4 . When you stand in the starlight under the Milky Way, the night sky is one of the most incredible wonders many of us have not seen, which is under threat due to the constant march of human progress and consequent light pollution. Below are some of my favorite dark sky destinations around the world.

The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, New Zealand

The Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve is one of the best places in the country to view the night sky. Comprised of Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park and the Mackenzie Basin of Aotearoa New Zealand’s South Island, the Dark Sky Reserve was certified in 2012 to continue protecting the dark skies in the area.

Stargazing (天体观察) enthusiasts should plan a visit to Mt John Observatory, tours of which must be booked in advance.

The Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland

Most visitors go to Ireland’s western Wild Atlantic Way to explore beyond hot spots like Dublin and Cork, but the route is also fast becoming a great region for stargazing, thanks to the efforts of local communities along the Way.

If planning a trip, keep in mind that Ireland does have wet months where overcast skies are more likely to affect your stargazing prospects.

Wadi Rum, Jordan

Wadi Rum is also sometimes called “The Valley of the Moon”, though you’re more likely to compare it to Mars if you visit it. Famous for its otherworldly landscapes in movies like Prometheus, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and The Martian, Wadi Rum’s towering red rock formations are extremely interesting to explore by day, and offer protection from any distant light pollution once the sun sets.

Stargazing in Wadi Rum is a breathtaking experience and reminds us how our ancestors have experienced the night sky for thousands of years.

8 . William Lindesay, a famous Great Wall expert and conservationist, and his wife Wu Qi have traveled the globe by the back paths, providing their sons with a unique growing environment. Sun hats, backpacks and sneakers (运动鞋)—these are the day-to-day must-haves for the family.

Most of their trips seem far from relaxing—cultural study in the hot and dry desert, a 53-kilometer hiking tour of New Zealand, a one-day climb to three English mountaintops and a six-day train ride from Beijing to Moscow.

Many assume the family must be wealthy and can afford their global travel, but they are not. Lindesay says they just choose to spend money on travel and eschew pricey hotels and restaurants where possible. Lindesay mentions the trip to Moscow as an example. Instead of taking a taxi from the railway station to the hotel, they took the subway. “We crossed the city for saving money, communicated with local people, and saw they are people just like us, everywhere. We arrived at our destination feeling comfortable.”

However, their journeys, which can last weeks or months, have sometimes been inconsistent with their children’s schooling. Wu remembers once Lindesay let their elder son ask for leave so that they could go to New York for a 45-day lecture tour. Therefore the son missed his final exam. Things like that bother the family all the time.

Lindesay attaches great importance to learning out of the classroom, saying that children might score well on school tests, but traveling outside, in distant lands with different languages, cultures, and political structures, is the real test. “You can only get streetwise on the street. You can only get worldly-wise when seeing the world,” he says.

9 . China is one of the world’s ancient civilizations and has the earliest outstanding bronze casting technology. Here we’ve created a list of 4 museums where you can gain an in-depth understanding of Chinese bronze.

Sanxingdui Museum

Address: Sanxingdui Ruin Site, 133 Xian Road, Guanghan, Deyang, Sichuan province

Hours: Comprehensive Gallery (the first exhibition hall): 8:30-18:00; Bronze Gallery (the second exhibition hall): 8:30-18:30. Last tickets sold at 17:00. Closed on the morning of Chinese New Year’s Eve

Ticket booking: 0838-5651526

General admission: Gallery ticket 80 yuan

Note: Children shorter than 1.2m (including 1.2m) can visit the gallery free of charge. The ticket must be used on the day it is sold and authorizes one visit to each gallery.

National Museum of China

Address: East side of Tian’anmen Square, Dongcheng district, Beijing

Hours: 8:30-17:00 (no entry after 16:30)

General admission: Free (passport required for entry), Closed Mondays (except for national holidays)

E-mail: webmaster@chnmuseum.cn

Shanghai Museum

Address: 201 Renmin Avenue, Huangpu district, Shanghai

Hours: 9:00-17:00 (no entry after 16:00), Closed Mondays (except for national holidays)

E-mail: webmaster@shanghai-museum.org

General admission: free (a max of 8, 000 admitted daily)

Hunan Museum

Address: 50 Dongfeng Road, Changsha, Hunan province

Hours:   9:00-17:00 (no entry after 16:00), Closed Mondays (except for national holidays) and the eve of Chinese New Year

Tel: (+86-731) 8415833, 84475933

E-mail: web@hnmuseum.com

General admission: Free (passport required for entry)