On the occasion of China's 60th birthday, we're taking a look at its previous centre of power - Beijing's Forbidden City. The world’s largest palace complex housed 24 emperors and their entourage for 500 years. YongLe, third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, ordered its construction in 1406, which lasted until 1420. Not very long for such an impressive complex but then, about one million workers were employed, among them 100,000 artisans alone.
Continue reading...Thursday, July 9, 2009
Any city with a few million inhabitants is bound to have problems: population, pollution, transportation, water quality, sanitation, crime, natural disasters – you name it. A mega metropolis with a population of 10 or even 20 million will have massive ones especially if it is disadvantaged due to geographic location. Let’s take a look at ten of these mega metros around the world and see what’s bothering them most.
Continue reading...Monday, May 25, 2009
Missiles may rain down overhead, water canons blast people back, tear gas choke throats and worse, but when people decide they’ve had enough, they’ve had enough. Many would argue that if ever there was proof that actions speak louder than words, mass protesting is it. Images of individuals taking to the streets have become etched in our minds, each one a remembrance of how people felt about the status quo.
Continue reading...Monday, December 10, 2007
In an effort to improve the city’s chances of reaching its clean air targets in time for next summer’s 2008 Olympics, Beijing has decided to crack down on some of the city’s polluters. Image by Mark The city won’t just be aiming to reduce car driving or factory emissions. [...]
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Thursday, October 1, 2009
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