"During my trip, I'll be visiting a university and two high schools in Beijing and Chengdu." she blogged, “I'll also be visiting various historical and cultural sites in China, and I look forward to sharing with you the stories of the students I meet, as well as the interesting facts I learn about Chinese history and culture."
Michelle Obama will visit historic sites such as the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warrior Museum in Xi’an, Northwest China's Shaanxi province and the Panda Base in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province. Other than these three popular destinations, there are other prestigious historical and cultural sites in the three cities that numerous foreign dignitaries visited during their trips to China.
Beijing
The Great Wall The most commonly told fact about the Great Wall is that it is the one man-made structure visible from the moon. The wall was begun during 5 BC, and building continued through the sixteenth century and stretches some 6,000 km across China. Today's surviving sections, placed end to end, would link New York with Los Angeles. It is said that a considerable part of Chinese history unfolded around the Great Wall. The grand attraction has long been a part of Chinese mythology and popular symbolism, and in the 20th century it came to be regarded as a national symbol. The banner of the White House webpage of “The First Lady's Trip to China” is the image of the Great Wall.
In 2009, US President Barack Obama toured the Great Wall at Badaling on the outskirts of Beijing.
Numerous strategists and statesmen visited the great wall, including former American Presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W Bush, Russian President Vladimir Putin, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron.
The Forbidden City
The Forbidden City,or otherwise known as the Imperial Palace, is one of the most popular tourist sites to visit in Beijing after the Great Wall. It serves as a representation of traditional Chinese architecture, and has been an influence of cultural and architectural development in Asia. In 1987, it was pronounced as an official World Heritage Site, and classified as the largest collection of ancient wooden structures in the world.
In 2009, US President Barack Obama spared an hour from his busy schedule to tour the Forbidden City. Obama is the fourth US president to visit the Forbidden City.
Other foreign dignitaries who visited the Forbidden City include French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The Summer Palace
The Summer Palace landscape, consisting mainly of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, covers an area of 2.9 square kilometers, with much of it under water. The area's 70,000 square meters of land features a variety of palaces, gardens and other ancient-style architectural structures. Well known for its large and priceless collection of cultural relics, it was among the first group of historical and cultural heritage sites in China to be placed under special state protection.
Former British Prime Minister Edward Heath and former U.S. President Gerald Ford visited the Summer Palace.
Nan Luo Gu Xiang
Nan Luo Gu Xiang is a small street in eastern Beijing with over 700 years of history. It is mainly a protected street filled with traditional courtyard homes known as Siheyuan. The street is about 1,000 meters long with 8 symmetrical lanes, or Hutong, on both the east and west sides. It is here visitors can also find many bars, stores and restaurants.
In February 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping showed up at one of Beijing's most famous hutongs in Nan Luo Gu Xiang.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and London mayor Boris Johnson have visited Nan Luo Gu Xiang.
The Imperial College The Imperial College, or "Guozijian" in Chinese, was built in the early 14th century and served as the highest learning institution and education administration during the Yuan (1279-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties.
In 2013, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited the Imperial College.
Beijing 798 Art District
Beijing 798 Art District has a far and wide reputation for its diverse cultural elements such as galleries, design studios, art exhibition spaces, artists’ studios, art institutions, fashion shops and restaurants. Many important international art exhibitions, art activities and fashion shows are often held there, which attract many worldwide political leaders, movie stars and social celebrities.
In 2013, London Mayor Boris Johnson attended an event in Beijing's 798 art district showcasing London universities for Chinese students.
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, former International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch also visited 798.
Xi’an
Emperor Qinshihuang’s Terracotta Army Museum
Located in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, the world-famous museum was built on the site of the Terracotta warriors and horse pits in Emperor Qin Shi Huang's (259-210 BC) Mausoleum.
The museum consists of three huge pits, as well as the hall of the two bronze chariots and horses. Covering an area of 22,780 square meters, over 8,000 Terracotta soldiers and horses, and over 10,000 bronze weapons, were discovered across the three different pits. The museum is a treasure trove of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) military, science and technology, art and culture. It is listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Foreign dignitaries who visited the museum include U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Republic of Korea (ROK) President Park Geun-hye, British Queen Elizabeth II, former American Presidents Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and George W Bush, former President Francois Mitterrand.
Xi'an City Wall
Built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644),the Xi'an City Wall is not only the most complete city wall that has survived over a long period of time, but is also one of the world’s largest and most complete ancient military defense systems.
Former US President Bill Clinton visited the Xi’an City Wall.
Huaqing Palace Heritage Site
Huaqing Palace Heritage Site is one of the few AAAAA-class tourist attractions in Xi’an not only for its old history but also for its natural beauty. Because of the hot springs here, the site was a winter resort for emperors and their concubines spanning different dynasties in ancient China. During the Tang Dynasty (AD618-907), Emperor Xuanzong had the Huaqing Palace built on the site of the old palaces for him and his favorite concubine Yang Yuhuan.
Former President of Ecuador, Gustavo Noboa Bejarano once visited Huaqing Palace Heritage Site.
Dayan Pagoda
As a key cultural heritage site under state protection and a national AAAAA-class tourist attraction, Dayan Pagoda is acclaimed as a masterpiece of Buddhist architecture in China. Externally the brick pagoda looks like a square cone, simple but grand. One can climb through the seven flights of winding wooden stairs up to the 64-meter high top to appreciate the panoramic view of the ancient city in the distance from the arch-shaped doors on four sides of each story.
Chengdu Du Fu Thatched Cottage
The Du Fu Thatched Cottage is located beside the Huanhua Brook in the west suburb of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province. Du Fu's poems had significant influence on the development of Chinese literature, and therefore he is esteemed as the Poem Saint. In the 2nd year (759) of the Qianyuan reign, Du Fu was exiled in Chengdu, and set up the hut where he lived for about 4 years. During this time, he wrote about 240 poems, many of which such as “My Thatched Hut Wrecked by the Autumn Wind” won universal praise. After the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), his later generations built gardens and a memorial hall on the site of the thatched cottage.
Kuanzhai Lane
The name of Kuanzhai Lane literally means wide and narrow lanes, and it consists of three thoroughfares: Kuan Lane (literally "Wide Lane"), Zhai Lane (Narrow Lane) and Jing Lane (Well Lane).
Kuanzhai lane is a fusion of regal tradition and fashionable modernity, where business and leisure meet in the heart of Chengdu. Walking around the scenic area, tourists can enjoy quaint Sichuan compounds in a style of the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), small villas of the post-colonial style and, of course, the ubiquitous tea culture in this city.
Former US ambassador to China Gary Locke paid a visit to Kuanzhai Lane.
Dujiangyan
Located 50km (31 miles) from Chengdu, Dujiangyan is not only a cultural city with a long history, but also a famous place of interest. Dujiangyan Dam that gives the city its name is an irrigation system built more than 2,200 years ago. Nearby Qingcheng Mountain is the birthplace of Taoism. With dozens of temples and pavilions built since the year AD143, it is a storehouse of ancient scripts and cultural relics. The region around the Dujiangyan irrigation system and Qingcheng Mountain was recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site in 2000, and a World Natural Heritage site six years later for it is part of panda habitat. Dujiangyan suffered severe damage in the May 12 earthquake, 2008. Only four days after the earthquake, the people of Dujiangyan began planning reconstruction work and future development. The foreign dignitaries who visited Dujiangyan included US Vice President Joe Biden, the Prime Minister of Tanzania Mizengo Pinda and many foreign ambassadors to China.
Jinli
Jinli was once a busy trading street with a history stretching back to the Qin Dynasty (221-206BC) around two thousand years ago. Today, a new Jinli Street has been built on the site of the ancient lane in the southern part of Chengdu. It has become a tourist attraction, featuring aged buildings and folk customs from the area. British Prime Minister David Cameron and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong visited Jinli.
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding
Located on the Futou Hill 10 km north of downtown Chengdu, Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding is one of China's most important refuges for endangered wildlife. Established in 1987 when six giant pandas were rescued from the wild, the Base has been operating as a nonprofit organization specializing in protecting, researching and breeding rare wild animals, especially giant pandas, one of the commonly recognized national treasures of China.
Source: Chinadaily.com.cn
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