Zhaobao Mountain (Zhaobaoshan)
The Zhaobao Mount Scenic Area includes walking trails on and around the hill with numerous sites to explore during a visit. These include the 57.6 m seven-story Aozhu Pagoda, the 2000 foot 10 foot Weiyuan City Wall built during the Ming Dynasty, and the even older Zhenhai Seawall originally built in 897 CE during the Tang Dynasty. Sanskrit rock carvings, including a Buddhist prayer chant, are one of the oldest features of the hill. The Tianhou Temple is dedicated to the Heavenly Empress (see also Mazu) and the Guanyin Pavilion is dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy (see also Guan Yin). The mountain is named after the sea god Zhāobǎo Qīláng, a forerunner of the more recent sea deity Qianliyan, a subordinate of the goddess Mazu.
At the foot of the hill is the Zhenhai Coastal Defense Museum. Exhibits include the war against Japanese pirates during the Ming Dynasty, the Battle of Zhenhai in 1885 (see also Sino-French War), and the modern Chinese navy.
Map - Zhaobao Mountain (Zhaobaoshan)
Map
Country - China
Flag of China |
Modern Chinese trace their origins to a cradle of civilization in the fertile basin of the Yellow River in the North China Plain. The semi-legendary Xia dynasty in the 21st century BCE and the well-attested Shang and Zhou dynasties developed a bureaucratic political system to serve hereditary monarchies, or dynasties. Chinese writing, Chinese classic literature, and the Hundred Schools of Thought emerged during this period and influenced China and its neighbors for centuries to come. In the third century BCE, Qin's wars of unification created the first Chinese empire, the short-lived Qin dynasty. The Qin was followed by the more stable Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), which established a model for nearly two millennia in which the Chinese empire was one of the world's foremost economic powers. The empire expanded, fractured, and reunified; was conquered and reestablished; absorbed foreign religions and ideas; and made world-leading scientific advances, such as the Four Great Inventions: gunpowder, paper, the compass, and printing. After centuries of disunity following the fall of the Han, the Sui (581–618) and Tang (618–907) dynasties reunified the empire. The multi-ethnic Tang welcomed foreign trade and culture that came over the Silk Road and adapted Buddhism to Chinese needs. The early modern Song dynasty (960–1279) became increasingly urban and commercial. The civilian scholar-officials or literati used the examination system and the doctrines of Neo-Confucianism to replace the military aristocrats of earlier dynasties. The Mongol invasion established the Yuan dynasty in 1279, but the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) re-established Han Chinese control. The Manchu-led Qing dynasty nearly doubled the empire's territory and established a multi-ethnic state that was the basis of the modern Chinese nation, but suffered heavy losses to foreign imperialism in the 19th century.
Currency / Language
ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
---|---|---|---|
CNY | Renminbi | ¥ or 元 | 2 |
ISO | Language |
---|---|
ZH | Chinese language |
UG | Uighur language |
ZA | Zhuang language |