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.
May 7th 2008Asia » China » Hangzhou Hangzhou is known for its fine quality silk, and used to be the summer palace of various Rulers and big honcho’s. So I decided to venture into the “Silk District” and buy something.
... 12 photos[full story]
May 2nd 2008Asia » China » Hangzhou We left Shanghai and went to a Buddhist Temple and monastary that is being built. 2 hours from Shanghai. Since the Communists are allowing some religion nowadays, wealthy Chinese are donating money to ... 13 photos[full story]
April 21st 2008Asia » China » Hangzhou Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang province in southeast China. It is known as one of the prettiest cities in China and also one of the most romantic. I found that that is true; Hangzhou is gorgeou ... 35 photos[full story]
April 20th 2008Asia » China » Hangzhou Hi all,
I just spent the entire afternoon trying to enter the addresses of all of you onto my new blog. I then sent out my first 'blog' under CharM...that's the new name. If you did not get this ... [full story]
April 20th 2008Asia » China » Hangzhou “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken ... 25 photos[full story]
March 20th 2008Asia » China » Hangzhou This weekend I went on a trip to Hangzhou, which is about 1 or 2 hours south of Shanghai by train, depending on which train you get. What was originally meant to be a group of four turned into a group ... 36 photos[full story]
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