An Armchair Traveller's History of Beijing

An Armchair Traveller's History of Beijing PDF Author: Jonathan Clements
Publisher: Haus Publishing
ISBN: 1909961302
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
As China’s global influence continues to rise, its capital, Beijing, has become increasingly important—and a popular tourist destination, greeting close to five million international visitors each year. An Armchair Traveller’s History of Beijing presents the capital from its earliest beginnings as a prehistoric campsite for Peking Man through its fluctuating fortunes under a dozen dynasties. Home to capitals of several states over time, the site of modern Beijing has been ruled by Mongolian chiefs and the glorious Ming emperors, whose tombs can still be found on its outskirts. Through Beijing, we can experience Chinese history itself, including its more famous residents—including Khubilai Khan, Mulan, and Marco Polo. Special emphasis is placed on Beijing’s precarious heritage in the twenty-first century, as modern construction wipes out much of the old city to make way for homes for twenty million people. This book also offers detailed information on sites of tourist interest, including the pros and cons of different sections of the Great Wall and the best ways to see the Forbidden City and the fast-disappearing relics of the city’s Manchu and Maoist eras. A chapter on food and drink examines not only local delicacies, but the many other Chinese dishes that form part of Beijing’s rich dining traditions. With its blend of rich history and expert tips, An Armchair Traveller’s History of Beijing is an essential introduction to one of the world’s most remarkable cities.

An Armchair Traveller's History of Beijing

An Armchair Traveller's History of Beijing PDF Author: Jonathan Clements
Publisher: Haus Publishing
ISBN: 1909961302
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Get Book

Book Description
As China’s global influence continues to rise, its capital, Beijing, has become increasingly important—and a popular tourist destination, greeting close to five million international visitors each year. An Armchair Traveller’s History of Beijing presents the capital from its earliest beginnings as a prehistoric campsite for Peking Man through its fluctuating fortunes under a dozen dynasties. Home to capitals of several states over time, the site of modern Beijing has been ruled by Mongolian chiefs and the glorious Ming emperors, whose tombs can still be found on its outskirts. Through Beijing, we can experience Chinese history itself, including its more famous residents—including Khubilai Khan, Mulan, and Marco Polo. Special emphasis is placed on Beijing’s precarious heritage in the twenty-first century, as modern construction wipes out much of the old city to make way for homes for twenty million people. This book also offers detailed information on sites of tourist interest, including the pros and cons of different sections of the Great Wall and the best ways to see the Forbidden City and the fast-disappearing relics of the city’s Manchu and Maoist eras. A chapter on food and drink examines not only local delicacies, but the many other Chinese dishes that form part of Beijing’s rich dining traditions. With its blend of rich history and expert tips, An Armchair Traveller’s History of Beijing is an essential introduction to one of the world’s most remarkable cities.

A Short History of Beijing

A Short History of Beijing PDF Author: Jonathan Clements
Publisher: Haus Publishing
ISBN: 1913368475
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 190

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Book Description
A guide to the history of China’s capital, from before its rise to prominence as the seat of empires to the 2022 Winter Olympics. Before China’s capital became a sprawling megacity and international center of business and culture, its fortunes fluctuated under a dozen dynasties. It has been a capital for several states, including those headed by Mongolian chiefs and the glorious Ming emperors, whose tombs can still be found on its outskirts. And before all that, it was a campsite for primitive hominids, known as the Peking Man. A Short History of Beijing tells the story of this remarkable city, from its more famous residents—Khubilai Khan, Marco Polo, and Chairman Mao—right up to the twenty-first century, as modern construction wiped out so much of the old city to make way for its twenty-million-strong population. Through his timely and intimate portrait of the world’s most populous capital city, Jonathan Clements reveals the history of China itself.

A Traveller's History of China

A Traveller's History of China PDF Author: Stephen G. Haw
Publisher: Interlink Publishing Group
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 332

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Book Description
"A Traveller's History of China provides a concise and fascinating journey from the country's earliest beginning right up to the creation of the economic powerhouse that is modern day China." "Stephen Haw carries the reader back in time to the prehistoric civilizations of 4,000 years ago, to the centuries of China's silk trade with the less developed countries of Europe. Some of the most significant inventions of the pre-modern world, including paper, gunpowder, and the magnetic compass, originated in China and were then transmitted to the West. The author describes the glories of the Tang and Song dynasties, which saw the creation of the great Chinese cities to the period of its decline and the efforts of Europe to conquer and subdue this giant land. It covers the tumult and triumphs of the Chinese revolution and the dramatic changes in political policies since the late 1970s, which have now made it one of the world's fastest developing countries." "A comprehensive and illuminating look at the rich history of this dynamic country and an easy-to-use reference source."--BOOK JACKET.

A Traveller's History of China

A Traveller's History of China PDF Author: Stephen G. Haw
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780900075087
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


A History of the Silk Road

A History of the Silk Road PDF Author: Jonathan Clements
Publisher: Haus Publishing
ISBN: 1907973826
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
The Silk Road is not a place, but a journey, a route from the edges of the Mediterranean to the central plains of China, through high mountains and inhospitable deserts. For thousands of years its history has been a traveler’s history, of brief encounters in desert towns, snowbound passes and nameless forts. It was the conduit that first brought Buddhism, Christianity and Islam into China, and the site of much of the “Great Game” between 19th-century empires. Today, its central section encompasses several former Soviet republics, and the Chinese Autonomous Region of Xinjiang. The ancient trade route controversially crosses the sites of several forgotten kingdoms, buried in sand and only now revealing their secrets. A History of the Silk Road not only offers the reader a chronological outline of the region’s development, but also provides an invaluable introduction to its languages, literature, and arts. It takes a comprehensive and illuminating look at the rich history of this dynamic and little known region, and provides an easy-to-use reference source. Jonathan Clements pays particular attention to the fascinating historical sites which feature on any visitor’s itinerary and also gives special emphasis to the writings and reactions of travelers through the centuries.

An Armchair Traveller's History of Finland

An Armchair Traveller's History of Finland PDF Author: Jonathan Clements
Publisher: Haus Publishing
ISBN: 1909961019
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
In the American mind, Finland is often swept up in the general group of Nordic countries, little known and seldom gaining prominence on its own. But as Jonathan Clements shows in An Armchair Traveller’s History of Finland, it has a long and fascinating history, one that offers oddities and excitements galore: from prehistoric herders to medieval lords, Christian martyrs and Viking kings, and the war heroes who held off the Soviet Union against long odds. Clements travels the length of the country as he tells these stories, along the way offering accounts of Finland’s public artworks, literary giants, legends and folktales, and famous figures. The result is the perfect introduction to Finland for armchair and actual travelers alike.

A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages: The World Through Medieval Eyes

A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages: The World Through Medieval Eyes PDF Author: Anthony Bale
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 1324064587
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 355

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Book Description
A captivating journey of the expansive world of medieval travel, from London to Constantinople to the court of China and beyond. Europeans of the Middle Ages were the first to use travel guides to orient their wanderings, as they moved through a world punctuated with miraculous wonders and beguiling encounters. In this vivid and alluring history, medievalist Anthony Bale invites readers on an odyssey across the medieval world, recounting the advice that circulated among those venturing to the road for pilgrimage, trade, diplomacy, and war. Journeying alongside scholars, spies, and saints, from Western Europe to the Far East, the Antipodes and the ends of the earth, Bale provides indispensable information on the exchange rate between Bohemian ducats and Venetian groats, medieval cures for seasickness, and how to avoid extortionist tour guides and singing sirens. He takes us from the streets of Rome, more ruin than tourist spot, and tours of the Khan’s court in Beijing to Mamluk-controlled Jerusalem, where we ride asses across the holy terrain, and bustling bazaars of Tabriz. We also learn of rumored fantastical places, like ones where lambs grow on trees and giant canes grow fruit made of gems. And we are offered a glimpse of what non-European travelers thought of the West on their own travels. Using previously untranslated contemporaneous documents from a colorful range of travelers, and from as far and wide as Turkey, Iceland, North Africa, and Russia, A Travel Guide to the Middle Ages is a witty and unforgettable exploration of how Europeans understood—and often misunderstood—the larger world.

Traveller's History of China

Traveller's History of China PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789997028198
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


The Emperor's River

The Emperor's River PDF Author: Liam D'Arcy-Brown
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781903070703
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
D'Arcy-Brown set out to be the first Westerner in modern times to travel the length of China's great wonder: the Grand Canal. During his journey, he attempts to reconcile the China which fascinated him as a child with the modern, more open China he sees now.

Beijing Then and Now®

Beijing Then and Now® PDF Author: Brian Page
Publisher: Rizzoli Publications
ISBN: 1911216821
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Beijing has several millennia of human history. It has been a city of regional importance for many centuries, first becoming the Chinese imperial capital in 1267. The city has been known by various names through the ages, reflecting a turbulent history of change. As the political and cultural heart of modern China, Beijing has grown dramatically since the Communist revolution of 1949.Beijing Then and Now shows how that dramatic modernization has affected the city and how, despite all the new building and modern infrastructure, some of the great historic sites have been preserved and maintained. Sites include: Deshengmen Arrow Tower, Qianmen Arrow Tower, Qianmen Gate, Entrance to the Imperial City, Mao's Mausoleum, Tiananmen Gate, Duanmen Gate, Entrance to the Forbidden City, Wumen Gate, Hall of Supreme Harmony, Jingshan, Beihai Park, the White Dagoba, Imperial Canal, Drum Tower, Beihai Lake, Bell Tower, Temple of Confucius, Hall of Classics, Imperial Observatory, Qianmen Boulevard, Hall of Prayer, Altar of Heaven, British Legation, Dong Tang, Marble Boat, Jade Belt Bridge, Ming Tombs, Spirit Road and the Great Wall of China.