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culture
Spring Festival: The Grandest Holiday in China
From the travel rush to the reunion dinner, from couplets to firecrackers - Spring Festival is the most important week of the Chinese year.
history
Building the Forbidden City: A Grand Project of 100,000 Craftsmen
Fourteen years, a million labourers - and why has the palace stood for six centuries?
history
The West Market of Tang Chang'an: An International Bazaar 1,000 Years Ago
In Chang'an's West Market, Persian merchants sold gems and Hu beauties poured wine - the Tang dynasty was more global than you can imagine.
history
Qin Shi Huang: Unifying Script, Wheels and the Realm
More than 2,000 years ago, one emperor welded China together with an iron hand.
history
Zhang Qian: The Man Who Opened the Silk Road
Held by the Xiongnu for 13 years, he returned with news that changed the world - the first man of the Silk Road.
special
Chopstick Culture: Etiquette Hidden in Two Sticks
Why must you never stand chopsticks upright in rice? Chopstick culture is lesson one of Chinese table manners.
special
The Qipao: Chinese Aesthetics Worn on the Body
From Manchu banner dress to the international runway - a century of one dress.
special
Chinese Kung Fu: From Shaolin Temple to the World Screen
Kung fu is more than fighting - it is philosophy, etiquette and a way of life.
attractions
The Mogao Caves: A Thousand-Year Art Treasury in the Desert
735 caves and 45,000 square metres of murals - Dunhuang is a pilgrimage for every traveller.
attractions
Jiuzhaigou: A Fairy-Tale World of Forests and Lakes
Emerald lakes, terraced waterfalls, autumn forests, snow peaks and Tibetan culture - after Jiuzhaigou, no other water impresses.
attractions
Zhangjiajie: Three Thousand Peaks Floating in the Mist
The inspiration for the floating mountains of Avatar, and the first national forest park in China.
customs
Teahouses and Mahjong: The Slow-Life Philosophy of Chengdu
Bamboo chairs, lidded bowls of tea and the clack of mahjong tiles - the ease of Chengdu is unique among Chinese cities.
