When a priceless painting is stolen, our dauntless heroines Sophie and Lil find themselves faced with forgery, trickery and deceit on all sides!Be amazed as the brave duo pit their wits against this perilous puzzle! Marvel at their cunning plan to unmask the villain and prove themselves detectives to be reckoned with - no matter what dangers lie ahead . . . It's their most perilous adventure yet!
Ping, a painter of dragons--of which he is secretly afraid--is challenged to seek the truth, find the truth, and dare to be true when he is presented with three pearls of wisdom by the Heavenly Dragon.
Sculptress Bianca Wilson is a living legend. St. George is also a legend, but not living. However, when Bianca's sculpture of the patron saint and his scaly chum gets a bit too lifelike, it opens up a new can of wyrms. The dragon knows that in the battle between Good and Evil, Evil got a raw deal and is looking to set the record straight. And George (who cheated) thinks the record's just fine as it is.
The festive season has come to Sinclair's and Sophie and Lil are spending the holidays at snowy Winter Hall. As sinister secrets come to light, our intrepid heroines find themselves faced with a more baffling mystery than ever before. Will Mr. Sinclair's New Year's Eve Midnight Peacock Ball spell disaster for all?
This book invites senior experts and scholars from the fields of Chinese archaeology and history to describe ten influential “national treasure-level” cultural antiquities. Spanning from the Neolithic Age to modernity and with content ranging from the origin of civilizations to the red cultural relics, the book covers cultural antiquities, including: the Clay Figurine, the Painted Pottery Plate with Coiling Long Pattern (from the Neolithic Period), the Turquoise-inlaid and Long-shaped Bronze Object (of the Xia Dynasty), the Ivory Goblet Inlaid with Turquoise (of the Shang Dynasty), the He Zun (Ritual Wine Vessel), the Ox-shaped Zun (Wine Vessel), the Arm Protector with Animal and Clouds (and embroidered with the Chinese characters meaning “five stars appear in the East, which is a sign of Chinese victory over the Qiang”), the Beast-head-shaped Agate Cup (of the Tang Dynasty), the Imperial Gilt Gold Mesh Crown with Two Upright Wings (of the Ming Dynasty), etc. The text features not only scientific rigor but is also enjoyable to read and thought-provoking.
The book is the volume of “The History of Art in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasty ” among a series of books of “Deep into China Histories”. The earliest known written records of the history of China date from as early as 1250 BC, from the Shang dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC) and the Bamboo Annals (296 BC) describe a Xia dynasty (c. 2070–1600 BC) before the Shang, but no writing is known from the period The Shang ruled in the Yellow River valley, which is commonly held to be the cradle of Chinese civilization. However, Neolithic civilizations originated at various cultural centers along both the Yellow River and Yangtze River. These Yellow River and Yangtze civilizations arose millennia before the Shang. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest civilizations, and is regarded as one of the cradles of civilization.The Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC) supplanted the Shang and introduced the concept of the Mandate of Heaven to justify their rule. The central Zhou government began to weaken due to external and internal pressures in the 8th century BC, and the country eventually splintered into smaller states during the Spring and Autumn period. These states became independent and warred with one another in the following Warring States period. Much of traditional Chinese culture, literature and philosophy first developed during those troubled times.In 221 BC Qin Shi Huang conquered the various warring states and created for himself the title of Huangdi or "emperor" of the Qin, marking the beginning of imperial China. However, the oppressive government fell soon after his death, and was supplanted by the longer-lived Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD). Successive dynasties developed bureaucratic systems that enabled the emperor to control vast territories directly. In the 21 centuries from 206 BC until AD 1912, routine administrative tasks were handled by a special elite of scholar-officials. Young men, well-versed in calligraphy, history, literature, and philosophy, were carefully selected through difficult government examinations. China's last dynasty was the Qing (1644–1912), which was replaced by the Republic of China in 1912, and in the mainland by the People's Republic of China in 1949.Chinese history has alternated between periods of political unity and peace, and periods of war and failed statehood – the most recent being the Chinese Civil War (1927–1949). China was occasionally dominated by steppe peoples, most of whom were eventually assimilated into the Han Chinese culture and population. Between eras of multiple kingdoms and warlordism, Chinese dynasties have ruled parts or all of China; in some eras control stretched as far as Xinjiang and Tibet, as at present. Traditional culture, and influences from other parts of Asia and the Western world (carried by waves of immigration, cultural assimilation, expansion, and foreign contact), form the basis of the modern culture of China.
Victoria's reptiles are not often encountered by urban dwellers, with many species now threatened. You may have glimpsed a skink darting into the undergrowth, a snake slithering along a walking path or a blue-tongued lizard sunning itself near your garden shed. Yet the turtles, skinks, geckos, goannas, snakes and other reptiles that call Victoria home are fascinating and important members of urban and rural ecosystems. Reptiles of Victoria is the first regional guide to all reptiles known to occur in Victoria. It contains keys and illustrated descriptions to allow identification of the 123 native, introduced and vagrant reptile species and describes their biology, ecology, distributions and the habitats in which they live. It also indicates the level of risk that the venomous snakes pose to humans and includes a brief section on first aid for snake bites. Natural history enthusiasts and professional and amateur herpetologists will find this an essential guide.
