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.
August 23rd 2007Asia » China » Shanxi » Datong Our plan was to leave Beijing on a train to Datong, see the Yungang caves and the hanging monastery, then go to Wu Tai Shan, Pingyao and finally catch a train to Xi'an. We had a hotel reserved for 1 n ... 13 photos[full story]
July 9th 2008Asia » China » Shanxi » Datong I travel to Datong, passing through the huge industrial areas of Northern CHina. This is where much of the country's coal comes from and hence where many of the massive power-stations are. They're a b ... 5 photos[full story]
May 23rd 2008Asia » China » Shanxi » Datong The Chinese have not had a great 2008 year so far. The Chinese New Year kicked things off in February with freezing sub zero blizzards that killed off a lot of the countries live stock and farming pro ... 28 photos[full story]
February 10th 2008Asia » China » Shanxi » Datong Day two was reserved for the famous hanging monastry, located some 65 km's south east of Datong, and build into the Heng Shan sacred mountain. It's a pretty impressive sight, although very touristy.
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February 10th 2008Asia » China » Shanxi » Datong Lucky for me, the train from Hohhot to Datong only took 4 hours, so that's not too bad. Upon arrival in Datong I sort of immediately knew that I wasn't going to like the city. The Lonely Planet says t ... 12 photos[full story]
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