Heritage with Related Tags
Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast
The Giant's Causeway is located at the foot of basalt cliffs on the coast at the edge of the Antrim Plateau in Northern Ireland. It consists of approximately 40,000 huge black basalt columns that protrude from the sea. This spectacular sight has inspired legends of giants crossing the sea to reach Scotland. Geological studies of these formations over the past 300 years have greatly advanced the development of earth science and have shown that this striking landscape was created by volcanic activity in the Tertiary Period, approximately 50-60 million years ago.
Ningyuan Tourist Attraction
Ningyuan is located to the north of Tianjin North Railway Station, on the north side of Zhongshan North Road, and on the south side of Yuhong Road. It covers an area of 45.65 hectares, with a water surface of 11.7 hectares. Ningyuan is a garden landscape with a long history. The predecessor of the park was a government-run plantation in the late Qing Dynasty. In 1906 (the 32nd year of Emperor Guangxu's reign in the Qing Dynasty), Yuan Shikai, the governor of Zhili, appointed Zhou Xuexi to organize a plantation near Tianjin North Railway Station in the name of the General Bureau of Technology in order to implement the New Deal. In 1907 (the 33rd year of Emperor Guangxu's reign in the Qing Dynasty), the lake was officially opened and the park was built. With the idea of building a palace for Empress Dowager Cixi in the park, the buildings in the park were quite ingenious in planning and design. "When the park was first built, the lake was dug and the mountains were piled up, the canals were opened to regulate the water, and the gates were set up to divert the water. The lake water was connected to the Jinzhong River outside the park, and the water was properly discharged. Three houses were built in the park, called Jianshui Pavilion." During the Republic of China period, warlords fought each other and the plantation became increasingly deserted. In 1930 (the 19th year of the Republic of China), the Beining Railway Bureau purchased the garden and planned to expand it into a park. It named it "Ningyuan" after the meaning of "Without tranquility, one cannot achieve far-reaching goals" in Zhuge Liang's "Admonitions to Sons", and erected a monument in the pavilion corridor. The park follows the Chinese classical gardening techniques. On the basis of the original plantation, new classical buildings such as the Hongguang Building, Daya Hall, Zhiqian Auditorium, Library, Simian Hall, Diaoyutai, and pond pavilions, bridges, and long corridors were built. The landscape construction has a distinct royal garden style: red beams and green columns, painted corridor eaves, stacked mountains and water, and winding paths. In particular, the more than 2,000-meter long corridor is comparable to the world-famous Yuanmingyuan Long Corridor. The lakes and canals in the park are gathered together, connected by more than 30 arch bridges and small bridges, and weeping willows are planted along the banks. Pavilions are scattered and corridors are winding, showing the looming garden interest and the unique landscape of natural beauty. Ningyuan is the first park in the national railway system. Because it is owned by the Bac Ninh Railway Bureau, it is also called Bac Ninh Park. In 1937, when Japan invaded China, the southeastern part of Bac Ninh Park became a Japanese barracks. The buildings in the center of the lake in the park were converted into a Japanese military sanatorium, leaving only a corridor from the west gate to the Simian Hall as a tourist route. Although all of them were opened after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, they were not renovated and were in a dilapidated state. After liberation, Ningyuan has undergone several renovations. The original classical garden buildings have been protected and restored, and Shuyuntai, Changguan Tower, Diecui Palace, cinema, flower exhibition hall, Zhiyuan Tower, hot spring hotel, etc. have been newly built, forming ten scenes: Lotus Fragrance, Jiuqu Shengjing, Zige Changchun, Rose Garden, Fish Leaping and Kite Flying, Lotus Pot Diecui, Qushui Yingzhou, Jingbo Watching Fish, Qiao Bu Zhengchun, and Tranquility Zhiyuan. Famous masters were invited to write dozens of couplets and plaques, which are poetic, picturesque, beautiful and harmonious. Because the park was affiliated to the Tianjin Railway Branch, Ningyuan was once renamed "Railway Workers Cultural Palace" and "Erqi Park". Beining Park has undergone multiple constructions in the late Qing Dynasty, the Republic of China and after the liberation. It is extremely rich in landscape architecture and historical relics from various periods. It is the largest and most complete modern public garden in our city. In February 2010, the Hebei District Committee and District Government were entrusted by the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government to implement the upgrading and renovation project of Beining Park, highlighting the three major landscape features of "water system, pavilions and corridors, and pavilions", following the ancient methods, restoring the old view, reflecting the historical and cultural connotations, and reproducing the style of the century-old famous garden.