Tomb of General Yue Fei In Hangzhou City

Yue Fei (1103 - 1141) came from Tangyin in Xiangzhou of today's Henan Province. He was a great general famous for wars against the Jin Dynasty (1115 - 1234) in the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279). After he joined the army, he and his troops continuously won wars against the Jin. However, after Yue and his army had recovered most of the lost territory, Emperor Gaozong (1107 - 1187) embraced the evil plot of Qin Kuai (1090 - 1155, Prime Minister of the Song Dynasty) and surrendered to the Jin. As a result, he was falsely accused and later secretly killed in jail. A few years later, the wrong was put right when Emperor Xiao Zong (1163 - 1189) came to power. The tomb was built in memory of this great hero. Yue Fei is always considered as a national hero.
The Tomb of General Yue Fei has been demolished and renovated several times. The existing one was rebuilt in 1715 in the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) and comprehensively repaired in 1979.
Occupying an area of four acres, the tomb is located at the southern foot of Qixia Hill near the West Lake. Entering the gate with double eaves, a patio with towering trees on both sides is found. The Shrine of Remembrance, the main hall, is right in the center. A sculpture of general Yue is set in the middle of the hall. He is in a colorful embroidered round cushion cover. Looking solemn and mighty, he has a sword in his hand and looks as if he is ready to protect his country. Over the sculpture is tablet in the original handwriting of Yue Fei, which states returning our territory and keeping it integrated. At the back of the hall are large pictures depicting his life stories. On the floor of the hall is a picture depicting 373 cranes. These cranes are the symbols of his integrity and faithful mind.
General 's Grave
Metal sculptures of sinners who killed Yue Fei
To the west of the main hall is a yard. There are two corridors exhibiting poems written to commend Yue. Striding over the bridge in the middle of the yard, there are the tombs of Yue Fei and his son's. Yue Fei's tomb is right in the center, and to its left is the tomb of his son Yue Yun who had been a competent assistant of his father on the battlefields. Stone horses, tigers, and sheep of the Ming Dynasty (1386 - 1644) decorate both sides of the enclosure. This tomb, which had been destroyed several times, was rebuilt and possesses the features of the Song Dynasty. Facing the tomb are four iron sculptures,  including Qin Kuai the chief plotter, in kneeling position. Concerning these sculptures, people wanted them to atone for their crime forever.

Beihai Park AAAA Tourist Attraction

Beihai Park is an AAAA tourist attraction and a key historic site under national protection. Its east and south sides are close to the Palace Museum. It can be reached by many bus routes.
The park used to be an imperial palace serving for the emperors of five dynasties (Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming, and Qing) and their families to stay for a short time, handle political affairs, or offer sacrifices. At the age of 800, it is the earliest built and best preserved imperial garden in the world.

The park, which creatively follows traditional Chinese architectural tenets and techniques, is a classical Chinese garden and a valuable cultural heritage. It covers 682,000 square meters, with a 389,000-square-meter water-covered area. Its layout-one lake dotted with three isles-embodies a Chinese mythology about the fairyland, and achieves an artistic blending of natural and cultural landscape. Two of the Eight Attractions of Yanjing (Beijing) are located here-Spring Shade on Qionghua Island and Autumn Breeze over Taiyechi.
The park has three major attractions-Qionghua Island, Tuancheng Island, and the north bank. The white pagoda on Qionghua Island has become synonymous with Beihai Park. In the shades of the willows framing the lake are many well-known scenic spots, such as Haopujian, Jingxinzhai, Hall of Heavenly Kings, Kuaixue Hall, Nine-dragon Screen, Five-dragon Pavilion, Chanfu Temple, and Xiaoxitian.
The park offers a variety of boating entertainment and holds exhibitions all the year round. It's a wonderful stop for tourists.

The Defense Engineering System of the Great Wall

The defense engineering system of the Great Wall: The Great Wall stretching thousands of miles is not just a single wall but a complete defensive system composed of many defense equipment including walls, watch

towers, fortresses and beacon towers. The defensive system was controlled by all levels of the military chain of command. Taking the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty as an example, nine military jurisdictional areas including Liaodong, Datong, Yulin, Ningxia, and Gansu were established on the Great Wall for defense and maintenance of the Great Wall, ranging from the Yalu River in the east and Jiayuguan in the west. Therefore, the nine military jurisdictional areas were called the "nine major defensive areas," with a chief military officer taking charge of defending each section of the Great Wall or supporting the adjacent regions. There were about a million soldiers guarding along the Great Wall in the Ming Dynasty. The military chief normally lived and worked inside the cities and other officials at all levels were stationed in the watch towers and fortresses in defense areas, campsites and walls.

Fabulous 2 Days Jinshanling Great Wall Hiking

I would like to give you my personal experience to the Great Wall. I am one of the adventure fans, so I choose the dangerous section of the Great Wall to hike and feel nature. If you are same with me, choose the Jinshanling Great Wall.

Bird's Eye View of Jinshanling Great Wall

Choosing the Jinshanling Great Wall hiking , I considered it is not maintained as well as Badaling Great Wall, and it keeps the original characteristic. Looking at it, I have strong feelings dating back to the ancient times. It gathers various traces of ancient wars. In order to have satisfied tour, I booked the 2 days Jinshanling Great Wall tour packages online to feel it atmosphere in-depth. The tour guide and driver picked me up at hotel, then drove to Jinshanling Great Wall in 2 hours. On the way, I always was excited about it, just because I would like to enjoy its majestic magnificence and intensive watch towers. Connected with Simatai Great Wall, Jinshanling section was the important place for wars.
Wall in Jinshanling

Arriving at Jinshanling Great Wall, I was agog to start my Jinshanling hiking tour. It is little difficult to hike because of the less maintained. Its environment is better than Beijing downtown, even the sky is more clear. Less people made it quieter, just like a soldier protecting the Beijing city silently. In short distance, we have visited several watch towers in different shapes. At same time, the facilities of wars are very complete such as battery, barrier wall, horse house, etc. Standing on the highest watch tower – Wangjing Tower, I saw the Beijing city and Miyun Reservoir. I found it has best sight on Jinshanling section, even the air is fresh. On the way, the tour guide told me many stories about this section and its influence in history.
The night we slept in the Jinshaning Great Wall hotel. Next day, we continued to hike the east section of the Jinshanling Great Wall. After 2 days, I have more interests about the Jinshanling section. Last, I must thank the beijinglandscapes.com, it offered me best help and service.

Resource: http://www.beijinglandscapes.com/beijing-travel-blog/2-days-jinshanling-great-wall-hiking.html