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Types of Garlic Chives, Buying and Cooking Tips, Nutritional Information When is a chive not a chive? When it's a Chinese garlic chive.

With their white flowers, long green shoots and lack of a bulb, garlic chives bear a strong resemblance to regular chives. That's not surprising, since both are members of the onion family. However, in this case appearances are deceiving. While the standard chive has a mild flavor similar to onions, Chinese garlic chives are known for their strong “garlicky” flavor.

The combination of a chive-like appearance and strong flavor makes garlic chives a popular seasoning. You’ll find chopped chives showing up in Chinese recipes for soups, stews, salads and even meat marinades. But don’t feel you need to get out the wok to enjoy them. Garlic chives make a flavourful alternative to regular chives in non-Asian dishes.

Feel free to add a few snips of garlic chives the next time you’re preparing scrambled eggs or an omelette, or substitute them for regular chives in a recipe for herbed bread.

Need another reason to try them? They’re a great substitute for garlic on nights when you don’t feel like smashing and peeling cloves. Now, all that’s left is to decide which variety of Chinese garlic chive - all of which come from the same plant - best meets your needs:

Standard garlic chives (Gau Choy) – Garlic chives look similar to chives, but their leaves are broad and flat instead of hollow. Their garlicky flavor enhances cooked dishes, particularly ones where the food is slowly simmered in a sauce, such as red-cooked stews or soups, or in a stuffing. Use them also to add flavor to stir-fries. They go particularly well with eggs and seafood – you’ll often find them paired with scrambled eggs or prawns.

Flowering Chives (Gau Choy Fa) – Flowering chives have hollow, light green stems and yellow buds on the end. But don’t let their delicate appearance fool you: flowering chives have a stronger garlicky flavor than Gau Choy. A popular delicacy in Chinese cuisine, they are used in salads and stir-fried alone. The yellow buds make an attractive garnish and, unlike regular chives, they are edible. Their popularity means that flowering chives are often easier to find than garlic chives, both in regular supermarkets and Asian groceries. Feel free to use them in place of garlic chives.

Yellow Chives (Gau Wong) – Yellow chives are garlic chives that have been grown under cover, without any exposure to direct sunlight. This prevents the leaves from turning green, as the plant’s chlorophyll-absorbing molecules never kick into action.

Yellow chives have thick flat leaves, a yellow color, and a mild, “oniony” flavor. Like flowering chives, they are considered to be a delicacy, and often served alone or paired with another vegetable in a stir-fry. Use them in soups, with noodles, or whenever you want to add chives with a milder flavor than either garlic or flowering chives.

Garlic Chive Preparation and Cooking Tips

Fresh garlic chives have a short lifespan. When purchasing regular garlic chives, look for dark green leaves with no sign of wilting. Remove any dark green leaves that have wilted before cooking. Flowering chives usually come packaged, with the ends already trimmed. Look for a bright green color and fat yellow buds. Both of these types of chives will last for a few days stored in the crisper section of the refrigerator. Fresh yellow chives, on the other hand, should be used within the same day. Whichever type of chive you buy, trim off the ends if they are not already trimmed and wash thoroughly before using.

For best results, add the chives near the end of the cooking process – otherwise the flavor fades.

Nutritional Information About Garlic Chives

Garlic chives pack a major nutritional punch for a mere 30 calories per 100 grams. Low in fat and high in dietary fibre and protein, they contain high amounts of Vitamin C and carotene, and are a good source of calcium. They also contain Vitamin B1 and B2. In Chinese medicine, garlic chives are considered to be a yin or warming food.

Garlic Chives – The Ultimate Antiseptic?

Like other members of the garlic and onion family, garlic chives contain a sulphur-rich mustard oil that aids digestion and helps promote the flow of blood. The rejuvenating power of this oil has been known since ancient times, when chives were used to heal wounds. Today, Chinese cooks put garlic chives’ antiseptic qualities to good use by combining the chives with pork fat to season a wok.

Labels: Chinese food

Prepared black bean sauce takes the work out of rinsing and mashing fermented black beans in this quick and easy spareribs recipe. Serves 4 to 6.

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds pork spareribs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 teaspoon minced ginger

Oil for stir-frying

2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 4 teaspoons water, optional

Sauce:

2 tablespoons black bean sauce with garlic, or to taste

2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 cup water or chicken broth (low-sodium broth is best)

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

PREPARATION:

Trim the ribs and cut into 1-inch pieces.

Mince the ginger. In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and set aside. Heat the wok on medium-high to high heat and add oil. When oil is ready, add the ginger and stir-fry until aromatic (about 15 seconds).

Add the spareribs, stir-frying until they are lightly browned. Add the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. While the ingredients are cooking, mix together the cornstarch and water if you are going to use it. Once the ingredients are finished simmering, give the cornstarch/water mixture a quick re-stir and add, stirring to thicken. Serve with white rice.

Labels: Chinese food

Try to vary the meat and vegetables in a dish, so that there is an interesting variety of flavors, textures, and colors. Prepare everything before you start cooking: meat, vegetables, and sauces.

Wash green, leafy vegetables ahead of time. This gives them more time to drain so they will not be too wet when you stir-fry.

While it's nice to own one, you don't need a cleaver to cook Chinese food.

Place all the cut vegetables on a tray or cooking sheet. That way, you won't forget anything. Just be careful not to mix them up, as cooking times will vary among vegetables.

Drain tofu before using, as this allows it to absorb the other flavors in the dish.

Marinate fresh meat.

Always cut beef across the grain.

Cut the meat into uniform pieces so that it will cook more evenly. If you're not using a recipe, a general rule is to cut everything into bite-sized pieces.

When adding oil for stir-frying, drizzle the oil down the sides of the wok.

When deep-frying, to tell if the oil is hot enough, simply stick a chopstick in the wok. When the oil sizzles all around it, you can begin adding the food.

Don't use dark soy sauce unless the recipe specifically calls for it. When a recipe simply says to add soy or soya sauce, use light soy sauce or one of the Japanese brands such as Kikkoman.

If preparing stir-fried meat and vegetables, stir-fry the meat first and set it aside. Usually you will return it to the wok with a sauce during the final stages of cooking.

When stir-frying vegetables, cook the toughest and thickest vegetables for a longer period than the softer, leafy vegetables. Vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, and cabbage need to be cooked longer than bok choy, which in turn is cooked longer than snow peas or bean sprouts.

If you are uncertain in what order to cook vegetables, simply stir-fry them separately. Never overcook.

Once you've gained a bit of experience and can "guestimate" amounts such as one teaspoon or two tablespoons, try storing sauces in plastic containers similar to the syrup dispensers used in restaurants. This cuts down on the amount of washing up after each meal. Just be sure to label each of the containers!

Always use fresh ginger, not powdered.

If desired, use sugar as a substitute for MSG (Monosodium Glutamate).

The formula for mixing cornstarch and water is 1 to 2: for example, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water

Taste the dish and adjust the seasonings as desired.

And finally, in the immortal words of one of my favorite cooking teachers: "the two most important things about Chinese cooking are a hot stove and a sharp knife.

Labels: Chinese food

Sweet and sour chicken is a very popular dish and there are several different ways to make it. In this recipe, black rice vinegar heightens the tartness of the sauce. Here is another recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken with lemon.

Makes 3 - 4 servings of sweet and sour chicken, or 4 - 6 as part of a meal Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3/4 cup baby carrots

1 cucumber

1/2 red bell pepper

1 garlic clove

Marinade:

2 tsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1 tsp cornstarch

Batter:

1 - 2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 TB potato starch*

Sauce**:

4 1/2 TB rice vinegar

1 1/2 TB black rice vinegar

3/4 cup water

3 TB tomato paste

4 1/2 TB brown sugar

3/8 tsp chile sauce, or to taste

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 6 teaspoons water

3 1/4 cups oil for deep-frying and stir-frying

Directions:

Cut the chicken into 1/2-inch cubes. Marinate in the rice wine or sherry and cornstarch for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the vegetables: mince the garlic clove, peel and cut the cucumber into thin slices, and cut the red pepper into cubes. Chop the baby carrots. Bring a large pot of water to boil and blanch the carrots briefly in the boiling water. Drain thoroughly.

In a small saucepan, add the ingredients for the sweet and sour sauce and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and keep warm.

To deep-fry the chicken: Preheat 3 cups of oil to 350 - 375 degrees Fahrenheit. While waiting for the oil to heat, brush the chicken cubes with the beaten egg and dip in the potato starch to cover. Deep-fry the dredged chicken pieces in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the wok. Deep-fry for 3 - 4 minutes until the chicken turns golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

To deep-fry the chicken a second time if desired: bring the oil temperature up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Deep-fry the chicken in batches, very briefly for less than a minute, until the chicken turns brown. Drain on paper towels. Drain all but 2 tablespoons oil from the wok. When oil is hot, add the garlic and stir-fry briefly until aromatic. Add the carrots. Stir-fry for about 1 minute, then add the red peppers. Add the cucumber or save to use as a garnish. Bring the sauce back up to a boil and add to the wok, mixing with the vegetables. Add the chicken. Heat through and serve over rice. Garnish with the cucumber if desired.

Cornstarch can be substituted for the potato starch

This recipe is designed to make extra sauce for mixing in with the rice. It can easily be adjusted either up or down depending on how much sauce you want - just be sure to keep the proportions constant. For 3/4 lb of chicken, reduce quantities by 1/3 - ie. use 3 TB rice vinegar, 1 TB black rice vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 2 TB tomato paste, etc.

Labels: Chinese food

Labels: Chinese food

Beijing Roasted Duck has the reputation of being the most delicious food in Beijing. It is usually a fixed item of dinner on any Beijing tour itinerary. Eating Beijing Roasted Duck is also one of the two things you are absolutely supposed to do while in Beijing -- the other one is climbing the Great Wall.

The hometown of roasted duck is actually Nanjing City of Jiangsu Province in East China. In the 19th year (1421) during the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the emperor moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing, and hence roasted duck was introduced to Beijing and became an imperial dish.

Beijing ducks are called force-fed ducks, which are raised for the sole purpose of making the food. Force-fed, they are kept in cages which restrain them from moving about, so as to fatten them up and make the meat comparably tender.

Beijing Roasted Duck has two kinds: Menlu Roasted Duck (duck roasted in the oven) and Gualu Roasted Duck (duck roasted over the fire). The preparations include: first rubbing the ducks with spices, salt and sugar, and then hanging them in the air for some time. To make a Menlu Roasted Duck, first burn the Kaoliang stalks in the oven till the sides of the oven turn hot, then put the ready-duck inside until the duck is baked date-red and shining with oil by the heat of the oven and the remaining heat of the ash. To make a Gualu Roasted Duck, the ready-duck is baked in the oven directly over the burning wood of peach, jujube or date trees, which gives off a special fragrance, with very little smoke; bake until the duck becomes brown with rich grease perspiring outside and have a nice odor. The best roasted duck has a crisp skin and tender meat.

Beijing Roasted Duck is always served in well-cut slices. The chef cuts the meat into thin slices, each having a piece of skin and perfect with the complete layers of the meat. Then the meat is served with very thin pancakes, Chinese onions and special sauce -- usually sweet bean sauce. The way to eat it is to coat the thin pancake with sauce, slap on a few pieces of meat and roll up the pancake. Chopsticks are optional: it is much easier just to grab the thing with your bare hands. Normally there are many dishes served with the duck, including a dish of fine-cut shallot bars, a dish of cucumber bars and finally a dish of paste-like soy of fermented wheat flour. The dinner usually ends with a rich cream-colored duck soup made from the duck

Labels: Chinese food

Located in the east of the Asian continent, on the western shore of the Pacific Ocean, the People's Republic of China has a land area of about 9.6 million square kilometers, and is the third largest country in the world, next only to Russia and Canada.

From north to south, the territory of China spans over 49 latitudes, stretching from the center of the Heilongjiang River north of the town of Mohe to the Zengmu Reef at the southernmost tip of the Nansha. From east to west, the nation extends from the confluence of the Heilongjiang and Wusuli rivers to the Pamirs.

China's coastline measures approximately 32,000 kilometers, with a flat topography, and many excellent docks and harbors, most of which are ice-free all year round. The Chinese mainland is flanked to the east and south by the Bohai, Yellow, East China and South China seas, with a total maritime area of 4.73 million square kilometers. The Bohai Sea is China's continental sea, while the Yellow, East China and South China seas are marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean.

A total of 5,400 islands dot China's territorial seas. The largest of these, with an area of about 36,000 square kilometers, is Taiwan, followed by Hainan with an area of 34,000 square kilometers. The Diaoyu and Chiwei islands, located to the northeast of Taiwan Island, are China's easternmost islands.

China has many mountains, with mountainous areas (traditionally consisting of mountains, hills and rugged plateaus) making up 65% of its total land area. The proportion of various landforms is as follows: Mountains, 33%; plateaus, 26%; basins, 19%; plains, 12%; and hills, 10%.

China has a terraced terrain, which gradually descends from the west to the east step by step. The first, or the highest, terrace is the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with an average elevation of more than 4,000 meters and known as "the roof of the world". The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is composed of rows of snow-capped peaks and glaciers. The major mountain ranges are the Kunlun, Gangdise and Himalayas.

The second step consists of the Inner Mongolia, Loess and Yunnan-Guizhou plateaus, and the Tarim, Junggar and Sichuan basins, on an altitude of 1,000-2,000 meters.

The third step, about 500-1,000 meters in elevation, begins at the line from the Greater Hinggan, Taihang, Wushan and Xuefeng mountain ranges eastward to the seacoast. Here, running from north to south are the Northeast Plain, the North China Plain, and the Middle-Lower Yangtze Plain. Interspersed amongst the plains are hills and foothills.

To the east of the third step the shallow waters of the continental shelf, an extension of the land into the ocean, form the fourth step. The depth of the water here is less than 200 meters. Great quantities of mud and sand have been carried here by the rivers on the mainland.

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The Sui Dynasty (590-618) only had two emperors. At the end of the Sui, peasant uprisings rapidly swept throughout the country due to heavy taxation and extravagance of the emperor, which made the common people suffer a lot. Furthermore, the emperor tried three times to invade the northern part of Korea but never succeeded, rapidly worsening the situation.

Li Yuan was originally an aristocrat of the Sui Dynasty. In the year 617 he was dispatched to Tai Yuan by Sui Yangdi (the Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty), to battle the rebellion by the peasants there. Li Shimin, the second and also the most capable among all of Li Yuan's sons, had his own plans as he was sure that Sui would not last long. Li Shimin's friend Liu Wenjing suggested that he raise troops and rebel against the Sui Dynasty. Li Shimin thought that there was something in what he suggested and persuaded his father to do so.

Li Shimin, who, at the age of sixteen, already showed his outstanding military ability, suggested his father borrow military power from a formal enemy country of the Sui dynasty -- the Hun. Li Yuan consented to his suggestion and asked Liu Wenjing to help him to recruit soldiers and increase military power.

Before long, Li Yuan left Jin Yang and headed for Chang'an together with 30,000 soldiers. On the way there, they gave rice to peasants and won their heart, which was the routing practice by the rebellious armies. After they conquered the city of Huo Yi, they crossed the Yellow River and summoned up about 200,000 people with the help from the peasant rebels from Guan Zhong. They were all ready to attack Chang'an, the capital city.

After the army taking Chang'an in a flash, to gain the hearts of the public, Li Yuan abolished all the bans announced by the Sui Dynasty, and made Yang You, son of Sui Yangdi, nothing but a temporary puppet emperor. When Sui Yangdi was assassinated by an aide in 618, Li Yuan deposed the puppet prince and declared himself emperor, and changed the name of the empire to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The years of his reign were spent consolidating the kingdom, and he was again ably assisted by his second son, Li Shimin who continued to command the rebel armies and conquered all other rebellions.

On taking the title and name Emperor Gaozu, Li Yuan who had twenty-two sons in total, decreed that his eldest son, Li Jiancheng, should be the Crown Prince. Li Shimin, the second son, was granted the title Prince of Qin. A third son had died long before, so the fourth son, Li Yuanji was created Prince of Qi.

Of these three sons, Li Shimin was the most ambitious and intelligent. It was he who had made the greatest contributions to the campaign to secure the empire for his father. This fact troubled the Crown Prince for he saw Li Shimin as a threat to his own position. Conspiring with his younger brother, Prince Qi, he tried to get rid of Li Shimin.

Unhappy with his father's incompetence and tired of the constant threats against him by his brothers, Li Shimin launched a palace coup at the Xuanwu Gate in 626. Both the Crown Prince and Prince Qi were killed. This was recorded as The Xuanwu Gate Coup. As a result, Li Yuan was then compelled to abdicate in favor of Li Shimin, and the latter ascended the throne as Emperor Taizong.

In the early Tang, the country was strong and prosperous and the government honest and clean. Taxes and corvee were reduced, and the feudal economy and culture flourished.

Although he founded an incredibly long-lived dynasty, Li Yuan himself only reigned for a few years before he was ousted by his son, Li Shi-min. Li Yuan retired in 626 and Li Shimin, who also known as Tang Taizong, continued his father's success. Tang Gaozu died in 635 and buried in Xian Mausoleum.

Labels: China Emperor, sports travel, travel China

Tang Taizong (599-649), named Li Shimin, was the second son of Li Yuan, the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

At the end of the Sui Dynasty (590-618), peasant uprisings rapidly swept throughout the country due to heavy taxation, successive wars and extravagance of the emperor. In the year 617 Li Yuan was dispatched to Tai Yuan by Sui Yangdi (the Sui emperor), to battle the rebellion by the peasants there. Li Shimin, the most capable among all of Li Yuan's sons, had his own plans as he was sure that Sui would not last long. He persuaded his father to raise troops and rebel against the Sui Dynasty.

Li Shimin, who, at the age of sixteen, already showed his outstanding military ability, persuaded his father to borrow military power from a formal enemy country of the Sui Dynasty -- the Hun.

Before long, Li Yuan left Jin Yang and headed for Chang'an together with 30,000 soldiers. After the army taking Chang'an in a flash, Li Yuan made Yang You, son of Sui Yangdi, nothing but a temporary puppet emperor. When Sui Yangdi was assassinated by an aide in 618, Li Yuan deposed the puppet prince and declared himself emperor, and changed the name of the empire to the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The following years he was assisted by Li Shimin who continued to command the rebel armies and conquered all other rebellions, consolidating the kingdom.

On taking the title and name Emperor Gauzou, Li Yuan decreed that his eldest son, Li Jiancheng, should be the Crown Prince. Li Shimin, the second son, was granted the title Prince of Qin. A third son had died long before, so the fourth son, Li Yuanji was granted Prince of Qi.

Of these three sons, Li Shimin was the most ambitious and intelligent. It was he who had made the greatest contribution to the campaign to secure the empire for his father. This fact troubled the Crown Prince for he saw Li Shimin as a threat to his own position. Conspiring with his younger brother, Prince Qi, he tried to get rid of Li Shimin.

Unhappy with his father's incompetence and tired of the constant threats against him by his brothers, Li Shimin launched a palace coup at the Xuanwu Gate in 626. Both the Crown Prince and Prince Qi were killed. This was recorded as The Xuanwu Gate Coup. As a result, Li Yuan was then compelled to abdicate in favor of Li Shimin, and the latter ascended the throne as Emperor Taizong, whose reign was called Zhen Guan.

Having learned a lesson from the downfall of the Sui Dynasty, Taizong knew very well that unless the peasant classes were content, they could prove to be a very dangerous opposition under the leadership of anyone prepared to make a stand against the government. Taizong would remind himself of this frequently: the waters can both float and capsize a vessel.

Starting with political reconstruction of the state, he gave first priority to appointing people on their merits and seeking advice from able and worthy men, which became a major factor of his successful reign. He adopted and perfected the examination system that had been set up by the Sui. In this way men of talent, regardless of their class or background, had an opportunity to gain positions within the administration. Promotion of those who had achieved progress in office was decided. Possibly his most outstanding appointment was that of Wei Zheng, a former member of the Crown Prince's retinue. Wei Zheng had actually recommended the Crown Prince, brother of Li Shimin, to do away with Li Shimin only to be killed by the latter.

Tang Taizong worked out various systems and decrees favorable to the development of economy. He also advocated frugality, opposed corruption, and lightened the burden on the people. Policies adopted like: simplification of bureaucracy, strict control of expenses, elimination of corruption; inauguration of irrigation schemes, the enhancement of agricultural productivity, a fair system of taxation (Zu yong diao) coupled with the reintroduction of the land equalization system and reduction of corvee, and reformation of the penal code, eliminating the harsh laws of the Sui Dynasty.

Before long the Tang Empire presented a scene of general prosperity in which people lived and worked in such peace and contentment that no one would take any articles left by the wayside and doors were not bolted at night. This period was later referred to as "The Prosperity of Zhenguan".

After the domestic political and economic situation took favorable turn, Tang Taizong confidently started wars to unify border areas. He properly handled his relations with various nationalities by carrying out enlightened policies towards them, keeping their practices and customs unchanged, and appointing the former leaders there as local officials. Besides, he adopted the policy of cementing relations with rulers of minority nationalities in border areas by marrying daughters of the Han imperial family to them, which he did many times. For instance, he married Princess Wen Cheng to Songtsen Gammpo, leader of the Tubo, which is the ancestry of the Tibetan ethnic minority inhabited the Tibetan Plateau.

The unification and stability in border areas and the close relations among various nationalities helped promote economic and technical interchange between the Han nationality and ethnic minorities.

Furthermore, political, economic and cultural contacts between the Tang Empire and foreign countries became more and more frequent. Diplomatic envoys, merchants, scholars, artists, monks and priests from Asia, Europe and Africa came to visit the Tang Empire constantly. Tang Taizong set up special organizations and accommodations to receive them, and allowed them to stay over a long period of time and to marry Tang women. By means of exchange, a lot of strains of plants such as pepper, spinach, cardamom, tulip, etc. were brought to China in succession, and China's silk, porcelain, tea and paper were sold abroad in large quantities. It was also at this time that the paper-making technology, one of China's "Four Great Inventions", was introduced to foreign countries. Meanwhile, a large number of people of the Tang Empire visited other countries all over the world. It was from this time on that overseas Chinese began to be called "Tangren", i.e. Tang people.

Emperor Taizong ruled for twenty-three years and brought about the most prominent era of peace and prosperity in China's feudal society. For this, he is considered to be one of the most outstanding figures among China's feudal emperors. Under the management of Tang Taizong, the Tang Empire emerged as the most powerful feudal empire in the world.

Following his death in 649 at the age of fifty-three, he was buried in the Zhaoling Tomb located near today's Xi'an City in Shaanxi Province.

Labels: China Emperor, sports travel, travel China

Empress Wu Zetian (624-705) of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) was the only female monarch of China, and ruled the empire for over half a century. While her actions have been a subject for debate for more than ten centuries, Wu Zetian remains the most remarkable, influential and mysterious woman in Chinese history.

Wu Zetian was born in 624. Her parents were rich and of noble families. As a child she was taught to write, read the Chinese classics and to play music.

At the age of fourteen, this accomplished child became a concubine to Emperor Taizong. She was given the title Cairen (a fifth grade concubine of the Tang Dynasty). Her perspicacity set her apart from others in the palace and her knowledge of literature and history and talent quickly found favor with the emperor. He bestowed Wu Zetian the title Meiniang which means 'charming lady' and she was assigned to work in the imperial study. Here she was introduced to official documents and quickly became acquainted with affairs of state.

In 649, when she was twenty-six years old, the emperor died. He was succeeded by his son Gaozong and following the established court procedures, the old emperor's concubines were sent to a nunnery to live out their days. Emperor Gaozong was fascinated by Wu's talent and beauty and frequently visited her in the nunnery. After a period of some two to three years, she was summonsed to the palace and given the title Zhaoyi, the second grade concubine of the new emperor.

Wu gradually earned Gaozong's trust and favor. After giving birth to two sons, she began to compete with Empress Wang and the senior concubine Xiaoshu for the favor of the emperor. To achieve her goals, Wu Zetian horrifically killed off other favorite concubines of the emperor, and to get rid of the empress, she murdered her own infant daughter and blamed it on Empress Wang. Of all of these crimes, the emperor knew nothing off.

In 655, Gaozong promoted Wu to the position of Empress in place of the now disgraced Wang. Before long both the former empress and the concubine, Xiaoshu, were put to death due to Wu Zetian's scheme and Wu's position was finally secured. Then Wu Zetian began her political career in earnest for her goal was to become the first female-emperor of China.

Her resourcefulness and discernment meant that she was highly esteemed by her husband, the emperor. Wu recommended and had accepted new ideas regarding agriculture, tax reduction, social reforms and effective labor saving practices. Within five years of her marriage, Wu took an active part in state affairs and fostered her henchmen with zeal.

The emperor suffered a crippling stroke in 660 and Empress Wu Zetian took over the administration of the court. Showing no mercy toward anyone who failed to conform to her wishes, she would have them thrown into prison or executed. Her cruelty extended to members of her family as well as those high ranking officials who had contributed much to the founding of the dynasty.

Emperor Gaozong was disgusted by these actions but by now had become too feeble to make efforts to curb Wu Zetian. She would appear in court alongside the emperor whenever he held an audience. The pair became known as the Holy Sovereigns, and the emperor was merely a figurehead and ruled in name only.

Gaozong died in 683 and Wu's third son, Li Xian (656-710) ascended to the throne and was named Emperor Zhongzong. In the February of the following year, Wu deposed Zhongzong as he was proving difficult to control and replaced him with his younger brother, her fourth son, Li Dan (661-716). This latest emperor was known as Ruizong. All along, Wu was the puppet master and ruled the empire through her son, who had no option but to do what she told him. Finally, in 690 Wu Zetian usurped the throne and declared the empire was henceforth ruled by the Zhou Dynasty from her capital city Luoyang.

To achieve her ambitions she was as ruthless as was possible. She appointed sadistic and cruel officials to seek out and eliminate any opposition to her regime. Not only those who opposed Wu were severely dealt with, but also many other innocent people were cruelly put to death.

As Wu grew older, so her hold on state affairs began to lessen. She also realized that as a woman, she could only be respected after her death as a member of the Li family. She therefore allowed herself to be persuaded in 698 to reinstate Li Xian as Crown Prince. In the year 705 there was a palace coup and Wu was forced to resign. Her son Emperor Zhongzong thus restored the Tang Dynasty to power.

Aged 82, Wu Zetian died in the December 705. She was buried alongside Emperor Gaozong in the Qianling Tomb, located west of the present day Xi'an City.

So lived and died the only woman who ever ruled the Chinese empire in her own right. Opinion is sharply divided between those who admire her for her many achievements and those who regard her as a ruthless, merciless schemer and autocrat.

Achievements

1. In spite of her ruthless rise to power, Wu Zetian proved to be a very competent monarch and throughout her reign the legacy of prosperity was bequeathed.

2. Wu Zetian was eager to draw into her government all manner of talented people. She even encouraged people to volunteer their services should they consider themselves competent. The imperial examination system was further revised in order that no man of ability should be excluded due to his lowly birth. She also initiated the practice of personally interviewing candidates. In this way, many political talents were found and employed in the government. Such people included the famous prime minister, Di Renjie, Zhang Jianzhi, etc.

3. Wu Zetian attached great importance to the development of agriculture. She ordered the construction of irrigation schemes, and commissioned the compilation of farming textbooks. Local officials were evaluated by the task of cultivating land. As an incentive for increased production, taxes were reduced and corvee upon the peasant population was eased. By allowing peasant farmers to retain more of their produce, they were able to improve their lot and in general the population benefited from quite considerable prosperity.

Though Wu was a competent feudal monarch in terms of achievement she made, she was extremely ruthless murdering her relatives who tried to take advantage of her position. Those who opposed her in any way were quickly removed from office, exiled or forced to commit suicide including those founding fathers of the dynasty Zhangsun Wuji, Zhu Suiliang, Yu Zhining and Cheng Wuting and many others. Members of the Li royal family and their relatives were likewise eliminated. In addition, Wu favored Buddhism and ordered the construction of many Buddhist temples and sculptures nationwide, which added great pressure to the common people.

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Tang Xuanzong, named Li longji, is also known as Tang Minghuang. Li longji, a man of competence, was the grandson of Empress Wu Zetian, the only female monarch in China's history. When he was young, Li Longji with his aunt Princess Taiping, daughter of Wu Zetian, started a coup and helped his father to ascend the throne, from whom he succeeded the throne. He was later named as Tang Xuanzong and changed the reign to Kai Yuan.

At the beginning of his rule, Tang Xuanzong's abilities in poetry, arts and martial arts were one of the best in the country. Because of his political talents and quick reaction, he managed to prevent Princess Taiping from usurping the throne, putting the princess together with her henchmen to death. Ever since then, Tang Xuanzong's kaiserdom was stabilized and the country entered a 40-year-odd prosperity, which is recorded as the the Prosperity of Kai Yuan Period.

Kai Yuan was the title of first 20 years of Xuanzong's reign. From the "Prosperity of Zhenguan" of Tang Taizong's reign to the end of Kai Yuan Period, the social economy saw the peak of prosperity after a hundred years' development. The capital, Chang'an, became the richest and most populous city in the world.

The Tang Empire presented a scene of general prosperity in which people lived and worked in such peace and contentment that no one would take any articles left by the wayside and doors were not bolted at night. Furthermore, political, economic and cultural contacts between the Tang Empire and foreign countries became more and more frequent. Diplomatic envoys, merchants, scholars, artists, monks and priests from Asia, Europe and Africa came to visit the Tang Empire constantly. Besides, the Tang army reoccupied lost territories from surrounding minority groups and resumed sovereignty over the Western Region.

However, the splendid appearance covered up the depravity. By the eighth century, during the later part of Tang Xuanzong's reign, the Tang Empire was in decline.

During the later years of his reign, the Tian Bao Period, Tang Xuanzong became more and more lordly and extravagant. He doted upon his Yang Guifei (Concubine Yang) and spent all his time in search of pleasure and neglected the court as well as politics. He foolishly appointed fraudulent and treacherous people such as Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong (Yang Guifei's cousin) as his ministers. This resulted in the political corruption, which became a potential crisis at his court. Ever since then, Tang Xuangzong Tang thus walked on its road to destruction.

During Xuanzong's later years, the government started to corrupt and the famous "The Treason of Anshi" occurred. In 755AD, An Lushan, taking advantage of Tang's corruption, rose against the government, in an attempt to take it down. The treacherous army soon sacked big cities Luo Yang and Chang'an. Tang Xuanzong escaped to Cheng Du. But the army wouldn't advance in the middle because Yang Guifei's cousin -- the prime minister -- had connections with the traitors. Because of the hatred the soldiers had towards Yang Guifei, even after the death of her brother, they still wouldn't advance. Xuanzong had no choice but to watch his favorite woman kill herself at the slopes of Mawei village.

After Tang Xuanzong escaped to Cheng Du, his son, the crown prince, succeeded the throne at Lin Wu and became Tang Suzong (Emperor Suzong). Tang Suzong ordered generals Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi to counterattack the treacherous army. They successfully retrieved Chang'an and Luo Yang. In 763, the treacherous army was finally defeated for good, but this war lasted for 8 years and severely weakened the power of the government. The Tang Dynasty thus walked on a path of destruction.

Tang Xuanzong, however, never recovered from his loss of Yang Guifei, and died a broken man a few years later. He was buried in Tai Mausoleum.

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Genghis Khan, or Yuan Taizu, was the first emperor of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Born in today's Dadale County in Mongolia in 1162 and died in 1227, he was the son of the Kiyat-Borjigid chieftain Yisugei. He was named Tie Muzhen because, at the time of his birth, his father had captured a Tatar chieftain of the same name. According to records the newborn Tie Muzhen had a bloodclot in the palm of his right hand, an omen that he was destined to be a hero.

In 1170 when Tie Muzhen was still a boy, his father was poisoned by a group of Tatars, and the Kiyat tribe broke up and scattered, abandoning their chief's family and leaving Tie Muzhen's mother, Ho'elun, to raise her children alone. Accounts of Tie Muzhen glorify Tie Muzhen as intelligent, brave, and an adept fighter, even from an early age and as such a potential threat to the leaders of other tribes of the steppe. As a young man, despite extreme hardships, he repeatedly met perils and endured crises through force of character and willpower.

However, as his power and influence in Mongol society grew, Tie Muzhen was not averse to terminating such alliances if it was to his advantage. In 1189, after he was elected the new leader of the Kiyat, he embarked on a series of military campaigns to unify the peoples of the steppe. In fact, he even betrayed and killed blood brothers such as his childhood friend Jamukha, and the Ong Khan of the Kereyid tribes. In 1204, he defeated Naiman, his last serious opponent.

In 1206, after a series of skilful victories, Tie Muzhen was acknowledged by the Mongol nobility as their supreme leader at a Khuriltai, a traditional meeting of tribal leaders to decide upon the future military and state matters. He was given the title of "Genghis Khan", which means "Oceanic Ruler", "Fierce Ruler", or "Khan of all Khans". Thus, a powerful unified Mongolian State was established.

Genghis Khan's campaigns and those of his descendants led to the creation of an immense empire that stretched from Hungary to Korea.

Genghis Khan was a supremely capable military leader and administrator. At the beginning, he divided all the Mongols into 95 Qian Hu, each of which was a subordinate to Genghis Khan's empire, thus he stabilized his regime through direct control of each Qian Hu. He was a careful planner who enforced the strictest discipline on all subordinates. Typically, he would send envoys to an opponent demanding their submission. If they acquiesced, he usually allowed their rulers to remain in power, so long as they paid taxes, furnished labor, and provided military service. If an opponent remained defiant, he attacked.

In 1205, 1207 and 1209, Genghis Khan attacked the Western Xia on the west three times, the Western Xia offered submission. In 1211, Genghis Khan moved south against the Jin and in 1215 he successfully besieged the Jin capital in the area of today's Peking. In 1218, he defeated the Liao Kingdom. In 1219, he moved west with around 200,000 troops to confront the Khwarazmian shah of Central Asia. Over the next several years, he besieged and took the cities of Bukhara, Samarkand, Herat, Nishapur, and Merv. He spent several years in Central Asia and enjoyed great military success; with his generals mounting successful raids and expeditions as far west as the Russian city of Novgorod. In 1224, upon hearing news that the Tanguts had rebelled, he returned east to Karakorum, his capital city in Mongolia. In the year of 1226, Genghis Khan crusaded for the Western Xia which was annihilated in 1227. Genghis Khan died in August, 1227, perhaps from a wound or a fever contracted during the suppression of the Tangut rebellion.

The unification of Mongolian tribes and the conquering of Jin and Western Xia by Genghis Khan laid the foundation for another peak of prosperity in China's history -- the united Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

Genghis Khan left a legacy of more than just military might and skill. He supported artists and craftsmen, and promoted literacy among the Mongol people, who before his reign did not even possess an alphabet. Consequently, the alphabet of the neighboring Uygur people was adapted to the Mongol language. He also promoted a policy of religious toleration. All individuals and religions were equal under Mongol law. Having conquered such a vast domain, Genghis Khan became an enthusiastic promoter of trade. He and his successors encouraged and facilitated greater volumes of traffic throughout Asia. Steps were taken to provide effective policing in order to ensure the safety of travelers and the security of overland routes. Thus, for the first time, numerous European envoys, merchants, and craftsmen could travel in relative safety throughout Central Asia.

Though he was a conqueror whose exploits led to great destruction in terms of life and property, Genghis Khan did ultimately pave the way for an era of relative peace and security and increased cross-cultural contact.

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Kublai Khan, named Hu Bilie, was the founder of China's Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). Born in 1215, he was the second son of Toluia and Sorghaghtani Beki and the grandson of the great Mongol conqueror, Genghis Khan. Kublai's mother raised him and his three brothers after their father's death. He began to play a major role in the consolidation of Mongol power in 1251, when his brother, the emperor Mongke, resolved to complete the conquest of China. He therefore vested Kublai with responsibility for keeping order in conquered territory. After Mongke's death in 1259, Kublai had himself proclaimed khan. However, Kublai's younger brother, Arigh Boki, with the help of support of several Mongols, challenged the throne. Kublai won over Boki when he cut off supplies to the southern empire. Kublai was claimed "Great Khan" in 1260.

In March, 1271, Kublai established the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and proclaimed himself the emperor, later called Yuan Shizu. Afterwards, he strengthened his reign in the northern area and defeated the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1129). During the 20 years he completed the unification of China. He made his capital in what is now Beijing. For the first time in China's history, all of China was under the rule of foreign power.

Kublai Khan's main achievements include:

1. He re-unified China and was the first emperor who laid the foundation of today's territory of China.

2. In terms of political reform, he gave first priority to appointing people on their merits and seeking advice from able and worthy men. Besides, to strengthen the centralization, he established the system of provincial administrative division, named Xing Sheng, for the first time, which is still used today, although bearing great difference.

3. In terms of economic development, he stressed agricultural development, established paper currency, reorganized and improved roads, and expanded waterways. Kublai was the first to put in a countrywide paper currency system.

4. He encouraged modernization and trade with western nations, welcoming western traders like Marco Polo. Merchants had a high status during the Yuan period. In 1275, Marco Polp, a Venetian explorer, visited Shangdu and a relationship of trust was formed between the two. Marco Polo even served the Yuan court for 20 years during his stay in China.

5. He also encouraged the development of arts and literature.

But Kublai adopted a discriminatory policy towards the people by setting up a class system, which enraged those being discriminated, especially the Hans. In the system, the Mongols were the highest of the four classes; then came the miscellaneous aliens consisting of West-Asian Muslims; then the Han Chinese or the Chinese who lived in Northern China; and last were the Song Chinese or those Chinese who lived in the south. The Mongols considered the Song Chinese the least trustworthy.

Kublai Khan's reign gradually came to decline. Besides discriminatory policy which worsened social conflicts, his failures were mainly a series of costly wars, including two disastrous attempts to invade Japan. To pay for these highly expensive defeats, Kublai over taxed his subjects. This caused widespread inflation. These wars and other economic problems caused Kublai to become very intolerant.

Kublai Khan died on February 18, 1294, at the age of 79. In the 14th century the ineptitude of his successors provoked rebellions that eventually destroyed the Mongol dynasty.

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Ming Taizu, named Zhu Yuanzhang, was the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the longest dynasty in China's history. Zhu Yuanzhang was one of the first peasants who started a Chinese dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang was born into a poor family in 1328. When he was young, both his parents died. Zhu Yuanzhang used to be a peasant, a beggar and a Buddhist monk but was able to get followers to fight the Mongols. In 1352, he joined the Red Kerchief Army against the declining Yuan (Mongols) Dynasty (1271-1368) and soon became a peasant revolt leader. He began by conquering Southern China and pushing the Mongols North.

In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty and set up his capital in the city of Nanjing in Southern China. Over half a year, he solved all obstacles and finally reunited China. He named his dynasty the Ming, meaning "brilliant". After becoming the emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang changed his name to Hong-Wu. "Hong" means huge and "Wu" means force.

After becoming the emperor of Ming, he abolished the post of prime minister, and worked out the Great Ming's laws which helped to strengthen centralization. He again adopted the government system that was supported by a large class of Confucian literati selected through civil service examinations.

Zhu Yuanzhang founded one of the longest dynasties in China history, but the peasant-born emperor did so by killing thousands of followers, old friends and adversaries. He was very careful to develop and maintain his power. For example, when he heard that his Prime Minister was plotting against him,Zhu Yuanzhang became scared that he was going to lose the Mandate of Heaven, so he killed the Prime Minister and about 40,000 of his followers.

He rebuilt the Chinese economy in many ways. He built rice terraces, introduced crop rotation, and planted over a billion trees. He created a hereditary military caste of soldiers who sustained themselves by farming.

Unlike all the other emperors, Zhu Yuanzhang worked very hard. Zhu Yuanzhang was a good emperor who carried out positive economic policies, created foundations for the prosperity in the early Ming Dynasty. But China under Ming's rule developed an autocratic government. Zhu Yuanzhang's cruelty also got adopted by his descendents.

Zhu Yuanzhang died in 1398 at the age of 71.

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Ming Chengzu, born in 1360 and named Zhu Di, is the 4th son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). In 1398, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang died and his grandson Zhu Rongwen succeeded the throne. Zhu Rongwen, or Jian Wendi, accepted the suggestions of ministers to remove the rank of nobility from the kings of some kingdoms, in an attempt to strengthen the central power.

This act of course angered some of the kings, so King Zhu Di from the north, in 1399, started a civil war at Jing Nan in the name of "cleaning the central government". This civil war lasted 4 years and ended in 1402. The Jing Nan army led by Zhu Di captured the capital, Nanjing. But when the army arrived, the emperor was nowhere to be found, however, the lives of many of the emperor's ministers were not spared.

After removing all obstacles, Zhu Di proclaimed himself Ming Cheng Zu and changed the name of his reign to Yong Le. During his ruling period, national power was on an upscale and economy developed.

To defend the borders from constant attacks by the northern ethnic minorities, from 1410 to 1424, Zhu Di himself went on five punitive expeditions, defeating the invading Mongols. In the 19th reign (1421) of Yong Le, he moved the capital from Nanjing to Beijing, to further strengthen the northern borders.

Ming Chengzu paid great attention to agricultural development and irrigation constructions. He wanted to enlarge overseas influence, so he appointed Zheng He as the envoy to navigate the West Sea. At that time "The West Sea", known to the Chinese, was the water near the bank of Indian Ocean and South Pacific Ocean. He dispatched Zheng He to sail to "The West Sea" 7 times. Besides, he was also the one who ordered the compilation of the famous Encyclopedia of Yong Le.

Zhu Di died in 1424 at the age of 65.

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Nurhachi, the Manchu ruler, was the founder of the Later Jin Dynasty (1616-1636) and laid the foundation of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). After his death, Nurhachi was given the title of Qing Taizu when the dynasty was founded, meaning the first emperor of the Qing Dynasty.

He was born in a Manchu slave-owner family in today's Xinbin County in Liaoning Province in 1559 and died from diseases at the age of 68 in 1626. His father and grandfather were nobles of a Nuzhen tribe in northern China and served as frontier officials for the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Due to his noble birth, Nurhachi from little age had excelled in martial art.

The ancestry of the Manchus can be traced back to Nuzhen tribe more than 2000 years ago, which was native to the Changbai Mountains and the drainage area of the Heilongjiang River in Northeast China. By the Ming Dynasty, the Nuzhen people were still chained by slavery and divided into several warring tribes, resulting in backward social production.

When he was 10 years old, Nurhachi began to live with his grandfather due to the death of his mother. Since then, he constantly traveled to Fu Shun in today's Shangdong Province to trade with the local people, who he soon made friends with. Gradually, he learned the Han language and developed a love for the Han culture.

In 1595 when he was 19 years old, the Ming court conferred on Nurhachi the title of "Dragon-Tiger General", after making him a garrison commander in 1582 and public procurator of Heilongjiang Province in 1589. Frequent trips to Beijing brought him full awareness of developments in the Han areas, which in turn exerted great influence on him.

Towards the end of the Ming Dynasty, Nurhachi organized his troops under the Banner System. In 1616, Nurhachi proclaimed himself "Sagacious Khan" and established a slave state Jin, known as the Late Jin Dynasty in history. In August 1617, after 30 years' effort, he finally united all the Nuzhen tribes and laid the foundation for the establishment of the Qing Dynasty.

Once the Nuzhens were united, Nurhachi initiated the Eight Banner System, under which all people were organized along military lines and would go into battle as militia in time of war. Under the strong influence of the Han people, the Manchu slave system soon underwent a speedy development towards feudalism.

During the war against the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), his troops took over the Liaohe River valley after their victory in the Saerhu War. Nurhachi moved his capital to Liaoyang in 1621, and then to Shenyang in 1625. In 1626 he was defeated by the Ming army and died of battle wounds on September 30 in the same year. After his death, Nurhachi was buried in the Fu Mausoleum in Shen Yang.

In 1635, Huang Taiji, the eighth son of Nurhachi, chose the name of Manchu to replace Nuzhen for his people. In the following year, when he ascended the throne, he adopted Great Qing as the name of his dynasty. In 1644, the Qing troops marched south of Shanhaiguan or Shanhai Pass and unified the whole of China, initiating nearly 300 years of Manchu rule throughout the country.

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Emperor Kangxi, named Xuanye, was the fourth emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the third son of Emperor Shunzhi. He was born on May 4, 1654 and died in 61st year of his reign (1722), Kangxi succeeded imperial throne at the age of 8 on February 17, 1661, twelve days after his father's death. He ruled during the years from 1661 to 1722 -- the longest reign on the throne in China's history, 61 years.

When he was still a child, Kangxi was quite hard-working and showed great talent in literature. Because he was too young, his father appointed four ministers to help him to administrate the country, one of whom, named Ao Bai, secretly fostered his own henchmen against the young emperor. When Kangxi was old enough to rule the nation, he cleverly smashed Ao Bai's plot.

In the course of his five tours to South China (in the years 1684, 1689, 1699, 1703, and 1707) he made painstaking efforts to inspect conservancy projects and so spurred the officials in charge to be more efficient and conscientious. He frequently singled out those who were reported as incorrupt for promotion .

Desirous of lessening the opposition of recalcitrant Chinese scholars to the new regime, he solicited their help in the compilation of Ming-shi . In order to obtain capable scholars for this project he summoned many to complete in a special examination. He selected learned men and good calligraphers to be his personal secretaries, their office being known as the Imperial Study. Many famous works on literature and art were compiled under his order.

During Kangxi's reign, the society accumulated huge wealth and most of the time enjoyed peace and prosperity. In Chinese history, the good ruling from Emperor Kangxi's reign to Emperor Qianlong's reign was called "Kang Qian Sheng Shi", with prosperity lasting more than 100 years, and this was the last most prosperous period in ancient China.

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Yongzheng, titled Qing Shizong, was the 4th son of emperorKangxi. Because Kangxi had many sons, the rivalry between each was very fierce. Yongzheng had to fight hard, and after the crown prince's failure to do his duties, Yongzheng had a chance to become the crown prince. But because of strong rivalry, this decision was never made.

When emperor Kangxi was at his death bed, he called Yongzheng over. It was rumored that he poisoned the old emperor, and added a stroke to the proclamation of emperor, that made the statement "…pass the throne to 14th son" to "pass the throne to 4th son". This rumor of course could never be proved.

After ascending the throne, he carried out a series of new policies that much benefited the development of the Qing dynasty. Just to name a few: he established the "Junji Chu" (Cabinet of Military) and weakened the power of the princes to strengthen the central power; he improved the tax law by demanding taxes according to the number of acres of land; by dispatching ministers to the minority areas, he strengthened the control overthem.

Yongzheng set up the rule of choosing successor secretly. The rule was: the emperor wrote his successor's name on two pieces of paper, then put one piece of paper in a box and had the box stored behind the stele in the Qianqing Palace. The emperor had the other identical copy with him or hidden somewhere. Upon the emperor's passing, the ministers would take out the paper in the box and compare it with the copy with the emperor. If they were deemed identical, the person whose name was on the paper would be the new emperor. Since that, there was no contention for imperial throne. Yongzheng was in power for only 13 years but he layed the foundation to the prosperous rein of Qianlong. Without Yongzheng's efforts, Qianlong could not become the emperor he was.

However, his rein was full of turbulence as the other princes were always trying to dethrone him. One time, in alliance with the Eight Kings, the 7th, 8th and 9th son of Kangxi almost dethroned Yongzheng, if it were not for the 13th prince who came to help out. But because of this event, the 13th prince died and Yongzheng lost the only brother that was close to him. Because this plot also involved his first son, Yongzheng, who did not want Qian Long to share the same tragedy as he, sent orders for the first son to commit suicide. This way, when Qian Long ascended the throne, he had no rivals.

Although Yongzheng achieved so much, because of his revival of the Wenzi Yu (suppressing of scholars and burning of books) and his cruelty, he had many bad names that survived till today. In August 1735, Yongzheng died in the Summer Palace and then was buried in the Tai Mausoleum in today's Hebei Province.

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Emperor Qianlong is Emperor Yongzheng's fourth son. He was born in the 50th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign (1711), and died in the 4th year of Emperor Jiaqing's reign at the age of 89. He was the sixth Emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and also the emperor who lived for the longest time in Chinese history.

Qianlong showed his talent when in his childhood. Because of this, his grandfather Emperor Kangxi liked him a lot. After setting up the rule of choosing successor secretly, Emperor Yongzheng chose Qianlong to succeed the throne without hesitation.

Qianlong was 25 years old when he succeeded the throne. He learnt his grandfather's and his father's ways of running the state affairs. And he skillfully dealt with the relationship between Manchu, Han and other ethnic minorities to consolidated imperial power. His reign was the most prosperous period of Qing Dynasty.

Qianlong was a keen poet, writer and calligrapher: he produced three collections of essays and five albums of poetry, making him one of the most prolific poets and calligraphers in ancient China. He was highly accomplished in painting and was fond of collecting cultural antiques -- there were many examples of jade carving, tooth carving, bamboo and wood carving, lacquer art, enamel and porcelain art in his imperial study. He also sponsored the compilation of Si Ku Quan Shu (Complete Collection in Four Treasuries), which is regarded as the largest series in Chinese history and a valuable treasure representing Chinese culture. He was familiar with military strategies and invented Shi Quan Wu Gong (perfect gongfu). He was fond of hunting and traveling, and traveled to Southern China six times for inspection. Almost every autumn, he would visit Wutai Mountain in the west and Confucius's Temple in the south.

Qianlong promised that he would abdicate after ruling as an emperor for 60 years, because that his grandfather Emperor Kangxi's reign lasted for 61 years, and Qianlong did not want to exceed his grandfather. In 60th year of his reign, he carried out his promise, and his son Yuyan (Emperor Jiaqing) became the new emperor. Actually, Qianlong was still running the country. A lot of important affairs was reported to and solved by him.

Qianlong took great pride in his administrative style which ushered in a period of great prosperity in the country. Emperor Qianlong's reign marked the peak of feudalism in China and, together with the reign of Emperor Kangxi, this period is known as Kang Qian Sheng Shi (the Great Prosperity of Emperor Kangxi and Qianlong). Unfortunately, however, in his old age he appointed corrupt officials such as Huo Shen, and problems of extortion and poor administration contributed directly to the decline of the Qing Dynasty.

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Emperor Xuantong, named Pu Yi, was the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). He was born in 32nd year of Emperor Guangxu's reign (1906 AD), died in 1967.

During that period, the Qing Dynasty was in trouble. China had come to be dominated by foreign powers, mainly Westerners. The country was ruled by Dowager Empress Cixi, who had imprisoned the nominal emperor, Guangxu, for conspiring against her. On her deathbed the empress named little Pu Yi -- the son of the imprisoned emperor's brother -- to succeed her. To make sure Guangxu didn't interfere in her plans, it is said, she had him poisoned. Pu Yi was nearly three years old when the dowager empress died. As emperor he was given the reign name Xuantong.

Pu Yi's father who disliked politics served as his son's regent. There was great resentment in China against foreigners and the Manchu government, and in 1911 rebellion swept the country, forcing the regent to resign. Chinese general Yuan Shih-k'ai took over the government. He hoped to start his own ruling dynasty and suggested that Pu Yi should abdicate. Fearing the consequences if they refused, the Manchu Grand Council agreed, and on February 12, 1912, the five-year old emperor renounced his throne. He continued to live in the Forbidden City and was treated with enormous respect.

In 1917, when Pu Yi was 9, a warlord named Zhang Xun decided to restore him to the throne, with army surrounding Peking. Pu Yi released a decree stating that he was the emperor once again. Six days after Pu Yi's restoration a plane dropped three bombs on the Forbidden City. It was the first air raid in Chinese history. Pu Yi's supporters abandoned him, and once again he lost his throne. He remained in the Forbidden City, and his life went on much as it had before.

Pu Yi received an uneven education. He studied classics, history and poetry, but learned no math, geography or science. His lessons were in Chinese and Manchu. At age 13 he started studying English. The Manchus still hoped to restore Pu Yi to his throne, and they wanted him to have contact with Western powers that might be able to help them achieve the goal. So they asked a senior official Reginald Johnston of the British Colonial Office to become Pu Yi's English tutor. Pu Yi was heavily influenced by Johnston and developed a fascination for Western things. With Johnston's help, Pu Yi picked an English name for himself Henry -- a name of the British kings, which is why you can find the last emperor of China listed in encyclopedias as Henry Pu Yi. In addition, it was Johnston who first noticed that Pu Yi needed glasses.

When Pu Yi was 16 his advisors decided that it was time for him to marry. He picked out a very beautiful girl of his own age named Wan Rong as his empress and Wen Xiu as his consort. On the night of his wedding to Wan Rong, Pu Yi panicked and fled from their bedroom; it's part of the possible reason that he never consummated his marriages.

In 1924 the army of another warlord, Feng Yuxiang, surrounded the Forbidden City. Pu Yi was forced to leave the Forbidden City for the first time since becoming emperor. He took with him his imperial seal and a suitcase filled with precious stones.

Soon Reginald Johnston helped him escape to the Japanese legation. Later Pu Yi and his wives moved to Tianjin, on the coast of China, where the Japanese had a lot of power. Pu Yi rented a mansion called Chang Garden and set up his court there. He remained there for years, plotting to regain his throne. Pu Yi and his wife Wan Rong had busy social lives in Tianjin, but their private relationship was very cold. No longer bearing Pu Yi's cold attitude, Wen Xiu eventually demanded a divorce. Divorce was unprecedented in the history of the imperial family, but Pu Yi didn't want a public scandal, so he agreed. Wen Xiu returned to Peking. She lived until 1950, and never remarried.

In 1931 the Japanese army invaded Manchuria. Pu Yi accepted the Japanese army's offer to smuggle him into Manchuria. Wan Rong joined him there later, but she and Pu Yi spent little time together. She had an affair with a guard and Pu Yi punished her by confining her to her rooms. Eventually the empress became an opium addict. She deteriorated mentally and physically.

The Japanese set up a new country in Manchuria called Manchukuo. They made Pu Yi the Chief Executive. It was 1934 when the Japanese agreed to make Pu Yi the Emperor of Manchukuo. The Japanese provided him with a palace and money, and also made all the decisions for him. The emperor was a puppet with very little say even over his personal life. The Japanese pressured him to marry Japanese women, which, of course, would put Japanese spies inside Pu Yi's family. Pu Yi resisted by taking a new Manchu consort named Tan Yuling.

Six years after her marriage to Pu Yi, Tan Yuling died. Pu Yi believed that the Japanese had poisoned her. Once again he was asked to take a Japanese wife. Finally he agreed to marry a Manchurian girl from a Japanese-run school. Once more he was given photographs and told to choose a bride. He picked a 15-year old, thinking that she might be less indoctrinated by the Japanese than an older girl. Her name was Li Yuqin.

At the end of the war Soviet forces took Manchuria. Again Pu Yi fled his palace with only a suitcase of jewels and an imperial seal. He retreated to a small town with his family and entourage. When he learned of Japan's surrender he abdicated the throne of Manchukuo.

He left his wives behind, and never saw Wanrong again. The beautiful drug-addicted empress died in a Chinese prison at the age of 40. Li Yuqin eventually went to work in a library in her hometown of Changchun. In 1958 she divorced Pu Yi and remarried. She died in Changchun in 2001 of cirrhosis of the liver.

Pu Yi and his attendants were taken to the USSR and kept under house arrest. At last, in 1950, Pu Yi returned to China, where he was sent at once to a prison camp. He remained there for nine years. He slept in a cell with other prisoners, made his own bed, and did menial labor.

In December of 1959 Pu Yi, in his 50s, was finally released. He went to live with his family in his father's house in Peking. Pu Yi was assigned to work in the gardens of the Academy of Sciences Institute of Botany. Later he wrote his autobiography From Emperor to Citizen. In 1962 Pu Yi married Li Shuxian, who had been a nurse in a hospital where Pu Yi was treated during his imprisonment. Pu Yi died in 1967. And Li Shuxian died of lung cancer in 1997 at the age of 72.

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Located in the east of the Asian continent, on the western shore of the Pacific Ocean, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has a land area of about 9.6 million square kilometers, and is the third largest country in the world, next only to Russia and Canada.

From north to south, the territory of China spans over 49 latitudes, stretching from the center of the Heilongjiang River north of the town of Mohe to the Zengmu Reef at the southernmost tip of the Nansha Islands, spanning about 5,500 kilometers. From east to west, the nation extends over 62 longitudes, from the confluence of the Heilongjiang and Wusuli rivers to the Pamirs, spanning about 5,200 kilometers.

With a land boundary of some 22,800 kilometers, China is bordered by Korea to the east, Mongolia to the north, Russia to the northeast, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan (Kirghizstan) and Tadzhikistan (Tajikistan) to the northwest; Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan to the west and southwest; and Myanmar, the Laos and Vietnam to the south. Across the seas to the east and southeast are the Republic of Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The Chinese mainland is flanked to the east and south by the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East China Sea and South China Sea, with a total maritime area of 4.73 million square kilometers. The Bohai Sea is China's continental sea, while the Yellow Sea, East China Sea and South China Sea are marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean. A total of 5,400 islands dot China's territorial seas. The largest of these, with an area of about 36,000 square kilometers, is Taiwan, followed by Hainan with an area of 34,000 square kilometers, both of which are provinces of China. The Diaoyu and Chiwei islands, located to the northeast of Taiwan Island, are China's easternmost islands. The many islands, islets, reefs and shoals in the South China Sea, known collectively as the South China Sea Islands, are the southernmost island group of China. They are called the Dongsha (East Sandbar), Xisha (West Sandbar), Zhongsha (Middle Sandbar) and Nansha (South Sandbar) archipelagos according to their geographical locations.

China's coastline totals 32,000 kilometers, with the mainland coastline measuring approximately 18,000 kilometers and the island coastline 14,000 kilometers. The mainland coastline has a flat topography, and many excellent docks and harbors, most of which are ice-free all year round.

Labels: sports travel, travel China

These days, it's quite jarring to walk around parts of old Beijing. Although old grannies can still be seen pushing cabbages in rickety wooden carts amidst huddles of men playing chess, it's not uncommon to see them all suddenly scurry to the side to make way for a brand-new BMW luxury sedan squeezing through the narrow hutong (a traditional Beijing alleyway). The same could be said of the longtang-style alleys of Sichuan or a bustling marketplace in Sichuan. Modern China is a land of paradox, and it's becoming increasingly so in this era of unprecedented socioeconomic change. Relentless change -- seen so clearly in projects like the Yangtze River dam and the relocation of thousands of people -- has been an elemental part of China's modern character. Violent revolutions in the 20th century, burgeoning population growth (China is now the world's most populous country by far) and economic prosperity (brought about by a recent openness to the outside world) have almost made that change inevitable. China's cities are being transformed -- Beijing and Shanghai are probably the most dynamic cities in the world right now. And the country's political position in the world is rising: The 2008 Olympics were awarded to Beijing, despite widespread concern about how the government treats its people.

China has always been one of the most attractive travel destinations in the world, partly because so much history exists alongside the new, partly because it is still so unknown to outsiders. The country and its people remain a mystery. The rice paddies may have sprouted cities and manufacturing centers, and the streets may be clogged with cars and pollution, but the people remain rooted in a rich cultural heritage. They still burn joss sticks for good luck in an enterprise -- even as they iron out the details of that enterprise on a cell phone.

Labels: See all cities in China, sports travel

Labels: sports travel

Fulin

Labels: sports travel

Labels: sports travel

BOM TAMBÉM: Zoren e Minori

Building your credit after repeated interruptions is a constant headache we all want to avoid.In this article I am going to break it on down for you, since there are many sources that will take full advantage of you when the opportunity arise.If you feel bad simply because you can't meet your bills expectations at the moment they arrive, then you are not alone.The fact is, even the best of us are struggling to meet some expectation that the system has placed on us.We calculate weekly the amount we spend on groceries, which are constantly increasing, as well as other bills that are constantly on the rise.It seems at times it is a no win situation, but the fact is there is always a solution to most problems.The problem most times is some of us do not have the means to find those solutions.This brings forth more stress and often we feel that we are alone.If you trying to build your credit status you need to find the resources that can help you get results.The marketplace offers credit repair kits, which can lead us in the right direction to repairing credit, but the disadvantage is that many of the kits are expensive.Let's face it, not everyone has the money to spend on commodities that claim to help us.Some of us struggle harder than others just to survive.Life is forever changing and in order to keep up with the changes we all have to find a solution.Therefore, I am going to tell you where you can get a free credit repair kit.Your local library stores a wealth of information and it is free to the public.In most libraries that have credit repair kits, credit repair books, or debt management solution books.Anything you want at your disposal and it is all free information.The library also has copy and fax machines often, and if you notice in the credit repair guide or kit, it will have copies of the letters you can write to your creditors.Make yourself some copies and once you fill them out as instructed, you are on your way to repairing your credit.The library also has guides or kits for filing bankruptcy.If you do not see a way out, then you may want to go this route.In most cases, you can do a Pro Bono Bankruptcy, which means you will represent yourself in the courtroom.I just wanted to let you know that if you file a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, you will have monthly installments to make, but if you file Chapter 13 Bankruptcy then the courts wipe out all your debts.The problem is that bankruptcies remain on credit files for up to ten years or longer.If you can avoid bankruptcy do so, however it is not the end of the world if you do.I know people personally that filed bankruptcy and were able to get loans for mortgage, cars and so on.If you know what you are, doing you can do anything no matter how bad your situation is.Avoid Debt Consolidation, simply because it is means you will be paying fees and costs to others to get out of debt, which only adds up the bills.It makes sense to check out any business first before spending money or asking for services.

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Labels: Free Email Providers Guide, Free is too expensive... Own the Internet