View from the Wooden Pagoda

Taiyun - Pollution Central

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April 29th 2008
I must admit, I’m glad to be leaving Datong. When you combine unbreathable air, a run down hotel and bad food there isn’t much to commend the city aside from the Grottos, which were worth the effort. Leaving Datong we passed through a huge construction site with people moving rocks by hand. Ah, it’s a reminder that this is China. It is very dry and dusty and combined with the smog, it wa ... read more

Asia » China

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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. A... ... read more