don't tell me there's a pagoda up here!

Xi Shan or Western Hills

---

February 23rd 2008
Xi Shan, or "The Western Hills Scenic Area" stretches along steep (straight up and down) cliffs near Kunming. There are giant pines and many ancient temples. Old narrow pathways, all built along rising slopes, twist around to places surrounded by ancient trees and shrubs. Covered stone corridors connect each pavilion and room, so one has the feeling of coming indoors and outdoors, again and again. ... read more

Asia » China » Yunnan » Kunming

---

For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. A... ... read more