Monument sights in China
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Yungang Caves
These caves, cut into the southern cliffs of Wuzhou Shan, contain over 50,000 Buddhist statues including the earliest Buddhist carvings in China. Images surrounding the main statues include the omnipresent '1000 Buddha' motif, flying apsaras (angels draped in flowing silk), pagodas in bas-relief and Chinese symbols such as dragons and phoenixes.
On top of the mountain ridge are the remains of a huge, mud-brick 17th-century Qing dynasty fortress. As you approach the caves you'll see the truncated pyramids, which were once the watchtowers. Sadly, many of the caves suffer damage from coal and other pollution, largely a result of the neighbouring coal mine. At the time of wri…
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Grand Buddha
The serenely seated Grand Buddha, carved into a cliff face, is the pride and joy of the city, a spiritual uncle. Qualifying as the largest Buddha in the world he's 71m (233ft) high, his ears are 7m (23ft) long, his insteps 8.5m (28ft) broad, and you could picnic on the nail of his big toe - the toe itself is 8.5m (28ft) long. Holy smokes!
A Buddhist monk called Haitong started the whole thing in AD 713, hoping that the Buddha would calm the swift currents and protect boatmen from lethal currents in river hollows. Well, the big guy 'matured' slowly, finally completed 90 years after Haitong's death. Surplus rocks from the sculpting filled the river hollow and did the trick,…
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China Millennium Monument
Vaguely resembling a vast sundial pointing directly south to Beijing West Train Station, this cumbersome monument solidifies Běijīng's triumphant 21st century aspirations in stone. For such a momentous statement, the design is devoid of imagination or artistry, while examination of the stone cladding shows it already requires repair.
The art gallery, however, is worth perusing (included in the ticket price) and you can pick up boats from the dock to the Summer Palace, leaving daily at 10:00, 11:00, 14:00 and 17:00, or go for a stroll in Yuyuantan Park (Yùyuāntán Gōngyuán) to the north, where you can also board boats (10:10, 11:10, 14:10 and 15:10) to the Summer Palace f…
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Liberation Monument
If you have just a couple of days to spend in the city, Liberation Monument is the best place to start. First built to commemorate Sun Yatsen's death, the wooden tower's dedication was twice revised to mark the victory over the Japanese in 1947 and the first anniversary of the People's Republic of China in 1950. It's also the site of a spectacle every morning at 06:00, when hundreds congregate at its base for tai chi practice.
Keep an eye out for blue Chinese and English markers pointing the way to major sites and shopping around this area.
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Golden Bauhinia
A 6m-tall statue (including pedestal) of Hong Kong’s symbol, called the Forever Blooming Bauhinia, stands on the waterfront promenade just in front of the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre to mark the return of Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 and the establishment of the Hong Kong SAR. The flag-raising ceremony, held daily at 8am and conducted by the Hong Kong Police, has become a must-see for visiting tourist groups from the mainland. There’s a pipe band on the 1st, 11th and 21st of each month at 7.45am.
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Monument to the People's Heroes
Completed in 1958, this 37.9m-high obelisk, made of Qīngdǎo granite, bears bas-relief carvings of key patriotic and revolutionary events (such as Lin Zexu destroying opium at Hǔmén in the 19th century, and Tàipíng rebels).
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Tomb of Hairui
More attractive than the Five Officials Memorial Temple, the Tomb of Hairui was ravaged during the Cultural Revolution but has been restored in vibrant colour. Hairui was an incorruptible and popular Ming dynasty official who was eventually banished to the island after criticising the emperor. The tomb is in western Hǎikǒu, off Haixiu Dadao; take bus 2 and tell the driver 'Hairui Mu!', or watch for a turn-off marked by a blue sign in English and Chinese. From there it's a 1km-walk south.
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Looking at the Past Pavilion
The Looking at the Past Pavilion was raised for tourists at a cost of over one million yuán. It's famed for a unique design using dozens of four-storey pillars - unfortunately these were culled from northern Yúnnán old-growth forests. A path (with English signs) leads from Old Market Sq. It acts as a sentinel of sorts for the town. Sit on the slope in the early morning and watch the mist clearing as the old town comes to life.
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Camel Peak
A further attraction at Seven Stars park is Camel Peak, which indeed resembles a ruminating ship of the desert. View the hill from the front for its two-hump Bactrian camel impersonation or from the rear for its impression of a single-hump dromedary camel. In front of Camel Peak is a weather-beaten podium used by ex-President Bill Clinton when making a speech here; nearby is a sad-looking zoo, eager for both investment and visitors.
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Mausoleum of Shao Hao
Mausoleum of Shao, one of the five legendary emperors of Chinese antiquity, Shao Hao's pyramidal Song dynasty tomb, 4km northeast of Qūfù, is constructed from huge stone blocks, 25m wide at the base and 6m high, topped with a small temple. Today the temple is deserted, but the atmosphere is serene. Bus 2 from the bus station will drop you 350m south of the tomb, or take a taxi or pedicab.
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Monument to the Crossing of the Yangzi River
Monument to the Crossing of the Yangzi River . In the northwest of the city on Zhongshan Beilu, this monument, erected in April 1979, commemorates the crossing of the river on 23 April 1949 and the capture of Nánjīng from the Kuomintang by the communist army. The characters on the monument are in the calligraphy of Deng Xiaoping. To get there catch bus 31 from Taiping Lu.
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Xiuying Battery
If you're out west of Xiuying Harbour, don't miss the Xiuying Battery , built by the German Krupp company in the late 19th century as part of a series of coastal forts designed to make European invaders think twice. There are some cool underground passageways, several cannons pointing out to sea and a museum of weaponry. Take bus 1 or 32 to Shimao Wan Lu and go up the hill.
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Monument to the Martyrs of the Railway Protection Movement
Plopped in the middle of the People's Park's bonsai and perennials is the Monument to the Martyrs of the Railway Protection Movement (1911). This obelisk memorialises an uprising of the people against corrupt officers pocketing cash intended for railway construction. People's Park was a private officer's garden, so it was a fitting place to put the structure.
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Cloud Rock Pagoda
Built in the 10th century, the leaning Cloud Rock Pagoda stands atop Tiger Hill. The octagonal seven-storey pagoda, also known as Huqiu Pagoda, is built entirely of brick, an innovation in Chinese architecture at the time. The pagoda began tilting over 400 years ago, and today the highest point is displaced more than 2m from its original position.
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Tiānyá Haijiao
Sānyà is the place for beach action. The beach at Tiānyá Hǎijiǎo, 24km (15mi) northwest of the town centre, swells with tourists having their photo taken around the stone immortalised on the back of the Y2.00 note. You can also catch a boat from the dock and do some snorkelling.
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Tomb of Hairui
The attractive Tomb of Hairui was ravaged during the Cultural Revolution but restored in vibrant colour. Hairui was a compassionate and popular official who lived in the 16th century. Make sure you wear comfy shoes as it's a kilometre's walk from the drop-off point along the road heading south.
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West Pagoda
Attached is a compound that is a popular spot for older people to drink tea, chat and thwack mah jong tiles around (if not get a shave and a haircut). This Tang pagoda can't be climbed, nor is the temple complexe open, but it is aging as gracefully as the neighbourhood gentrifies around it.
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Drum Tower
At the Old Town's centre rises the restored Drum Tower. Decorated with páilou (decorative archways), the pedestrianised shopping street north of the Drum Tower is excellent for calligraphy brushes, snuff bottles, fans, silk ceramics, jade, taichi swords, chops and jewellery.
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Twin Pagodas
The seven-storey Twin Pagodas were built during the Northern Song dynasty by candidates for the imperial examination who wanted to pay tribute to their teachers. The pagodas stand in the centre of an attractive garden filled with stone sculptures, with a teahouse at the far end.
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Mosque
Chinese in style, this large mosque is an active place of worship. Not officially open to the public unless you're Muslim, you may not be allowed in (although ensure you're suitably attired). The area surrounding the mosque is an intriguing maze of hútòng.
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Qianxun Pagoda
The tallest of the three pagodas, Qianxun Pagoda, has 16 tiers that reach a height of 70m. It was originally erected in the mid-9th century by engineers from Xī'ān. It is flanked by two smaller 10-tiered pagodas, each of which is 42m high.
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Revolutionary Martyrs’ Memorial
North of the Zhuhai City Museum at the eastern edge of Xiangshan Park, the austere Revolutionary Martyrs’ Memorial is dedicated to local victims of the Japanese forces during WWII.
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Hong Kong Observatory
This historic monument, built in 1883, is sadly not open to the public. It continues to monitor Hong Kong’s weather and sends out those frightening signals when a typhoon is heading for the territory.
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East Tomb
Also known as Fú Líng, this smaller tomb complex is the final resting place of Nurhachi and his mistress. It's 15km east of the city centre. Take bus 218 (45 minutes) from the Imperial Palace.
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Scripture Chamber
Hidden within the old town is the Scripture Chamber , formerly a memorial hall to the Red Army's Long March. Definitely not much to see here but its one room is worth a poke around.
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