A little dog sits perched on a maroon window sill, street vendors barbeque plump sausages by the canal, the vibrant colours of lanterns and futuristic buildings dot the grey skyline and colourful electrical bikes zoom by. This is Suzhou, a city steeped in historical charm amidst the vicissitude of the millennium age. Suzhou was an ancient trading city with a network...
[tps_header]My trip to China wasn’t the usual stopover in Beijing or Shanghai. Instead, it was to a city that was as important as Rome was in its heydays! Xi’an, the starting point of the ancient Silk Road is the largest overland trade route linking China to Central Asia and Europe and is filled with historical sites, beautiful tales and intriguing food...
I was standing in a sacred location, a place that has served the Muslim community of Xi’an for more than a millennium. I was in China’s oldest and most renowned mosque. Laid out like a traditional Chinese Temple, the Great Mosque of Xian was built in 742 AD during the Tang Dynasty. The Great Mosque was built to honour the founding of Islam in China. The...
Born in 259BC, a 22 year old young ruler from the western state of Qin had enough of the warring states around him. This one man made a decision – a decision that changed the course of history. In his vision he sought to put an end to war mongering quarrels and unite the land. He smote the war mongers and subjugated them. Very soon he was lord of all and China was...
[tps_header]THINGS TO DO IN XIAN: THE XI’AN CITY WALL IS THE OLDEST AND LARGEST SURVIVING WALL OF ITS KIND IN CHINA.[/tps_header] Its history began literally in the Stone Age 3000 years ago and served as the capital of China for several ancient dynasties. A great metropolis that was as important as Rome in its hey days. It was the starting point of the ancient...