For Greek photographer George Doupas, Beijing is home now. During the past decade, he has been photographing the city, capturing its beauty and sharing these     1    (photo) online and in exhibitions.

“This truly represents Beijing-the old and the new, nicely mixing together,” Doupas said while showing his photograph of the Zhihua Temple,     2     beautiful Ming Dynasty building. It is located in front of a modern office building, Galaxy SOHO, which     3    (feature) weaving bridges and interlocking passageways (通道).

With rich historical heritage, Beijing     4    (be) an important center of traditional Chinese culture since the Ming Dynasty. Doupas often gets lost in the city’s splendid ancient architecture. Meanwhile, he is also amazed by the modern city     5    (combine) high-end businesses and various industries. “It is fascinating to see a city developing at such an     6    (incredible) rapid rate and investing so much effort in preserving its past, which is     7     I decided to pursue my career here ,” he said.

    8     (dedicate) to his career as a photographer in China, Doupas hopes to serve     9     a bridge between China and the West. The displays that show his photos about Beijing have attracted a large audience in Greece and the Czech Republic.

“My     10    (occasion) stay in Beijing has turned into permanent residence, and I call Beijing my home now,” he said, “I will keep sharing photos of China with the rest of the world.”

The Yellow Crane Tower is one of the Four Great Towers of China.     1     (sit) at the top of Snake Hill, on the banks of the Yangtze River, this symbolic building is one of the     2     (great) landmarks in Wuhan. There are a number of legends     3     tell how the Yellow Crane Tower came into being. One of them is the story of a wine merchant named Xin. It is believed that one day,     4     immortal being (神仙) pretended he was a poor man and got into Xin’s wine store. Xin, showing no judgement,     5     (offer) the man some free wine. The poor man came back day after day for several years and Xin always welcomed him with the same     6     (warm). One day, as the poor man left the store, he took some orange peel and drew a picture of a crane upon the wall. He said if he clapped his hands, the crane would come down from the wall and dance for him.     7     (surprise), what the poor man said was true. The dancing crane brought     8     much business to Xin that he soon became a very wealthy man. About ten years     9     (late), the immortal being came back to Xin’s store, called out the crane and left with it.     10     (honor) him and the crane, Xin built the Yellow Crane Tower.

I’m delight to introduce you something about Chinese cultural heritage.

Hard-working and intelligently, Chinese people have made great contributions to the world civilization. Nowadays, many Chinese cultural heritage sites were preserved very well. If you have a chance to travel to China, I recommend yourself to visit Beijing and Xi’an, where many cultural sites are worth visited. Apart from the cultural heritage sites, the natural scenery in Guilin is such beautiful that you will be deeply impressed. Besides, some simple folk custom in the villages in Yunnan province are likely to remind you the good old days,during which living a harmonious life with the nature in the villages, as you know, are of great benefit.

Yours,

Li Hua

5 . Since I was born and brought up in a rural town, I have a great interest in nature. Taking the chance of studying abroad in my second year at college, I decided to go to Canada just because I wanted to see the beautiful phenomena there. So after I finished the study program, I went to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories.

I clearly remember the sixth night in Yellowknife. Suddenly my host mother came to my room around 8 p.m. and told me to change clothes and go outside quickly carrying her camera.

The northern lights were flickering in the sky! I was shocked and just stood there with my mouth open. I forgot to take pictures of the mysterious lights.

Since that night, whenever it was sunny, I went outside at night and looked at the sky. It was so cold that I lost all feeling in my hands and feet.

As I took pictures of the northern lights, I came to find a characteristic movement of the lights. They first appear in the north part of the sky and then they gradually come down to the south part of the sky. After that, suddenly, they come in the middle of the north and south only for a while, which is the time when the best northern lights can be seen. Since it is only a few seconds for the northern lights to come down to the middle to the sky, it is very hard to get good pictures.

The stronger the sun acts, the better and stronger the northern lights flicker in the sky. That’s because they come about from the collisions between atmospheric gases and solar wind. Much more solar wind comes to the earth when the sun is active, which leads to best northern lights. And the colors of the northern lights depend on the height of the collisions and the kinds of gases.

6 . Even thousands of years before the “selfie(自拍)” was invented, people were concerned with the image of themselves they presented to the world. The rulers of ancient Egypt had artists carve portraits of them to decorate their tombs and preserve their images even after death.

King Tutankhamen lived more than 3,000 years ago. He ruled ancient Egypt for 10 years, until his death at age 19. “King Tut” remained practically unknown in the modern world until 1922, when scientists discovered his tomb, buried and forgotten for centuries. The treasures inside gave the world the first detailed picture of ancient Egyptian life.

The ancient Egyptians worshipped(崇拜) many gods. They also believed that all people had a life spirit, called “ka” that needed a place to live after the body died. Tombs inside huge pyramids protected the pharaohs'(法老) ka. The ka could also exist in portrait sculptures like the one of a seated Hatshepsut. The wife of a pharaoh, Hatshepsut took on the role of king after her husband died. Carved from limestone, this Life-size sculpture shows the life force of Hatshepsut's ka. The artist suggests Hatshepsut's strength by placing her feet firmly on the ground and resting her hands on her knees in a firm, powerful pose.

Viewers are meant to look at the sculpture of Hatshepsut from a frontal angle only. But artist Thutmose created his portrait of Queen Nefertiti as a sculpture in the round, meaning viewers should observe it from many points of view. The work is a highly realistic portrait of a queen who ruled beside her husband, a pharaoh. Painted with delicate(精细的) features, the impressive colors in her portrait resemble the makeup Nefertiti probably wore in life.

Long before any of these portraits were created, a huge creature with a lion's body and a human head stood guarding in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. No one knows who created the Great Sphinx, or why, but it is said to resemble an early pharaoh. Carved out of solid rock on a larger-than-life scale, it is possibly the oldest and most imposing portrait in the world.

7 . The Terracotta Army is one of the must-visit attractions for all travellers to China. The attraction is located in Xi’an, in west China’s Shaanxi Province.

What’s special?

The best time to visit

The Terracotta Army is an indoor attraction， which is not likely to be affected by weather, so it can be visited all year round.

As the museum is one of the must-visit attractions in China, it is crowded most of the time. We advise our customers to avoid the following periods when the museum is particularly crowded:

• National Day Holiday (October 1 -7), when it is fully packed.

• Labour Day Holiday

Weather in winter is dry, cold and the least comfortable, and it’s also the worst season for air quality, but it’s also low season.

Travel style: private, group or independent?

A private tour means a lot of flexibility (灵活性), and you will be well taken care of by a private guide and a driver. The museum is crowded most of the time, but our guides know how to escape the crowds, and help you to enjoy more in the museum. See our 3-Day Terracotta Warriors Private Tour.

Going with a group you won’t get lost, but it lacks flexibility and personal service.

Travelling on your own, you may meet a lot of trouble, such as wasting time on finding a taxi or public bus to the attraction, lining up for tickets, reading maps, making sense of Chinese signs, etc.

8 . If you are looking for the place that has everything, there is only one place to visit, and that’s New York. It’s a whole world in a city.

The World of Theater: All of New York is a stage. And it begins with Broadway. Where else can you find so many hit shows in one place? Only in New York!

The World of Music: Spend an evening with Beethoven at Lincoln Center. Swing to the great jazz of Greenwich Village. Or rock yourself silly at the hottest dance spots found anywhere.

The World of Art: From Rembrandt to Picasso. From Egyptian tombs to Indian teepees. Whatever kind of art you like, you will find it in New York.

The World of Fine Dining: Whether it’s roast Beijing duck in Chinatown, lasagna in little Italy, or the finest French coq au vin found everywhere, there is world of great taste waiting for you in New York.

The World of Sights: What other city has a Statue (雕塑) of Liberty? A Rockefeller Center? Or a Bronx Zoo? Where else can you take a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park? Only in New York!

9 . Ottawa is the capital of Canada. It is the second largest city in Ontario and the fourth largest city in the country.

The Centre Block is the main building on Parliament Hill (国会山). There also stand several ceremonial spaces, such as the Hall of Honor and the Memorial Chamber. The present Centre Block is the second copy of the building, after the first was undermined by a big fire in 1916, and it is one of the most recognizable buildings in Canada.

Downtown Ottawa is the commercial and economic centre of the city. Most of the buildings are office towers. While most of Ottawa’s high tech industry is based elsewhere, it has an important presence in the downtown center. The downtown also contains a number of apartments, hotels, and the older single family homes and townhouses along its edges (边缘).

The National Gallery of Canada is one of Canada’s earliest art galleries. The Gallery has a large and varied collection of paintings, drawings, sculpture and photographs. Although its focus is on Canadian art, it also holds works by some well-known American and European artists.

The Rideau Canal is the oldest continuously operated canal (运河) system in North America. At the very beginning, it was used to provide a safe supply and communication route between Montreal and the British naval (海军的) base in Kingston. It remains in use today mainly for people to boat and enjoy themselves, with most of its original structures undamaged. The locks on the system open for navigation (航海) in mid-May and close in mid-October.