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Datong

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August 9th 2012
The hanging monastery has a spectacular setting. It is built into the hillside on wooden stilts. Despite its fragile looking position it is a popular site. Inside there are caves and tiny temple halls with statues. Our hotel had an excellent location next door to the nine dragons screen. A dragon screen used to be placed in front of important buildings to protect them. The palace that this drag ... read more

Asia » China » Shanxi

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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