China ABC
LI BOThe Palace and Royal Ancestral Shrines Area of Yin XuYin Xu The archaeological site of Yin Xu, close to Anyang in central China’s Henan Province, is an ancient capital city of the late Shang Dynasty (1600 B.C.1100 B.C.). It testifies to early Chinese culture, crafts and sciences in a time of great prosperity of the Chinese Bronze Age more than 3,000 years ago. The archaeological remains of Yin Xu dated from 1300 BC and comprise two sites: the Palace and Royal Ancestral Shrines Area and the Royal Tombs Area, covering a total 414 hectares with an enclosing buffer zone of 720 hectares. The 20th king of the Shang Dynasty Pan Geng moved his capital from Yan to Yin (the area around Xiaotun Village of present Anyang) around 1300 B.C., and established a lasting and stable capital. It spanned 255 years with 12 kings in eight generations and created the splendid and brilliant Yinshang Civilization, which is of priceless value in terms of history, art and science. It was the earliest site to possess the elements of civilization, including more than 80 house foundations of rammed earth with remains of timber structures, ancestral shrines and altars enclosed within a defensive ditch which also functioned as a flood-control system. Numerous pits within the palace area contained inscribed oracle bones considered to carry the earliest evidence of the Chinese written language. The Royal Tombs Area on higher ground includes sacrificial pits containing chariots and human remains considered to have been sacrificial victims. Among them is the only tomb of a member of the royal family of the Shang Dynasty to have remained intact, the Tomb of Fu Hao, the first female general and politician recorded in Chinese history.
TIPS
*Researching before visit is recommended.
*Photo taking is prohibited for some relics.
INFO
*Listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2006
*Location: Anyang City, Henan Province, China
*Best Time to Visit: Anytime
ZHANG JINJIAThe ruins of St. Paul Cathedral in the Historic Center of Macao
Historic Center of MacaoMacao, a lucrative port of strategic importance in the development of international trade in Chinese territory, became a Portuguese settlement in the mid-16th century and returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1999. The Historic Center of Macao presents a group of 22 principal buildings and public spaces that enable a clear understanding of the structure of the old trading port city. With its historic streets, residential, religious and public Portuguese and Chinese buildings, the center provides a unique testimony to the meeting of aesthetic, cultural, religious, architectural and technological influences from East and West.
As the Portuguese set foot and settled on the peninsula, Macao became an important gateway between China and the West. Different nationalities settled in this hub of a complex maritime trading network, along with missionaries who brought with them religious and cultural influences.
The city’s unique multicultural identity can be read in the dynamic presence of Western and Chinese architectural heritage standing side by side in the city and the same dynamics often exist in individual building designs, adapting Chinese design features in Western style buildings and vice versa.
Thanks to the “one country, two systems” policy, the integrity of the major monuments and the original urban fabric that define the historic settlement has remained intact despite the fast-growing decades after its return to China. Evidences of its multicultural identity are well preserved to mark a memorable time when the East and the West met for the first time maintaining the original cultural traditions.
INFO Listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2005 Location: Macao Special Administrative Region, China Best Time to Visit: October to February Tips Macao has its own currency (MOP). The city is also known for its casinos.