Maybe the most recognizable monument in China, the Great Wall was probably started around 220 B.C.E, but the current structure visited by most tourists today was built throughout the history of China up to the Ming dynasty who completed the current wall around the 1300 and 1400's. The wall was built to defend against the Mongolians and other Turkic people to the north and in its entirety runs over 6000 km. (3,500 miles)
The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor is home to the Terra Cotta Warriors. This ruin was not discovered until 1974, but has one of the best maintained examples of ancient art and sculpture in the world. The Qin emperor was buried with over 8,000 clay foot soldiers, each distinctly different from the other, as well as horses and cavalry.
The Forbidden City was the seat of power for both the Ming and Qing dynasties. Located in Beijing, the Forbidden City was off limits to everyone, but the emperor, his harem, the eunuchs who controlled the harem, and the top civil servants of China. It has over 10,000 rooms, almost all of them furnished with art and priceless cultural relics from both the Han Chinese and Manchu cultures.
The Oriental Pearl Tower is located in Shanghai and representative of the new China. Construction was began in 1991 and finished in 1995. It was the tallest building in China until its title was usurped by the Shanghai World Financial Center in 2007. It remains one of the most iconic images for Shanghai.
The Potala Palace is one of the greatest monuments in Tibetan culture. It is located in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, a part of the People's Republic of China. It was the chief residence for the Dalia Lama until he fled from Tibet into India following the People's Army's occupation of Tibet in 1959. The palace was completed in 1645 during a flowering period of culture and arts for the Tibetan kingdom.
