Amazing Tourist and Trucking place in China to visit -- "Shanxi"

Shanxi province is a beautiful place in China. It looks fantastic and truly amazing on these photos. Shanxi Province got its name due to its location to the west of Taihang Mountain. Shanxi neighbored on Hebei, Henan, Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia & Autonomous Region. It is located to the east of the Yellow River, and is also known as Hedong. Shanxi belonged to Jin State in Spring and Autumn Period, so it is abbreviated in Jin. Shanxi occupies an area of 156,000 square kilometers and has a population of over 32 million, including its minority ethnic population. Its capital is Taiyuan City.

Being at a high altitude, Shanxi Province has a cold and dry climate and has an annual rainfall of between 400-600 millimeters. The province is also frequently plagued by sandstorms, especially in the spring, so it is often useful to bring along both sunglasses and a hat when visiting. Generally speaking, the province’s climate is the best between May and October. Shanxi is one of the birth places of Chinese civilizations with a long history and traditional culture. As early as one hundred million years ago, the ancestors of the Chinese lived and propagated in this region. Legend tells us that the Yellow Emperor, founder of the Chinese nation, once lived in Shanxi for a certain period. Today, many Neolithic sites from that period can still be seen dotted across the vast expanse of the province.

Shaanxi is also abundant in natural beauty beyond its rich historical legacy. As one of the five best-known mountains in China, Mt. Huashan, 120 kilometers east of Xian, is famous for its breath-taking cliffs and awe-inspiring landscape. The Hukou Waterfall on Yellow River, the second biggest one in China, is very overbearing and magnificent. And Moutain Lishan and the nearby Huaqing Hot Springs  are very attractive. Their beautiful legends will bring you into a moving love story between emperor Xuanzong and a beauty named Yang Yuhuan. Shaanxi is both a base area of Chinese new-democratic revolution and a place with unique folk customs. The loud resounding Shaanxi opera, the joyous clattering of gongs and drums, the exquisite cut – paper art and the peasants’ paintings full of a rich flavor of life attract more and more tourists’ attention from home and abroad.

 

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Amazing World Archipelago in Dubai

The World is an archipelago of artificial islands, shaped like the continents of the Earth, being constructed off the coast of Dubai. The project is inspired by the artificial Palm Islands also being built in Dubai. The World will consist of 250 to 300 smaller private artificial islands divided into four categories — private homes, estate homes, dream resorts, and community islands. The entire project is slated for completion in 2008. Development has already started on The World, the northern-most breakwater and several unlandscaped islands visible on Google Earth. There will be numerous marinas scattered around the area to shelter and service boats.(Source Wikipedia)

The World was serviced by four major transportation hubs linked by waterways. Land parcels are zoned for various uses: estate, mid density, high density, resorts and commercial.[8] A Dubai Infinity Holdings construction planner has stated that developers have been negotiating with Nakheel about temporary siting of a cement batching plant on one of the islands to supply subdivided construction.[9]

Utilities are routed underwater, with water plants at each of the hubs pumping fresh water to the islands. Power is supplied by the Dubai Grid and distributed through underwater cables. Waste water and refuse systems are an individual concern for each island.[8]

Nakheel Group is itself further developing a resort named Coral Island over 20 islands that make up the North American part of The World. The low-rise development will include a marina and hotel village.[10] The second largest confirmed development is the purchase of 14 islands that make up Australia and New Zealand by Investment Dar of Kuwait. The islands are being terraformed to be developed as a resort named OQYANA.[11] Irish business consortium Larionovo had plans to develop the Ireland island into an Irish-themed resort.[12] The plans include a large internal marina, apartments and villas, a gym, hotel, and an Irish-themed pub. In July 2007 it was announced that the Ireland Island would feature a recreation of Northern Ireland's Giants Causeway. However on 25 November 2008 a provisional liquidator was appointed to Larionovo.[13]

In April 2008, Salya Corporation announced that it had acquired the islands of Finland and Brunei in The World and planned to develop them into fashion-themed resorts. Salya spent about Dh800 million ($218 million USD) to purchase the islands and plans to spend a further Dh2.4 billion ($654 million USD) on development. Brunei Island will be turned into a Fashion TV resort and Finland Island will be turned into a fashion community called FTV palace.[14]

The islands of Great Britain and Moscow on The World were acquired by Premier Real Estate Bureau in the Summer of 2008. The news was leaked in a Daily Mail article of January 2009, refuting claims that Great Britain was owned by Irish investor John Dolan, Richard Branson or Rod Stewart.[15] Safi Qurashi, the multi-millionaire entrepreneur at the head of Premier and his business partner Mustafa Nagri, paid an estimated $64 million USD for the 11-acre (45,000 m2) piece of land. Premier are planning to build a sustainable community on the island.

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The Palm Islands - Dubai's Eigth Wonder of the World.

The Palm Islands, also referred to as The Palm Dubai and The Palms, are the world's three largest man-made islands, which are being built on the coast of the emirate of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The project is being handled by Al Nakheel Properties (Nakheel Corporation), which will increase Dubai's shoreline by 120km (72 miles) and create a large number of residential, leisure, and entertainment areas. The idea was first announced in May 2002 and the two manmade freehold artificial palm tree-shaped resort islands are expected to maintain Dubai's position as a premium tourist destination. The Palm Islands has also been named 'The Eighth Wonder of the World'.

The two Dubai islands, The Palm Jumeirah and The Palm Jebel Ali, will be built in the shape of date palm trees and consist of a trunk; a crown with 17 fronds; and a surrounding crescent island - the back of which forms the breakwater. Collectively, the island will support more than 60 luxury hotels, 4,000 exclusive residential villas (sale), 1,000 unique water homes (sale), 5,000 shoreline apartments (sale), marinas, water theme parks, restaurants, shopping malls, sports facilities, health spas, cinemas and various dive sites.

Its Development

The project took four years of methodical planning and exhaustive feasibility studies in Dubai, ensuring that the islands would not disrupt the environment. The first stage of the development of The Palm Islands, includes the construction of the land foundations, which involves sand transfer and rock placement. Following this, the next stage will involve the building of infrastructure and services, as well as the 300 meter (990 feet) bridges linking the islands to the mainland. The final stage consists of the construction of homes, townhouses, and apartments.

More Dubai Wonders

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Fantastic 10 Ladies in 2010 in All Industries.

01. Chloe Moretz

2010 was the year of the teen fashion icon and Chloë Moretz, just 13, came out on top as the reigning queen. Hand posed just so on her hip, or peering out from behind her sweeeping bob, she was seen at all the best fashion parties, wearing labels such as Chanel and Miu Miu, and giving the air of a much older fashion pro. At a party hosted by Miuccia Prada in London she arrived arm-in-arm with Emma Roberts. She rose to fame after her role as a foul-mouthed hit girl in “Kick-Ass” and is currently filming “Hugo Cabret”, directed by Martin Scorsese. There’s a reason why Karl Lagerfeld loves her. Want to know who’s going to be the next big thing in 2011? Here are the top ten fashionable faces of 2011, after the break...

02. Isabel Lucas

Australian actress Isabel Lucas had her breakout moment in “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”, alongside Megan Fox. Hollywood casting agents love the 25 year-old brunette, who recently had “a moment” on the red carpet at the premiere of Sofia Coppola’s latest film, “Somewhere”, in head-to-toe Louis Vuitton.

03. Tali Lennox

The beautiful daughter of pop veteran Annie, Tali Lennox, was our favourite social butterfly of 2010. The model embodies quirky London style; at the opening of the Christian Dior store in London last month, she paired a lighter-than-air, floaty cocktail dress with a black fedora. Here she is in “Black Swan”-inspired corset with lace. Watch out Alexa Chung..

04. Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley

In 2010, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley proved she could do more than land the best advertising campaigns and a lucrative contract with Victoria’s Secret. She can act too, landing the lead role in the third Transformers movie opposite Shia LeBeouf and snapping the role away from Megan Fox. The film comes out in June 2011 and we know Huntington-Whiteley will be pulling out all the stops on red carpets across the globe. We see the role of Bond Girl in her future.

05. Kate Middleton

The eyes of the world will be on the future Queen of England when she marries Prince William in April. The feverish speculation over her wedding dress has spawned hundreds of designer sketches from the fashion world’s greatest names. Her style is endlessly compared to Princess Diana’s, while her love of high street fashion is also worthy of praise. The Issa dress she wore on the day her engagement was announced sold out online withing 24 hours, and Reiss is hurriedly remaking the past season dress she wore in the official portrait taken by Mario Testino.

06. Abbie Cornish

Abbie Cornish’s career has been bubbling away under the surface for years. We think 2011 will be the year she comes out on top. She has three big films on the way: the first is a starring role in Madonna’s film, W.E., about King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. Next she will be seen in Sucker Punch, a fantasy-world thriller directed by Zach Snyder (Watchmen). If that wasn’t enough, she will be appearing opposite Robert De Niro in Limitless
.
07. Romola Garai

Romola Garai is going to have two big things next year: “One Day” (with Anne Hathaway) and a new British TV series, “The Hour” (set behind the scenes of a broadcast newsroom in 1956). We’re counting on “The Hour”, written by BAFTA-winning Abi Morgan, to deliver a “Mad Men” fix of period costumes, burgeoning sexual politics and retro media shenanigans. Garai, Dominic West and Ben Whishaw form the central love triangle of Bel and her rivals Freddie and Hector. Will Bel be the new Peggy Olsen? Only time will tell.

08. Saoirse Ronan

Irish actress, Saoirse (pronounced “seer-sha”) Ronan has that rare chameleon quality. As the wide-eyed younger sister to Keira Knightley in “Atonement” she won critical acclaim. It landed her the lead role in Peter Jackson’s “The Lovely Bones”, opposite Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg and Susan Sarandon. Next she appears with Cate Blanchett in Hanna, and as Effie in “Effie Gray” (along with Orlando Bloom and Emma Thompson) about the relationship between Victorian artist John Ruskin and his teenage bride … We told you 2011 would be the year of the teens.

09. Lindsey Wixson

Model of the moment Lindsey Wixson made her catwalk debut at the spring/summer 2010 shows in New York aged just 15. She was immediately whisked off to Milan to open the spring/summer 2010 Prada show on an exclusive – meaning she could only walk for Prada. She appeared as the face of the last two Miu Miu campaigns, clocking up an impressive portfolio of magazine spreads and covers, and was recently confirmed as the new face of Marc Jacobs and Mulberry for spring.


10. Edie Campbell

Edie Campbell has already won a coveted spot on Vogue’s best-dressed list, and has appeared alongside Kate Moss in the Burberry campaigns. With her rock star boyfriend, Johnny Borrell in tow, she will be cutting a rug in London all year, as fashion’s new Penelope Tree.

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Amazing Wind-powered rotating skyscraper(Tower) in Dubai

 Residents of Dubai may one day experience a unique and constantly changing skyline thanks to Dynamic Architecture’s wind powered rotating skyscraper. The main idea behind their concept involves a central concrete core surrounded by 59 independently rotating levels. The skyscraper would generate its own electricity from the massive horizontal wind turbines that would be stacked in between each floor. This idea may seem outlandish or impossibly expensive, but the oil price boom in Dubai has already funded many other similarly massive and complex architectural projects. If oil prices continue to increase these rotating wonders may be seen on Dubai’s horizon within the next few years.

Innovative Architect

 
The rotating towers are the vision of Dr. David Fisher, an accomplished Italian Architect focused on designing “Dynamic Architecture” or “Designing buildings that can adjust themselves to the needs of its inhabitants.” Fisher has been involved in building restoration projects in New York and is currently working to develop revolutionary construction technologies. Fisher’s designs are built in the factory and assembled on site, significantly reducing the construction time and number of workers.

Revolutionary Construction

Skyscraper Construction The first phase of construction will take about six months. A central concrete core is erected to house important static amenities like elevators, staircases, plumbing and other utilities. This is the only part of the project which must be built on site. The 12 individual units that make up each floor are prefabricated in a factory in order to ensure safety, cost effectiveness and quality control. Each unit is self-contained and includes all necessary electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning. Units are hooked on to the building and hoisted up to the top of the tower. It takes one week to rotate the entire floor into (watch the construction animation). The tower is effectively built from the top-down. The fact that each unit is independent and moves with the wind ensures a much higher resistance to earthquakes.

Self Powered Architecture

 
Neatly stacked in between each floor is a horizontal wind turbine (58 in total). Each turbine can produce 0.3 megawatt of electricity and is said to be able to produce enough energy for 50 families. The turbines are integrated in such a way that they are hardly visible from the outside. Their close proximity makes them easy to maintain. “Producing that much electric energy without any implication on the aesthetic aspect of the building is a revolutionary step in tapping alternative energy sources.” Dynamic Architecture’s website also claims that combined with solar panels they could generate up to $7million worth of surplus electricity every year.

    Each turbine can produce 0.3 megawatt of electricity, compared to 1-1.5 megawatt generated by a normal vertical turbine (windmill). Considering that Dubai gets 4,000 wind hours annually, the turbines incorporated into the building can generate 1,200,000 kilowatt-hour of energy. As average annual power consumption of a family is estimated to be 24,000 kilowatt-hours, each turbine can supply energy for about 50 families. The Dynamic Architecture tower in Dubai will be having 200 apartments and hence four turbines can take care of their energy needs. The surplus clean energy produced by the remaining 44 turbines can light up the neighborhood of the building. However, taking into consideration that the average wind speed in Dubai is of only 16 km/h the architects may need to double the number of turbines to light up the building to eight. Still there will be 40 free turbines, good enough to supply power for five skyscrapers of the same size.

There is no construction date. We’ve listed a few links and forums topics here for further research.

And also see the Dubai 9 Wonders

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