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Shangri La Songzalin monastery

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September 16th 2012
Songzalin monastery has a beautiful location surrounded by hills and with a lake and wetlands area in front. Next to the monastery is a farming village with traditional houses. The monastery dates back to 1697. It now seems to be thriving and building work was going on (it was difficult to keep the crane out of the photos!). The lake was peaceful with a circular boardwalk path and the kora path ar ... read more

Asia » China » Yunnan

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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