Daocheng county is located in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous prefecture,
Sichuan Province. There is green grassland, colorful flowers, high
mountains, bright sky and fresh air. The area has the largest remains
of an ancient glacier in the Tibetan plateau.
2009-12-01 17:02 BJT
Editor: Jin Lin | Source: China.org.cn
On February 23, 1958, the memorial complex dedicated to the USSR’s victory in the Second World War was founded on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow.
Poklonnaya Hill, first mentioned in 16th century documents, played a noticeable part in Russian history. In 1812, Napoleon stood there waiting for the keys to Moscow, but his expectations were in vain. The name “Poklonnaya” literally means “a place to bow”. Possibly, the hill got such a name because travelers and ambassadors on their way in or out of Moscow bowed to the city from its top to show their respect.
The memorial complex project was developed in 1945, but then there was no opportunity to build it. The Second World War, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War, had just ended, and the USSR had no resources for such an enormous construction project.
On February 23, 1958, a memorial sign with an inscription saying “Here, the monument for the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War 1941 – 1945 will be constructed” was placed on Poklonnaya Hill, and Victory Park was laid out around the sign.
The actual construction of the site began only in 1983, and it took a decade to finish it. The complex opened only on May 9, 1995, on the 50th anniversary of the victory over the Nazi Germany.
The oldest building of the complex is the Great Patriotic War Museum. The architect Anatoly Polyansky built it in 1986. The museum’s collection of items relating to the war – weapons, orders, and medals, along with soldiers’ personal belongings such as letters – numbers around 50,000. The red banner planted by two Soviet soldiers on the roof of the Reichstag in Berlin on May 1, 1945, is among them.
One of the strongest impressions, however, is produced by The Books of Memory – a collection of 385 volumes with all the names of the fallen listed in them. In the park around the exhibition hall there is an open-air exhibition of war-time tanks, armored vehicles and cannons open all year round and free of charge.
The centerpiece of the entire ensemble is a 141.8 meters (about 462.2 feet) high obelisk created by Zurab Tsereteli. The height is symbolic – the Soviet Union was fighting fascism for 1,418 days. Among other notable structures on the hill are an Orthodox church, a Mosque and a Synagogue which is also the biggest museum of Jewish history in Russia.
Nowadays celebrations of major Russian war-related anniversaries are held here. On May 9, WWII veterans gather there to celebrate Victory Day and to remember the war. People of the city greet them, handing them flowers to thank them for the victory. Victory Park is one of the most popular parks in Moscow. In summer, people enjoy picnicking and riding bicycles there, and in winter, many skiers appear. In addition, an exhibition of ice sculptures usually takes place in the park.
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Whistler (AFP) - An unbelieving Evgeny Ustyugov realised a long held dream on Sunday by winning Olympic gold for Russia in the men's 15km mass start biathlon. The 24-year-old's winning time of 35mins 35.7sec was enough to see him home ahead of France's Martin Fourcade and Slovakian Pavol Hurajt by more than 10 seconds, with a flawless display on the shooting range putting him in pole position.
This is the first time France have taken five medals in biathlon at a Winter Olympics and Fourcade was delighted to be the new owner of a silver. "I thought I was out of contention after the first visit (to the shooting range), but everyone seemed to be a little tired," said Fourcade. "I took the opportunity to work my way up, then I realised I was in contention for a medal and I fought as hard as I could. "It's a childhood dream to win a medal and when you realise it is going to happen to you, it feels amazing. I was going for bronze, but realised I had a chance for silver and hung in." Hurajt made a strong start and led after the last two visits to the range, but ended up with bronze at 16.6sec back having hit all 20 targets, only to be overtaken in the last few kilometres. "Of course I felt tired and Evgeny is a better skier than me. I was expecting a challenge from the Austrians and I was surprised that Martin (Fourcade) came through," said Hurajt. Ustyugov was ranked 13th on the first visit to the shooting range, but moved up the field with swift skiing and deadly rifle accuracy to take the lead in the race's closing stages. The Russian passed Hurajt and built himself a sizeable lead in the final kilometres after the fourth visit to the shooting range. Austria finished with three biathletes in the top ten, but there was disappointment for Germany's Michael Greis, who won three gold medals at Turin 2006, who ended 10th after three penalties. Norway's 36-year-old biathlon legend Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, who has won five Winter Olympic golds in his career, came a lowly 27th. |
Source: Google and Russian Railways
February 22, 3:53 AM
By Joshua Williams
A video arcade in Tokyo was robbed of over ¥5 million (~$55,000 USD) by a man with a knife in the early morning of February 22nd, metropolitan police told local reporters.
A robber wearing dark clothes, a black hat and sunglasses entered the Toho Leisure Plaza video arcade in northwestern Tokyo at around 5:15am, just after the arcade had closed for the night, Tokyo Broadcasting System News reported.
The robber thrust a sharp object, believed to be a knife, towards a 23-year old employee and demanded to be taken to the arcade’s office. There he threatened the 36-year old manager and demanded money. The manager opened the safe, and the robber made off with contents–over five million yen–in a bag he was carrying with him.
No one was reported injured in the incident.
Police believe the robber to be a man between 5’3” and 5’5” tall, and in his forties.
Video arcade are still quite popular and common in Japan. There are well over 300 arcades in Tokyo alone, and more than 3,000 nationwide, according to Navitime Japan. Some arcades will stay open through the middle of the night.
by Heather Hopkins Clement
Weizhou Island in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is China's youngest and largest inactive volcanic island with an area of 24.74 square
kilometers. You can see scenery is made by sea erosion and marine
accumulation, as well as experience the life of the Kejia people.
2009-12-01 17:02 BJT
Editor: Jin Lin | Source: China.org.cn
Kamakura Meditations 2009 from Chris Wells on Vimeo.
Video clips and stills montage shot at Kotoku-In (高徳院) and Hasedera (長谷寺) Temples and Tsurugaoku Hachimangu (鶴岡八幡宮) Shrine, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan in March and October of 2008.
Kamakura is ancient Japanese city that was became the capital of Japan during the Kamakura Shogunate (1185 to 1333) founded by Minamoto Yoritomo following his defeat of the Fujiwara clan.
The city is the largest ancient cultural attraction within 50 kilometers of Tokyo (others include Nikko and Hakone) hosting millions of tourists a year. It is well worth a day trip from Tokyo if you are stopping over in Japan and while not as extensive in historic cultural attractions as Kyoto, Kamakura can often feel less "touristy".
LONELY PLANET:
Zhongshan Square is Dàlián's hub: grand buildings, most dating to the early 1900s, encircling a huge roundabout. Dàlián Bīnguǎn, a dignified hotel on the square's south side, appeared in the movie The Last Emperor . The square (actually, a circle) is busiest at night, when young people hang out or play hacky sack. An even larger crowd comes to watch the Dàlián Shide football stars on the square's giant TV screen
FROMMER’S:
Dalian's most impressive buildings surround Zhongshan Guangchang. Highlights are the late Renaissance-style white-brick and green-domed Bank of China (built in 1909) on the north side of the square, and the Dalian Hotel directly opposite.
On February 22, 1918, the evacuation began of Russian ships from Revel, Estonia, that went down in history as “The Great Ice Campaign” of the Baltic Fleet.
On February 18 that year the German forces attacked the Baltic states. The Russian squadron based in Revel (now Tallinn, the capital of Estonia) was in direct danger. The Baltic Sea was covered with ice, making vessels immobile, and the German forces could easily seize them.
The Soviet Sea Commissariat decided to transport the ships to the other side of the frozen Gulf of Finland, to Helsinki, and then return them to Kronshtadt in Russia. A fleet of icebreakers headed toward Revel on February 17, and in five days the evacuation started. When on February 25 the German forces occupied Revel, most of Russian vessels were already sailing across the gulf, leaving behind an old submarine, “Unicorn,” sealed in ice and a few support boats. The entire arsenal of land-based artillery batteries and turret guns based on the shore were destroyed in a series of explosions by the Soviet army to prevent the Germans from taking over them. All rescued vessels reached their destination safely.
On March 3, 1918, Russia and Germany signed the Peace Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. According to the disadvantageous terms of the treaty, the Soviet Army was to be disarmed and discharged, and Russian battle ships were not allowed to leave their ports. In addition, Germany was going to attack Finland, so the once-saved squadron was again threatened with destruction.
Leon Trotsky and Vladimir Lenin voiced conflicting ideas on how to deal with the fleet. Lenin insisted on moving the vessels to Kronshtadt, and Trotsky thought it would be better to leave the squadron in Finland to help the Finnish Red Army fight the Germans and internal enemies. While contradictory orders were showered from Moscow, the final decision was made by captain Aleksey Shastny, who commanded the fleet to return to the Russian port of Kronshtadt.
He divided the squadron into three squads. The first group headed toward Kronshtadt on March 12, and came to the port on March 17. The second squad left Helsinki on April 5, when the Germans occupied the Hanko Peninsula. This group reached port on April 10, and the third squad returned to Kronshtadt on April 22. Many other Russian battle ships joined the evacuation from Finland, and as a result 226 vessels were saved during this operation. Aleksey Shastny was decorated with the Red Flag Order, one of the highest military awards of the Soviet time, and became the Head of the Sea Forces of Baltic Fleet.
Successful relocation of the vessels, though, did not ease the situation. The German army used the instability around the border and pressed for further disarmament on the Soviet navy, while more forces were moved towards Petrograd, now St. Petersburg. Tattered and torn fleets became a threat to the Brest peace treaty, poor and demoralized sailors became a highly volatile force ripe for a rebellion. Trotsky decided to take radical measures against this internal threat and issued a secret order to explode all the ships which somehow leaked and created a surge of fury growing into a full scale rebellion. The riot was suppressed, and the ships were sunk.
On May 27, the government charged Shastny with rebellion.
The indictment said “Perfoming the feat, Shastny gained the popularity, and was going to use it against the Soviet Power.”
He was executed -- according to some sources, shot personally by Trotsky in his study -- and the “Ice Campaign” was classified.
by Heather Hopkins Clement
The Port of Osaka is the gateway to the cultural and historical heart of Japan—especially in the ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto. There is an infinitesimal amount of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples to be explored in the area, and I strongly encourage everyone to get out and explore!
However, if necessity dictates that you must stick close to the ship at Tempozan Pier, there are still some interesting things to do in Tempozan Harbor Villlage.
A. KAIYUKAN Aquarium
B. Market Place(shops and restaurants)
C. Giant Ferris Wheel
D. Suntory Museum
E. Hotel Seagull Tempozan Osaka
F. Osaka Bay Cruise (Santa Maria)
G. Cruise to USJ port (Captain Line)
H. Tempozan Park including Mt. Tempozan, the lowest mountain in Japan
I. Cruise to Kobe, Shodoshima island and Takamatsu in Shikoku island
J. Tourist Information
K. KAIYUKAN Information (on the second floor of Entrance Building)
A - G, J and K: Tempozan Harbor Village
GATEWAY TO JAPAN:
This large, commercial city was the gateway to the continent early in Japan’s history. Dazaifu, to the south, the preeminent historical attraction of this area, was a fortified government outpost of the Nara and Heian courts. In the 13th century, Mongol armadas sailed into Hakata Bay and twice attempted to invade Japan. The Japanese fought desperately and both times were saved by violent typhoons. The city’s tow names originated in the feudal era: Hakata, on the east, was the merchants’ town, while Fukuoka, on the west, across the Nakagawa, was the castle lord’s town. Today, Fukuoka is poised to reclaim its historic place as gateway to Asia, with plans for international air service and major conference facilities.
The center of town lies between JR Hakata station and Nishitetsu-Fukuoka station, where one boards the private line to Dazaifu, Kurume, and Yanagawa. The two stations are linked by subway; get on near the south exit of Hakata station and take it to Tenjin station, which is about 100 meters north of Nishitetsu-Fukuoka station.
LONELY PLANET:
Fukuoka is the biggest city in Kyūshū, and a rising star in Japanese commerce and tourism. Once upon a time it was two separate towns – the lordly Fukuoka castle town to the west of the river Naka-gawa, and to the east, the common folks’ Hakata. When the two merged in 1889, the label Fukuoka was applied to both towns, but subsequent development has mainly been in Hakata and many residents still refer to the town that way. The airport is known as Fukuoka, the train station as Hakata.
Fukuoka has transformed itself over the last decade into one of Japan’s most cosmopolitan and internationalised cities. Seoul and Shanghai are among its nearest neighbours. Fukuoka’s most recent international aspirations include a bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics – going up against Tokyo among others. Its attractions are contemporary rather than traditional, but they are still very much worth seeing, modern architecture in particular. Fukuoka is also renowned as a culinary centre and its vibrant nightlife is centered on the Nakasu, Daimyo and Tenjin districts.
Nationally the city is known for its ‘Hakata bijin’ (beautiful women), its feisty and much-loved baseball team the Daiei Hawks, and, most of all, Hakata rāmen (Chinese-style egg noodles in broth).
Bus
City bus services operate from the Kōtsū bus centre in Hakata and the Tenjin bus centre. Nishitetsu buses have a flat ¥100 rate for city-centre rides.
From stand E opposite JR Hakata station at the Kōtsū bus centre, bus 11 or 19 goes to Hakata Pier International Terminal (¥220), while bus 47 or 48 reaches Bayside Place for ferries to islands.
There are three subway lines in Fukuoka. The Kūkō (airport) line runs from Fukuoka domestic airport terminal to Meinohama station via Hakata, Nakasu-Kawabata and Tenjin stations. The Hakozaki line runs from Nakasu-Kawabata station to Kaizuka. The Nanakuma line runs from Tenjin-minami to Hashimoto. Fares around town start at ¥200; a one-day pass costs adult/child six to 11 ¥600/300. Trains run from 5.30am to 12.25am.
Local Currency
In Tenjin, the Citibank ATM is open 24 hours. Banks around JR Hakata station and Tenjin handle foreign exchange services.
There are more international ATMs on the basement level of Canal City, and in post offices around town.
Located in east Yunnan Province, Luoping county is famous for its
beautiful spring scenery, when the canola flowers are in full bloom.
The mountains are covered in canola flowers, creating a floral sea
of gold.
2009-12-01 17:02 BJT
Editor: Jin Lin | Source: China.org.cn
On February 21, 1613, Michael Romanov, the first Russian tsar from the Romanov dynasty was, and the Time of Troubles, the long period of revolts, was over.
Ivan the Terrible died in 1584. His eldest son and successor, Feodor, was ailing and was not able to manage the state affairs, and his youngest son Dmitry was still a child and died in 1591 in suspicious circumstances. In 1598, Fyodor died too, and the Rurik dynasty, founded by the first ruler of Russia, Prince Rurik, was over. One of the nobles, Boris Godunov, headed the country.
The years 1601 – 1603 were lean, and famine spread across the country. People came to Moscow in flocks, because there the government, trying to manage the situation, handed out money and food to the needy. The landowners could not maintain their servants and turned them out of the houses. The poor gathered in gangs, trying to live out on robbery, and the chaos increased by the day.
In 1603 in Poland appeared the impostor, calling himself Dmitry, the son of Ivan the Terrible. His real name and linage are still unknown, but the most popular version is that he was a Russian monk named Grigory Otrepiev. With the support of the Polish King, he recruited the army, and in 1605 invaded Russia. Russian people did not resist the intervention, because most of them believed Grigory to be a real son of Ivan. In June 1605, Grigory enthroned and became the ruler of Russia. According to some documents, one of his first orders was to execute some monks from the Chudov monastery – maybe, because they could recognize him.
Grigory had been a tsar for one year, time to carry out some reforms, and on May 18, 1606, a group of nobles, headed by Vasily Shuisky, assassinated him. Shuisky replaced his victim as the head of the country.
In 1606 the peasant uprising, headed by Ivan Bolotnikov, threw the southern regions of Russia into chaos. Bolotnikov called himself “Prince Dmitry’s general,” and spread rumors that Dmitry survived. In 1607, the new Prince Dmitry impersonator appeared, and in 1608, his army already controlled half of the big Russian cities. The Polish forces, which helped this impersonator too, sacked the occupied territories. In addition, in 1608, the Crimean Tatars attacked Russia and ravaged several central regions.
Shuisky tried to oust the Poles from Russia, but did not succeed. On July 4, 1610, the Russian army lost the decisive battle, and in September Shuisky was dethroned by treason. Moscow swore allegiance to the Polish prince Vladislav. The next year, on March 17, the Poles mistook the fight at the city market for the beginning of rebellion, and slaughtered about 10 thousand Muscovites.
Two big uprisings took place during Vladislav’s governing, but both of them were inconclusive. The third uprising, headed by Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, took place in 1612, and was successful. On October 26, 1612, the Polish garrison gave up Moscow and Vladislav abdicated. When the Polish forces left the country, time to choose the new tsar came. Michael Romanov was one of the four aspirants to throne. He came from an old and noble family, members of which had always been serving to the Russian tsars.
He was only sixteen years old when he became a tsar. His mother, Ksenia, did not want him to take such a great responsibility, and when he was enthroned, she actually ruled the country instead of him until 1819. Michael stopped the wars with Poland and Sweden, restored diplomatic relations with Europe and reorganized the Russian army.
In 1959, Nikita Khrustchev, the leader of the Soviet Union, visited the USA and stopped by Primorye on his way back. Impressed by America, Mr. Khrustchev decided that Vladivostok should have been better than San-Francisco. As a result of the “Big Vladivostok” project, a railway funicular began operating in the city – one of the two constructed in Russia. Hundreds of citizens flooded Pushkinskaya street on May 5, 1962, to see the first funicular passengers to travel 183 meters by the Orlinaya hill slope. The trip took one minute and a half. The passengers have hardly been able to enjoy the Golden Horn bay views during the trip.
As a tributary of the Pearl River, Hongshui River originates at Mt.
Maxiong in Yunnan Province. There are villages and terraces on the
mountains and the clear water in the river acts as a mirror of the
surrounding areas.
2009-12-01 17:02 BJT
Editor: Jin Lin | Source: China.org.cn
Lights, camera - wow ... sometimes you just get a special picture. As thousands of people flock to Shanghai's Yuyuan Garden last night, the final one of the week-long Spring Festival holiday, a spectacular combination of color, light and skyline is shown. The Year of the Tiger and World Expo Lantern Temple Fair at the garden attracted more than 2.2 million visitors during the break. And Shanghai shoppers went on a spending spree during the holiday.
2010-2-20
By Dong Zhenand Lu Feiran
The purse-strings are well and truly opened as Spring Festival holiday spending hit a record of about 5 billion yuan (US$731.95 million) in Shanghai.
Commerce authorities believe recovering consumer confidence about the economy is the linchpin.
A sample investigation into the Spring Festival sales market in the city found that the 460 major local retail and service companies turned over the amount during the week-long holiday that started on February 13, the Shanghai Commerce Commission said yesterday.
The result was the highest since 1999 when the commission first started compiling these statistics.
It eclipsed last year's Spring Festival holiday total by 15.8 percent, the commission said.
Retailers citywide also lent a hand by offering extensive discounts during the break.
"It was the first time in 57 years that Valentine's Day was the first day of the Lunar New Year," said Chen Yuxian, a commission official. "Holiday spending was definitely enhanced by the nice coincidence."
During the seven days, city supermarkets and convenience stores took 2.29 billion yuan, up 13.1 percent from a year earlier.
Online rush
"Supermarkets still remain the most attractive shopping location for consumers when they need to choose gifts and food for the festival," Chen said.
However, television and Internet retailers gained the biggest sales growth from a year earlier.
The sales investigation found online and TV shopping deals completed during the period soared by 28.2 percent from 2009.
The holiday tourism industry also boomed, thanks to the recovering economy and the approach of the Shanghai 2010 World Expo.
The city received about 2.6 million tourists from both home and abroad during the holiday, up about 5 percent year on year.
Tourism revenue reached nearly 2.2 billion yuan for the period, up about 10 percent on last year, according to the Shanghai Holiday Office.
Scenic spots and Expo-themed events proved hugely popular.
For example, The Year of the Tiger and Expo Lantern Temple Fair at the Yuyuan Garden was the hottest event in the city, receiving more than 2.2 million visitors.
The Expo-oriented exhibition on peonies at the Shanghai Botanical Garden and the Expo Puzzle Temple Fair at Guyi Garden received more tourists than last year's Spring Festival, officials said.
Bird's-eye view
There was also a visitor increase to the Pudong New Area skyscrapers, such as the observatory of the Jinmao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center.
Officials said this was largely because more people wanted to see a bird's-eye view of the World Expo site.
"The Expo effect has started working in the city, helping the whole tourism industry to bounce back after the world economic downturn," said Li Ping, a holiday office official.
The number of Shanghai people who went abroad during the holiday also spiked sharply.
More than 59,440 people in about 3,000 tour groups went abroad, up a whopping 46 percent from last year's break.
Asian countries were still the most popular destinations for Shanghai residents.
As for the domestic market, north China and south China reigned supreme.
People either chose skiing in the north or sunshine in the south, the holiday office said.
Taste of the past: Stylish chairs and retro-furnishings complement the tatami and shoji screens of Matsubara-an, where traditional soba is matched with Western fare. ROBBIE SWINNERTON PHOTOS
Friday, Jan. 8, 2010
From the very first sip of aromatic otoso sake and steaming-hot ozoni soup, we always love the time-honored ritual and ceremony of New Year's in Japan. But even more than that, we like it when the hallowed traditions are brought up to date and placed in a contemporary context. That's the way they do it at Matsubara-an.
At first look, this restaurant in genteel Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, seems nothing but traditional. It occupies a stately, 70-year-old timber town house set in its own spacious garden. You enter through an imposing wooden gate and relinquish your shoes at the exquisite entrance hall. However, once inside, you find that appearances can be deceptive.
The main dining room is beautifully restored with impeccable shoji screens, period lampshades, retro furnishings and views out onto the garden. But the tatami mats are covered with carpets, and instead of zabuton cushions you sit at stylish modern tables and chairs.
Too often this kind of hybrid look can feel stilted and forced, but at Matsubara-an the mood is comfortably casual. A buzz of conversation drowns out the bossa nova emitting from the sound system. The waitresses are polite but friendly, putting you immediately at ease.
The menu reflects a similar blend of simplicity and sophistication; Japanese and Western, traditional and modern. The specialty of the house is te-uchi soba, buckwheat noodles that are prepared fresh each day, rolled out and cut by hand and served with considerable refinement. However, there's plenty more to explore at Matsubara-an besides noodles.
Just take a look at the mixed hors d'oeuvres plate. It features a selection of seven different dishes, including a couple of cuts of smoked duck; a smear of pate on a sliver of baguette; a cube of chilled tofu topped with savory miso; a slice or two of carpaccio; and various vegetable preparations.
Kamakura has a deserved reputation these days for the excellent produce grown in its coastal microclimate. Matsubara-an's version of bagna cauda showcases the local vegetables at their best. The colorful array of crisp vegetable sticks is accompanied by a thick, anchovy- and garlic-driven sauce that here is served cold rather than hot.
Italian influences: Matsubara-an's cold version of bagna cauda includes a colorful array of local vegetables.
Much of the seafood is landed nearby, especially the aji (jack) and shirasu (whitebait). But even greater emphasis is given to duck, which is served either grilled or simmered down in chunks in a rich broth, in much the same style as pork kakuni.
As at any soba restaurant worth its salt, Matsubara-an prides itself on the quality of its tempura. Rather than the standard-issue pair of jumbo prawns served elsewhere, it prepares crisp kaki-age patties packed with fresh shrimp, cuts of soft squid, jade-green shiso leaf and fragrant mitsuba herb.
RELATED STORY
Other soba houses to discover in Kamakura
These side dishes are all available a la carte throughout the day, but at lunchtime, two set menus are also offered. The ¥2,800 course comprises the hors d'oeuvres plate and a vegetable tempura, along with a serving of noodles — either seiro (cold with a dip) or kake (in hot soup). In the ¥4,000 course, you also get a plate of the grilled duck, plus dessert and a soft drink.
In the evening, though, Matsubara-an undergoes a change of character. The lights are dimmed and in place of out-of-town visitors it fills with locals, who settle in for leisurely dinners lubricated by sake, shochu, wine or whiskey from the well-stocked bar. In winter, nabe hotpots of pork or duck are added to the menu; throughout the year, there are steaks and seafood.
But what distinguishes Matsubara-an from just about any other soba restaurant we know are its garden tables. These are popular year-round, thanks to the overhead space heaters (blankets are also provided). But it is when the weather gets warmer that these come into their own.
They fill up with people out walking their dogs, families with young kids in tow, and even beachgoers. Where else can you sit down for tempura-soba dressed in shorts and a tank-top, to the accompaniment of sunshine and birdsong? That's the kind of reworking of tradition that we really love.
Matsubara-an lies well off the regular tourist trail, down a quiet side street in a residential district a good 15-minute walk from the center of the city. Even so, there are often lines outside at lunchtime. If you don't have a reservation, expect to wait up to an hour at weekends and especially on holidays.
Kamakura Matsubara-an
FROMMER’S:
The city recently made an effort to recapture some of its Russian history with Eluosi Fengqing Jie (Russian Street), a collection of mostly new Russian-style structures north of the railway cutout, above Shanghai Lu. The large, dilapidated yellow-brick building at the end of the street was the municipal government office when Russia still controlled the city.
Tolstoy was baptized orthodox, but had never been a true believer, though he often reflected on the religion. In 1855, he decided to create his own doctrine, based on Christianity,
“the new religion, appropriate for the level of development of the humankind, the religion of Christ, cleaned of the belief and the mystery, the practical religion, not promising the beatitude, but giving the beatitude.”
He fully described his doctrine in the article “The Confession,” written in 1882 and in the novel “Resurrection,” written in 1899.
Tolstoy’s ideas inspired people, and in the beginning of 1880s, the “Tolstoyans” movement started. The Tolstoyans preached humanism and pacifism, so the followers of the movement refused to join the army. They denied the necessity of the public authorities, and appealed to the natural peoples desire to help each other. The majority of the Tolstoyans were vegetarians; they did not smoke or drink alcohol.
The religious views of the Tolstoyans were synthetic and had many things in common not only with Christianity, but also Buddhism, and Islam. However, the Bible was just a code of the ethical rules for them. They did not appreciate the Orthodox Church hierarchy and the articles of faith.
They did not believe in the divinity of Christ, in the Virgin Birth and in the Trinity, and replaced the Ten Commandments with five:
“turn the other cheek”,
“do not commit adultery”,
do not litigate with anyone”,
“do not swear”, and
“do not steal.”
The Tolstoyans founded a publishing house in St. Petersburg to publish the fiction books and articles by Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov and other authors, and handbooks about agriculture, medicine, and cattle-breeding. The Tolstoyans distributed books among peasants, and made a significant contribution to the public education.
In the middle of the 1880s, the colonies of the Tolstoyans appeared all over the country and outside it. The people from Europe, Japan, and India joined the Tolstoyans. Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of the India independence movement, supported Tolstoy’s doctrine.
At the end of 1880s, the church hierarchs started to appeal to the Emperor Alexander III and to the Sinod, the highest administrative organ of the church, asking them to punish Tolstoy and to lay him under an interdict. The Emperor refused – he did not want to make a martyr out of Tolstoy. After Alexander’s death, the next Emperor, Nicholas II, gave ear to their appeals, and agreed with them.
In 1897, the Sinod declared the Tolstoyans movement a dangerous sect. When Tolstoy was excommunicated, the government started to arrest his followers. The movement disintegrated and was forgotten soon.
View RT ArticleFebruary 19, 2010 8:43 p.m. EST
By Dan Gilgoff, CNN
'I had affairs, I cheated'
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Woods: "People probably don't realize it, but I was raised a Buddhist"
- Golf great, addressing controversy on Friday, says he had "drifted" from his faith
- "Woods was quite accurate" in his summation of Buddhism, one scholar says
- After affairs made news, Fox's Brit Hume publicly urged Woods to embrace Christianity
(CNN) -- When Tiger Woods invoked his religious faith during his public apology on Friday, he readily acknowledged that a lot of people would be surprised.
"People probably don't realize it," he said, "but I was raised a Buddhist, and I actively practiced my faith from childhood until I drifted away from it in recent years."
But Woods said his Buddhist faith would be a key part of his quest to put his life back together after revelations of his marital infidelity, which he admitted for the first time. Buddhist experts said Woods' summation of the tradition's beliefs was accurate -- and that his remarks likely will bring more attention to the faith in a week when its highest profile leader, the Dalai Lama, is visiting the United States.
"I have a lot of work to do, and I intend to dedicate myself to doing it," Woods said, reading a statement from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. "Part of following this path for me is Buddhism, which my mother taught me at a young age."
"Buddhism teaches that a creation of things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security," he continued. "It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught."
A handful of Buddhist scholars said Woods' description of Buddhist teaching was spot on. "Woods was quite accurate," said Janet Gyatso, a professor of Buddhist studies at Harvard University.
"Craving causes unhappiness. That's a fundamental Buddhist idea."
A 1996 Sports Illustrated profile suggested that Woods--then in his early 20s -- took his faith seriously. He visited a Buddhist temple with his mother each year around his birthday, slept near a mother-of-pearl Buddha from his Thai grandfather, and wore a gold Buddha around his neck, according to the profile. Woods' mother, Kultilda, is a Thai-born Buddhist.
"I like Buddhism because it's a whole way of being and living," Tiger Woods told Sports Illustrated. "It's based on discipline and respect and personal responsibility. I like Asian culture better than ours because of that."
When allegations of Woods' infidelity began emerging after a November 27 car accident, Fox News Channel host Brit Hume stirred controversy by publicly advising the golf pro to become a Christian.
You're always beginning again in the Buddhist tradition.
--John Kornfield, California-based Buddhist teacher
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"He's said to be a Buddhist -- I don't think that faith offers the kind of forgiveness and redemption that is offered by the Christian faith," Hume said. "So my message to Tiger would be: Tiger, turn to the Christian faith and you can make a total recovery and be a great example to the world."
But Buddhist scholars say that forgiveness and redemption are core components of the faith.
"You're always beginning again in the Buddhist tradition," said John Kornfield, a prominent Buddhist teacher based in California. "You see that you're causing harm, you repent and ask forgiveness in some formal or informal way, and you start again."
Some Buddhism experts said that's what Woods appeared to be trying to do today. Many Buddhists applauded Woods' statement.
"The fact that people could see this kind of behavior causes suffering is an incredibly important message for all kinds of people who respect Woods," said Kornfield.
Buddhism was in the spotlight this week before Woods' remarks, with the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama -- a Buddhist -- meeting with President Obama in Washington on Thursday.
Buddhism is among the world's largest religions, with about 350 million adherents, including about 1.2 million in the United States, according to a 2009 report by Trinity College. The faith began in India about 2,500 years ago.
20:2704/02/2010
Russian Orthodox Church leaders called on Christians on Thursday to be firm in defending traditional marriage and lamented the family crisis in the country.
According to some estimates, over half of the marriages in Russia end in divorce. Women in the 140-million-strong country undergo some 1.5 million abortions annually.
"We, Christians of different denominations, should profess the inviolability of the evangelic norms on the holy matrimony between man and woman," Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said in a welcome message to participants of an inter-Christian forum for former Soviet republics held in Moscow.
Christians, he said, should "openly testify that deviation from the God-given fundamentals of marriage cannot contribute to forming a healthy individual."
Another top church official, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk who heads the Russian Orthodox Church's external relations department, criticized today's morality.
"Today the scale of priorities for many people looks totally different than what is in line with Christian tradition. Freedom, permissiveness, acquisitiveness, lust for success and career aspirations are in first place rather than traditional spiritual and moral values, family, marital fidelity or giving birth to children and raising them," he said.
"Abandoned children, a huge number of divorces... a high number of suicides and abortions indicate a deep crisis for the family and social relations," Hilarion said.
MOSCOW, February 4 (RIA Novosti)
View Article in RIA Novosti
I have to start with a confession; I’m a Japanese castle snob. After seeing numerous castles throughout Japan, I simply am not a fan of recently reconstructed concrete castles. So, if my cruise ship stopped at the port of Osaka for the day and I wanted to see a Japanese castle,without a doubt my first stop would be Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As the prototypical Japanese castle, Himeji Castle is the most visited in all of Japan, and I highly recommend it.
On second thought, I guess I have another confession. After having lived and worked in Osaka, I consider it my Japanese hometown, and the castle is an iconic symbol of the city. The castle figures significantly in several major historical events of Japanese history in the feudal period. So, for historical and sentimental reasons, I still think it is well worth a visit—it just would not be my first or one and only stop in the area.
Before I go into more specifics about the castle’s cultural and historical significance, let me give you the basic info:
Osaka Castle is the backdrop for some pretty interesting historical events involving the so-called “Three Great Unifiers of Japan”:
The original castle was built in 1496. During his campaign to unify the country, warlord Oda Nobunaga burned the castle to the ground in 1580. His successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, rebuilt the castle. Upon the death of Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, took control of the castle in 1615 as his consolidated his power to set up rule by Tokugawa shoguns for the next 250+ years.
The castle fell into disrepair throughout the next few centuries and was damaged by bombing raids on the city during WWII. The current structure is a concrete facade.
Inside the castle, you can view historical artifacts in the Osaka Castle Tower Museum. If you make your way to the top of the castle tower, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city from the observation deck that stands 50 meter above the ground.
The castle grounds are a nice place to people watch too. In the early spring, it is a great place to view cherry blossoms, and you will see people out exercising and enjoying picnics together in the park. You may want to try out a local delicacy from one of the street vendors.
How to get to Osaka Castle from Tempozan Pier:
Walk about 5 minutes to the nearest subway station, Osaka-ko, on the Chuo (Green) Subway line. You will want to board the train on platform #1 to head towards the castle.
A. KAIYUKAN Aquarium
B. Market Place(shops and restaurants)
C. Giant Ferris Wheel
D. Suntory Museum
E. Hotel Seagull Tempozan Osaka
F. Osaka Bay Cruise (Santa Maria)
G. Cruise to USJ port (Captain Line)
H. Tempozan Park including Mt. Tempozan, the lowest mountain in Japan
I. Cruise to Kobe, Shodoshima island and Takamatsu in Shikoku island
J. Tourist Information
K. KAIYUKAN Information (on the second floor of Entrance Building)
A - G, J and K: Tempozan Harbor Village
From there, the fastest route is the take the green line to Tanimachi-4-chome (about 30 minutes). From that station, take the closest exit to the castle—Exit 1B. It’s about a 20 minute walk from there, so this is a good opportunity to interest with the locals to make sure you are headed in the right direction.
You can also take a slightly longer, more circuitous route to view the city from your train en route. To do so, take the Chuo (Green) Subway line from Osaka-ko to Bentencho. From there, you will need to purchase a second ticket to ride on the JR Osaka Loop lLne to Osaka-jo Koen (Osaka Castle Park) station. From here, you will still have another 20 minute walk.
GATEWAY TO JAPAN:
Like Taga-ju near Sendai in Tohoku, this was an outpost of the Yamato government against independent and rebellious tribes, such as the Kumaso in south Kyushu. Dazaifu was also used as a staging areas for military adventures in Korea. When Japan’s ally Paekche capitulated to Silla and Tang China, the Japanese, fearing invasion, fortified the area even more strongly. As the government headquarters of Kyushu, Dazaifu was built on a rectilinear plan, similar to Nara, but at about half the scale. The foundation stones of the Tofuro, which was the heart of Dazaifu, show the outlines of several buildings arranged axially within a surrounding wall. A small museum occupies the southeast corner of the site.
A scale model of Shanghai in 2020 spans an entire floor at the Urban Planning Museum in People's Square. Ariana Lindquist for The New York Times
This museum tells the story of Shanghai’s evolution with a spectacular collection of archival photos, meaningless but beautiful exhibitions on wastewater management and other public works, and a scale model of Shanghai circa 2020 that spanned an entire floor. Virtual Shanghai, a computer-generated flyover of the city projected onto a 360-degree movie screen was the highlight. The camera swoops along highways, over the Huangpu and around the Pudong skyscrapers of an idealized city that may or may not exist. The souvenir shop carries Hu Yang’s “Shanghai Living” catalog — 140 photographic glimpses of the city’s present, frozen in time.
FROMMER’S:
Filmmakers and science-fiction writers have imagined it, but if you want to see what a city of the future is really going to look like, take yourself over to this museum on the eastern end of People's Square. Housed in a striking modern five-story building made of microlite glass, this is one of the world's largest showcases of urban development and is much more interesting than its dry name suggests. The highlight is on the third floor: an awesome vast scale model of urban Shanghai as it will look in 2020, a master plan full of endless skyscrapers punctuated occasionally by patches of green. The clear plastic models indicate structures yet to be built, and there are many of them. Beleaguered Shanghai residents wondering if their current cramped downtown houses will survive the bulldozer (chances are not good) need only look here for the answer. The fourth floor also offers displays on proposed forms of future transportation, including magnetic levitation (maglev), subway, and light-rail trains that are going to change even the face of the Bund. The rest of the building includes a U-shaped mezzanine with photographic exhibits of colonial and contemporary Shanghai, a temporary exhibit hall on the second floor, and a cafe and art gallery on the fifth. There are restaurants and retail outlets crafted in the style of 1930s Shanghai on the underground level that connects to the Metro. The museum is well worth an hour of your time.
NATIONAL GEOGRPAHIC TRAVELER:
“Back to the future Shanghai-style: exultant visions of the Shanghai to come.”—Damian Harper. Museum features miniature replica of Shanghai today (ground floor) and a scale model of the city’s future (entire third floor); exhibits chronicle Shanghai’s colorful history. 100 Renmin Dadao; tel. 86 21 6318 4477.
LONELY PLANET:
Urban Planning Exhibition Halls - where the creaking cities of yore are triumphantly redesigned by developers into fabulous metropolitan visions - are all the rage in New China (Běijīng has one). It's pitched as a tourist attraction, but this is really just a massively optimistic self-appraisal. Most Western visitors are in town to see how the city used to be rather than how it may be.
The diorama of the Shanghai of the future on the third floor is worth a circuit, while the brilliant (albeit self-congratulating) Virtual World 3-D wraparound tour of Shanghai is a dizzying computer simulated tour. Balancing it all out are photos of 1930s Shanghai and historic maps, and topping it all is a café and observation lounge. Exit the building through a basement street of mock 1930s cafés.
The terraced rice fields in Yuanyang county, Yunnan Province have
been cultivated for at least 1,300 years by the Hani people. The
fields are mainly located 1,000 to 2,000 meters above sea level.
Rice can grow only once a year in the fields. Crops in the terraced
fields are planted every April and harvested from mid-September to
mid-November.
2009-12-01 17:02 BJT
Editor: Jin Lin | Source: China.org.cn
On February 19, 1861, Emperor Alexander II carried out the first and the most important of his reforms – he declared the abolishment of serfdom in the Russian Empire to improve the Russian economy and avert a possible revolution.
The history of serfdom in Russia began in 1649, when Tsar Aleksey Mikhailovich issued a decree which prohibited peasants from leaving their lands and gave landowners full control over the peasants. This decree was followed by a number of others depriving peasants of their personal liberty and turned them into actual slaves – into “baptized property”. The peasants had to work for their owners and to pay them labor rent, while the owners had the right to buy and sell them, often separating families; to punish them; and even to exile them to Siberia for crimes such as escape attempts or for trying to dodge army recruitment.
The defeat in the Crimean War (1853-1856) exposed all the drawbacks of Russian industry, economy and agriculture, and served as a trigger for Alexander’s II reforms. That war put the peasantry in hard straits. For war purposes, the government had raised taxes, regularly commandeered peasants’ horses and cattle, and conducted extra recruitment among serfs. At the time the service lasted for 20 years, and that considerably affected landowners’ incomes, which in turn led to landowners increasing labor rents. Recruited serfs were also treated with scorn and were often left hungry and poorly equipped.
In 1857, 192 mass riots took place, and in 1859 there were already 938 riots. Sometimes, the peasants of several neighbor villages rose together against their owners. The armed clashes between the rebels and the military forces became frequent. The country was ripe for revolution, and the reform was meant to prevent the upcoming catastrophe.
The “Royal Manifest of the Abolishment of Serfdom” returned personal liberty and civil rights to serfs. The landowners were obliged to give them plots of land, and a special commission defined the sizes of those plots. However, nine years after liberation the peasants still had to pay the rent for the given land and to work for the landowners. Only at the end of the term were they able to redeem the rented plots.
The reform brought Alexander II the nickname “Liberator”, but the terms offered by the Royal Manifest actually supported the interests of the landowners and the government. The plots given to the peasants were usually small scraps of soil, inconveniently placed and often infertile. If the peasant wanted to redeem the land, the government lent him 80% of its price out at 6% per year, demanding the payment to be stretched over a period of 50 years no less. Former serfs ended up paying about 300% of the actual cost of their lands.
However, the liberation of the serfs amended the Russian economic situation. The peasantry became an active part of the economy, entering exchange relations, and the inner market started to develop. Many peasants left the countryside, moved to the cities and turned into wage laborers, becoming a part of the qualified industrial force. Still, the reform failed to develop agriculture, and for a long time it remained backward.
Source: Google & Russian Railways
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