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Japan: Woodblock print depicting a variety of vehicles, c. 1865. The <i>ukiyo-e</i> genre of art flourished in Japan from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales; travel scenes and landscapes; flora and fauna; and erotica. The term <i>ukiyo-e</i> translates as 'picture[s] of the floating world'.
Sitting at a restaurant table in Munich in the summer of 1932, Hitler designed the prototype for what would become the immensely successful Beetle design for Volkswagen.<br/><br/> In an era where only the elite possessed cars, Hitler believed that all people should be able to own a car and additionally thought that a smart design could allow for reliability, enjoyment, and vacation travel. The name given to the car in 1938 was Kraft durch Freude (KdF-Wagen, literally 'strength through joy car').<br/><br/> Hitler gave his design to the head of Daimler-Benz, Jakob Werlin, and stressed its importance. 'Take it with you and speak with people who understand more about it than I do. But don't forget it. I want to hear from you soon, about the technical details'.
Maxim P. Dmitriev (1858-1948) was a Russian photographer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a founder of the photojournalist genre and a member of the Russian Photographic Society.
The Volkswagen Plattenwagen was never sold to the public, and was used only by the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg as a parts runabout.<br/><br/> When Dutch Volkswagen importer Ben Pon visited the Wolfsburg factory in 1947, he spotted a Plattenwagen based on the Volkswagen Beetle. This gave him the idea for a Volkswagen commercial vehicle which would become the future Volkswagen Transporter.
<i>Hikifuda</i> are advertising handbills that became popular in late 19th to early 20th century Japan. Showing the increasing sophistication of Japanese commerce, the handbills were produced to advertise a company or promote a product, and sometimes they were even used as wrapping paper.<br/><br/> While<i>hikifuda</i> began to be produced as woodblock prints in the late 17th century, they witnessed a boom in the later 19th century when they were cheaply printed using colour lithography.
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937, Volkswagen is the top-selling and namesake marque of the Volkswagen Group, the holding company created in 1975 for the growing company, and is now the biggest automaker in both Germany and Europe.<br/><br/> Volkswagen has three cars in the top 10 list of best-selling cars of all time: the Volkswagen Golf, the Volkswagen Beetle, and the Volkswagen Passat. With these three cars, Volkswagen has the most cars of any automobile manufacturer in the list that are still being manufactured.
The Volkswagen Plattenwagen was never sold to the public, and was used only by the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg as a parts runabout.<br/><br/> When Dutch Volkswagen importer Ben Pon visited the Wolfsburg factory in 1947, he spotted a Plattenwagen based on the Volkswagen Beetle. This gave him the idea for a Volkswagen commercial vehicle which would become the future Volkswagen Transporter.
Gastarbeiter is German for 'guest worker'. It refers to foreign or migrant workers, particularly those who had moved to West Germany (BRD) mainly in the 1960s and 1970s, seeking work as part of a formal guest worker programme. <br/><br/> Similarly, the Netherlands and Belgium had a parallel scheme called the gastarbeider programme. Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland had similar programmes called arbetskraftsinvandring (workforce-immigration).
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937, Volkswagen is the top-selling and namesake marque of the Volkswagen Group, the holding company created in 1975 for the growing company, and is now the biggest automaker in both Germany and Europe.<br/><br/> Volkswagen has three cars in the top 10 list of best-selling cars of all time: the Volkswagen Golf, the Volkswagen Beetle, and the Volkswagen Passat. With these three cars, Volkswagen has the most cars of any automobile manufacturer in the list that are still being manufactured.
The Peking to Paris motor race was an automobile race, originally held in 1907, between Peking (now Beijing), then Qing China and Paris, France, a distance of 9,317 miles or 14,994 km.<br/><br/> The race started from the French embassy in Peking on 10 June 1907. The winner, Prince Scipione Borghese, arrived in Paris on 10 August 1907.
The Volkswagen Plattenwagen was never sold to the public, and was used only by the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg as a parts runabout.<br/><br/> When Dutch Volkswagen importer Ben Pon visited the Wolfsburg factory in 1947, he spotted a Plattenwagen based on the Volkswagen Beetle. This gave him the idea for a Volkswagen commercial vehicle which would become the future Volkswagen Transporter.
Korea is a historical state in East Asia, since 1945 divided into two distinct sovereign states: North Korea (officially the 'Democratic People's Republic of Korea') and South Korea (officially the 'Republic of Korea'). Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by China to the northwest and Russia to the northeast. It is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait and the East Sea.
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937, Volkswagen is the top-selling and namesake marque of the Volkswagen Group, the holding company created in 1975 for the growing company, and is now the biggest automaker in both Germany and Europe.<br/><br/> Volkswagen has three cars in the top 10 list of best-selling cars of all time: the Volkswagen Golf, the Volkswagen Beetle, and the Volkswagen Passat. With these three cars, Volkswagen has the most cars of any automobile manufacturer in the list that are still being manufactured.
Ben Pon was a Dutch businessman. In 1947, Pon's Automobielhandel ('Pon's Car Dealership'), became the first dealer outside Germany to sell vehicles manufactured by Volkswagen.<br/><br/> On August 8, 1947, Pon became Volkswagen's general importer for the Netherlands. During their first year they received 51 Volkswagen Beetles from Wolfsburg. A sketch made by Pon inspired the engineers at Volkswagen to develop the VW Type 2 Transporter (a van, commonly called the 'VW Bus' or 'VW Transporter'), a vehicle that became a cultural icon for the Hippie generation of the 1960s.<br/><br/> In 1949, the first Beetle was shipped to the United States. Half a million were to follow by 1960. A mere two years later there were one million Beetles in the U.S. Eventually this business made Ben Pon a multimillionaire and one of the richest people in the Netherlands.
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937, Volkswagen is the top-selling and namesake marque of the Volkswagen Group, the holding company created in 1975 for the growing company, and is now the biggest automaker in both Germany and Europe.<br/><br/> Volkswagen has three cars in the top 10 list of best-selling cars of all time: the Volkswagen Golf, the Volkswagen Beetle, and the Volkswagen Passat. With these three cars, Volkswagen has the most cars of any automobile manufacturer in the list that are still being manufactured.
The Calcutta High Court (it retains the old name as it is an institution) was built in a neo-Gothic style in 1872, by the architect Walter Granville.<br/><br/> The tax records of Mughal Emperor Akbar (1584–1598) as well as the work of a 15th century Bengali poet, Bipradaas, both mention a settlement named Kalikata (thought to mean ‘Steps of Kali’ for the Hindu goddess Kali) from which the name Calcutta is believed to derive.<br/><br/> In 1690 Job Charnock, an agent of the East India Company, founded the first modern settlement in this location. In 1698 the company purchased the three villages of Sutanuti, Kolikata and Gobindapur. In 1727 the Calcutta Municipal Corporation was formed and the city’s first mayor was appointed.<br/><br/> In 1756 the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, seized Calcutta and renamed the city Alinagar. He lost control of the city within a year and Calcutta was transferred back to British control. In 1772 Calcutta became the capital of British India on the orders of Governor Warren Hastings.<br/><br/> In 1912 the capital was transferred to New Delhi while Calcutta remained the capital of Bengal. Since independence and partition it has remained the capital and chief city of Indian West Bengal.
The tax records of Mughal Emperor Akbar (1584–1598) as well as the work of a 15th century Bengali poet, Bipradaas, both mention a settlement named Kalikata (thought to mean ‘Steps of Kali’ for the Hindu goddess Kali) from which the name Calcutta is believed to derive.<br/><br/> In 1690 Job Charnock, an agent of the East India Company, founded the first modern settlement in this location. In 1698 the company purchased the three villages of Sutanuti, Kolikata and Gobindapur. In 1727 the Calcutta Municipal Corporation was formed and the city’s first mayor was appointed.<br/><br/> In 1756 the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, seized Calcutta and renamed the city Alinagar. He lost control of the city within a year and Calcutta was transferred back to British control. In 1772 Calcutta became the capital of British India on the orders of Governor Warren Hastings.<br/><br/> In 1912 the capital was transferred to New Delhi while Calcutta remained the capital of Bengal. Since independence and partition it has remained the capital and chief city of Indian West Bengal.
The tax records of Mughal Emperor Akbar (1584–1598) as well as the work of a 15th century Bengali poet, Bipradaas, both mention a settlement named Kalikata (thought to mean ‘Steps of Kali’ for the Hindu goddess Kali) from which the name Calcutta is believed to derive.<br/><br/> In 1690 Job Charnock, an agent of the East India Company, founded the first modern settlement in this location. In 1698 the company purchased the three villages of Sutanuti, Kolikata and Gobindapur. In 1727 the Calcutta Municipal Corporation was formed and the city’s first mayor was appointed.<br/><br/> In 1756 the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, seized Calcutta and renamed the city Alinagar. He lost control of the city within a year and Calcutta was transferred back to British control. In 1772 Calcutta became the capital of British India on the orders of Governor Warren Hastings.<br/><br/> In 1912 the capital was transferred to New Delhi while Calcutta remained the capital of Bengal. Since independence and partition it has remained the capital and chief city of Indian West Bengal.
The tax records of Mughal Emperor Akbar (1584–1598) as well as the work of a 15th century Bengali poet, Bipradaas, both mention a settlement named Kalikata (thought to mean ‘Steps of Kali’ for the Hindu goddess Kali) from which the name Calcutta is believed to derive.<br/><br/> In 1690 Job Charnock, an agent of the East India Company, founded the first modern settlement in this location. In 1698 the company purchased the three villages of Sutanuti, Kolikata and Gobindapur. In 1727 the Calcutta Municipal Corporation was formed and the city’s first mayor was appointed.<br/><br/> In 1756 the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, seized Calcutta and renamed the city Alinagar. He lost control of the city within a year and Calcutta was transferred back to British control. In 1772 Calcutta became the capital of British India on the orders of Governor Warren Hastings.<br/><br/> In 1912 the capital was transferred to New Delhi while Calcutta remained the capital of Bengal. Since independence and partition it has remained the capital and chief city of Indian West Bengal.
The tax records of Mughal Emperor Akbar (1584–1598) as well as the work of a 15th century Bengali poet, Bipradaas, both mention a settlement named Kalikata (thought to mean ‘Steps of Kali’ for the Hindu goddess Kali) from which the name Calcutta is believed to derive.<br/><br/> In 1690 Job Charnock, an agent of the East India Company, founded the first modern settlement in this location. In 1698 the company purchased the three villages of Sutanuti, Kolikata and Gobindapur. In 1727 the Calcutta Municipal Corporation was formed and the city’s first mayor was appointed.<br/><br/> In 1756 the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, seized Calcutta and renamed the city Alinagar. He lost control of the city within a year and Calcutta was transferred back to British control. In 1772 Calcutta became the capital of British India on the orders of Governor Warren Hastings.<br/><br/> In 1912 the capital was transferred to New Delhi while Calcutta remained the capital of Bengal. Since independence and partition it has remained the capital and chief city of Indian West Bengal.
The tax records of Mughal Emperor Akbar (1584–1598) as well as the work of a 15th century Bengali poet, Bipradaas, both mention a settlement named Kalikata (thought to mean ‘Steps of Kali’ for the Hindu goddess Kali) from which the name Calcutta is believed to derive.<br/><br/> In 1690 Job Charnock, an agent of the East India Company, founded the first modern settlement in this location. In 1698 the company purchased the three villages of Sutanuti, Kolikata and Gobindapur. In 1727 the Calcutta Municipal Corporation was formed and the city’s first mayor was appointed.<br/><br/> In 1756 the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, seized Calcutta and renamed the city Alinagar. He lost control of the city within a year and Calcutta was transferred back to British control. In 1772 Calcutta became the capital of British India on the orders of Governor Warren Hastings.<br/><br/> In 1912 the capital was transferred to New Delhi while Calcutta remained the capital of Bengal. Since independence and partition it has remained the capital and chief city of Indian West Bengal.
The tax records of Mughal Emperor Akbar (1584–1598) as well as the work of a 15th century Bengali poet, Bipradaas, both mention a settlement named Kalikata (thought to mean ‘Steps of Kali’ for the Hindu goddess Kali) from which the name Calcutta is believed to derive.<br/><br/> In 1690 Job Charnock, an agent of the East India Company, founded the first modern settlement in this location. In 1698 the company purchased the three villages of Sutanuti, Kolikata and Gobindapur. In 1727 the Calcutta Municipal Corporation was formed and the city’s first mayor was appointed.<br/><br/> In 1756 the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, seized Calcutta and renamed the city Alinagar. He lost control of the city within a year and Calcutta was transferred back to British control. In 1772 Calcutta became the capital of British India on the orders of Governor Warren Hastings.<br/><br/> In 1912 the capital was transferred to New Delhi while Calcutta remained the capital of Bengal. Since independence and partition it has remained the capital and chief city of Indian West Bengal.
The Kunlun Mountains are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 km. In the broadest sense, it forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin and the Gansu Corridor and continues east south of the Wei River to end at the North China Plain.
The Kunlun Mountains are one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending more than 3,000 km. In the broadest sense, it forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin and the Gansu Corridor and continues east south of the Wei River to end at the North China Plain.
The Great Wall (Wanli Changcheng) is one of mankind's greatest achievements and dates back more than two millennia, when a series of shorter walls were systematically linked during the Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE) to protect China’s northern borders.<br/><br/> The Wall, originally built to keep out barbarian invaders from the north, stretches more than 5,900km (3,700 miles) from the Bohai Gulf in the Yellow Sea to Jiayuguan in the mountains of Gansu province. While the bulk of the wall is now in ruins, some sections have been repaired in recent years.<br/><br/> The Ming rulers, who in 1368 put an end to the alien Mongol Yuan dynasty, forcing them back to their ancestral homelands outside the wall, decided to rebuild the Wall into a formidable barrier, the 'Ten Thousand Li Great Wall'. This enormous project took over 100 years, but in the end failed to prevent the invasion of China by the Manchus in the mid-17th century. As a result, much of the wall in northeast China today dates back to the Ming period.
Đèo Văn Long was the French leader of the Autonomous Tai Federation of Northwestern Tonkin in post-war French Indochina.<br/><br/> Under his father Deo Van Tri, he was the scion of a hereditary feudal noble line with roots in Yunnan province. He generated much revenue for the Federation by acting as a middleman in the opium traffic between the Tai Federation and the French.<br/><br/> He compelled the Hmong of the Federation to sell to him at below-market prices, thus making enormous profit from his sales to the French. This made him rich, but severed his relationship with the Hmong of the Federation, who supported the Viet Minh during the First Indochina War. His use of force to suppress Hmong resistance also decreased his popularity with the Hmong.<br/><br/> As the Dien Bien Phu campaign came to an end, he was helicoptered away to Hanoi. He later immigrated to France as a refugee, but died shortly thereafter. He was succeeded by Deo Nang Toi.
The Second Indochina War, known in America as the Vietnam War, was a Cold War era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of South Vietnam, supported by the U.S. and other anti-communist nations. The U.S. government viewed involvement in the war as a way to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam and part of their wider strategy of containment.<br/><br/> The North Vietnamese government viewed the war as a colonial war, fought initially against France, backed by the U.S., and later against South Vietnam, which it regarded as a U.S. puppet state. U.S. military advisors arrived beginning in 1950. U.S. involvement escalated in the early 1960s, with U.S. troop levels tripling in 1961 and tripling again in 1962. U.S. combat units were deployed beginning in 1965. Operations spanned borders, with Laos and Cambodia heavily bombed. Involvement peaked in 1968 at the time of the Tet Offensive.<br/><br/> U.S. military involvement ended on 15 August 1973. The capture of Saigon by the North Vietnamese army in April 1975 marked the end of the US-Vietnam War.
Phuket, formerly known as Thalang and, in Western sources, Junk Ceylon (a corruption of the Malay Tanjung Salang or 'Cape Salang'), is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are Phang Nga and Krabi, but as Phuket is an island it has no land boundaries.<br/><br/> Phuket, which is approximately the size of Singapore, is Thailand’s largest island. The island is connected to mainland Thailand by two bridges. It is situated off the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea. Phuket formerly derived its wealth from tin and rubber, and enjoyed a rich and colorful history. The island was on one of the major trading routes between India and China, and was frequently mentioned in foreign ship logs of Portuguese, French, Dutch and English traders. The region now derives much of its income from tourism.
Malaysia has its origins in the Malay Kingdoms present in the area which, from the 18th century, became subject to the British Empire. The first British territories were known as the Straits Settlements, whose establishment was followed by the Malay kingdoms becoming British protectorates. The territories on Peninsular Malaysia were first unified as the Malayan Union in 1946.<br/><br/>Although the British were initially reluctant to establish a colonial presence in Malaya, increasing investment in the tin mines brought a great influx of Chinese immigrants who formed rival clan groups allied with Malay chiefs and local gangsters which all fought for control of the mines.
World War One was to have a devastating impact on Russia. When World War One started in August 1914, Russia responded by patriotically rallying around Nicholas II.<br/><br/> Military disasters at the Masurian Lakes and Tannenburg greatly weakened the Russian Army in the initial phases of the war. The growing influence of Gregory Rasputin over the Romanov’s did a great deal to damage the royal family and by the end of the spring of 1917, the Romanovs, who had ruled Russia for just over 300 years, were no longer in charge of a Russia that had been taken over by Kerensky and the Provisional Government.<br/><br/> By the end of 1917, the Bolsheviks led by Lenin had taken power in the major cities of Russia and introduced communist rule in those areas it controlled. The transition in Russia over the space of four years was remarkable – the fall of an autocracy and the establishment of the world’s first communist government.
International attention to Shanghai grew in the 19th century due to its economic and trade potential at the Yangtze River. During the First Opium War (1839–1842), British forces temporarily held the city. The war ended with the 1842 Treaty of Nanjing, opening Shanghai and other ports to international trade. In 1863, the British settlement, located to the south of Suzhou creek (Huangpu district), and the American settlement, to the north of Suzhou creek (Hongkou district), joined in order to form the International Settlement.<br/><br/>The French opted out of the Shanghai Municipal Council, and maintained its own French Concession. Citizens of many countries and all continents came to Shanghai to live and work during the ensuing decades; those who stayed for long periods called themselves 'Shanghailanders'. In the 1920s and 30s, some 20,000 so-called White Russians and Russian Jews fled the newly established Soviet Union and took up residence in Shanghai. By 1932, Shanghai had become the world's fifth largest city and home to 70,000 foreigners.
World War One was to have a devastating impact on Russia. When World War One started in August 1914, Russia responded by patriotically rallying around Nicholas II.<br/><br/> Military disasters at the Masurian Lakes and Tannenburg greatly weakened the Russian Army in the initial phases of the war. The growing influence of Gregory Rasputin over the Romanov’s did a great deal to damage the royal family and by the end of the spring of 1917, the Romanovs, who had ruled Russia for just over 300 years, were no longer in charge of a Russia that had been taken over by Kerensky and the Provisional Government.<br/><br/> By the end of 1917, the Bolsheviks led by Lenin had taken power in the major cities of Russia and introduced communist rule in those areas it controlled. The transition in Russia over the space of four years was remarkable – the fall of an autocracy and the establishment of the world’s first communist government.
In modern Chinese history, White Terror (Báisè Kǒngbù) describes a period of political suppression enacted by the Kuomintang party under the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek.<br/><br/> It began in 1927 following the purge of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai. On April 12, 1927, Chiang initiated a purge of Communists from the Shanghai Kuomintang and began large-scale killings in the Shanghai massacre of 1927. Chiang's forces turned machine guns on 100,000 workers who had taken to the streets in labour union demonstrations, killing more than 5,000 people.<br/><br/> Throughout April 1927 in Shanghai, more than 12,000 people were killed or had disappeared. The Chinese Communist Party was virtually extinguished. At the beginning of 1927, the Chinese Communist Party had about 60,000 members.<br/><br/> By the end of the year, no more than 10,000 remained. Following the Shanghai massacres, Mao Zedong and the CCP adopted the road of agrarian revolution, based on the rural peasantry rather than the urban proletariat.
Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Malay-Indonesian archipelago of Nusantara during the Colonial era.<br/><br/> Members of this community in Malaysia identify themselves as 'Nyonya-Baba' or 'Baba-Nyonya'. Nyonya is the term for the females and Baba for males. It applies especially to the ethnic Chinese populations of the British Straits Settlements of Malaya and the Dutch-controlled island of Java and other locations, who adopted partially or in full Malay-Indonesian customs to become partially assimilated into the local communities.<br/><br/> While the term Peranakan is most commonly used among the ethnic Chinese for those of Chinese descent also known as Straits Chinese (土生華人; named after the Straits Settlements), it may also be applied to the Baba-Yaya community in Phuket and other provinces of southern Thailand.
Soong May-ling or Soong Mei-ling, also known as Madame Chiang Kai-shek (traditional Chinese: 宋美齡; simplified Chinese: 宋美龄; pinyin: Sòng Měilíng; March 5, 1898 – October 23, 2003) was a First Lady of the Republic of China (ROC), the wife of former President Chiang Kai-shek (蔣中正 / 蔣介石).<br/><br/> Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945), commonly known by his initials FDR, was an American statesman and political leader who served as the 32nd President of the United States. A Democrat, he was elected four times and served from March 1933 to his death in April 1945. He was a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic depression and total war.<br/><br/> A dominant leader of the Democratic Party, he built a New Deal Coalition that realigned American politics after 1932, as his New Deal domestic policies defined American liberalism for the middle third of the 20th century.
World War One was to have a devastating impact on Russia. When World War One started in August 1914, Russia responded by patriotically rallying around Nicholas II.<br/><br/> Military disasters at the Masurian Lakes and Tannenburg greatly weakened the Russian Army in the initial phases of the war. The growing influence of Gregory Rasputin over the Romanov’s did a great deal to damage the royal family and by the end of the spring of 1917, the Romanovs, who had ruled Russia for just over 300 years, were no longer in charge of a Russia that had been taken over by Kerensky and the Provisional Government.<br/><br/> By the end of 1917, the Bolsheviks led by Lenin had taken power in the major cities of Russia and introduced communist rule in those areas it controlled. The transition in Russia over the space of four years was remarkable – the fall of an autocracy and the establishment of the world’s first communist government.
Shanghai (Chinese: 上 海; Pinyin Shànghǎi) is one of the largest cities by population in the People's Republic of China, and the world. The city is located in eastern China, at the middle portion of the Chinese coast, and sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River. Due to its rapid growth over the last two decades it has again become a global city, exerting influence over finance, commerce, fashion, technology and culture.<br/><br/> Once a fishing and textiles town, Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th century due to its favourable port location and was one of the cities opened to foreign trade by the 1842 Treaty of Nanking. The city then flourished as a centre of commerce between east and west, and became a multinational hub of finance and business in the 1930s. However, with the Communist Party takeover of the mainland in 1949, the city's international influence declined.<br/><br/> In 1990, the economic reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping resulted in an intense re-development of the city, aiding the return of finance and foreign investment to the city. Shanghai is now aiming to be an international shipping centre in the future, and is one of the world's major financial centres.<br/><br/> Shanghai is also a popular tourist destination renowned for its historical landmarks such as The Bund, City God Temple and Yuyuan Garden, as well as the extensive and growing Pudong skyline. It is described as the 'showpiece' of the booming economy of mainland China.<br/><br/>
Dian Lake (Chinese: 滇池; pinyin: Diān Chí) or Kunming Lake (Chinese: 昆明湖; pinyin: Kūnmíng Hú) is a large inter-land lake located on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau close to Kunming, Yunnan Province. Its nickname is 'Sparkling Pearl Embedded in a Highland,' and it was the model for the Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace in Beijing.<br/><br/> It is a freshwater fault lake at 1,886.5 m (6,189 ft) above sea level. The lake covers 298 km2 (115 sq mi). It is 39 km (24 mi) long from north to south, and the average depth is 4.4 m (14 ft). It is the eighth largest lake in China and the largest in Yunnan Province.<br/><br/> Western Hills Forest Reserve (simplified Chinese: 西山森林公园; traditional Chinese: 西山森林公園; pinyin: Xī Shān Sēnlín Gōngyuán) lies in the Biji Mountain chain to the west of Kunming, China. It is visible from the eastern or northern banks of Dianchi Lake.
Dian Lake (Chinese: 滇池; pinyin: Diān Chí) or Kunming Lake (Chinese: 昆明湖; pinyin: Kūnmíng Hú) is a large inter-land lake located on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau close to Kunming, Yunnan Province. Its nickname is 'Sparkling Pearl Embedded in a Highland,' and it was the model for the Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace in Beijing.<br/><br/> It is a freshwater fault lake at 1,886.5 m (6,189 ft) above sea level. The lake covers 298 km2 (115 sq mi). It is 39 km (24 mi) long from north to south, and the average depth is 4.4 m (14 ft). It is the eighth largest lake in China and the largest in Yunnan Province.<br/><br/> Western Hills Forest Reserve (simplified Chinese: 西山森林公园; traditional Chinese: 西山森林公園; pinyin: Xī Shān Sēnlín Gōngyuán) lies in the Biji Mountain chain to the west of Kunming, China. It is visible from the eastern or northern banks of Dianchi Lake.
Qixing Gongyuan or Seven Star Park gained its name from the position of its seven hills, which suggest the pattern of the Plough (Big Dipper) constellation. The park has been a tourist attraction for more than 1,000 years.<br/><br/> The name Guilin means ‘Cassia Woods’ and is named after the osmanthus (cassia) blossoms that bloom throughout the autumn period.<br/><br/> Guilin is the scene of China’s most famous landscapes, inspiring thousands of paintings over many centuries. The ‘finest mountains and rivers under heaven’ are so inspiring that poets, artists and tourists have made this China’s number one natural attraction.
Guiyang is the capital of China's Guizhou province and is situated on the east of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, and on the north bank of the Nanming River, a branch of the Wu River. It was first constructed as early as 1283 AD during the Yuan Dynasty. It was originally called Shunyuan (順元), meaning obeying the Yuan (the Mongol rulers).
Guiyang is the capital of China's Guizhou province and is situated on the east of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, and on the north bank of the Nanming River, a branch of the Wu River. It was first constructed as early as 1283 AD during the Yuan Dynasty. It was originally called Shunyuan (順元), meaning obeying the Yuan (the Mongol rulers).
Guiyang is the capital of China's Guizhou province and is situated on the east of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, and on the north bank of the Nanming River, a branch of the Wu River. It was first constructed as early as 1283 AD during the Yuan Dynasty. It was originally called Shunyuan (順元), meaning obeying the Yuan (the Mongol rulers).
Wulingyuan Scenic Reserve (Chinese: 武陵源; pinyin: Wǔlíng Yuán) is a scenic and historic interest area in Hunan Province. It is noted for its approximately 3,100 tall quartzite sandstone pillars, some of which are over 800 metres (2,600 ft) in height and are a type of karst formation. In 1992 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Wulingyuan Scenic Reserve (Chinese: 武陵源; pinyin: Wǔlíng Yuán) is a scenic and historic interest area in Hunan Province. It is noted for its approximately 3,100 tall quartzite sandstone pillars, some of which are over 800 metres (2,600 ft) in height and are a type of karst formation. In 1992 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Wulingyuan Scenic Reserve (Chinese: 武陵源; pinyin: Wǔlíng Yuán) is a scenic and historic interest area in Hunan Province. It is noted for its approximately 3,100 tall quartzite sandstone pillars, some of which are over 800 metres (2,600 ft) in height and are a type of karst formation. In 1992 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Wulingyuan Scenic Reserve (Chinese: 武陵源; pinyin: Wǔlíng Yuán) is a scenic and historic interest area in Hunan Province. It is noted for its approximately 3,100 tall quartzite sandstone pillars, some of which are over 800 metres (2,600 ft) in height and are a type of karst formation. In 1992 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Wulingyuan Scenic Reserve (Chinese: 武陵源; pinyin: Wǔlíng Yuán) is a scenic and historic interest area in Hunan Province. It is noted for its approximately 3,100 tall quartzite sandstone pillars, some of which are over 800 metres (2,600 ft) in height and are a type of karst formation. In 1992 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937, Volkswagen is the top-selling and namesake marque of the Volkswagen Group, the holding company created in 1975 for the growing company, and is now the biggest automaker in both Germany and Europe.<br/><br/> Volkswagen has three cars in the top 10 list of best-selling cars of all time: the Volkswagen Golf, the Volkswagen Beetle, and the Volkswagen Passat. With these three cars, Volkswagen has the most cars of any automobile manufacturer in the list that are still being manufactured.
Phuket, formerly known as Talang and, in Western sources, Junk Ceylon (a corruption of the Malay Tanjung Salang, i.e. 'Cape Salang'), is one of the southern provinces (changwat) of Thailand. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Phang Nga and Krabi, but as Phuket is an island there are no land boundaries.<br/><br/> Phuket, which is approximately the size of Singapore, is Thailand’s largest island. The island is connected to mainland Thailand by two bridges. It is situated off the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea.<br/><br/> Phuket formerly derived its wealth from tin and rubber, and enjoyed a rich and colorful history. The island was on one of the major trading routes between India and China, and was frequently mentioned in foreign ship logs of Portuguese, French, Dutch and English traders. The region now derives much of its income from tourism.