History, Arts & Traditions
Can a building measure the sky?
The surviving Yuan observatory at Gaocheng was built in 1279 by the astronomer Guo Shoujing. The UNESCO–IAU astronomy heritage account explains the…
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History, Arts & Traditions
Why are there red figures on a cliff?
Huashan's painted cliffs ask you to read the river and landscape around the figures.
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History, Arts & Traditions
How do you cast a pattern in bronze?
Early Chinese bronze vessels could begin as a puzzle made from clay pieces.
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History, Arts & Traditions
Was this imperial resort really a holiday?
Chengde's Mountain Resort was a place to stay, but also a place to rule.
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History, Arts & Traditions
What was hidden in the Library Cave?
One sealed chamber near Dunhuang held books and pictures that crossed languages and centuries.
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Places & Regions
Why place a giant Buddha by three rivers?
The Leshan Giant Buddha makes more sense when you look at the cliff and rivers around it.
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History, Arts & Traditions
Can a cliff tell several stories?
The Dazu carvings are not one giant picture with one simple meaning.
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History, Arts & Traditions
What do the statues at Longmen tell us?
A cliff full of Buddhist images is also a record of many different people making decisions over centuries.
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History, Arts & Traditions
The dams behind Liangzhu’s ancient city
Liangzhu’s jade objects belong to a much larger archaeological landscape of rice fields, raised ground, dams and waterways.
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History, Arts & Traditions
Why was a canal bigger than a shortcut?
The Grand Canal moved grain and tied distant regions to the needs of a capital.
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Places & Regions
What would you find in an old port?
Quanzhou's history is a reminder that a port is built from people as much as ships.
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History, Arts & Traditions
Why unroll a painting slowly?
A handscroll does not give you the whole picture at once. That is part of the experience.
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