Tanjug in China: A country creating a future while preserving tradition

BEIJING - With a population of more than 1.4 billion, China is one of the world's most populous countries as well as one of the fastest-growing economies, whose cities are growing at an incredible pace while history and culture remain deeply intertwined with everyday life.

Tanjug had an opportunity to witness a part of that progress, as well as of the country's tradition.

At the heart of the capital city of Beijing is the Forbidden City - even today, it is a symbol of the might of ancient China, attracting the highest numbers of tourists and, at the same time, inspiring curiosity and a fascination with the country's history.

With more than 15 million visitors a year, it is the world's most visited museum, as well as the largest imperial palace on the planet.

Legend has it that it used to have 9,999 rooms - interestingly, in the Chinese system of beliefs, the number nine is a symbol of longevity.

To many, the Forbidden City - a place that was completely off-limits to ordinary people for centuries - embodies the power of Chinese history.

For almost 500 years, Chinese emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties lived there alongside their families, servants and troops.

Its name comes from the fact that ordinary people could not even get close to it without special permission, so the complex represented a symbol of absolute power for a long period of time.

Every detail in the Forbidden city has a meaning - from red walls that symbolise happiness and prosperity, to yellow rooftops reserved exclusively for imperial palaces.

The path from the political and imperial heart of China leads us to the symbol of the defence of the Chinese empire, the largest and the most famous structure - the Great Wall of China.

Spanning more than 20,000 km, the wall is the largest-scale construction undertaking in the history of mankind and the largest structure in the world.

Built over the course of two millenniums, today it is one of the most visited tourist attractions on the planet, with tens of millions of visitors a year.

Even though many picture it as a single structure, it is, in fact, a huge system of walls and fortifications built during the reigns of several dynasties.

The famous story that the Great Wall of China is visible from outer space with the naked eye is not quite true, astronauts say.

What is true, though, is that few places demonstrate how far a civilisation was prepared to go to protect its country.

The people of China attach exceptional significance to history and to safeguarding and preserving tradition, with monumental buildings of the Chinese empire still proudly on display in Beijing today.

When they were looking for peace, Chinese emperors retreated to the Summer Palace, a place where the focus was on nature and rest and where political life seemed to be left far behind.

According to historical records, the Summer Palace complex was built in the 18th century and commissioned by Emperor Qianlong from the Qing dynasty.

The luxurious complex was also built as a present to his mother for her 60th birthday.

The complex is more reminiscent of a large, luxurious park than of a palace, and lakes, gardens, bridges and traditional Chinese pavilions are sprawling across nearly three square kilometres, with Kunming Lake dominating the area.

The Long Corridor, a covered walkway spanning over 700 meters and decorated with thousands of hand-painted scenes from Chinese history and legends, is a special attraction.

Today, the Summer Palace is one of the favourite spots for tourists and Beijingers alike.

Every year, it is visited by millions of people who go there for peace, nature and the feeling of getting away from the hustle and bustle of one of world's biggest cities, at least for a second.

But tradition is not reserved only for monumental and fascinating palaces and buildings - even today, it is actively passed down to new generations.

Culture and art have a special place in contemporary China, and young artists and institutions such as the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts bring it closer to the world today. The traditional Chinese opera is preserved from oblivion.

Behind the Academy's walls, one of China's oldest artistic traditions has been cherished for more than seven decades now.

There, students are not only taught how to act and sing - they spend hours mastering acrobatics, precise body movements and the symbolism of the famous Chinese opera, where even the colours of makeup have a special meaning.

Dubbed the cradle of China's biggest opera talent, the Academy is the place from which the traditional Chinese theatre departs for stages around the world.

"Even though this kind of art, and most prominently, the Chinese opera, is a part of tradition and tells stories of people from the past, today we convey it in a modern way through modernisation and artificial intelligence. Even though the performance has stayed the same, today we are trying to bring that tradition closer by modernising the stories behind it," Academy President Yin Xiaodong told Tanjug.

If Beijing is a symbol of history, stability and tradition, Shanghai is a symbol of the future China is already living.

Shanghai, one of the world's most modern and most densely populated cities, is a symbol of China's fast development and technological progress.

The city merges traditional Chinese culture with futuristic architecture, and the Shanghai Tower, one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world, stands out as one of its main landmark symbols.

The observation tower of the impressive building offers a view of the Pudong financial district and the Huangpu River, while Shanghai remains a global economic and innovation hub as well as a hub of modern urban life.

At its very heart, hidden amongst treetops and skyscrapers, is the first specialised incubator for development of humanoid robots, which aims to accelerate the forging of ties amongst artificial intelligence, robotics and industrial production.

It brings together startups, research teams and tech giants working on developing robots designed for everyday use in sectors ranging from industry and medicine to services, says Zoe, assistant to the centre's director general.

The Chinese authorities see this project as an important step in boosting technological independence and in positioning China as a global leader in advanced robotics.

From a robot that is a replica of a dog and robots that are performers to ones operating as firefighters, nannies and medical devices, humanoid robots are set to become a part of our lives, which is something one can feel quite distinctly at the innovation incubator.

"We have various types of humanoid robots at our incubator, as well as in China. Some of them have been designed to look completely like humans - with two legs and two arms - while others are humanoids, too, but have no legs and are fixed in a certain place. Also, we have robots for special units, such as firefighters, which are not humanoids but utilise that technology. We expect humanoid robots to begin to be used in everyday life within about five years - at homes, at workplaces, at shopping malls... We look forward to robots replacing nannies and maids in the future, so that they can look after our homes, as well as after the elderly," notes Zoe.

The attention it devotes to nature, green vegetation and environmental protection is what adds additional greatness to China.

In Shanghai, specifically, at Suhewan Green Space, contemporary landscape design blends with greenery and water, creating spaces where nature is becoming a part of everyday life in big cities.

The nearby YuYuan Garden takes visitors to the era of the Ming dynasty, with traditional pavilions, stone-paved paths and small lakes mirroring the principles of classic Chinese garden art.

Just a few hours' drive away is Wuzhen, one of China's most famous water towns, also dubbed the Venice of China, where canals, wooden bridges and stone houses still preserve the spirit of old-fashioned life by the water.

A culture of silk has developed in the same region over the course of centuries - the traditional process of silk-making that has made the area famous around the world can still be seen in smaller villages.