China in early 20th Century

Corner Tower "Tatar city" Dunbyanmen in Beijing. 

Photos of China of the early 20th century. Mainly dedicated to the Chinese fortifications and various objects near Beijing. More details on the castle walls of Beijing can be read here. 

The walls of Beijing next to the Grand Canal.

Front Rifle tower fortress gates of Beijing. 

The gate of the Inner City Chzhenyanmen Tatar.

Fortress Wall of Beijing on the inside. 

Southwest corner of "Tatar city" in Beijing.

Built in the wall-mortar Suburghan. 

In the early 20th century walls of Beijing have stayed in much ruinirovannom condition.

Cemetery near the city walls of Beijing.

Beijing. Uta Dachzhentszyuesy pagoda monastery. 1473. 

Pagoda Temple Tyanninsy - all that remained of the Jurchen Chzhundu city after the Mongol invasion. Chzhundu was the predecessor of Beijing. 

Schitszyachzhuan city walls.

The city walls of Nanjing

The ruins of the Forbidden City in Nanjing.

Pavement at the entrance to the fortified "caravanserai" in the north of China.

Getting "expensive perfume", leading to the tombs of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty. 

Figures of animals on the road spirits. 

Bice figure fantastic creatures. Tomb of Xiao Xiu 518 years old, Sichuan Province. 

Underground hotel in China

Photo rendering courtesy of SHANGHAI SHIMAO PROPERTY GROUP/ ATKINS 

While China has been leading the trend in skyscrapers for the past decade, architects and designers apparently decided to turn things upside-down for a change. According to CNN, China recently broke ground on the first luxury underground hotel near Shanghai.

Located at the foot of a 100-meter (approximately 328 feet) abandoned quarry at Shanghai’s Tianmashan, the 380-room resort will have three levels above ground and 16 underground, and will also offer spa services, a sports facility and an underwater restaurant. 

The property is being developed by Shanghai Shimao Property Group and designed by U.K. based engineering firm Atkins. According to SmartPlanet, the underground hotel is part of the larger project to build Shimao Shanghai Wonderland, a large-scale theme park. Reports say the hotel is expected to open in 2014 or 2015.

Just how much will this underground wonderland cost? If you're intrigued, industry experts say the nightly room rates will start at around $320 a night (RMB 2,000).

The hotel, The Intercontinental Shimao Shanghai Wonderland, will be managed by InterContinental Hotels Group (Photo: Shanghai Shimao Property Group/ Atkins)

Beautiful Rain and Wind bridge in Sanjiang

Rain and wind bridge across the river Sanjiang — Bridge of wind and rain in the Chinese countryside Chenyan (Guangxi Province) lies across the river and Sanjiang is made of wood and stone. During the construction of this three-story wonder was not used a single nail. 

About 70 m in length and 4 m wide was built almost 100 years ago, in 1916, and connects the two large villages, where representatives of the people living dong.

Covered bridge with pavilions from the rain in bad weather and stacked wooden drum tower - a symbol of national architecture, which is ideal for images on postage stamps and postcards.

Pass over the bridge fee - 30 yuan for students and 60 yuan for everyone else.

The old Russian Aircraft Carrier converted into a Hotel

The year 2011 had belonged to the Chinese in multiple ways. Apart from making progress in their economy, they made their mark in the luxury lifestyle in many ways, and they seem to have started of 2012 on a similar note. Their latest revelation is the Russian Kiev class aircraft carrier hotel, which will be the first of its kind anywhere in the world. A gigantic ship, which was originally created for carrying fighter jets, has now been converted into a full-scale luxury hotel, with modern amenities, oriental themed décor, and plenty of luxury accommodation for its upcoming lot of guests. 

Till a few years ago, the Russian aircraft carriers were known to be the pride of army’s fleet, when owned by the Russian Army. But Chinese creativity changed all of that, and transformed this war craft wonder into a luxury hotel that is now grabbing eye balls after revealed in the Tianjin municipality of North China. Historic research tells us, that the ship has been a part of the Binhai Aircraft Park project since 2004, after a Chinese company laid hands on it in 1996. It was initially used to display the variety of modern military equipment, until recently when it was transformed into a luxury accommodation establishment. The final opening will happen later in the month of January 2012, when it will open for bookings.

In terms of amenities, we have come to know that there are 148 rooms in all- 2 Presidential suites, 3 VIP guest rooms, and 137 standard rooms, apart from the dining and common areas, all done up with oriental artistry including the furniture which bear the traditional colors and patterns of art work in the region. Needless to say, the ornamentation is nothing short of exquisite, and whatever may be the pricing policy, would certainly manage to impress even the most discerning customers of the hotel. However, the only near comparison to the concept is the Cunard Liner QE2, but the Tianjin Aircraft Carrier Hotel just might be a step ahead.