China Tours

 Renovations of the Forbidden City in Beijing are well underway with the first phase of repairs scheduled to be completed by 2008. However, ongoing repairs are expected to continue until 2020. The initial stages of the project will be focused on the Wuying Palace building, inside Xihua Men. The Wuying Palace is located in the west of the Forbidden City and is known as the place where Ming Dynasty peasant rebellion leader Li Zicheng edited the Imperial Encyclopedia in Four Volumes. Work will begin with the repair of cracked glazed tiles, peeling paint, and the ongoing protection of the relics from exposure to the air. Use of modern technology alongside old techniques to restore the face of the Wuying Palace to its former glory is intended.

 Five major museums are due to be built in Beijing before 2008. Projects include a national museum, national art gallery, and museum of film. Work was scheduled to begin in the northwest corner of Beijing mid-November.

 An 8,200 year old village has been discovered in Aohan Banner, Inner Mongolia. The village is not only the oldest yet discovered in China, but also the largest and best preserved. Excavations on the Zinglonggou site, near the Xiliao River, uncovered the foundations of 11 houses, 10 graves, and 12 ash pits. Surveys of the surface before excavations began suggested that at least 150 houses once stood there. Archeologists believe that social rank was observed, with houses varying in size and style. They believe that the owners of house No. 22 were the village leaders based on the grand and spacious nature of the building's foundation. Finds include pottery, jade-ware, and two huge millstones. Seashells were discovered for the first time at the site, indicating that there were either direct or indirect links between village dwellers and those living in costal areas. DNA tests will also be conducted on four skeletons discovered in the foundations of one house to establish greater detail of their lives.