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Changling
Changling is the tomb for Emperor Yongle, the third Ming emperor, and his wife Empress Xu. He ruled for 22 years and made some achievements in political, military, economic, cultural and diplomatic fields.

Changling is located at the foot of Tianshoushan (Heaven and Longevity) Mountain and is the first and the largest of the Ming tombs. The tomb was constructed in 1409 and completed in 1427. It took almost 18 years.

In architectural design, it is square in the front and round in the rear, and is divided into three courtyards. The main buildings on the central axis are still standing.

Ling'an Hall, or the Hall of Eminent Favour, is grand and magnificent. It is 66.67 metres long from east to west and 19.31 metres wide from north to south. The 32 gigantic columns carved out of nanmu, a kind of cedar (this kind of nanmu can give off an unusual scent reputed to repel mosquitoes in summer), support the entire building. The four columns in the middle are the biggest, 1.17 metres in diameter and 14.3 metres in height. Each is made of a whole trunk. This kind of valuable timber came from Southwest China. The succeeding emperors used the hall for offering sacrifices to their ancestors.

According to historical records, 16 imperial concubines were buffed alive with the third Ming emperor, and the imperial concubines were permitted to be buried in the tomb of the emperor, various tomb grounds known as "pits" were built on either side of Changling. They were called pits because they were vertical shafts without horizontal tunnels.

Human sacrifice was a common practice in the slave-owning society in feudal China. From the Qin and Han dynasties onwards, wooden or earthen human figures were used instead, like the ones in Dingling. The first Ming emperor restored the old system. Those buried alive were granted honorable titles and their family members were usually assigned official posts.

This practice came to an end when the sixth Ming emperor made an edict in mid 15th century to abolish the system of human sacrifice.

A bronze seated statue of Zhu Di, the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was designed by Miao Xintian, a sculptor in Shanxi Province and manufactured by the Dalian Daqing Metal Company Ltd. , was placed in Changling Tomb. The statue is 2.75 metres tall, 2.18 metres wide, and the total height is 4.08 metres, weighing 5.6 tons. A ceremony for placing the statue was held in Changling Tomb on September 18, 1999.


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Yonghegong Lamasery (The Lama Temple)
Yonghegong Lanasery is a famous lamasery located in the northeastern part of the old city of Beijing. It was a palatial residence built in 1694 by Qing emperor Kangxi for his fourth son, Prince Yongzheng who later succeeded to the throne. This magnificent temple consists of five main buildings lying on the north-south axis, with annex halls standing on both sides. The temple is listed by the Chinese Government as one of the important historical monuments under special preservation. After the death of his father, Emperor Yongzheng moved to the Forbidden City. The compound was closed to ordinary people and was renamed Yonghegong (the Palace of Harmony). Yellow ones to suit a monarch's home replaced green roof tiles. In 1744 his successor Emperor Qianjong converted the palace into a lamasery.

Several renovations have been carried out since 1949. The temple has taken on a new look and was reopened to the public in 1981. It is now not only a functional lama temple, but also a tourist attraction.

Yonghemen (Gate of Harmony)
It is actually a hall rather than a gate. Following the Buddhist tradition, the first hall in a lamasery is usually called the Maitreya's shrine or the Hall of Heavenly Kings. In this hall Mile or Maitreya in Sanskrit, the Laughing Buddha always greets people with a smiling face. A Bodhisattva often worshipped in China as a fat, laughing man. He is known in China as the Big Belly Buddha. Legend has it that he was born 1,000 years ago and became a monk in Yuelin Temple in Fenghua County, Zhejiang Province. He often went spreading Buddhism with a hag in his hand begging for food, so people usually called him the Bag Buddha. He is also known as the Laughing Buddha because he always smiles. It is said that before his death he was sitting on a piece of stone slab, telling people that he was the reincarnation of the Future Buddha Maitreya. According to what he said people called him Buddha Maitreya after his death.

On each side of Buddha Maitreya, there is a sandalwood pagoda. On the pagoda stand many small Buddhist images, which were symbols of longevity. Hence, the Longevity Pagoda. On both sides of Maitreya's shrine are seated four fearsome looking Heavenly Kings or Celestial Guardians, two on each side.

The Buddhist theory goes that the earth is divided into four worlds: northern, southern, eastern and western. Each of the four worlds is guarded by one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

The one with a sword is the Southern World Heavenly King named Zengzhang. When ghosts and monsters dare to step in, he chants an incantation and throws his magic sword up into the sky. In a flash the sword flies down like lightning, hitting, sometimes even killing the intruder.

Next to him sits Chiguo, the Eastern World Heavenly King, who plays a pipa, a 4-stringed Chinese lute. On the battlefield, he plucks the musical instrument and gives his enemy a headache. So he wins the battle.

Opposite to him is Duowen, the Northern World Heavenly King, who carries a huge umbrella. Whenever he puts up his umbrella, the sky over the battlefield turns dark and a cyclonic storm howls, sending sand and rocks whirling about. The eyesight of his rivals is sure to be impaired. Hardly has he shut up the umbrella when the rivals are drawn into it and arrested.

The one with a water snake is the Western World Heavenly King Guangmu. Once released, the snake mounts the clouds and rides the mists. All of a sudden, this animal spurts out water and disperses his enemy.

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Law guarantees freedom of religious belief in China. Normal activities of different religions can be carried out in China according to their rights prescribed by the Constitution and Law. Buddhism and Taoism (Daoism) are comparatively widespread in China.

There are more than 100 million religious followers in China, more than 85,000 places of worship, and 3,000 religious communities with 30,000 clergy to serve the spiritual needs of their followers.

Of the top five religions, Buddhism, the most influential, has a history of more than 2,000 years in China. There are now over 9,500 Buddhist temples and monasteries with 200,000 monks and nuns registered at temples throughout China. Taoism, native to the country, has a history of more than 1,700 years. There are over 6,000 Taoist priests and nuns who live in the temples, with more than 600 temples and monasteries open to the public. Islam was introduced to China in the seventh century. There are about 20 million Muslims and more than 35,000 mosques. Catholicism and Protestantism boomed in China with the Opium War in the 1840s. There are about 4 million Catholics, including 2,700 clergymen, and 4,000 Catholic churches, about 10 million Christians or Protestants, including 18,000 missionaries, 8,000 churches and 20,000 simply equipped meeting places in China. China now has 2,000 religious social organizations and 48 religious schools and colleges. All religious organizations operate their own affairs independently, run seminaries to suit their own needs, publish their classical works and other publications and have service organs to serve public interest. Religious scriptures, books and magazines are published by various religions. China's Constitution stipulates that the state protects normal religious activities. No one may make use of religion to engage in activities that disrupt public order, impair the health of citizens or interfere with the educational system of the state. In order to ensure that Chinese citizens really enjoy the freedom of religious belief, religious bodies and religious affairs are not subject to any foreign domination.

President Jiang Zeming said at a three-day national work conference on the subject, which ended on December 12, 2001. China will effectively implement the policy of "freedom for religious belief" and conduct religious work according to law. Religious work enjoys an important status in the country's affairs. Under the new situation, the Party's leadership over religion should be strengthened The work on religion is closely linked with the comity between different ethnic groups, social stability, national security and reunification, as well as China's relations with foreign countries. The influence of religion on political and social lives in today's world should never be underestimated. Communist Party members do not believe in any religion but treat religion with a scientific point of view. Freedom for religious belief is a basic right enjoyed by all citizens according to the Chinese Constitution, and to respect and protect such a right embodies the Party's commitment to protect human rights. On the one hand, each person enjoys the freedom of believing or not believing in religion, while on the other; religious work should be conducted within the scope of the Constitution and Laws. Religious works should not obstruct social work, working order and living order. Any religion is not allowed to interfere in the country's administrative, judicial and educational works. Religion should never be allowed to be used for opposing the Party leadership and socialist system, destroying national reunification and ethnic unity, as well as harming national interests. Religious people should love their country, support the socialist system and Party leadership, and obey the country's laws. China adopts the principle of separating politics from religions, stressing no religion has the right to override the Constitution and laws. The principle of independence must be followed and foreign interference in China's religious work should be absolutely prohibited.

Beijng-Zhuhai Expressway begun in 1986, the 2,291-kilometre-long expressway starts in Beijing and ends at Zhuhai, a coastal city of South China's Guangdong Province, while traversing the provinces of Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, and Guangdong. It is the first national expressway artery to open in the country on September 30, 2004.

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