Scenery of RMB Banknotes VI: Great Hall of the People, Beijing

The largest bill of RMB is 100 Yuan. It's red and different from other bills. Can you guess what the scenery on its back? I can tell you it's a architecture in Beijing. Haha, don't you guess it? In the article, we will talk about it.

Chapter Six

RMB 100 Note: Great Hall of the People, Beijing

Attraction: Great Hall of the People, Beijing
Opening Hours: Dec.-March. 9:00-14:00
                         Apr.-June. 8:15-15:00
                         July.-Aug. 7:30-16:00
                         Sept.-Nov. 8:30-15:00.

The visiting hours greatly depend on the meetings scheduled in the hall. If some important national or international meetings are going on in the hall, visitors are usually asked to wait until the meeting ends.
Best Time to Visit: the four seasons all appropriate

RMB 100 Note

The back pattern of 100 yuan notes is the Great Hall of the People, which is located in the west side of Tiananmen Square, and faces with the National Museum. There are stone pillars on the left side of the notes. The scene is viewed from the National Museum.  

The outside of Great Hall of the People

To the west of Tian’anmen Square lies the Great Hall of the People, one of the truly grand modern structures of Beijing. Its green and yellow glazed-tile roof, magnificent portico and colonnades, and rows of pines and cypresses create a look both solemn and immense.

The Great Hall is the place where national conferences and large international events are held and where Chinese leaders meet foreign leaders. A national emblem of People's Republic of China hangs over the main gate. Twelve 25-meters-high marble pillars set on 5-meters-high marble foundation, making the hall extremely solemn and magnificent.
Constructed in ten months in 1959, this impressive structure is 336 meters long from north to south, 206 meters wide from east to west, and 46.5 meters high at the highest point.

The Inside of Great Hall of the People

It can be divided into three main sections: a 10,000-seat auditorium in the middle, a banquet hall on the north side where 5,000 people can dine at one time (as was done on the occasion of Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972) and the offices of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on the south side.

Great Hall of the People

The facilities inside the hall are very sophisticated. Many are fascinated by a series of reception halls named for each of China's province, decorated in local style, simple and restful, pleasingly austere and in perfect taste.

The Great Hall of the People is now open to both domestic and foreign visitors. 

Note: 
No bags are allowed inside the building, but a bag depository is located outside the East Gate of the Great Hall. The East Gate is the only place for visitors' entrance. Guides are available in the hall, but the tour is only in Chinese.

Scenery of RMB Banknotes V: RMB 50 Note --- Potala Palace, Tibet

In this article, we will talk about another scenery of RMB banknotes. If you know something about China, I think you may hear the mysterious Tibet. If you take a Tibet China tour, the Potala Palace is a must see attraction you shouldn't miss.

Chapter Five

RMB 50 Note: Potala Palace, Tibet

Attraction: Potala Palace, Tibet
Openning Hours: 9:00 - 12:00, 15:00-16:30 
Best Time to Visit: May-October, avoid the rain season and severe winter

The primary image on obverse side of the new 50 Yuan note is chairman Mao Zedong, just like the other RMB, while the primary image on the reverse side of it is a picture of the Potala Palace in Lhasa , in the Tibet Autonomous Region. (See image on the left)

RMB 50 Note

History of Potala Palace

Potala Palace, one of the architectural wonders of the world, is the symbol of the sacred land Lhasa. It was built in the 7th century by King Songtsan Gambo, unifier of Tibet, for his bride, the Han nationality Princess Wen Cheng of the Tang dynasty Emperor. The Buddhists later named it Potala Palace, meaning the sacred land of Buddhism. This structure was later burned to the ground during a war and was rebuilt in the 17th century by the Fifth Dalai Lama. Repeated repairs and expansions until 1645 finally brought the palace to its present scale.
After the restoration in the 17th Century, this palace had become the residence of Dalai Lamas in wintertime as well as the power center of the Tibetan regime that integrates the religion and politics. 

Location and Construction of Potala Palace 

Located on the Red Hill in Lhasa, the palace is a 13-story palace complex, 117 meters high, standing at the top of a cliff more than 3700 meters above sea level. It occupies an area of over 360,000 square meters, measuring 360 meters from east to west and 270 meters from south to north.
The complex is of stone and wood structure. The roofs of the main buildings are in traditional Han architectural style with upturned eaves, tinkling bells at each corner and gilded yellow tiles.
The Potala Palace consists of two sections: the Red Palace in the center, used for religious functions and the White Palace on two sides, comprising halls, temples and courtyards, serves as the living quarters of Dalai Lama.
Collected a large number of sculptures, murals, scripture and other valuable cultural relics, the palace on the whole is typical in Tibetan style, with a large collection of jewelry inside, which earns it the reputation of a palace of the art. In 1994, the Potala Palace of Lhasa joined the list of World cultural Heritages in China.

Potala Palace

Nowadays of Potala Palace

Today, Potala Palace is a museum and temple, thousands of tourists and pilgrims surging up. It is no more like it before only Emperor and ministers, like Forbidden City in Beijing. But the daily entry quota is 2, 300 more than before 1,500 since July 1, 2007, when the Qinghai-Tibet railway was put into operation. A limit on entry is necessary for the protection of the Potala Palace, making the sacred palace more mysterious.

Anecdote 

Potala Palace is located in the center of Lhasa. It is the holy land of Tibetan Buddhist, built on the top of Lhasa River Valley Redhill, majestic and impressive. In order to produce of 50 yuan notes of the fifth series of the renminbi, the two senior artists of Banknote Printing and Mint came to Lhasa to inspect. They looked for a long time, and finally found the best angle on the top of a water treatment plant, where they took photos first, made a sketch map, and then designed the final pattern on the renminbi. 


Tips:
1. Hats should be off when you enter Potala Palace.
2. Taking pictures is not allowed inside Potala Palace.
3. Thresholds can not be treaded. You had better stride them.
4. The best way to visit Patala Palace is to enter from the back door exit from the front gate. You will be more leisure.
5. You can find the best angle to take photos of panorama of Potala Palace on Yaowang Mountain. 
6. If you like tasting local snacks and shopping, Barkhor Street is an ideal place for you to experience, which is full of local snacks and local goods in minority style. 

Scenery of RMB Banknotes IV: RMB 20 Note: Li River, Guilin

There are 3 famous rivers in China: Yangtze River, Yellow River and Li River. If you travel in Guilin, Li River is the must-see attraction. And, it's also the scenery of RMB 20 Note. In the article, we will talk it about.

Chapter Four

RMB 20 Note: Li River, Guilin

Attraction: Li River, Guilin
Openning Hours: Full Day
Best Time to Visit: April-October
Highlights of Li River: 

1. Upstream Attractions: Elephant Trunk Hill, Zizhou, Gamecock Mountain, Holy-water vades Mountain, Father and Son Mountain, Wilkes Crossing, Qifeng Town, Yellow Cattle Gorge, Daxu Ancient Town

RMB 20 Note

2. Midstream Attractions: Amah Rock, Lawn, Crown Cave, Carp Hang Wall, Embroider Mountain, Fairy Mill, Half Crossing, Taoyuan Moon, Guzhui Mountain, Yangdi, Jilong Mountain, Nine Horse Mount, Green Peaks Reflected on Water

3. Downstream Attractions: Beauty Look Mirror, Shutong Mountain, Tianshui Village, Spiral Shell Mountain, Snow Lion Mountain, Cormorants, Green Lotus Peak, Yangshuo

The primary image on the reverse side of the 20 Yuan note is a view of a fisherman on his bamboo raft floating down the Li River through the spectacular Karst mountains of Guilin.

Li River, one of the symbols of Guilin, which boasts the largest and most beautiful scenic area in China and attracts thousands of visitors each year. It’s also the must-see attraction if you travel in Guilin.

Li River

The 83-km-long waterway from Guilin to Yangshuo is like an artist’s masterpiece. The landscape is decorated with rolling hills, steep cliffs, fantastic caves, leisurely boats and is lined with bamboo. A poem says: "The river is a green silk ribbon, and the hills are jade hair-pins". Mostly the cruise starts from Zhujiang Wharf. It is about 40 minutes’ drive from Guilin city. 

Li River Cruise offers admirers a unique classical Chinese ink painting with its green hills, crystal water, verdant bamboo and clear water reflection. Along the Li River, sweet water makes the mountains come alive, while the existence of those graceful mountains makes the water more limpid. There is no doubt that Guilin has the perfect combination of mountain and water and has been the best representative of Chinese landscape, just as the former US President Clinton praised "No place in China is more evocative of the beauty of your country than Guilin". "The river winds like a green silk ribbon, while the hills are like jade hairpins" written by Han-Yu (768-824), a famous Chinese poet in Tang Dynasty.

Scenery of RMB Banknotes III: RMB 10 Note: Kui Gate in Yangtze River

Yangtze, one of the top 10 scenic spots in China,is made of Qutang Gorge, Wu Gorge and Xiling Gorge. Qutang Gorge, the back pattern of 10 yuan, which will be talked about in the article.

Chapter Three

RMB 10 Note: Kui Gate in Yangtze River

Attraction: Kui Gate in Yangtze River
Openning Hours: Full Day 
Best Time to Visit: April-September
Highlights: 
1. Chijia Mountain 
2. Inscriptions on Cliffs
3. Ancient Pland Path 
4. Bellows gorge 
5. Fengjie Ancient City
6. Eight Battle Formation
7. Baidi Town

RMB 10 Note

Kui Gate, also named Qutang Pass, is the gateway from the Sichuan basin to the Three Gorges at the Yangtze River with high mountains towering on both banks. Qutang west Baidicheng Fengjie, Wushan Daixi east, in China and the Three Gorges-known. Gap cliffs to the north and the south shores Men 1000 960, knifed Fuxiao general, A Report on the surging more than 100 meters was no wider than the narrow River Road. On the cliff  are engraved five characters (Kui Gate, the Grandest of All).  

Kui Gate, one of the parts of the Yangtze River, the longest river in China and the third longest in the world, has rich and extensive hydroelectric resources. In 1995 construction began on the massive Three Gorges Dam near Yichang and is scheduled for completion in 2009. The dam is expected to help control the flooding of the Yangtze River Valley. The Three Gorges (the Qutang Gorge, the Wuxia Gorge, and Xiling Gorge) will also be the largest electricity generating station in the world.

Qutang Gorge

The Yangtze Three Gorges Cruise (lasting three to five days) is incredible, providing the most exciting and unique river trips in the world. You will be excited, inspired and dwarfed by towering peaks and mile-high cliffs standing face to face on either side of the Yangtze River. Many of our guests have remarked how impressed they were with the Yangtze Cruise. " This was a fabulous trip that I really enjoyed .It was relaxing, interesting, and slow paced. But a Yangtze River cruise is the only way to see this part of China that will be undergoing dramatic changes during the upcoming years." 

You can abandon yourself to the adventure of exploring the Three Gorges, but don't forget to look for the location of the painting on the reverse of the 10 Yuan note!

Scenery of RMB Banknotes II: Mt. Taishan, Shandong

There are five famous mountains in China: Mt. Taishan in Shandong,  Mount Hengshan in Hunan, Mt. Huashan in Shaanxi, Mt. Hengshan in Shanxi and Mount Song in Henan. And the Mount Tai is the first of the five mountains, which is also the back pattern of 5 yuan. In the last article, we talked about the back pattern on 1 Yuan, in the chapter, we will continue our RMB banknotes journey about 5 Yuan.

Chapter Two

RMB 5 Note: Mt. Taishan, Shandong

Attraction: Mt. Taishan, Shandong
Openning Hours: 7:30 - 17:30 
Best Time to Visit: May-November
Highlights: 
1. Eighteen Bends 
2. Southern Gate 
3. Rising Sun 
4. Dai Temple 
5. Sunrise of Mountain Tai 
6. Top 6 Scenic Spot (You Area, Kuang Area, Ao Area, Miao Area, Xiu Area, Li Area) 
7. Lingyan Temple 
8. Puzhao Temple 
9. Zhulin Temple 
10. Yuquan Temple
 

RMB 5 Yuan

                              
The back pattern of 5 yuan is the scenery of Mt. Taishan, whose splendid view of the sunrise over a sea of clouds in Shandong province. The stone inscription in the foreground is from the summit of Mount Tai, with four giant Chinese characters proclaiming "wuyueduzun"(the most respected of the Five Sacred Mountains). However, this pattern is “montage”, putting two scenes (rock carving and the main peak of Mount Tai) together, because actually, people can not see such scenery in reality. 

Mount Tai is famous for its grandness, with splendid natural scenery and rich cultural relics. It has been a source of inspiration to artists and scholars.

"There's no need to visit other mountains when you've been to the Five Sacred Mountains," Chinese folk wisdom says. The majestic Mount Tai has been regarded as the chief of the five Taoist Sacred Mountains. Confucius and the great poet Dufu both made poems illustrating their respect "From the summit of Mount Tai you will see how small the surrounding Mountains appear as they lie below you".

Mt. Taishan

With its abundant cultural treasures, Mt. Tai is honored as a sacred mountain and the symbol of Chinese national spirit. From ancient times to the Qing Dynasty, emperors came to this reverend peak to hold grand ceremonies to worship the Gods of Heaven and earth. According to historical records, there were 72 emperors offering imperial sacrifices here. In 1987, Mount Tai was designated as a World Natural and Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.

If you want to climb the Mountain Tai, we recommend 4 lines for you.

Line1: Dai Temple-Tianmen-Confucius Board-Hongmen-Zhongtian Gate-Southern Gate-Yuhuangding (The most classic Hongmen Road hiking middle line)

Line 2: Tianwai Village(World Square)-Ring Road-Zhu Lin monastery-Huangxi River Reservoir-Zhongtian Gate-Southern Gate-Yuhuangding(Bus way)

Line 3: The Entrance of Peach Blossom Valley-Ring Road-Caishi Stream-Red Squama Fish Protected Area- Paradise by Cableway-Southern Gate-Yuhuangding(Bus way or Hiking)

Line 4: Tianzhufeng(Back Mountain)

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.