Yang-Shao Culture

Yang-Shao Culture was discoveried in 1912 by Andersson, a Swedish geologist and archaeologist.



Yang-Shao Culture was a kind of Neolithic culture that flourished in China about 5000-3000 bc. Originating in western China, located in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, especially in the provinces of Shaanxi (陕西), Shanxi (山西), Henan (河南), and Gansu(甘肃).



It was a civilization of farmers who used the slash-and-burn method. Living in semipermanent villages of wattle-and-daub structures, the people raised millet and wheat and maybe have also practiced an early form of silkworm cultivation. They kept pigs and dogs—and to a lesser extent sheep, goats, and cattle—but much of their food still came from hunting and fishing. Their stone tools were polished and highly specialized. At least two classes—the rulers and the ruled—existed, and there is evidence of emerging craft specialization.



Typical of Yang-shao artistic production is the fine white, red, and black painted pottery for which the culture is sometimes named the Painted Pottery Culture. Handmade, that is, made without benefit of a potter's wheel, sintering temperature has reached about 950 ℃. The pottery is distinguished by geometric design patterns, most popular is double ear bottles with smooth lines showing highly artistic beauty. pottery may have been used primarily for gifts to the dead.



Yang-Shao Culture is a kind of Matriarchal clan commune system, Early popular collective buried together and homosexual buried together, and hundreds of people buried in a public cemetery. Each Tomb only had small difference in size and burial objects, but women burial objects slightly more than men. 








Pottery Pots, someone guess the Pattern on Pot's wall is a kind of ancient symbols









1956 fouded in Henan province, Miao-Di-Gou Culture







Yes, as you can see, besides the remains in the middle, made by shell, left is a dragon, right is a tiager 4400BC, in Henan province.

English Reference:

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761572034/Yang-Shao_Culture.html http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-651782/Yang-shao-culture





Chinese Reference:

http://baike.baidu.com/view/9771.htm

http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BB%B0%E9%9F%B6%E6%96%87%E5%8C%96

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Tibet(西藏)

Tibet is surely a destination apart from most in the world, the rolling hills of the high plateau and the stunning Himalayas are none to any. Today in the age of information with jet aircraft, highways and the net work of computers, mysterious places are rare to be found. But, Tibet is an exception.

Refereed as Shangri La, The Forbidden Land, The Roof of the World and by many more, the mysterious Buddhist Kingdom remained long closed to foreigners, exerting a strong hold on the imagination of the world. For centuries, it has fascinated mankind. It was hardly accessible to the outside world and has been always a challenge to human beings. Tibet, a "forbidden land" not only by man but also by nature, attracted many explorers, scholars, and pilgrims and adventure lovers, all in pursuit of "Real Shangri-la". It is not only the geographical and natural enchants but also a long historical culture and religion that appeal the foreigners to visit Tibet at least once in a lifetime.



Tibet covers 1.2 million sq. kms constituting one eighth of China's land mass, nearly as large as the total territories of Germany and France. With an average elevation of 4,000 meters above sea level, and over 50 peaks above 7,000 meters, Tibet has become a real paradise for mountaineers and explorers.



Lhasa is the spiritual and political capital of Tibet. Lhasa means in Tibetan "The land of gods". There are numerous scenic spots and historical attractions, among which Potala Palace, Nobulingka, Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery, Ganden Monastery and Jokhang Temple being the most famous. Shigatse is the second biggest town in Tibet. Shigatse means in Tibetan "The Estate that fulfills one's Wishes ". Tashilhunpo Monastery is its major historic attraction. Mt. Kailas, the near-legendary mountain in western Tibet is holy to both Hinduism and Buddhism. People come from far away lands to perform a pilgrimage, one even circle the mountain on the stomach. The mountain is the source of four major Asian rivers.



The popular time of the year to visit Tibet is May through October. To taste Tibet with its rich cultural heritage, incredibly dramatic landscapes and fascinating political history is a lifetime dream. Please do not hesitate to contact us for any details you might wish to enquire, certainly we can find a solution for any holiday requirement in Tibet.

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Mt. Tai(泰山)

Mt. Tai was seemed as the leader of the 'Five Sacred Mountains', it is located in the center of Shandong Province, lying across the cities of Tai'an, Jinan and Zibo. Its main peak, Jade Emperor Summit, which is within Tai'an City, is about 1532.7 meters (5,029 feet) high. 





Human present at Mt. Tai can back to the neolithic period. During neolithic period, two cultures had emerged near the mountain, the Dawenkou to the north and Longshan to the south. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the mountain lay on the boundary between the competing States of Qi (north of the mountain) and Lu (south). In the ensuing Warring States Period, the State of Qi erected a 500 km-long wall to protect itself. Ruins of this wall are still present today. The name Tai'an of neighboring city is attributed to the saying "If Mount Tai is stable, so is the entire country" (both characters of Tai'an, 泰安, means "peace").



The mountain was once called Mt. Daishan, Mt. Daizong or Mt. Taiyue and was renamed Mt. Taishan in the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC). It epitomizes splendid Chinese history and culture, and was listed in the World Natural and Cultural Heritage List of UNESCO in 1987.



In ancient times, when a great emperor(or a emperor who think himself to be great) ascending to the throne, the first thing to do was to climb Mount Tai and pray to heaven and earth and their ancestors. It was said that 72 emperors of different dynasties made pilgrimages to this mountain. These special ceremonies and sacrifices earned the mountain widespread fame. In addition, many poets and literary scholars also visited the mountain to gain inspiration. The grandiose temples, the numerous stone inscriptions and stone tablets are the best testaments to these visits. Mt. Tai also played an important role in the development of Buddhism and Taoism(a local god of  Mt. Tai).



Taishan Mountain is a natural museum abounding with cultural relics and artworks. It was said there are  22 temples, 97 ruins, 819 stone tablets, and 1,018 cliff-side and stone inscriptions located on Mount Tai.

Heavenly Queen Pool, Red Gate Palace, Mid-Heaven Gate, Azure Cloud Temple are powerful examples. Stone carvings include the Buddhist Diamond Sutra in Jing Shi Valley, the Scripture of Mt. Tai and the Mo Ya Tablet.



Besides historic relics, Mount Taishan boasts unique natural scenery too. The lofty peaks, deep valleys, spectacular waterfalls, enchanting rocks and the centuries-old pines and cypresses will undoubtedly encourage you linger with no thought of leaving. The four wonders of the mountain are Sunrises from the East, the Sunset Glow, the Sea of Clouds and the Golden Belt along the Yellow River. It would be very pity to miss the four wonders. 





some photos.(from internat)




















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Mt. Huangshan(黄山)a Marvel of Natural Beauty.

Mt. Huangshan located in the southern part of Anhui Province, the Yellow Mountains (Huangshan in Chinese means yellow mountain) extend across - Shexian, Yixian, Taiping and Xiuning. They rose above the earth surface as a result of movement of the earth's crust over a hundred million years ago. Later they underwent the erosion of Quaternary glaciation and have gradually become what they are today.

Magnificent and imposing, it is a famous scenic spot full of wonderful sights.The Yellow Mountains known as Yishan in the Qin Dynasty (221 -207 B.C.) got their present name in 747 A.D. (the 6th year of the Tianbao reign of the Tang Dynasty), when Li Bai (701 -762), the great Tang poet, wrote about them in these lines:

Thousands of feet high towers the Yellow Mountains

With its thirty-two magnificent peaks,

Blooming like golden lotus flowers.

Amidst red crags and rock columns.



The Yellow Mountains are a marvel within an area of 154 square kilometres there is a crowd of peaks, 72 of which have names indicating the shapes they resemble. Lotus Brightness Apex and Celestial Capital are the three major ones, all rising above 1,800 metres. The mountains are a body of granite, often with vertical joints. Erosion and fracture contributed to shape the rocks into huge columns giving rise to lofty peaks and deep ravines. When it is cloudy the pinnacles loom in mists as if they were visionary, while in sunshine they unfold in all their majesty and splendour.



The Yellow Mountains change their colour and appearance with the alternation of seasons. In spring blooming flowers decorate the slopes in a riot of colour and fill the valleys with fragrance, in summer you see verdured peaks rising one upon another and near springs gurgling merrily. Autumn dresses the mountains in red and purple, as maples are all blazing - red; winter turns them into a world of frost and ice with silver boughs and rocks everywhere. So from ancient times it has been frequented by tourists seeking their mystery and admiring their scenery.



They come to the conclusion that the fantastic pines, the grotesque rocks, the sea of clouds and the hot springs are the four major attractions of the Yellow Mountains. As a matter of fact there are marvels almost everywhere especially in the following scenic areas: Wenguan (Hot Spring), Yupinglou (Jade Screen Tower), Xihai (West Sea), Beihai (North Sea), Yungusi (Cloud Valley Temple) and Songguan (Pine Valley Nunnery).



Owing to the peculiar terrain, the Yellow Mountains' climate is marked by a vertical change, and the vertical distribution of vegetation is also distinctive: plants on the summit, on the middle levels and at the foot belong to the frigid, temperate and subtropical zones respectively. There are more than 1500 species of plants, of which trees comprise one third. So the Yellow Mountains occupy an important place in China's botanical research. Here you will find century-old pines, firs ginkgoes, Chinese torreyas, Chinese sweet gums, nanmus, camphorwoods and the precious Magua trees, remnants of the glacial era. The Yellow Mountains abound in flowering plants; many of them are rare ones, such as Goddess Flower, the Yellow Mountains Azalea as well as camellia, plum, lily crape myrtle, orchid, Spring Herald Ina Flower and so on. It has a rich store of medicinal herbs; more than 300 kinds are found here, the notable ones being glossy ganoderma, ginseng, Chinese goldthread rhizome and Chinese cinnamon. Maofeng tea of the Yellow Mountains is well known at home and abroad.






































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