Background: 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. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight.
July 14th 2008Asia » China » Guangxi » Longji Rice Terraces An overnight train ride from the karst peaks of Zhangjiajie away lies a different world altogether, the rice tarraces of Longji. After a stopover in Guilin to visit the local PSB-office to apply for a ... 4 photos[full story]
June 29th 2008Asia » China » Guangxi » Longji Rice Terraces It’s an hour bus ride from Guilin to Longsheng, then another 30 or 40 minutes up to Longji Scenic area and a 10 minute climb up to Pingan village. You come here to visit the rice terraces called ... 6 photos[full story]
June 20th 2008Asia » China » Guangxi » Longji Rice Terraces We set off early from Yangshou to drive three hours to see the amazing Longji terraced rice fields high in the mountains. Our bus driver was a horn enthusiast and used it frequently and repeatedly, ev ... [full story]
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