庄子·蝶梦 A Dream of the Butterflies

Once upon a time, I, Chuang Chou, dreamt that I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Chou. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming that I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming that I am a man. Between a man and a butterfly, there is necessarily a distinction. The transition is called “the transformation of material things.”

昔者庄周梦为胡蝶，栩栩然胡蝶也。自喻适志与，不知周也。俄然觉，则蘧蓬然周也。不知周之梦为胡蝶与？胡蝶之梦为周与？周与胡蝶，则必有分矣。此之谓物化。

Korea in Chinese history

In 108BC the Han emperor Wudi conquered the northern part of the Korean peninsula. The Han empire proceeded to administer the area around modern Pyongyang for nearly 400 years.
Memories of such early conquests inspired later Chinese rulers. The Sui dynasty, after reunifying China in the sixth century AD, soon turned their sights on their neighbours. At the time, the Goguryeo kingdom ruled central and northern Korea and held territory extending into parts of Manchuria and Siberia. They considered themselves to be on a par with the Sui emperors. The Sui disagreed. Yet their campaign to chastise the recalcitrant Goguryeo proved disastrous. Despite having mobilised more than 1m soldiers, the Sui armies failed to make substantial gains on the battlefield. The expense of money and manpower crippled their dynasty. Within a few decades the Sui had given way to an even mightier Chinese empire: the Tang.
Like their Sui predecessors, the new rulers were obsessed with bringing Goguryeo to heel. Then, as now, Korea was divided among warring states. The Tang allied with one of Goguryeo’s Korean enemies in a protracted struggle for supremacy on the peninsula. In 668, the Tang armies with their Korean allies finally captured the Goguryeo capital of Pyongyang. Unfortunately for the Tang, they misjudged their own allies in Korea, who turned on the Chinese interlopers soon after and forced them back over the Yalu river, across the border from modern Korea.
In the 13th century, the Mongol Yuan dynasty used Korea as a jumping-off point for what was supposed to be an invasion of the Japanese islands. A stout Japanese defence and a fortuitous wind storm prevented the Mongols from landing and provided fodder for the myth of the “Divine Wind”—kamikaze—that protected Japan from invaders.
A few centuries later, into the rule of the Ming dynasty, Japan enjoyed the opportunity to turn the tables. Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched a series of invasions of the Asian mainland, again using Korea as his point of attack. While Koreans suffered the worst of Hideyoshi’s aggression, his stated goal was nothing short of the complete conquest of China. At the time Korea was a tributary state of the Ming, sending missions bearing gifts in exchange for nominal protection, and so Japan’s challenge could not go unanswered. While the combined armies of the Ming and the Koreans managed to beat back the Japanese invasion, the war devastated the peninsula.
Nor did Korea fare much better against the Ming’s hated rival, the Qing empire of Manchuria. Straddling the zone between the Ming Empire and Korea, the Manchus began by pressing the Koreans to renounce their loyalty to the Ming court. In 1636, eight years before they conquered China itself, the Manchus had forced the Korean government to submit to Manchu authority. When the Manchus moved south and changed the name plates at the Forbidden City, one of the first visitors was a Korean delegation which came bearing tribute to the new lords of China.
In the 19th century, Korea’s continuing status as a tributary would lead China once again into war with Japan over the fate of the peninsula. Not long after the Meiji restoration of 1868, the Japanese started aggressively testing China’s willingness to defend her tributary satellites. In a mixture of imperial expansion and employment programme (for legions of suddenly unemployed samurai), the Japanese army sought to wrest the Ryukyu islands and Korea from China, as concessions. Alarmed, the Chinese sent an official to Seoul to act as a “resident counsellor” for the Korean king. His charge, somewhat ironically, was to preserve Korean independence in the face of Japanese ambitions.
Finally, in 1894 a rebellion at the court in Seoul provided Japan with a critical opportunity. Japanese troops seized the palace and installed a regent loyal to their own interests. The war that resulted was an outright disaster for China. The humiliating peace treaty that China signed with Japan gave “full and complete independence and autonomy” to Korea. In reality, Korea had swapped one suzerain for another. Japan would complete the process in 1912 by annexing Korea. This gave imperial Japan a foothold on the mainland for its eventual conquest of Manchuria and China, in what was to become the second world war.

tracking back:http://www.ecocn.org/thread-185686-1-1.html

Entrance fee of Fenghuang Begin

The ancient town of Fenghuang county, Hunan province. Saturday was the first weekend day admission was charged to enter the town. (Xinhua/Zhao Zhongzhi)
The introduction of an entry fee for an ancient scenic town in Hunan province has led to a sharp decline in tourists, and Chinese Internet users say the policy discourages visitors.
"We have begun to witness the impact of the new policy," a female employee at March Inn in Fenghuang county, which is well known for its historical and scenic attractions, said on Sunday. She declined to give her name.
"All the rooms in my hostel were usually booked up during weekends in the past, but this weekend we have seen a sharp drop in guests and reservation. There are far fewer tourists on the streets than before."
According to an online poll by Sina, one of China's most popular news websites, nearly 93 percent of respondents said they will not go to Fenghuang because of the charge. The poll had drawn nearly 90,000 participants by late Sunday.
Six percent said they do not care about the policy since they are not interested in visiting Fenghuang.
Only 1 percent said they will go to the ancient town regardless of the cost.
Tourism is Fenghuang'a main industry. According to the county government, Fenghuang received around 2.3 million travelers and earned 5.3 billion yuan ($856 million) in tourism revenue last year. The industry provided more than 20,000 jobs, and about 60,000 people make a living by serving tourists.
To "regulate the tourism market", the county issued a ticket policy on Wednesday that stipulates tourists must pay an entrance fee of 148 yuan to visit the old town of Fenghuang, which includes admission to 10 scenic areas.
Entry to the town used to be free but tourists had to buy tickets for each scenic spot they visited.
The measure has sparked a backlash from businesses and tourists.
"The policy's results are not very clear since it just took effect, but I think it will have a substantial impact on us in the long run," said the owner of Bianke Cafe, who only gave his surname Cai.
"As far as I know, some hostels have begun to receive calls from people wanting to cancel their reservation. The number of customers to my cafe has also been declining over the weekend compared with the past."
Concerned business owners staged a protest on Thursday, blocking access to tourist sites and requesting authorities adjust the charge policy.
The crowd was later dispersed by law enforcement officers, and four people involved in a physical conflict with officers were taken away by police, Cai Long, deputy head of the county government, said on Saturday.
He said the policy was introduced to regulate the tourism market and will help to protect the old town and benefit business in the long run.
Meanwhile, Zhao Haifeng, executive deputy head of Fenghuang county, said the government is aware of the policy's effect on small businesses and will take measures to assist them.
"It is inevitable that hostels will receive less independent tourists than before, and reforms will definitely produce some pains," he said. "During this process, the government is going to help those affected overcome difficulties."
However, business owners remain skeptical toward the policy and its possible consequences.
"The government never contacted or negotiated with us before the policy was made, and we have not seen any concrete efforts by the government to help us," the employee at March Inn said.
"Authorities claim that one of the measure's intentions is to address 'illegal businesses and irregular operations' in the tourism market, and I am OK with that. But I think the ultimate solution to those problems is to help people get better jobs rather than taking their bread."

Top Rivers in China

reprint from: http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_6050ef2b0101a06v.html
1. Yangtze River (Changjiang, 长江)
Any China trip cannot be complete without a Yangtze River cruise, which is a vacation within your fast-paced China land trip. The Yangtze River is the longest river in China, the third longest in the world. It originates from the snow-capped Geladandong—the main peak of Tanggula Mountains of the Qinghai and Tibet plateau, flows through Qinghai, Tibet, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui and Jiangsu, and finally enters into the East China Sea in Shanghai. The 6300-kilometer-long Yangtze River has eight major tributaries and a catchment area of 1.8 million square kilometers, which equivalent to 1/5 of the total land of China.
Yangtze River Curise has become a must-do activity when visitors visit China. The Yangtze River winds its way through high mountains and deep valleys with many tributaries. The cruise always includes a variety of exciting shore excursions to local riverside villages and historic sites. The highlights of the Yangtze River are the magnificent Three Gorges and the famous Three Gorges Dam.
2. Yellow River (Huanghe 黄河)
The Yellow River, with a total length of 5,464 kilometers, is the second longest river in China. The Yellow River is the birthplace of ancient Chinese culture and the cradle of Chinese Civilization. It is originated from the Bayanhar Mountain Range in Qinghai Province, meandering across 9 provinces and finally emptying into the Bohai Sea at Kenli of Shandong Province.
The unique scenery of the Loess Plateau is extremely attractive. Along the Yellow River, tourists can not only fully enjoy the breathtaking natural scenery of the Yellow River, but also explore the Chinese history and culture. The multiplying and growing sites of Chinese ancients can be found along the Yellow River, showing the rise and decline of China's history.
3. Heilongjiang River (Heilongjiang, 黑龙江)
The Heilongjiang River (also called Amur), the Sino-Russian boundary river, runs eastwardly across the northern part of north China and finally empties into the Sea of Okhotsk. Its entire length is 4,370 kilometers, the 11th largest river in the world. Wherever the Heilongjiang River flows across, the forests are luxuriant and the aquatic grasses are verdant. The river is in the shape of a black dragon and the name of the Heilongjiang River was thus formed.
4. Songhuajiang River (Songhuajiang, 松花江)
The Songhuajiang River (also known as the Sungari River in English) is a river in Northeast China, and it is the largest tributary of the Heilongjiang River, flowing about 1,927 km from Changbai Mountains through the Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces. In winter, the beautiful rime along the banks of the Songhuajiang River is the unique feature of the river. Experiencing the white fairytale land in winter is amazing.
5. Zhujiang River (the Pearl River, 珠江)
The Zhujiang (the Pearl River) is the third longest river in China (2,200 km, after the Yangtze River and the Yellow River), and second largest by volume (after the Yangtze). It is the largest river in south China, flowing into the South China Sea between Hong Kong and Macau. Its lower reach forms the Pearl River Delta. The Pearl River is formed by convergence of three rivers---the Xijiang, Beijiang and Dongjaing. The river flows through the majority of Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou Provinces, and parts of Hunan and Jiangxi, forming the 409,480 km² Pearl River Basin, which has a network of rivers, fertile soil, abundant natural resources and a sense population.
6. Brahmaputra River (Yaluzangbujiang, 雅鲁藏布江)
The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river and one of the major rivers of Asia. From its headsprings in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, the Brahmaputra River flows first east and then south into the Indian Ocean. About 1,800 miles (2,900 km) long, the Brahmaputra boasts the Brahmaputra Grand Canyon, the largest canyon in the world, 504.6 km long and 6,009 m deep. The river is an important source for irrigation and transportation.
7. Lancang River(Lancang Jiang, 澜沧江)
The Lancang River, also known as the Mekong River, is the longest river in the Southeast Asia, with a total length of 2,354 kilometers. It takes its source from the Tanggula Mountain Range in Qinghai Province, China. The Lancang River runs south until it leaves China at the Nanla Bayout of Yunnan Province and there from changes its name from the Lancang River to the Mekong River. The river finally empties into the Pacific Ocean in the south of Vietnam. The Lancang River is China's main artery of water carriage connecting Southeast Asian countries, and it is reputed as the "Danube of the East". The Lancang River is a fantastic river with more than ten ethnic minorities living along the river. The ethical cultures and customs are special and the scenic spots and historical sites are numerous.
8. Nujiang River (Nujiang, 怒江)
The Nujiang River is originated from the southern slope of the Tanggula Mountain Range in Tibet Autonomous Region, flowing north to south across the Tibet Autonomous Region and Yunnan Province, with a total length of 2,816 kilometers and a drainage area of 324,000 square kilometers. The name of the river is changed into the Salween River after flowing into Burma from China, and it finally empties into the Andaman Sea of Indian Ocean at the Moulmein.
9. Hanjiang River (Han Jiang, 汉江)
The Hanjiang River, also called Han Shui River, is one of the most important tributaries of the Yangtze River with a total length of 1532 km. It rises in southwestern Shaanxi and then crosses into Hubei. It merges with the Yangtze at Wuhan in Hubei Province. The name of the Han kingdom and the later Han Dynasty and subsequently of the China's majority ethnic group apparently derives from this river.
10. Liaohe River (Liao He, 辽河)
Being one of the largest rivers in northern China, the Liaohe River is called the Mother River by people in Liaoning Province. Originated in Qilaotu Mountain in Heibei Province, it flows 1,394 kilometers through Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Jilin, and Liaoning provinces, and at last empties into the Bohai Sea, with a drainage area of 201,600 square kilometers.