Earth is an element which is the origin of gold and metallic substances, the source of water, within which roots are deeply sunk from which mighty trees grow, it can smother fire, block the route of flowing water. It is a symbol of motherhood, of harvests and bountiful fields,
the force within mountains unlimited only by the sky and sea. The earth is our planet, our mother upon which all beings have been given life from which civilizations rise and fall. Earth symbolizes source and nourishment, consistency amidst change.
In Tibet’s Ngari, the expansive “Clay Forest” with its labyrinth of interlocking “castles,” “pillbo ” and “dagobas” o whelms the imagination and deconstr ’s thoughts.
Rooftop of Forbidden City tiny ceramic animals represent celestial beings, the sons of the dragon who stand behind the emperor, depicted as a tiny man riding a horse, demonstrating the spiritual power that must back the nation’s leader.
Tian’anmen Gate was where past emperors declared decrees and Mao Zedong declared the founding of the People’s Republic of China on October 1, 1949 with the words, “The Chinese people have stood up.”
China’s western regions have expansive grasslands and open stucco.
What matters most for a mountain is not its height, but its heavenly inspiration. And so is the Huoyan (Flame) Mountain. In “the Journey to the West,” Tang Sanzang was hindered in the Huoyan Mountain in his journey to getting sutras and the story in which Monkey King made three attempts to borrow the plantain fan also took place here. Located in the middle of the Turpan Basin, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Huoyan Mountain is bare and its rocks are almost naked. In the strong sunshine, red wave surges on the mountain and scarlet smoke and clouds wreathes upward, which looks just like some burning flame.
Three Gorges Dam is a symbol of massive infrastructure development to fuel China’s electricity needs into the future.
As the historical relic of the Xixia Kingdom (1038-1227), the ancient city of Heishui is about to be buried by sand. Its ever prosperous culture in the desert has been neglected by history.
In Yunnan Province, Lijiang is an ancient city near Jade Dragon sacred mountain.
The setting sun dyes the stretching mountains into a piece of satin with clear levels. Situated in Zhangye area, Gansu Province, Danxia Landform has attracted numerous shutterbugs.
Henan’s Taihang Mountain there is a five meter high and four meter wide highway cut deep into the rock mountain constructed in 1973. It was built by the people in the spirit of Mao Zedong’s vision that man can overcome nature. So it is a symbol of the Chinese people’s determination to change nature into manmade things.
In western China the great wall remains as testimony to the far reaching expanse of Chinese culture.
Yunnan has many mountains and plateaus with terraced paddy fields irrigated with rain in the land “south of the clouds.”
China’s ancient horse-riding traditions go back to prehistory with evidence on stone.
Flying angels in the Buddhist grottos of Dunhuang are an artistic wonder and testimony to China’s ancient culture.
The Yangtze River flows through the Three Gorges from glaciers of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the sea.