Cormorant

cormorant (kôr´mərənt), common name for large aquatic birds, related to the gannet and the pelican, and found chiefly in temperate and tropical regions, usually on the sea but also on inland waters. Cormorants are 2 to 3 ft (61–92 cm) long, with thick, generally dark plumage and green eyes. The feet are webbed, and the bill is long with the upper mandible terminally hooked. Expert swimmers, cormorants pursue fish underwater. In Asia they are used by fishermen who collar the leashed birds to prevent them from swallowing the catch. The double-crested cormorant of the Atlantic coast, Brandt's cormorant of the Pacific coast, and the red-faced cormorant, Phalacrocorax urile, are common forms. The glossy black European cormorant is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere. A South American cormorant is a source of guano. The great cormorant nests high in trees or, as in other species, on steep, rocky sea cliffs. Two to six eggs per clutch are laid by the female. The young are born blind, and the parents feed the nestlings with half-digested food which is dropped into the nests. Later, the young birds poke their heads into the gullet of the adults to feed. Cormorants are long-lived; a banded one was observed after 18 years. Cormorants are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Pelecaniformes, family Phalacrocoracidae. [source: encyclopedia.com]

Thank you very much Jarven!

Sunwu garden on Qionglong hill (Zang Shu), Wuzhong district.

Qionglong Hill Scenic District of Forest-ranger is located west of Suzhou, on north bank of Taihu Lake. It can reach the scenic area through 230 provincial road, Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway, Suzhou-Jiaxing-Hangzhou Expressway, belt highway. It has land area of about 18km2, governing 2 communities with total population about 5000.

It is the place of the highest hill of Suzhou with altitude of 341.7m. It has wide region, forest and beautiful scene, combining the culture of politics, military affairs, religion, literature. The ancient strategist Sunwu once lived here and accomplished the world famous《Sunwuzi Military Science》, and Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty visited here for 6 times, left many stories; Xihan Dynasty minister Zhumaichen once studied and chopped firewood here; the famous anti-Jin dynasty general Hanshizhong met his troops here and built temple to enjoy the moon scene; the recent period famous personage, Patriotic personages of Mr. Ligenyuan bought a piece of land and buried his mother here, and also met many famous personage here and left many pieces of petroglyph, which made here being named as “The Museum of Open Air Calligraphy Art”. 

In 2008, Qionglong hill scenic zone succeeded in establishing national 4A level scenic zone. At present, it is in full power to construct the infrastructure of the scenic zone and the supplemental tourism projects, to build the cultural brand tourism with the main line of Sunzi military science, the supplemental line of religion amd historic culture, the basis of ecologic natural resources. The annual China Suzhou Qionglong Hill Sunzi Military Cultural Festival attracts many military experts from more than 10 countries home and abroad, which greatly raises the reputation of Wuzhong District home and abroad. The average increase rates of tourists and integrative annual income are over 30%. [source: szwz.gov.cn]

Thank you very much...someone who didn't wrote her name on the card, and hasn't noted her name on her postcrossing profile :p

Lhasa, Tibet

Some very colorful stamps including a great cancellation that depicts the same building on the postcard, Potala palace.

Tibet: the Land of Snows, the roof of the world. For centuries this mysterious Buddhist kingdom, locked away in its mountain fastness of the Himalaya, has exercised a unique hold on the imagination of the West. For explorers, imperialists and traders it was a forbidden land of treasure and riches. Dreamers on a spiritual quest have long whispered of a lost Shangri-la, steeped in magic and mystery. When the doors were finally flung open in the mid-1980s, Tibet lay in ruins. Between 1950 and 1970, the Chinese wrested control of the plateau, drove the Tibetans’ spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and some 100, 000 of Tibet’s finest into exile and systematically dismantled most of the Tibetan cultural and historical heritage, all in the name of revolution. For a while images of the Buddha were replaced by icons of Chairman Mao. Today, Tibetan pilgrims across the country are once again mumbling mantras and swinging their prayer wheels in temples that are heavy with the thick intoxicating aroma of juniper incense and yak butter. Monasteries have been restored across the country, along with limited religious freedoms. A walk around Lhasa’s lively Barkhor pilgrimage circuit is proof enough that the efforts of the communist Chinese to build a brave new (roof of the) world have foundered on the remarkable and inspiring faith of the Tibetan people.

For travellers, Tibet is without doubt one of the most remarkable places to visit in Asia. It offers fabulous monastery sights, breathtaking high-altitude treks, stunning views of the world’s highest mountains and one of the most likeable peoples you will ever meet. There's Gyantse, in the Nyang-chu Valley, famed for the largest chörten (stupa) in Tibet, and hiking in Yarlung Valley, widely considered the cradle of Tibetan civilization. Base yourself in Tsetang and marvel at the monkey cave in Gangpo Ri or walk the monastery kora (pilgrim path). Your trip will take you past glittering mountain turquoise lakes and over high passes draped with prayer flags. Find a quiet spot in a prayer hall full of chanting monks, hike past the ruins of remote hermitages or make an epic overland trip along some of the world’s wildest roads. The scope for adventure is limitless.

For many people, Tibet is a uniquely spiritual place. Those moments of peace, fleeting and precious, when everything seems to be in its proper place, seem to come more frequently in Tibet, whether inspired by the devotion apparent in the face of a pilgrim or the dwarfing scale of a beautiful landscape. Tibet can truly claim to be on a higher plain.

This remarkable place is changing fast. Investment and tourism are flooding into the region, inspired by a new train line from China, and GDP is rising even faster than the train tracks to Lhasa. Unfortunately the modernisation is coming first and foremost on China’s terms. China’s current wave of tourists has been dubbed the ‘second invasion’, with a slew of new hotels, restaurants and bars set up and run by Chinese for Chinese. Once the remote preserve of hardy backpackers, it is now local Chinese tourists who dominate the queues for the Potala and Jokhang. Lhasa is booming and even small towns across the plateau are being modernised and rebuilt. With every passing month Tibet looks less and less like itself.

The myths and propaganda that have grown up around Tibet can be so enticing, so pervasive and so entrenched that it’s hard to see the place through balanced eyes. The reality is that Tibet is no fragile Shangri-la but a resilient land underpinned by a unique culture and faith. But you are never far from the reality of politics here. For anyone who travels with their eyes open, a visit to Tibet will be memorable and fascinating, but also a sobering experience. It’s a place that’s likely to change the way you see the world and that will remain with you for years to come. And that’s surely the definition of the very best kind of travel. [source: lonelyplanet]

Thank you very much Peter!

Guǎngzhōu

Known to many in the West as ‘Canton’, Guǎngzhōu is the first city most travellers to mainland China visit. Wrapped in a perpetual haze of pink smog and flashing neon lights, the city overwhelms with its energy, colour, and sheer size. Influenced by neighbouring Hong Kong, consumerism has swept up the city in a head-spinning frenzy, but scratch away Guǎngzhōu’s glittery surface and you’ll find a place quite special among China’s major urban centres. It just takes some time to grow on you.

It wasn’t long ago that Guǎngzhōu exemplified the worst of rampant urbanisation: never-ending flyovers, ugly architecture and traffic-clogged streets. In recent years, the city has been given a makeover and its scrubbed-up appearance has given it a cosmopolitan edge. Stodgy concrete apartment blocks are giving way to shiny high rises and shopping plazas. Efforts to relieve traffic congestion have resulted in a clean, modern metro system and tougher traffic laws. Trees and flowers have been planted on roadsides and well-kept gardens and parks add splashes of colour to the contemporary grey landscape.

The city remains as chaotic as ever, but underneath all the glitz and noise there are pockets that still retain their character from earlier years. Many of the elegant churches, villas and mansions on the former foreign enclave of Shamian Island have been restored, and you’ll find hidden among Guǎngzhōu’s back lanes some lovely old residences, temples and gardens that haven’t been touched in generations.

Of course, you can’t talk about Guǎngzhōu without mentioning the food. It’s here that you’ll try Cantonese cuisine cooked at its very best. The city boasts the largest number of restaurants per capita in China; the Cantonese will make certain you won’t leave their city hungry. [source: lonelyplanet]

Thank you YuWei!

Scenery of Jiuzhaigou

Located in the north of Sichuan Province, Jiuzhaigou County (previously known as Nanping County until being renamed in 1998) is part of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. Since the opening of the Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area in 1984, visitors have flocked to the region year by year, and the prosperous tourist industry now accounts for a large proportion of local revenue.

Lying on the highest tableland in the world between the Sichuan Basin and the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Jiuzhaigou Valley covers altitudes ranging from 2,000 meters (656,168 feet) to about 4,300 meters (14,107,612 feet). With its large number of lake groups, waterfalls and rich variety of endangered plants and fauna, Jiuzhaigou was awarded the status of UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve in 1997 and was also recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. The reserve has received a string of other titles including that of a National Geological Park, a AAAA Class Scenic Spot in China and a Green Globe 21.

With some of the most beautiful and inspiring scenery on earth and some of the reserves scenic spots considered holy by the local Tibetan and Qiang people, it is no wonder a number of mysterious legends surround the wonderful landscape of Jiuzhaigou. Many people are drawn to the area for these reasons, and with the park open all year round the authorities have ensured that the fragile environment is sufficiently protected with a range of comprehensive tourist facilities. [source: fnetravel.com]