern Zhou and then to Chinas Central Plain before being used as an occasional synonym for the state under the Qing
2.
Cultural Revolution
–
The Cultural Revolution, formally the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement that took place in China from 1966 until 1976. The Revolution marked the return of Mao Zedong to a position of power after the Great Leap Forward, the movement paralyzed China politically and negatively affected the countrys economy and society to a significant degree. The Revolution was launched in May 1966, after Mao alleged that bourgeois elements had infiltrated the government and society at large, to eliminate his rivals within the Communist Party of China, Mao insisted that these revisionists be removed through violent class struggle. Chinas youth responded to Maos appeal by forming Red Guard groups around the country, the movement spread into the military, urban workers, and the Communist Party leadership itself. It resulted in factional struggles in all walks of life. In the top leadership, it led to a purge of senior officials, most notably Liu Shaoqi. During the same period Maos personality cult grew to immense proportions, a large segment of the population was forcibly displaced, most notably the transfer of urban youth to rural regions during the Down to the Countryside Movement. Historical relics and artifacts were destroyed, Cultural and religious sites were ransacked. Mao officially declared the Cultural Revolution to have ended in 1969, after Maos death and the arrest of the Gang of Four in 1976, reformers led by Deng Xiaoping gradually began to dismantle the Maoist policies associated with the Cultural Revolution. In 1958, after Chinas first Five-Year Plan, Mao called for grassroots socialism in order to accelerate his plans for turning China into an industrialized state. In this spirit, Mao launched the Great Leap Forward, established Peoples Communes in the countryside, many communities were assigned production of a single commodity—steel. Mao vowed to increase production to twice 1957 levels. The Great Leap was an economic failure, uneducated farmers attempted to produce steel on a massive scale, partially relying on backyard furnaces to achieve the production targets set by local cadres. The steel produced was low quality and largely useless, the Great Leap reduced harvest sizes and led to a decline in the production of most goods except substandard pig iron and steel. Furthermore, local authorities frequently exaggerated production numbers, hiding and intensifying the problem for several years, in the meantime, chaos in the collectives, bad weather, and exports of food necessary to secure hard currency resulted in the Great Chinese Famine. Food was in shortage, and production fell dramatically. The famine caused the deaths of millions of people, particularly in poorer inland regions, the Great Leaps failure reduced Maos prestige within the Party. Forced to take responsibility, in 1959, Mao resigned as the President of the Peoples Republic of China, Chinas de jure head of state
3.
Mao Zedong
–
His Marxist–Leninist theories, military strategies, and political policies are collectively known as Maoism or Marxism-Leninism-Maoism. Mao adopted Marxism–Leninism while working at Peking University and became a member of the Communist Party of China. On October 1,1949, Mao proclaimed the foundation of the Peoples Republic of China, in the following years Mao solidified his control through land reform campaigns against landlords, and perceived enemies of the state he termed as counter-revolutionaries. In 1957, he launched the Great Leap Forward campaign that aimed to rapidly transform Chinas economy from an economy to an industrial one. The campaign contributed to a famine, whose death toll is estimated at between 15 and 45 million. In 1972, Mao welcomed American President Richard Nixon in Beijing, signalling a policy of opening China, Mao suffered a series of heart attacks in 1976, and died in September, aged 82. He was succeeded as Paramount leader by Hua Guofeng, who was sidelined and replaced by Deng. A controversial figure, Mao is regarded as one of the most important individuals in modern world history, Mao Zedong was born on December 26,1893 in Shaoshan village, Hunan Province, China. His father, Mao Yichang, was an impoverished peasant who had become one of the wealthiest farmers in Shaoshan. Growing up in rural Hunan, Mao Zedong described his father as a stern disciplinarian, Maos mother, Wen Qimei, was a devout Buddhist who tried to temper her husbands strict attitude. Zedong too became a Buddhist, but abandoned this faith in his mid-teenage years, at age 8, Mao was sent to Shaoshan Primary School. At age 13, Mao finished primary education, and his father united him in a marriage to the 17-year-old Luo Yigu. Mao refused to recognise her as his wife, becoming a critic of arranged marriage. Luo was locally disgraced and died in 1910, interested in history, Mao was inspired by the military prowess and nationalistic fervour of George Washington and Napoleon Bonaparte. The famine spread to Shaoshan, where starving peasants seized his fathers grain and he disapproved of their actions as morally wrong, but claimed sympathy for their situation. At age 16, Mao moved to a primary school in nearby Dongshan. In 1911, Mao began middle school in Changsha, Revolutionary sentiment was strong in the city, where there was widespread animosity towards Emperor Puyis absolute monarchy and many were advocating republicanism. The republicans figurehead was Sun Yat-sen, an American-educated Christian who led the Tongmenghui society, in Changsha, Mao was influenced by Suns newspaper, The Peoples Independence, and called for Sun to become president in a school essay
4.
Jiang Qing
–
Jiang Qing was a Chinese actress and a major political figure during the Cultural Revolution. She was the wife of Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the Communist Party. She used the stage name Lan Ping during her acting career and she married Mao in Yanan in November 1938 and served as the inaugural First Lady of the Peoples Republic of China. Jiang Qing was best known for playing a role in the Cultural Revolution. Jiang Qing served as Maos personal secretary in the 1940s and was head of the Film Section of the Communist Partys Propaganda Department in the 1950s and she served as an important emissary for Mao in the early stages of the Cultural Revolution. In 1966 she was appointed deputy director of the Central Cultural Revolution Group and she collaborated with Lin Biao to advance Maos unique brand of Communist ideology as well as Maos cult of personality. In 1969, Jiang gained a seat on the Politburo, before Maos death, the Gang of Four controlled many of Chinas political institutions, including the media and propaganda. However, Jiang Qing, deriving most of her political legitimacy from Mao, Maos death in 1976 dealt a significant blow to Jiang Qings political fortunes. She was arrested in October 1976 by Hua Guofeng and his allies, though she was initially sentenced to death, her sentence was commuted to life imprisonment in 1983. After being released for treatment, Jiang Qing committed suicide in May 1991. Jiang Qing was born in Zhucheng, Shandong province on March 19,1914 and her birth name was Lǐ Shūméng. She was the child of Li Dewen, a carpenter. Her father ran his own carpentry and cabinet making shop, after Jiangs parents had a violent argument, her mother found work as a domestic servant and separated from her husband. When Jiang enrolled in school, she took the name Lǐ Yúnhè, meaning Crane in the Clouds. In 1926, when she was 12 years old, her father died and her mother relocated them to Tianjin where Jiang worked as a child laborer in a cigarette factory for several months. Two years later, Jiang and her mother settled in Jinan, the following summer, she entered an experimental theater and drama school. Her talent brought her to the attention of administrators who selected her to join a club in Beijing where she advanced her acting skills. She returned to Jinan in May 1931 and married Pei Minglun, the marriage was an unhappy one and they soon divorced
5.
Kim Jong-un
–
Kim Jong-un is the Chairman of the Workers Party of Korea and supreme leader of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, commonly referred to as North Korea. The People of Korea call him their Supreme Leader, Kim is the child of Kim Jong-il. Little is known for certain about Kim Jong-un, before taking power, he had barely been seen in public, and many of the activities of both Kim and his government remain shrouded in secrecy. Even details such as what year he was born, and whether he did indeed attend a Western school under a pseudonym, are difficult to confirm with certainty, Kim was officially declared the supreme leader following the state funeral of his father on 28 December 2011. Kim obtained two degrees, one in physics at Kim Il-sung University, and another as an Army officer at the Kim Il-sung Military University, on 9 March 2014, Kim Jong-un was elected unopposed to the Supreme Peoples Assembly. At 32 or 33 years of age, Kim is the first North Korean leader born after the countrys founding, Kim was named the Worlds 46th Most Powerful Person by the Forbes list of The Worlds Most Powerful People in 2013. Scarce information on Kim Jong-uns early life comes from North Korean defectors and people who have claimed to witness him abroad, such as during his school attendance in Switzerland. Some of the information has been conflicting and contradictory, perhaps confusing him with his brother, Kim Jong-chul, nevertheless, there has been some consensus on information about his early life. North Korean authorities have stated that his birthdate is 8 January 1982, former basketball star Dennis Rodman said that the birthdate is 8 January 1983 after meeting Kim in September 2013 in North Korea. According to reports first published in Japanese newspapers, he went to school in Switzerland near Bern, First reports claimed he attended the private English-language International School in Gümligen under the name Chol-pak or Pak-chol from 1993 to 1998. He was described as shy, a student who got along well with his classmates and was a basketball fan. He was chaperoned by a student, who was thought to be his bodyguard. He was described as a well-integrated and ambitious student who liked to play basketball, however, his grades and attendance rating are reported to have been poor. The ambassador of North Korea in Switzerland, Ri Chol, had a relationship with him. One of Pak-uns classmates told reporters that he had told him that he was the son of the leader of North Korea, one friend claimed that he had been shown pictures of Pak-un with Kobe Bryant and Toni Kukoč. In April 2012, new documents came to light indicating that Kim Jong-un had lived in Switzerland since 1991 or 1992, the head of the institute, Raoul Perrot, a forensic anthropologist, considers it most likely that the two pictures show the same person. It is believed that the student at the Gümligen International School may not have been Kim Jong-un and it is not known whether the student known as Pak-un in Liebefeld Steinhölzli lived in Switzerland prior to 1998. All the children of Kim Jong-il are said to have lived in Switzerland, Most analysts agree that Kim Jong-un attended Kim Il-sung University, a leading officer-training school in Pyongyang, from 2002 to 2007
6.
Angling
–
Angling is a method of fishing by means of an angle. The hook is attached to a fishing line and the line is often attached to a fishing rod. Fishing rods are fitted with a fishing reel that functions as a mechanism for storing, retrieving and paying out the line. The hook itself can be dressed with lures or bait, a bite indicator such as a float, and a weight or sinker are sometimes used. Angling is the method of sport fishing, but commercial fisheries also use angling methods such as longlining or trolling. Catch and release fishing is practiced by recreational fishermen. In many parts of the world, size limits apply to species, meaning fish below and/or above a certain size must, by law. The species of fish pursued by anglers vary with geography, among the many species of salt water fish that are caught for sport are swordfish, marlin, tuna, while in Europe cod and bass are popular targets. In North America the most popular water sport species include bass, pike, walleye, muskellunge, yellow perch, trout, salmon, crappie, bluegill. In Europe a large number of fish for species such as carp, pike, tench, rudd, roach, European perch, catfish. South Africa has a great fishing coast where anglers fish for species like cod, White Steenbras, some fish are sought for their value as food, others are pursued for their fighting abilities or for the difficulty of pursuit. The use of the hook in angling is descended, historically, the word gorge, in this context, comes from the French word meaning throat. Gorges were used by ancient peoples to capture fish and animals like seal, walrus, a gorge was a long, thin piece of bone or stone attached by its midpoint to a thin line. The gorge would be baited so that it would rest parallel to the lay of the line. When the game would swallow the bait, a tug on the line would cause the gorge to orient itself at right angles to the line, some laws and regulations require hooks to be barbless. This rule is implemented to protect populations of certain species. A barbed hook could kill a fish if it were to penetrate the gills, which of the various techniques an angler may choose is dictated mainly by the target species and by its habitat. Angling can be separated into two categories, using either artificial or natural baits
7.
Grand Hotel (Taipei)
–
The Grand Hotel, is a landmark located at Yuanshan in Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan. The hotel was established in May 1952 and the building was completed on October 10,1973. It is owned by the Duen-Mou Foundation of Taiwan, a non-profit organization, the main building of the hotel is one of the worlds tallest Chinese classical buildings, it is 87 metres high. It was also the tallest building in Taiwan from 1973 to 1981, after Chiang Kai-sheks retreat to Taiwan in 1949, Chiang felt it was difficult to accommodate foreign ambassadors due to the lack of five-star hotels in Taipei. He wanted to build an extravagant hotel that would cater to foreign guests and his wife Soong Mei-ling suggested to build it on the old Taiwan Hotel on Yuanshan Mountain, the site of the ruins of the Taiwan Grand Shrine, a Shinto shrine during the Japanese rule. Chiang decided on a Chinese palace-style architecture to promote Chinese culture to the West through its extravagance, taipei-based architect Yang Cho-Cheng was responsible for the design of the new hotel. The hotel was established in May 1952, but it was expanded several times before it became the landmark it is known as today. The swimming pool, tennis court, and the lounge were constructed in 1953. The Jade Phoenix Pavilion and Chi-Lin Pavilion opened in 1958 and 1963, in 1968 the hotel was rated as one of the worlds top ten hotels by the US Fortune magazine. Finally, on the Double Tenth Day of 1973, the main Grand Hotel building was completed, in June 1995 a disastrous fire broke out on the roof of the main building during necessary reconstruction and refurbishment. As neither ladders nor high pressure pumps could reach the fire, the roof, not until 1998 did the hotel recover from the damage and became fully reopened to the public. Following the fire, the two heads on the roof were rotated 180 degrees to point inwards. As dragons are traditionally a symbol of rain and water, this was intended to symbolize preparedness against a future fire, with its vermilion columns, the roof makes the hotel a visible showplace of Chinese architecture and culture. The hotel itself contains numerous objets dart, wall panels, paintings, carvings, Dragon motifs are frequently intertwined throughout the various structures that make up the hotel, earning the hotel the name The Dragon Palace. Beside dragons, lion and plum flower motifs also make a significant presence in the hotel, each of the eight guest levels represent a different Chinese dynasty, as reflected through the murals and general decor. The hotel has a total of 490 rooms, the rooms facing south offer guests a paranomic view of Taipei City. The presidential suite, as the claims, has former President Chiang Kai-sheks desk. Currently, the presidential suite costs NT$160,000 per night, budget rooms are available from ca
8.
Beijing railway station
–
Beijing Railway Station, or simply Beijing Station, is a passenger railway station in Dongcheng District, Beijing. The Beijing Railway Station opened in 1959 and was the largest train station in China at the time, though superseded by the larger Beijing West and Beijing South Stations, this station remains the only one located inside the old walled city. Trains entering and leaving the station pass by the Dongbianmen corner tower, with gilded eaves and soaring clock towers, the architecture of the railway blends traditional Chinese and socialist realist influence. Some international lines, also depart from this station, the Beijing Subways first line used to terminate at Beijing Railway Station from 1969 to 1981. The subway station is now a stop on Line 2, more than 30 Beijing bus and Beijing trolleybus routes stop at or near the railway station. In late October 1958, according to the early 1950 Beijing municipal governments construction and planning records, the stations design progressed rapidly and by early December the same year, the whole design proposal was completed. On December 10, the proposal was approved by the Central Committee. In determining the design proposal, Zhou Enlai proposed that turrets be built on each of the two wings of the main building and this suggestion was adopted.82 million yuan. Soviet Union experts were hired to give technical guidance at the construction sites. In just over seven months, the project was completed on September 10,1959, chairman Mao Zedong wrote the calligraphic characters in the station sign. The Beijing Railway Station was one of the largest construction projects in mainland China during that time modern facilities. At the time of completion, the station has a twelve tracks, installed on the roof of the Station House were two marble clock faces and every morning from 7am to 9pm the bell sounded punctually and The East Is Red song is played out. The four sets of escalators were replaced during the 1980 and again during 1990, in 1988, the Shanghai Electric Clock Factory installed Chinas first large screen display system in the Beijing Railway Station Square. Since June 18,2003, the Beijing Railway Station began an expansion of two new sites, comprising an area of 20,513 square meters and includes a large parcel luggage line. Renovations included the removal of the canopy, alterations to the steel arch station pole. Beijing Subway, Line 2 stops at the Beijing Railway Station, bus route numbers in bold denotes bus terminus. South Korea, Seoul Station Japan, Tokyo Station Ueno Station Official site Beijing Train Schedule
9.
Great Hall of the People
–
The Great Hall of the People is a state building located at the western edge of Tiananmen Square in Beijing. It is used for legislative and ceremonial activities by the Peoples Republic of China government and it is also the meeting place of the National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which, since 1982, has occurred once every five years. The Great Hall of the People is also an attraction in the city frequented by tourists visiting the capital. The Great Hall of the People was designed by Zhang Bo and it was opened in September 1959, and was one of the Ten Great Constructions completed for the 10th Anniversary of the PRC. The structure was built in 10 months by construction workers and volunteers, the building covers 171,801 square metres of floor space, it is 356 metres in length and 206.5 metres in width. The centre peaks at 46.5 metres, at the eaves of the main gate hangs the national emblem of the PRC. The Great Hall of the People consists of three sections, the central section principally includes the Great Auditorium, the Main Auditorium, the Congress Hall, the Central Hall, the Golden Hall and other main halls. The northern section consists of the State Banquet Hall, the Salute State Guest Hall, the North Hall, the East Hall, the southern part is the office building of the Standing Committee of the Peoples Congress of China. Each province, special administrative region, autonomous region of China has its own hall in the Great Hall, such as Beijing Hall, Hong Kong Hall, each hall has the unique characteristics of the province and is furnished according to the local style. The Great Auditorium, with volume of 90,000 cubic metres, government leaders make their speeches, and the representatives do much of their business. It can simultaneously seat 10,000 representatives, the ceiling is decorated with a galaxy of lights, with a large red star is at the centre of the ceiling, and a pattern of a water waves nearby represents the people. Its facilities equipped with audio-visual and other systems adaptable to a variety of meeting types and sizes, a simultaneous interpretation system is also provided with a language booth. The State Banquet Hall with an area of 7,000 square meters can entertain 7,000 guests, the Great Hall of the People is the political hub of Beijing and home of the National Peoples Congress. The Communist Party of China also holds its National Congress every five years in the Great Hall of the People, the Great Hall has been used for meetings with foreign dignitaries on state or working visits, as well as large anniversary celebrations attended by top leaders. The Great Hall has been used for the funerals and memorial services for several top leaders. Former President Liu Shaoqi was purged during the Cultural Revolution and died in the ensuing struggles and he was posthumously rehabilitated after 1978. In 1982 Liu was granted a funeral held at the Great Hall. The Great Hall also held the funerals of General Secretary Hu Yaobang in 1989 during the Tiananmen Square protests, mao Zedongs funeral ceremony was not held at the Great Hall, it was held at Tiananmen Square
10.
Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution
–
Military Museum of the Chinese Peoples Revolution or China Peoples Revolution Military Museum is located in Haidian District, Beijing, China. The museum displays restored military equipment from the history of the Peoples Liberation Army, up to and including modern-day machinery. One of the Ten Great Buildings erected in celebration of the anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China, construction of the museum began in October 1958. The museums four floors include ten halls, the largest of which is the Hall of Weapons, in addition, the Hall of Weapons displays equipment from Chinas space program, such as satellites and a two-seat orbital capsule. With two exceptions, the halls are largely historical exhibits, combining plaster sculptures, maps, paintings, artifacts, movies. The museum is accessible by Line 1 of the Beijing Subway at the Military Museum Station and city bus routes 1,4,21,65,68,205,308,320,337,617,728, and 802. List of museums in China http, //www. china. org. cn/english/kuaixun/73574. htm
11.
National Museum of China
–
The National Museum of China flanks the eastern side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. The museums mission is to educate about the arts and history of China and it is directed by the Ministry of Culture of the Peoples Republic of China. It is one of the largest museums in the world, the building was completed in 1959 as one of the Ten Great Buildings celebrating the ten-year anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China. It complements the opposing Great Hall of the People that was built at the same time, the structure sits on 6.5 hectares and has a frontal length of 313 metres, a height of four stories totaling 40 metres, and a width of 149 metres. The front displays eleven square pillars at its center and it has a total floor space of nearly 200,000 m2 to display. The renovations were designed by the German firm Gerkan, Marg, the museum, covering Chinese history from the Yuanmou Man of 1. However Yves Carcelle, Chairman and Chief executive officer of Louis Vuitton Malletier defended the exhibition by stating, I think before money, theres history,157 years of creativity and craftsmanship
12.
Olympic Green
–
The Olympic Green is an Olympic Park in Chaoyang District, Beijing, China constructed for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Since then, the streets around the park have been used for a street race of the FIA GT1 World Championship in 2011. It will again serve as an Olympic Park when Beijing hosts the 2022 Winter Olympics, the Beijing National Stadium or Birds Nest is the centerpiece of this project. It hosted the opening and closing ceremonies, athletics, and football finals of the Games, the stadium has room for 91,000 spectators, but the capacity was reduced to 80,000 after the Olympics. It will be the site of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2022 Winter Olympics, the Beijing National Aquatics Center or Water Cube hosted the swimming, diving and synchronized swimming events. It has a capacity of 6,000 and is located next to the National Stadium and it will be the site of the curling competitions during the 2022 Winter Olympics. The Beijing National Indoor Stadium or the Fan held the handball, artistic gymnastics, with a capacity of 19,000, it was the main indoor arena used during the Games. The National Speed Skating Oval is an arena that will be built for the 2022 Winter Olympics, the Olympic Green Convention Center, also called the National Convention Center, held fencing and, the shooting and fencing disciplines of the modern pentathlon. It is also used as the International Broadcast Center and the Main Press Center, the center covers an area of 270,000 square meters. The Olympic Green Hockey Field hosted the hockey events. It covered an area of 11.87 hectares with 2 courts and it was deconstructed after the Games. The Olympic Green Archery Field hosted the archery events, the field occupied 9.22 hectares and had a capacity of 5,000. It was dismantled after the Games, the Olympic Green Tennis Center hosted the tennis and wheelchair tennis events. It has 16 courts and a capacity of 17,400 and it opened on October 1,2007. The park itself, outside of the venues constructed on the Olympic Green and these included the racewalk events, where the loops occurred on the Olympic Green, and the portion of the marathons just outside the National Stadium. The Beijing Olympic Village housed all the participating athletes, the village is made up of 22 6-story buildings and 20 9-story buildings. The Digital Beijing Building served during the Games as the data center and it was the only building on the Green at the time of the Olympics that was not an event venue. Since then it has converted into a museum of the Digital Olympics
