Prayer flags stretch toward the Potala Palace, which is perched on Red Mountain in Tibet's Lhasa Valley. The former winter home of the Dalai Lama has symbolized Tibetan Buddhism since the 7th century.
These famed life-size clay soldiers, as many as 8,000 of them, along with horses, chariots, and weapons, were built to protect the tomb of China's first Emperor.
From the massive austerity of Tiananmen Square to the bustling new business and shopping districts, Beijing is a city that intrigues, inspires, and rewards.
Chinese history has become the story of average citizens. But there are risks when a nation depends on the individual dreams of 1.3 billion people rather than a coherent political system with clear rule of law.
