Welcome to Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world and the Official Residence of the Queen of Britain. Over a period of nearly 1,000 years it has been 【小题1】continuously, and altered and redecorated by monarchs(君主) one after the other. Some were great builders, strengthening the Castle against 【小题2】 and rebellion; others, living in more peaceful times, created a grand Royal residence. William the Conqueror chose the site, high above the river Thames and on the edge of a Saxon hunting ground. It was a day’s march from the Tower of London and intended to guard the western 【小题3】to the capital. The outer walls of today’s structure are in the same position as those of the【小题4】castle built by William the Conqueror in the 1070s. The Queen uses the Castle both as a private home, where she usually spends the weekend, and as a Royal residence at which she undertakes certain formal duties. Windsor Castle is【小题5】used by the Queen to host State Visits from overseas monarchs and presidents. Every year the Queen takes up official residence in Windsor Castle for a month over Easter (March-April).

The Castle is huge, so people tend to head for the most【小题6】bits -- the State Apartments, St. George’s Chapel, the Gallery and the delightful Queen Mary’s Dolls House. Works of art, antique furniture, curiosities and impressive architecture reflect the tastes of many different royal generations. The State Apartments are【小题7】decorated formal rooms still used for state and official functions.

The magnificent and beautiful St. George’s Chapel was started in 1475 by Edward IV and was completed 50 years later by Henry VIII. It【小题8】among the finest examples of late medieval architecture in the UK.

The Drawings Gallery【小题9】the exhibition “The Queen: 60 Photographs for 60 Years”. The exhibition presents portraits of the Queen【小题10】in brief moments on both official occasions and at relaxed family gatherings.

Many people honor Guan Yu (or Guan Gong), a hero during the Three Kingdoms period. But recently, a statue of the ancient general has 【小题1】 criticism from authorities and the public.

In October, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said on its website that the construction of the Guan Yu statue in Jingzhou, Hubei province, 【小题2】 local regulations.

The 【小题3】 statue, built in a Guan Yu-themed park, covers an area of 152, 000 square meters and weights more than 5, 000 tons. At about 58 meters tall, the statue 【小题4】 the 24-meter limit on structures in local areas, according to CCTV News.

Even the cost of building the statue, about 170 million yuan, far exceeds the 【小题5】 budget. Worse, the park promoted the structure as the world's tallest 【小题6】 statue to attract tourists, but has only brought a revenue of less than 13 million yuan in the past four years. China Daily reported.

Due to recent media reports, the issue caught the public's attention and 【小题7】 criticism for its waste of resources. Also, there are concerns over its safety risks and legality.

On Nov 17, the local authorities responded that experts have been organized to make a plan to relocate the statue. This announcement once again stirred discussion online.

Many asked to keep the statue, considering the cost and effort that had gone into the project. One internet user commented that “relocation would cost a lot of money. Why not just keep it and explore further development using 【小题8】 resources?” Still others questioned why there was no supervision from local authorities since the beginning of construction to ensure that rules were being followed.

According to Hui Ming, from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, this should be a lesson for local decision-makers. Before going about building statues, there should be adequate research and work. Also, public money and resources should not be wasted in this fashion.

This is not the only case of such a/an 【小题9】 landmark. The Shuisi Tower project in Dushan county, Guizhou province, was also criticized by the MOHURD as a “cultural landmark” that was built indiscriminately (盲目地) and 【小题10】 from reality, and could damage the natural landscape.

Limit size of structures

The MOHURD has issued a notice on strengthening the management of large-scale urban statue construction, which says that large statues with a height of more than 10 meters or a width of more than 30 meters must be managed as important urban construction projects.

To protect historical and traditional buildings, the MOHURD announced in April that urban architectures cannot be built taller than 500 meters unless their plans are approved.

If you’re in Wuhan, an absolute must-see is the Yellow Crane Tower. Regarded as one of the Four Great Towers of China, the tower stands on the banks of the Yangtze River at the top of Snake Hill. It is very beautiful and 【小题1】 cultural significance led to its being made the symbol of Wuhan city. It goes without saying 【小题2】 it is one of Hubei’s most popular tourist attractions

According to legend, Yellow Crane Tower 【小题3】 by the family of an old pot house (酒馆) owner living in Wuhan city long ago, named Old Xin. One day, a 【小题4】 dressed Taoist priest came to the pot house and asked for some wine. Old Xin paid no attention to 【小题5】 for him, his son was very kind and gave the Taoist some wine without 【小题6】 money. The Taoist priest visited the pot house regularly for half a year when one day the Taoist said to the son that in order to repay his 【小题7】, he would like to draw a crane 【小题8】 the wall of the pot house, 【小题9】 would dance at his request. When people in the city heard of this, they came to the pot house 【小题10】 the dancing crane. The Xin family soon became rich and they built the Yellow Crane Tower as a symbol of gratitude to the Taoist priest.