China

A colourful porcelain soldier guarding the Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai.	6 foot tall Sakyamuni Buddha is carved out of a single piece of white jade.	The "Bund" (the waterfront area on foreign banks and consulates) in Shanghai is brilliantly lit at night.
Amazing skills are displayed at the Chinese acrobat show in Shanghai.	Dangerous Chinese version of Musical Chairs.	Beautiful gardens and canals grace the ancient city of Suzhou.
Silk Factory in Suzhou. Workers unravel silk threads from caterpillar cocoons.	Carpet World - It takes the artisan a year to weave this silk carpet.	Our river cruiser, the 4,000 T “President” is the largest ship on the Yangtze.
Dammed if you do! The controversial Three Gorges Dam will flood hundreds of cities and towns on the Yangtze and displace a million people when it is completed in 2003.	Much of the beauty of the Three Gorges will be lost when the Yangtze River level rises 175 metres.	Flying Dragon - Chinese kite maker displays his wares on the deck of the “President.”
“Tow, tow, tow your boat …” Hard work for boatmen who pulled our sanpan up the usually tranquil Shennong stream.	Fisher Folk - this method of fishing on the Yangtze probably hasn’t changed in 2,000 years.	Buffalo Bill & Mom - Water buffalo follow an ancient pathway along the river bank.
The Ultimate Dragon Boat - We passed this tour boat near Wanxian on the Yangtze.	River on the rise - the entire city on the right will be under water when the dam is completed.	Through the Qutang Gorge - 490 feet across at its widest point and sheer cliff walls rising 3960 feet. This new bridge will be OK when the river is flooded next year.
Busy marketplace in Wanxian. Chickens, fish and snakes for sale - alive or freshly skinned and gutted right in front of you!	Artist carves a Buddha at the Art Institute in Chongquing.	Rob befriended some local kids at the Chongquing zoo.
Happy inmate - Andy Panda was merrily munching on a piece of sugar cane when we visited him at the Chongquing Zoo.	Authenticity check. Ancient stone lions have a ball carved in mouth cavity. Pat found that his one was only a replica - no balls!	Funereal art - These bronze pulled horses an ancient emperor’s chariot in Xi’an tomb.
Hundreds of goldfish gather in the pond hoping for leftovers from staff eating their lunch at beautiful Xi’an hot springs.	6000 full-sized terra cotta warriors guard the tomb of Qin Shi Huang Di, the emperor who built the Great Wall 22 centuries ago. Scientists say there’s lots more to be uncovered at the site in Xi’an.	Spot the Fraud - One of these Terra Cotta Warriors is not like the others. Did you find him? Hint: he’s not wearing body armour and he’s got pickle stains on his shirt!
Some would call it chaos…heavy traffic in downtown Beijing.	Old-style Beijing condos called “hutongs” are being torn down and replaced with giant multi-story apartments. Three families live in this hutong.	Today thousands of tourists pass through the gates of the Forbidden City which were opened only for Chinese emperors and their servants.
Ancient stone lion guards the entrance to the Forbidden City, the home of Chinese emperors from the 14th to 20th century.	Soldiers constantly patrol Tienanmen Square in Beijing. "There will be no more demonstrations here!”	Smile! - Wherever we went, everybody wanted to get their photos taken with Lisa.
Bronze dragon at the Summer Palace in Beijing. Some say China is a “sleeping dragon.” Well guess what…it has woken up!	The boat that wouldn’t float. The Dowager Empress built this stone boat so she could have tea at her private lake even on wavy days.	Visit to a cloisonné factory. Very delicate wire structure is filled in with colourful lacquers and then fired in a kiln for stunning results.
No trip to China would be complete without a visit to the Great Wall just north of Beijing. And wherever you go in China be prepared to experience and endure the Great Crowd!	Dirty Ha Rai says: “This is a four hundred and forty Magnum. If I fire, it would blow your head clean off. Well, Lo Fat, do you feel lucky?”	Tourists on “the Great Walk” - actually it is called the Sacred Way.”
	Some of our tour group took a rest at a convenient pit stop on the Sacred Way.