Scenery of RMB Banknotes I: Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, Hangzhou

Have you visited China? If you want to travel in China, you should exchange your currency into RMB, the official currency of People's Republic of China. Do you notice what on the RMB banknotes is? We will show the patterns printed on the banknotes one after another.

Chapter One

RMB 1 Note: Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, Hangzhou

Nowadays, the fifth series of RMB is the dominated currency used in mainland China, of which the fronts of 100 Yuan, 50 Yuan, 20 Yuan, 10 Yuan, 5 Yuan and 1 Yuan are printed with a same head portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong. On the back of these notes, different famous scenery in China air printed. 

The obverse side and back of 1 Yuan

Attraction: Three Pools Mirroring the Moon
Openning Hours: 8:00 - 17:00 
Best Time to Visit: Spring and Autumn

Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, one of the “10 Scenic Spots in West Lake”, shown on the 1 RMB note, is located in the south central portion of Hangzhou’s West Lake. The name also refers to Xiaoying Island, one of the three islands in West Lake, along with Mid-Lake Pavilion (Hu Xin Ting) and Ruan Gong Islet (Ruan Gong Dun).

Three stone towers were built in the Daonan Lake, and according to the legend, they are built when Su Tung Po was in charge of dredging the West Lake (The present stone towers are those rebuilt in Ming Dynasty).

Three Pools Mirroring the Moon

What’s interesting is that the belly of tower is hollow, and five isometric round holes are 
arranged in order on the spherical body. When it is a night with bright moon, plaster a piece of thin paper on the hole opening and light the lighting in the tower, the hole shape will reflect on the lake and a lot of moons will be presented on the lake. Indeed, it is hard to tell which is real moon and which is false one, the formed night scene is fairly fascinating, so the name “Three Pools Mirroring the Moon” is obtained. 

Heaven On Earth III: Gardens in Suzhou—Beautiful & Wonderful

The most famous attraction in Suzhou is the gardens, which you must not miss. In the last article, we have talked about the overview of Suzhou, now, we will show the beautiful and wonderful gardens in Suzhou for you.

Chapter Three

Gardens in Suzhou—Beautiful & Wonderful

Suzhou is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part of the Yangtze River Delta region.

Garden Scenery

Originally founded in 514 BC, Suzhou has over 2,500 years of rich history, and relics of the past are abundant to this day. The city’s canals, stone bridges, pagodas, and meticulously designed gardens have contributed to its status as one of the top tourist attractions in China. 

Since the Song Dynasty (960-1279), it has also been an important centre for China’s silk industry. It is well-known as the capital of silk. The classical gardens in Suzhou were added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1997 and 2000. Suzhou is often dubbed the "Venice of the East"

Suzhou has long been a heaven for scholars, artists, and skilled craftsmen, and this is still the case today. In its many beautiful gardens and courtyard parks, Suzhou’s ancient heritage has been preserved.

The Classical Gardens

The Classical Gardens of Suzhou is a group of gardens in Suzhou region, Jiangsu province which have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Spanning a period of almost one thousand years, from the Northern Song to the late Qing dynasties (11th-19th century), these gardens, most of them built by scholars, standardized many of the key features of classical Chinese garden design with constructed landscapes mimicking natural scenery of rocks, hills and rivers with strategically located pavilions and pagodas. 

Humble Administrator's Garden

Though smaller and less elaborate than the another well-known type of Chinese gardens, the opulent Imperial Gardens and Palaces in Beijing, the elegant aesthetics and subtlety of these scholar’s gardens in many ways contrast with the grandeur of the former, and their delicate style and features are often imitated by various gardens in other parts of China, including the Imperial Gardens, such as those in the Chengde Mountain Resort. 

According to UNESCO, the gardens of Suzhou "represent the development of Chinese landscape garden design over more than two thousand years," and they are the "most refined form" of garden art. 

These landscape gardens flourished in the mid-Ming to early-Qing dynasties, resulting in as much as 200 private gardens. Today, there are 69 preserved gardens in Suzhou, and all of them are designated as protected "National Heritage Sites." In 1997 and 2000, eight of the finest gardens in Suzhou along with one in the nearby ancient town of Tongli were selected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site to represent the art of Suzhou-style classical gardens. 

Garden of the Master of the Nets

The Humble Administrator’s Garden is a renowned Chinese garden in Suzhou. At 51,950 m2, it is the largest garden in Suzhou and is generally considered to be the finest garden in all of southern China. In 1997, Zhuozheng Yuan, along with other classical gardens of Suzhou was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

This garden, meant to express the owner Wang Xiancheng’s fine taste, was designed in collaboration with the renowned artist, Suzhou native, Wen Zhengming. It showed the owner’s desire to retire from politics and adopt a hermit’s life in the manner of Tao Yuanming. 

The well –known Chinese novelist Cao Xueqin lived at the garden during his teenage years. It is believed much of the garden in his novel Dream of the Red Chamber was inspired by the scenery of the Humble Administrators Garden. In particular, the grotto at the entrance is the most famous.

The Garden of the Master of the Nets is among the finest gardens in China. It is recognized with other classical Suzhou gardens as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The garden demonstrates Chinese garden designers’ adept skills for synthesizing art, nature, and architecture to create unique metaphysical masterpieces. 

Tiger Hill Pagoda

The Master of the Nets is particularly regarded among garden connoisseurs for its mastering the techniques of relative dimension, contrast, foil, sequence and depth, and borrowed scenery. Originally created in 1140, and recreated in 1770 by the bureaucrat Song Zongyuan. The enclosed complex of house and garden is one of the smallest, most beautiful, and most perfectly proportioned in Suzhou.

Tiger Hill is a popular tourist destination and is known for its natural beauty as well as historical sites. The hill is so named because it is said to look like a crouching tiger. Another legend states that a white tiger appeared on the hill to guard it following the burial of King Helü. 

The hill is sometimes referred to in parallel with "Lion Mountain", another hill near Suzhou which clearly resembles a sitting lion.The hill has been a tourist destination for hundreds of years, as is evident from the poetry and calligraphy carved into rocks on the hill.

Its features include:
Sword-Testing Rock: a rock in two pieces that was supposedly cleaved cleanly by a legendary sword of extraordinary sharpness 

Spring of Simplicity and Honesty: a well that, according to legend, first appeared as a spring to exhausted monk carrying water up the entire length of the hill 

Yunyan Pagoda: a pagoda seven stories in height whose main architectural feature is its lean; it in fact predates the Leaning Tower of Pisa 

Sword Pond: a small rectangular pond, beneath which have treasures of some 3000 swords are believed to have been buried; this site is not excavated because the Leaning Pagoda’s foundations rest on the site. 


In a word, gardens in Suzhou are really good combination of nature and man-made architecture arts. If you want to appreciate something special in China, then Suzhou Gardens will actually give you the impressions of beautiful and wonderful. 

Persistent Report III: 7.0-Magnitude Quake Hits Sichuan

Today is the seventh day after earthquake. The heavy seven days, and it's the Sichuan mouming day.

Chapter Three

Public mourning held for quake victims

Public mourning was held on Saturday morning in Sichuan for those who died in a 7.0-magnitude quake a week ago. Death toll from the quake in Lushan county, Sichuan province, has risen to 196, with 13483 injured.

A Flower is Placed in Honor of the Victims 

The public mourning began with all transportation vehicles sounding their sirens at 8:02 am, the time the devastating earthquake hit on April 20, and was followed by a silent tribute of 3 minutes.

The quake has claimed nearly 200 lives and destroyed about 126,000 homes, according to official figures.

On Friday, the National Health and Family Planning Commission said in a statement that 1,516 wounded people, including 43 terminally-ill patients and 69 severe cases, are being treated in hospital in Sichuan.

More than 1.5 billion yuan ($243 million) has been allocated to quake victims, with 10 yuan and 0.5 kilograms of grain distributed daily to each person.

Rescue Soldiers Mourn for the Victims

More than 87,000 tents, 233,000 quilts, 25,000 items of clothing and 3,393 tons of food have been provided by local governments. And 426 medical centers and 1,015 relocation sites have been set up as of Friday.

China's beverage maker JDB Group has announced a donation of 100 million yuan to Lushan, the largest donation thus far from any company in China.

Shu Yuhui, chairman of the Quan Jian Natural Medicine Science and Technology Development Co Ltd, also made a donation of 100 million yuan, making it the largest individual contribution for earthquake relief efforts.

Persistent Report II: 7.0-Magnitude Quake Hits Sichuan

Today is the third day after earthquake. casualty figures are increasing, rescue efforts are strengthened. How is Sichuan now?

Chapter Two

Latest Condition of Earthquake

A total of 3,244 aftershocks have been recorded as of 6:00 am Tuesday, said China Earthquake Administration. There were 100 aftershocks above 3.0-magnitude, including four between 5.0 and 5.9 magnitude and 21 between 4.0 and 4.9 magnitude. Death toll from the quake in Lushan county, Sichuan province, has risen to 192, with 23 missing and more than 11,000 injured.

Wounded are treating

The death toll in Baoxing — the only isolated county after Saturday's earthquake due to telecommunication failures, power shortages and damaged roads — had reached 26 by 10 pm on Monday, with 18 still missing, 2,500 wounded, 86 of which in severe condition, and 58,000 other people affected, according to figures released by the local government.

                                                            Rescue

1. Rival Web Firms Join Hands. Baidu, the country's largest search engine, launched a platform on Monday that aggregates information to help track missing people. The information was previously scattered on seven websites launched by different Internet companies, such as Renren, a Facebook-like social network, and Qihoo 360 Technologies, a Beijing-based Internet firm.

More than 17,000 pieces of information have been added to the platform, attracting about 245 million views from users by 3 pm on Monday, about four hours after its launch, Baidu said.

The platform is expected to save time and be a big help for those who otherwise would have to go to at least the seven websites.

Rescuers are Going Forward to Baoxing Country

2. Foreign motorcyclists give helping hand. For motorcyclists Brendan Frentz and Michael Kleinert, the friendship between them and Li Yongchao started with a ride following the devastating earthquake in southwest China's Sichuan province.

 

On hearing about the quake on Saturday, the two decided to join volunteers on Frentz's second-hand red motorbike in Ya'an city, where they ran into Li, who was rushing home to check on his family. The anxiety on Li's face encouraged the pair to offer him a ride.

3. 19,000 soldiers, officers dispatched to quake zone. A total of 19,000 soldiers and officers from China's military and armed police forces have been sent to quake-hit areas in Sichuan province, rushing to find survivors while helping resettle 24,000 locals.

Two Volunteers Give Children an English Class

4. Volunteer team helping students find sense of normalcy. Canadian volunteer Frentz, 22, along with 14 other students and three teachers from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in the provincial capital of Chengdu, set up a class for children temporarily placed at the school, the largest shelter in Lushan county.

The class has two sessions a day: from 9:30 to 11:30 am and from 2:30 to 4:30 pm.

Besides spoken English, the temporary school also provides psychological counseling, a sanitary and earthquake protection course, as well as basic finance curricula to students.

Persistent Report I: 7.0-magnitude quake hits Sichuan

Chapter One

Latest Condition of earthquake

Lushan Country before Earthquake

M7.0 earthquake strikes Ya'an, Sichuan at 8:02 am, April, 20. For the moment, Death toll has risen to188in the 7.0-magnitude earthquake, twenty-five people are reported missing, and 11460 others have been injured. A lot of people and enterprise make donations to Ya'an, Sichuan. Lin Dan, two-time Olympic badminton champion, announced on his Tencent micro blog that he and his wife have donated 2.2 million yuan ($356,180).

Geography of Ya'an

Ya'an is located at the western edge of the Sichuan Basin and on the upper reaches of the

Lushan Country after Earthquake

Yangtze, covering the transition between the Chengdu Plain and the Tibetan Plateau. Ya'an has a population of 1.53 million and is known as the hometown of the giant panda. It is about 140 kilometers away from the provincial capital Chengdu City. The city is encircled by mountains, and four rivers flow through it. The epicenter, Lushan county, Ya'an city, Southwest China's province, with a depth of 13 kilometers, was monitored at 30.3 degrees north latitude and 103.0 degrees east longitude. 

Rescue

Premier Li Keqiang climbed onto a heap of debris to view the disaster area after arriving in Lushan county, Sichuan province, where he expressed condolences to victims and survivors of the earthquake. 

 

Premier Li Keqiang Consoles a Young Earthquake Victim

"We should put saving people first because people's lives are more precious than anything else. We should use scientific means, including using life detectors, to rescue every person who might survive," Li told reporters at the epicenter in Lushan on Sunday morning.

While visiting Zhang Ke, a seriously injured 8-year-old boy, Li leaned over and whispered: "Does it hurt? Don't be afraid. You will be fine."

Li urged local officials to check every house and make the utmost effort to save lives as long as there is one gleam of hope, deploy capable medical personnel to treat and cure the injured, and transfer seriously injured people quickly.

Heaven On Earth II: Suzhou: Beat Your Heart

In last article, we have talked about the West Lake in Hangzhou. Its charming scenery should attract you beyond question. And another city, part of the heaven on earth, which is called Oriental Venice, can't be missed in your journey.

Chapter Two

Suzhou: Beat Your Heart

Suzhou is located in the center of the Yangtze Delta, in the south of Jiangsu Province, with Shanghai to the east, Zhejiang Province to the south, Wuxi City to the west and the Yangtze River to the north. Since 42% area of the city is covered by water, including a vast number of ponds and streams, Suzhou is praised as the 'Oriental Venice'. 

Sunset of Taihu Lake

Taihu Lake, four fifths of which is in the territory of Suzhou, is one of the four largest fresh lakes in China, with East Hill, West Hill and other scenic spots in its vicinity. The city is cut by the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal from north to south. Together with its mild climate, making it an available destination all year round, fertile landscape and abundance of produce, it is no wonder that Suzhou is called 'paradise on earth'.a

Built in 514 BC, Suzhou is an ancient city with a 2,500 years' history. The unique characteristics of the past are still retained in present-day Suzhou. The double-chessboard layout of Suzhou, with 'the streets and rivers go side by side while the water and land routes run in parallel', are preserved basically intact. Strolling the streets, you can feel the unique lingering charm of this landscape left by its long history.

In its many beautiful gardens and courtyard parks, Suzhou's ancient heritage has been preserved. This ambitious city, however, is not going to trade upon its past in order to meet the future. A wander off the beaten path and into some of the old neighborhoods can be quite a treat, but their seediness and crowded conditions provide a stark contrast to the endless billboards at the edge of the city advertising Orange County like suburban developments. Suzhou is a bustling city, though you can still see traces of a very old lifestyle centered around the canals.

Suzhou Canal

So come prepared to feel a bit betrayed by the guidebooks singing the praises of a quaint thousand year old city. On XiBei Road thoroughfare, every other storefront advertised foot massages. It seems that half of the city is masseuses and the other half are potential clients.

At the same time, Suzhou has grown into a major center of joint-venture high-tech manufacturing and currently boasts one of the hottest economies in the world. It is the world's largest single producer of laptop computers. The Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) in the east, and the Suzhou New District (SND) in the west, is home to factories from numerous North American, European, East Asian, and Australian companies. Major industrial products include microchips, flash memory systems, electronics, computer equipment, telecommunications components, power tools, specialty chemicals and materials, automotive components, pharmaceuticals, and much more. This makes for a sense of stark contrasts, the outskirts of town were farmland just ten years ago. Now there are four lane highways connecting the city to Shanghai...four lane highways with pedestrians, bicyclists and pedicabs using the breakdown lanes.

Guan Qian Street

Today, Suzhou has become a core city of China's Yangtze River Delta economic zone, given its high GDP contribution to China. More recently, it has been a center of the silk trade and a place of gardens and canals. Suzhou has long been a heaven for scholars, artists, and skilled craftsmen, and this is still the case today.

As one of the famous tourist cities in China, Suzhou has made a great improvement to its basic facilities and tourist functions. Suzhou is accessible by plane, train and bus. Star-rated hotels with good services and reasonable guesthouses and hostels provide a range of lodging. 

Of course, tasting local delicacies should not be forgotten in your journey. Authentic Suzhou cuisines and snacks can be found in Guan Qian Street, where delicious food and friendly service are memorable. When night falls, Suzhou City is quiet and peaceful. You can enjoy it while sipping a cup of tea in any teahouse.

Heaven On Earth I: West Lake

There is an old saying in China:"Up above there is Paradise, down here there are Suzhou and Hangzhou." As you know, they are famous for the charming natural beauty and cultural heritage. There is no doubt that the West Lake is one of the typical representatives. In the article, we will talk about the West Lake.

Chapter One 

West Lake

The most famous attraction in Hangzhou is West Lake. West Lake is man-made and created after the Chinese love for garden style parks for recreation.

West Lake is a place of tranquility where urbanity becomes a silhouette on the northeast horizon and mountains near and far surrounds it on the other three sides. The occasional pagoda and Chinese-style arched bridge add atmosphere to the tree-lined walkways, verdant islands and hills.

West Lake

To admire the beauty of West Lake, visitors can leisurely bike around the lake, walk around the lake or take a short cruise on the lake. Travelers can take a boat cruise to visit some of its islands. There are many kinds of boats including large painted boats, small rowing boats and even self-rowing boats. See our West Lake Cruises.

The lake has a diameter of about 3 kilometers (2 miles) and a circumference of 15 kilometers (9 miles). There are three causeways or bridges across the lake and three man-made islands named San Tang Yin Yue (Three Pools Mirroring the Moon), Huxin Ting (Mid-Lake Pavilion) and Ruan Dunhuanbi (Ruan’s Mound, after the Governor of Zhejiang in 1800, Ruan Yuan).

Scenic Sites of West Lake

1. Spring Dawn at Su Causeway

Spring Dawn at Su Causeway tops the list of the ten best known sights in Hangzhou. The causeway was built during the Northern Song Dynasty by Su Dongpo (1037-1101), a great scholar and famous poet, and was named after him. Stretching 2.8 kilometers (1.7 miles), it includes six bridges and is heavily sheltered by green vegetation. When spring comes, the whole causeway is blanketed by peach blossoms and weeping willows, creating an especially charming scene.

2. Melting Snow on Broken Bridge

The most romantic, in origin, of the ten scenic sites is surely the one called Melting Snow on Broken Bridge. According to legend, Broken Bridge, which is not really broken, but is a traditional arched stone bridge, is the site where two lovers, Xu Xian and a beautiful maiden, who is actually a white snake, met and fell madly in love.

Melting Snow on Broken Bridge

In early spring, when the snow begins to melt, it melts on one side of the bridge first, due the fact that the other side is in shade, which gives the bridge a split image. Viewed from a distance, it looks as if one half of the bridge has been ripped off, since the snowy side blends perfectly in with the surrounding landscape (hence the bridge's name)

3. Listening to Orioles Singing in the Willows

During the Southern Song Dynasty, an imperial garden, featuring especially weeping willow trees - which is almost always the perfect complement to a seascape - was built on this site. The imperial garden has since become a public park, replete with pavilions, bridges and lawns, and of course the orioles still visit the willows, where they sing as beautifully as when the emperor came here to listen to their song.

4. Viewing Fish and Lotus Fronds at Flower Pond

This spot is located at the southern end of Su Causeway. A clean stream flows from Huajia Hill to join West Lake here, and many flowers grow where the fresh water flows in, so it called "Flowery Harbor". This area now has been made into a 22 hectare (54 acre) park with many varieties of trees and flowers, featuring a peony garden which blooms in April and a goldfish pond which is the famous site for viewing fish.

Viewing Fish and Lotus Fronds at Flower Pond

5. Sunset Glow over Leifeng Pagoda

The stone arched bridge is at the eastern end of the Bai Causeway. The legendary tale of Lady White Snake took place here. After a snowfall, the snow on the sunny side melts first, while snow on the shaded side still lingers. Looking from afar, the bridge appears to be broken, thus the name.

6. Twin Peaks Piercing the Clouds

Most visitors to West Lake are so fascinated by the lake itself that they often don't notice the surroundings. At the site called Twin Peaks Piercing the Clouds, visitors are advised to also lift their gaze from the lake's surface and behold the view on the other side of the lake, where one is rewarded by the sight of two mountain peaks, separated by the short distance of about five kilometers, at the northern rim of the lake. On certain days with low-lying clouds, or on other days when a low-lying fog is present, it is as if these twin peaks pierce through the clouds, the fog, etc., hence the site's name.

7. Evening Bell Ringing at Nanping Mountain

This site, like most of the other sites at West Lake, is to be enjoyed to its fullest under certain specific conditions; Evening Bell Ringing at Nanping Mountain, as the name suggests, is to be enjoyed at dusk, when the sun slowly sets, its softened rays casting their multi-colored reflections on the surface of the lake. At this hour the huge bell of Jingxi Temple peals, it’s clear, forceful sound reverberating across the lake, as if amplified in the still evening air, calling for humility and reminding Buddhists of their age-old religious heritage - and indeed, reminding anyone who experiences this beautiful setting of his or her ultimate smallness within the larger scope of things.

Sunset Glow over Leifeng Pagoda

8. Three Pools Mirroring the Moon

Three miniature stone pagodas, which act like beacons, built over 800 years ago and 2 meters in height, are the centerpiece of the scenic spot called "Three Pools Mirroring the Moon". To the west of Three Pools Mirroring the Moon Island stand rounded hollow stone pagodas with five round holes like windows around the top and bottom levels. On the night of the Mid-Autumn festival, when the moon shines full and bright in the sky, a candle is lit inside each of the pagodas. The light from the holes and the moon cast their reflections on the water, hence the name.