Mao's Mausoleum and the Venice of the East

          Mao Zedong, the Chairman of China's Communist Party (and therefore head of China) from 1945 to 1976, rests in a crystal coffin in an enormous mausoleum, surrounded by a Memorial Hall. The Hall is located in the center of the famous Tiananmen Square, in the center of Beijing. The construction of the mausoleum represented the diversity of the people of China. With contributions from more than 700,000 people from across the country and materials from all across China, the memorial was built in less than a year. Hundreds of people line up every day outside the Mausoleum to pay their respects to the Chairman. Ironically, Mao requested that his body be cremated upon death; it was instead, embalmed and now rests in the mausoleum.

Zhouzhuang is a village near Shanghai that sits entirely upon buildings and homes built over water. Much like Venice, Italy, the townspeople get around using canals, boats and bridges. Though many of these water towns are common and popular in Chian, Zhouzhuang is the oldest and one of the best well-known. The town is more than a thousand years old, with pieces froevery dynasty and era of Chinese history. Though it's commonly known as a tourist location, the town is more than a thousand years old, with pieces from every dynasty and era of Chinese history. Because it is a common tourist location, however, it can get crowded with these visitors and some aggressive souvenir salespeople have been known to spoil visits.