pyramids of cairo.kmz

To take full advantage of the interactivity of this site, you will need to download and install Google Earth. We hope you will enjoy your tours of the Marvels of the World and come back often for new experiences. Remember that each time you click on a Google Earth hyperlink (KMZ file) you should look for and open a video or envelope symbol for more information about the place you are visiting.

China

China has one of the world's oldest people and continuous civilizations, consisting of states and cultures dating back more than six millennia. It has the world's longest continuously used written language system, and is the source of many major inventions, such as what the British scholar and biochemist Joseph Needham called the "four great inventions of Ancient China": paper, the compass, gunpowder, and printing. Historically, China's cultural sphere has extended across East Asia as a whole, with Chinese religion, customs, and writing systems being adopted to varying degrees by neighbors such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam.  See China Video

Silk Road

This is the story of the Silk Road. In our adventure we will travel almost five thousand miles, from Xi’an to Viennese over vast desolate places to rich fertile land, encountering many cultures across many foreign lands.  See Silk Road Video

Forbidden City

Did you know that the ancient civilization of China developed over a period of three thousand, seven hundred years? That is right, China is one of the oldest civilizations, in spite of its enormous geographical size and huge population.

Did you also know that China had little contact with people from the other great civilizations? This was due to the fact that huge mountains, enormous deserts, and the Pacific Ocean encircled China.  And the Chinese even constructed a "Great Wall” to help stop foreign invaders. In a few minutes we are going to take a virtual tour of the Great wall.  Did you know that Chinese civilization developed largely on its own, without major influences from the "outside world?" China is a unique civilization, which thrived in part because Chinese emperors established unusual methods of Governing, while Chinese philosophers, and religious leaders, helped to develop guidelines for proper behavior.

Beijing Walls

The Yongle emperor had Beijing rebuilt on a more extensive scale than the Mongol capital, and its new walls were some 40 feet high and more than 14 miles around, forming a square with nine gates. Inside these outer walls, the Imperial City had walls five miles in perimeter, and within this the Forbidden City was also moated and walled. The walls of the southern city with their seven additional gates were added in the 16th century. The plan remained unchanged until l949, after which most of the outer city walls and gates were demolished.See Beijing Video

The Great Wall of China

Stone Serpent, Great Wall, or more commonly known as The Great Wall of China, was originally thought to have been provided as a defense mechanism for a war, but that is not the case. It was actually used as a sign of growth and peace for the country of China.  Stone Serpent walls are usually used to delimit sacred spaces within a ceremonial area.  This is semi the case for this wall.  As previously noted, this was used as a sign of peace and growth.  The wall took more than 2,000 years to build, starting in 700 B.C., and it took more than 20 dynasties to build it.  The length of the wall is longer than the United States from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. See The Great Wall of China Video 

By: Josh Austin

Click here to take a Google Earth tour of The Great Wall of China: Great Wall 1.kmz