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☆ Zhongnanhai: The scenic garden that became China’s secretive seat of power
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-25 | by ( Jonathan Chatwin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

As the seat of power, Zhongnanhai is often thought of as China’s equivalent to the White House, or the Kremlin. Architectural changesThere have been serious revisions to the architecture of Zhongnanhai since the end of imperial rule in 1912. Having re-established Zhongnanhai as a center of political power in the new China, Mao set about rebuilding the compound according to his tastes. “It was here,” noted Aldrich, “with the background trappings of a scholar, that he met Nixon and Kissinger in 1972.”Most subsequent leaders have preferred to keep a house outside the Zhongnanhai compound. However, the compound hasn’t always been so forbidden for the masses following the collapse of China’s imperial dynasty.

Persons: Jonathan Chatwin, “, Deng Xiaoping, Leung Chun, Xi Jinping, Simon Song, Xi Jinping’s, Ming, Geremie Barmé, Qianlong, Feng Li, ” Linda Jaivin, ”, Dowager Cixi, Zhongnanhai, Cixi, Dowager, M, Aldrich, Mao Zedong, ” Aldrich, China’s, Yuan Shikai, Yuan Shikai ‘, William Lewisohn, Xinhuamen, William Cooper, —, Qianlong Emperor, Yuan, Invincible Mao, — Mao, Kangxi, Mao, Zhou Enlai, Chen Yi, Zhang Wentian, Nikita Khrushchev, Khrushchev, Nixon, Kissinger, Hu Jintao, Jiang Zemin, Newscom Aldrich, Mao’s, Li Zhisui, Xi, Chicago's Walter, Hu Yaobang, Gong, “ Heck Organizations: CNN, Bell, Communist Party, CCP, White, Hong, China Morning, University of Bristol Library, Great Communist Party of China, ”, Shuangqing Villa, Alamy, State Council, China’s Politburo, Huairen, Chicago's Walter Payton College Preparatory, New York Times, Zhongnanhai, Bloomberg Locations: Modern China, Prospect, Tiananmen, Hong Kong, Zhongnanhai, City, China, Beijing, “, People’s Republic, New China, Arlington, Peking, Xinjiang, Russian, Beihai, Beijing’s, Huairen, Qinzheng Hall

☆ Gold Gala fashion: ‘It’s the one place where you can really represent’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Stephy Chung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

On Saturday, stars gathered on the steps of The Music Center in Los Angeles for the Gold Gala — a celebration of Asian Pacific influential talent across entertainment, fashion, technology and more, hosted by the non-profit Gold House. Actor Eugene Lee Yang attends the Gold Gala in an eye catching ensemble. It’s not something that I grew up imagining I’d have for myself.”Lucy Liu, wearing a gown by Bibhu Mohapatra, and Karan Johar exchange a greeting at the Gold Gold 2024. Michael Kovac/Getty ImagesFrom left to right, Shelby Rabara and Harry Shum Jr. attend the Gold Gala. So that’s been wonderful to see people take chances, and how we’ve knocked it out of the park,” Lakshmi told CNN.

Persons: Karrueche Tran, Thai Nguyen, “, ”, Tran, Nymphia, Sheng Cheong, Karan Johar, Agnez Mo, Eugene Lee Yang, Charley Gallay, Araya Doheny, Jeannie Mai, ” “, Padma Lakshmi, Lucy Liu, Joel Kim Booster, ” Lucy Liu, Bibhu Mohapatra, Michael Kovac, Shelby Rabara, Harry Shum Jr, Monica Schipper, USC Annenberg, Tommaso Boddi, Rodin Eckenroth, that’s, we’ve, ” Lakshmi, Prabal Gurung Organizations: Los Angeles CNN, The Music Center, CNN, Getty, Pacific, Gold House, USC Locations: Los Angeles, Pacific, American, Vietnamese, African American, City, ”, Indonesia, Hollywood, Thai

☆ Analysis: China worried about return of Trump, but also sees opportunities if he wins 2024 election
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Then-US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan at Beijing's Forbidden City in 2017. “If this decoupling is carried out by Trump 2.0 in a very forceful way, the impact on China is going to be very severe. But experts say China’s business and official sectors are likely already considering contingency plans. Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin leave a reception following talks at the Kremlin in March 2023. “Whoever wins – the structure of (US) confrontation, competition, pressure to China are still there,” he said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Xi, Donald Trump, didn’t, –, Biden, Wang Yi, Trump, He’s, Trump’s, Brian Wong, ” Wong, Lintao Zhang, Obama, Melania, “, Xi Jinping, Peng Liyuan, Xie Huanchi, he’s, ”, Bala Ramasamy, Shen Dingli, Premier Li Qiang, Ronald Reagan, “ Biden, Shen, ” Trump, skeptically, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Pavel Byrkin, Wong, it’s, Wang Yiwei Organizations: Beijing CNN —, Communist Party, Biden, Senior, Trump’s “, University of Hong Kong’s, Contemporary, House, oceanside, Trump, of, Forbidden, Huawei, Oxford Economics, China Europe International Business School, Premier, American, South Korea Navy, Asia –, Russia’s, NATO, Europe, Kremlin, Getty, South Korea –, White House, Renmin University Locations: China, Beijing, State, US, Russia, Communist, Contemporary China, Taiwan, Lago, City, Xinhua, Shanghai, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Europe, China's Qingdao Port, –, Asia, Seoul, Tokyo, Ukraine, United States, AFP, Japan, South Korea, America, Washington, Hong Kong, South China

BEIJING (AP) — As the U.S. presidential campaign moves closer to a Donald Trump-Joe Biden rematch, China is watching uneasily. While Biden has looked for areas of cooperation with China, Beijing is concerned about his efforts to unite allies in the Indo-Pacific in a coalition against China. “For China, no matter who won the U.S. presidential election, they would be two ‘bowls of poison’,” said Zhao Minghao, a professor of international relations at Fudan University in Shanghai. When Biden and Trump squared off in 2020, U.S. intelligence agencies reported before the election that China viewed Trump as “unpredictable” and opposed his reelection. “Trump is by nature volatile and cruel and is a person hard to be familiar with,” said Shi Yinhong, international relations professor at Renmin University of China.

Persons: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, uneasily, Biden, It’s, hasn’t, ”, Zhao Minghao, Sun Chenghao, Trump, Chuan Jianguo, “ Trump, Sun Yun, Sun, Xi Jinping, Antony Blinken, Xi, Miles Yu, China's, ” Yu, Deng Xiaoping, Shi Yinhong, Shi, Wang Yiwei, ” Wang, ” Shi, ___ Tang, Yu Bing, Chen Wanqing, Eric Tucker Organizations: BEIJING, U.S, China, Trump, “, Fudan University, Center for International Security, Tsinghua University, Stimson Center, Hudson Institute, Communist Party, Renmin University of China, White, Institute of International Affairs, Associated Press Locations: China, Beijing, Taiwan, Shanghai, Asia, Pacific, Sun, Washington, Lago, Florida, City, United States, U.S

☆ Rice, beer, and urine mixed into ancient structures could help explain how they're still standing after millennia
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementIs ancient Roman concrete better than today's? Her research has found that the key could be in the specific volcanic materials used by the Romans. According to Selvaraj's research, in humid areas of India, builders used local herbs that help structures deal with moisture. Even though Roman concrete lasted a long time, it couldn't hold up heavy loads: "You couldn't build a modern skyscraper with Roman concrete," Oleson said. Instead, researchers are trying to take some of the ancient material's specialties and add them into modern mixes.

Persons: —, they've, Carlos Rodriguez, Navarro, John Oleson, Domenico Stinellis, Vitruvius, Admir, Rome —, Marie Jackson, Jackson, Rodriguez, Moises Castillo, Cecilia Pesce, They'd, Pesce, Mark Schiefelbein, Thirumalini Selvaraj, Selvaraj, Oleson, Masic Organizations: Service, Spain's University of Granada, University of Victoria, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Utah, AP, University of Sheffield, Vellore Institute of Technology, Army Corps of Engineers, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science, Educational Media Group Locations: Canada, Portland, Rome, Copan, Honduras, England, India

Is ancient Roman concrete better than today's? Most modern concrete starts with Portland cement, a powder made by heating limestone and clay to super-high temperatures and grinding them up. The ancient builders mixed materials like burnt limestone and volcanic sand with water and gravel, creating chemical reactions to bind everything together. Now, scientists think they’ve found a key reason why some Roman concrete has held up structures for thousands of years: The ancient material has an unusual power to repair itself. Even though Roman concrete lasted a long time, it couldn't hold up heavy loads: “You couldn’t build a modern skyscraper with Roman concrete,” Oleson said.

Persons: they’ve, ”, Carlos Rodriguez, Navarro, John Oleson, Vitruvius, Admir, Rome —, Marie Jackson, Jackson, ” Jackson, Rodriguez, Cecilia Pesce, They’d, ” Pesce, Thirumalini Selvaraj, Selvaraj, Oleson, Masic Organizations: —, Spain’s University of Granada, University of Victoria, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Utah, University of Sheffield, Vellore Institute of Technology, Army Corps of Engineers, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Canada, Portland, Rome, Copan, Honduras, England, India

Underwood Archives/Getty Images Feinstein gets her makeup touched up for a photo shoot in San Francisco in 1955. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images Feinstein attends a campaign event for her mayoral run in San Francisco in 1971. Clem Albers/San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images Feinstein attends a memorial service for assassinated Supervisor Harvey Milk in San Francisco in 1978. Roger Ressmeyer/CORBIS/VCG/Getty Images Feinstein speaks at the signing of an anti-gun bill at San Francisco City Hall in 1982. Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images Feinstein greets first lady Hillary Clinton at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.

Persons: Washington CNN — Dianne Feinstein, Feinstein, Gavin Newsom, Newsom, NBC’s “, ”, Feinstein’s, Ramsay Hunt, I’m, “, ” Feinstein, Lindsey Graham, Amy Coney Barrett, Leah Millis, Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Sen, Dick Durbin, Kevin McCarthy, Chuck Schumer, “ Dianne Feinstein, ” Schumer, Sen, Dianne Feinstein, Joe Biden, Celeste Sloman, Dianne Emiel Goldman, George Moscone, Harvey Milk, Duke Downey, Clem Albers, Janet Fries, Quentin Kopp, Sal Veder, Richard Blum, Walter Mondale, Georges, Roger Ressmeyer, Steve Ringman, Tony Bennett, Jeff Reinking, Neal Ulevich, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Eric Risberg, Willie Brown, Cecil Williams, Dr, Martin Luther King Jr, Paul Sakuma, Kim Komenich, Mark Reinstein, Barbara Boxer, Alan Greth, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Carol Moseley, Braun, Doug Mills, Charles Tasnadi, Kathleen Brown, Bill Clinton, Dirck Halstead, Lisa Leslie, Gigi Goshko, Douglas Graham, Hillary Clinton, Clinton, Paul J, Richards, Orrin Hatch, Patrick J, Leahy, William H, Pryor Jr, Scott J, Ferrell, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Schwarzenegger, Tim Sloan, Rick Friedman, Condoleezza Rice, George W, Bush, Colin Powell, Chuck Kennedy, John Roberts, Mark Wilson, Eileen Mariano, Mariano, interning, Tom Williams, Carson, Jay L, Barack Obama, Ralf, Finn Hestoft, Hina Rabbani Khar, Brendan Smialowski, Jacquelyn Martin, AP Sen, Chuck Grassley, Christine Blasey Ford, Brett M, Kavanaugh, Ford, Donald Trump, Chip Somodevilla, Barrett, Bonnie Cash, Graham, Samuel Corum, Jonathan Ernst, Simone Biles, Larry Nassar, Aly Raisman, Maggie Nichols, McKayla Maroney, Bob Dole, Oliver Contreras, Kent Nishimura, Kevin Dietsch, Dianne Feinstein's, Moscone, Milk, CNN’s Dana Bash, Dan White, ‘ Dan, ’, Harvey, California’s, Bash, Richard Blumenthal, Bill Clark, Annette Bening, Donald Trump’s, South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham’s Organizations: Washington CNN, Senate, California Democratic, Democratic, Press, Democrats, Democratic Party, Capitol, Senate Intelligence, California Democrat, Capitol Hill, CNN, Golden State ”, Illinois, Republican, New York Times, Underwood Archives, Getty, San Francisco City Hall, San Francisco, of Supervisors, Bettmann, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Ice Company, White, Steiner, Forbidden, Democratic National Convention, United States Senate, United, United States women's, team, Convention, Washington Post, Circuit, Images California, McClatchy, Tribune, Service, Supreme, California, Rancho, Pakistan's, AP, Committee, White House, Los Angeles Times, Stanford University, San, Supervisors, Administration Committee, federal, Inc, South Carolina Republican, Judiciary, Intelligence, Appropriations Locations: Washington, California, San Francisco, America, ” San Francisco, Washington , DC, DC, Forbidden City, Beijing, China, Feinstein , California, Los Angeles, United States, New York, AFP, Boston, Rancho Bernardo, San Diego, San Francisco , California, Maryland, San Francisco County, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut

☆ Tourists are still not returning to China and that's not good for anybody
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Cork Gaines | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

International tourism to China is still well below pre-pandemic levels. Tourism is one of several economic woes in China that could spill over into the global economy. Now add another problem — China's tourism industry is struggling to recover from the pandemic. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe China Tourism Association noted in May that "the number of visitors from Europe, America, Japan and Korea are all dropping, substantially," The Japan Times reported. China's problems could spill over into the global economyTrouble for China's economy could mean more bad news for the rest of the world.

Persons: —, Fan Lei, Taylor, Grace Smith, Janet Yellen, Joe Biden, Tourism hasn't, They're Organizations: Tourism, Service, Street Journal, China Tourism Association, Japan Times, Tourists, Forbidden, US State Department, CNN, China Morning, MediaNews, Denver Locations: China, Ukraine, Europe, America, Japan, Korea, Forbidden City, Denver

☆ China's factory activity shrinks for a fifth straight month in August
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

People walk through a gate in the Forbidden City in Beijing, capital of China, March 27, 2023. China's factory activity in August shrank for a fifth straight month, while non-manufacturing activity hit a new low for the year — signs that the slowdown in the world's second-largest economy may not yet have bottomed out. The official manufacturing purchasing managers' index rose slightly to 49.7 in August from 49.3 in July, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics released Thursday. This was better than the median forecast for 49.4 in a Reuters poll. A PMI reading above 50 indicates expansion in activity, while a reading below that level points to a contraction.

Persons: Zhao Qinghe Organizations: National Bureau of Statistics, PMI, NBS Locations: City, Beijing, China

☆ Eleven Dead and 27 Missing, as Heavy Rains Batter Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Chris Buckley | More About Chris Buckley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The intense rain prompted Beijing to close tourist attractions like the ancient Forbidden City. On Tuesday, the Beijing government announced that, in addition to the 11 killed in the flooding — including two rescue workers — another 27 were missing, implying that the death toll could rise significantly. Most of the fatalities were in the outer parts of Beijing, including Mentougou District, where video shared by local news outlets on Monday showed cars being swept down a swollen river. Chinese television later showed footage of residents in the district walking through muddy streets strewn with cars that had been washed away. The Beijing government said 13 of the missing were in Mentougou, and another 10 were in Changping, another semi-rural district.

Locations: Beijing, city’s, Mentougou, Changping

☆ U.S. and China envoys seek to revive climate diplomacy
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

US climate envoy John Kerry gestures as he speaks next to China's special climate envoy Xie Zhenhua during a session at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos on May 24, 2022. Fabrice Coffrini | Afp | Getty ImagesU.S. climate envoy John Kerry said it was "imperative that China and the United States make real progress" in the four months before the COP28 global climate talks in Dubai, as he met his counterpart Xie Zhenhua in the Chinese capital on Monday. He also urged China to partner with the United States to cut methane emissions and reduce the climate impact of coal-fired power, with the two sides aiming to rebuild trust following a suspension in talks last year. Kerry praised the "incredible job" China has been doing in building up renewable energy capacity but said it had been undercut by the construction of new coal power plants. China has pledged to start reducing coal consumption, but not until 2026, and new coal power project approvals have accelerated since last year.

Persons: John Kerry, Xie Zhenhua, Fabrice Coffrini, Xie, Kerry Organizations: Afp, Getty Locations: Davos, China, United States, Dubai

He also urged China to partner with the United States to cut methane emissions and reduce the climate impact of coal-fired power, with the two sides aiming to rebuild trust following a suspension in talks last year. Kerry praised the "incredible job" China has been doing in building up renewable energy capacity but said it had been undercut by the construction of new coal power plants. China has pledged to start reducing coal consumption, but not until 2026, and new coal power project approvals have accelerated since last year. Kerry's third visit to China as U.S. climate envoy marks the formal resumption in top-level climate diplomacy between the two countries. Kerry and Xie met on Sunday night for a one-on-one dinner.

Persons: John Kerry, Xie Zhenhua, Xie, Kerry, Nancy Pelosi, Valerie Volcovici, Andrew Hayley, David Stanway, Sonali Paul, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: State, U.S, . House, Beijing, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, United States, Dubai, U.S, Beijing, Taiwan

☆ John Kerry steps into searing China heat as world’s two biggest polluters try to fix fractured ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

China Energy Investment Corporation, the world’s largest generator of coal-fired power, said its production of electricity reached a historic high on Monday. Kerry, 79, has traveled to China twice since being appointed as US President Joe Biden’s special climate envoy. Li, the Greenpeace analyst, said he would be closely watching who will meet with Kerry in Beijing. That would require the country to phase out coal power, which accounts for about 60% of its total electricity generation. “The expansion of coal is a grave challenge for China’s climate policy,” Li said.

Persons: John Kerry, ”, Li Shuo, Nancy Pelosi’s, ” Li, Andy Wong, Kerry, Biden, Antony Blinken, Xi Jinping, Janet Yellen, China’s Premier Li Qiang, Blinken, Wang Yi, Alex Wang, Joe Biden’s, Xie Zhenhua, Arnd Wiegmann, Li, Xie Jianhua, Ding Xuexiang, Xi, Obama, Xie, ” Kerry, “ I’m, Stringer, Wang, “ It’s, “, ” Wang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Greenpeace, Washington, US, Taiwan —, China Energy Investment Corporation, China’s Premier, University of California, US State Department, China’s Ministry of Ecology, Economic, Blinken, Kerry, CNN, COP28, UCLA, Global Energy Monitor Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, United States, China, Greenpeace China, Taiwan, Jakarta, “, Los Angeles, Kerry, Shanghai, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China, Davos, Switzerland, Washington, Paris, China Glasgow, Dubai, Lianyungang, China's, Jiangsu, AFP

☆ John Kerry to step into searing China heat as world’s two biggest polluters try to fix fractured ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Persons: John Kerry, ”, Li Shuo, Nancy Pelosi’s, ” Li, Andy Wong, Kerry, Biden, Antony Blinken, Xi Jinping, Janet Yellen, China’s Premier Li Qiang, Blinken, Wang Yi, Alex Wang, Joe Biden’s, Xie Zhenhua, Arnd Wiegmann, Li, Xie Jianhua, Ding Xuexiang, Xi, Obama, Xie, ” Kerry, “ I’m, Stringer, Wang, “ It’s, “, ” Wang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Beijing Sunday, Greenpeace, Washington, US, Taiwan —, China Energy Investment Corporation, China’s Premier, University of California, US State Department, China’s Ministry of Ecology, Economic, Blinken, Kerry, CNN, COP28, UCLA, Global Energy Monitor Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, United States, China, Greenpeace China, Taiwan, Jakarta, “, Los Angeles, Kerry, Shanghai, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China, Davos, Switzerland, Washington, Paris, China Glasgow, Dubai, Lianyungang, China's, Jiangsu, AFP

☆ World registers hottest day since records began — with fresh highs expected in the coming weeks
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Beijing recorded its third consecutive day of 40 degree Celsius weather, the first time since records began. The world's average temperature climbed to its highest level since records began on Tuesday, according to provisional data from U.S. researchers, underscoring the pressing need to slash greenhouse gas emissions fueling the climate emergency. The milestone comes just one day after global average temperatures topped 17 degrees Celsius for the first time in 44 years, when the data was first collected. The previous record of 16.92 degrees Celsius had stood since Aug. 14, 2016 — the warmest year ever recorded. "Do you remember yesterday's global surface air temperature record?

Persons: Bill McGuire, Leon Simons Organizations: Forbidden, University of Maine's, University College London, Twitter Locations: Beijing, U.S, China, Mexico

☆ Xi Jinping’s Succession Problem—and China’s
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Chun Han Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

During China’s last imperial dynasty, Qing emperors held court at the Palace of Heavenly Purity, an imposing edifice of red walls and yellow-glazed roof tiles deep inside Beijing’s Forbidden City. The monarch would consult courtiers and receive guests in the lavish main hall, still visible to tourists today, where his “dragon throne” sat on a dais decorated with intricate motifs. Above the seat of power hung a horizontal tablet that concealed the most sensitive of imperial secrets: the identity of the next emperor.

☆ Sandstorms, dangerous pollution return to Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A woman poses for pictures near the Forbidden City, as the city is shrouded in smog amid a sandstorm, in Beijing, China March 10, 2023. The capital Beijing has seen regular air pollution and an unseasonal number of sandstorms over the past few weeks. On Tuesday morning, smog and misty grey clouds could be seen enveloping Beijing and the city's real-time air quality index was at a serious pollution level, according to the website of the Beijing Municipal Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center. The concentration of fine particulates in the air in Beijing is currently 46.2 times the World Health Organization's annual air quality guideline value, according to IQAir, a website that issues air quality data and information. Beijing has regular sandstorms in March and April as it is near the large Gobi desert.

☆ Off-the-radar destinations every China visitor should consider
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Maggie Hiufu Wong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

JingdezhenLarge chimneys, used for firing porcelain, dot the skyline of Jingdezhen city. gui yong nian/Adobe StockDubbed the porcelain capital of the world, Jingdezhen has been firing quality pieces of “white gold” for more than 1,700 years. For a crash course in the city’s porcelain history, visit the newly built and photogenic Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum of China. LinhaiLinhai's historic city wall stretches more than 6,000 meters in length. Food aside, travelers should leave time to admire this historic city that dates back more than 2,000 years.

☆ Hi-res art scans from Taiwan's National Palace Museum leak online -- and turn up for sale on Chinese online shopping platform
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The National Palace Museum in Taipei said Tuesday it had reached out to Taobao, a shopping website popular in mainland China, to prevent the images from spreading. “We are looking into it and have hired lawyers to raise to Taobao about the intellectual properties and damages involved,” said deputy museum director Huang Yung-tai. In its statement, the National Palace Museum said they first identified the leak in June last year and it launched an investigation into the matter two months later. The National Palace Museum’s collection is a major bone of contention between Taiwan and China. Much of its vast collection of artifacts were once housed at the Palace Museum in Beijing’s Forbidden City – treasures that have already survived two wars.

☆ World’s most beautiful castles
▼ + stars: | 2019-08-07 | by ( Joe Yogerst | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

As the UK crowns a new monarch, we’re exploring all things royal, from castles to grand tours. “Castles are places were plots were hatched, marriages were consummated, murders carried out, royal babies born, and so on. With castles, you are never short of fascinating things to talk about.”Read on to find out more about 21 of the world’s most beautiful castles, fortified homes that are both a feast for the eyes and a time trip back to the bygone age during which they were created. Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket/LightRocket via Getty ImagesThis classic medieval castle towers above the island of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea. The castle’s vivid red-and-yellow color pattern – and its flashy clock tower – endow Pena with a much more playful air than the somber castles found elsewhere in Europe.

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