Lijiang River in Guilin, China

The Lijiang River runs through the centre of China's Guanxi province, in the south of the country. It is a favourite among tourists. A sight not to be missed on any travel ittinery of China. The scenery is so spectacular, it has even earned a place on the back of the 20 yuan banknote. Tourist boats ply the route between Guilin city and Yangshuo city. This journey takes about 4 hours. On the way, you will see sights like the one above.

Beijing 北京 Restaurant

This photo from Flickr user Luo Shaoyang shows a Chinese girl standing by a doorway. It is a typical Chinese scene outside restaurants where a waitress will wait at the door to great guests. This looks a particularly well built and clean restaurant. I have to wonder where it is? All I know is it's somewhere in Beijing.

Qingyuan in Guangdong, China

I remember seeing painting of China when I was young. They showed towering pagodas, rivers and strange mystical mountains. I didn't think they were real at the time. Now I have been to the south of China, I know that those paintings were not a work of fiction. They really do exist. They are created by a natural phenomenon that weathers limestone into what is called Karst. A large band of this Karst landscape runs down through China. It can be seeing in Guangdong, Guanxi and Yunnan provinces. There is also some spectacular Karst in the sea off of neighbouring Vietnam.

Fangyuan Dasha in Shenyang

The Fangyuan Dasha in Shenyang (方圆大厦) is a very striking sight. It's not particularly tall, but the unusual shape catches the eye. Known in English as the Coin Building because of it's shape of a circle containing a square. This design is reminiscent of the old Chinese money. The building belongs to the Shanghai Bank and is a well recognised landmark located near the cities north train station.

Yueyang Pavillion in Hunan, China

The Sun Has Set by Steve Webel.

This is Yueyang Pavillion in Hunan, China. The building dates to the Three Kingdoms Period of China (220-280 AD). It was constructed by Lu su who as the commander in chief of the Wu kingdom's forces. It was built in order to facilitate the inspection of the navy ships. It is located in a strategic location where the lake Dongting joing the Yangtze River. The tower was formerly called Ba Ling Tower after the nearby city of Ba Ling.

This picture is by Flickr user Steve Webel. The slow shutter speed and late evening light has produced a wonderful effect, burring the crowds of people. The orange/yellow colours are just amazing.