An ancient military demonstration held at Daming Palace National Heritage Park in Xi'an.
An ancient military demonstration held at Daming Palace National Heritage Park in Xi'an.

China turns history into cash



The flat expanse in front of the rebuilt Danfeng Gate in the northern part of the city of Xi'an is no less impressive than Tiananmen Square in its vastness.

People walking across it appear as ants, while a colourful military re-enactment at the far end looks so tiny it brings to mind action on the screen of a miniature hand-held computer game.

It is startling to think that just two and a half years ago, this slightly barren expanse was part of a bustling neighbourhood with 100,000 residents.

In a project said by officials to have cost 12 billion yuan (Dh6.62bn), the householders were paid off and moved, their homes demolished and a supersized public space created.

The Danfeng Gate itself, which dates from the Tang dynasty more than 1,300 years ago, was rebuilt from scratch as a museum - there was almost nothing left of the original - while, nearby, contractors created a park with lakes, sculptures and a model of Daming Palace, the district's original grand centrepiece.

Surrounding land was sold off to help finance the scheme, the central part of which is fenced off as another tourist attraction in this Shaanxi province city.

Xi'an, one of China's four ancient capitals and also the eastern end of the fabled Silk Road, additionally has attractive pagodas, drum and bell towers and, just outside the city and most famous of all, the Terracotta Army.

Visitors were first allowed into the redeveloped Daming Palace National Heritage Park on October 1, China's National Day.

"Maybe people know the Terracotta warriors in Xi'an, but I believe in future when people come to Xi'an, they will come to Daming Palace and not only the Terracotta warriors," says Zhou Bing, a director in the local municipality.

A trip to the new visitors centre shows no expense has been spared. An IMAX cinema screens a specially created short film about a romance between two young members of the ruling elite of centuries ago.

While the issue of whether there were problems linked to the shifting of 100,000 people are slightly skirted over by local officials - they insist everyone was happy with the offer of compensation and a new home - that the project will draw in visitors seems more certain. The aim is to attract 300,000 foreign tourists from the more than 50 million who travel to China annually.

"This project shows the combination of modern development and ancient heritage," Mr Zhou says. "This should be an example for other cities."

There is probably no country with a greater sense of its own history than China, with its millennia of dynasties.

Yet the turbulence of the Cultural Revolution and the breathless development of the past three decades have obliterated many reminders of that heritage. Three years ago, Qiu Baoxing, a vice minister in the ministry of housing and urban-rural development, warned of "a thousand cities having the same appearance".

Leo Yatming Sin, a professor in the School of Hotel and Tourism Management in The Chinese University of Hong Kong, acknowledges that a great deal of cultural heritage that could have attracted tourists has been lost but believes there is now greater appreciation of its importance.

"Sometimes they have sacrificed cultural heritage for development," he says. "Now many government officials have noticed cultural heritage is important for attracting tourists, [so] now they start thinking about preserving."

In the south of Xi'an, efforts have been made to ensure that new developments at least retain an essence of the city's glorious past. Many of the recent buildings in Qujiang New District, including a sweeping boulevard with sculptures of emperors and warriors on horseback, are built with traditional architectural motifs, a welcome change from the sometimes-bland new residential developments sprouting in countless Chinese cities.

"We need to combine the modern face and the ancient face to display a new kind of city to people around the world," says a spokeswoman for the district.

"Xi'an has a long history, and the rich cultural heritage decides the development of the modern city."

It is no surprise Xi'an is focusing increasingly on attracting tourists, because tourism in China is booming.

The global economic slump may have led to a slight decline in the number of foreign visitors - from 54.7 million in 2007 it fell to 53 million in 2008 and 50.9 million last year - but thanks to China's economic growth, domestic tourism has continued to expand.

Last year, domestic tourists made 1.9 billion trips within China, up 11 per cent on 2008, according to the National Tourism Administration, helping revenue in the sector grow 9 per cent to 1.26 trillion yuan.

In Beijing, there were 9.3 million tourist arrivals over the week-long National Day holiday this year, an increase of 13.7 per cent. Revenue over the same period rose 21.7 per cent to 6.03bn yuan. Again, it was Chinese people - Beijing residents and people from outside the capital - who fuelled the increase.

Mr Sin expects continued growth, saying infrastructure improvements will spur more domestic travel.

"With the high-speed [rail] system improving, you open the market and more people can travel from one city to another in a short time," he says. "It will enhance the motivation of people to travel from one place to another."

China has more than 7,500km of high-speed rail lines, and the ministry of railways plans to increase this figure to 16,000km by 2020.

"The economic growth will continue for the coming years so … for the tourism industry, it is very optimistic," Mr Sin says.

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
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Number of employees: 4
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Nepotism is the name of the game

Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad. 

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
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Current number of staff: 10
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The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

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The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

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European arms

Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons.  Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.

Europe's top EV producers
  1. Norway (63% of cars registered in 2021)
  2. Iceland (33%)
  3. Netherlands (20%)
  4. Sweden (19%)
  5. Austria (14%)
  6. Germany (14%)
  7. Denmark (13%)
  8. Switzerland (13%)
  9. United Kingdom (12%)
  10. Luxembourg (10%)

Source: VCOe 

Vidaamuyarchi

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra

Rating: 4/5

 

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Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo

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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home. 

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AT4 Ultimate, as tested

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Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

The%20specs
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Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
  • Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
  • Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
  • Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
 
 
The Details

Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5 

How to keep control of your emotions

If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.

Greed

Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.

Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.

Fear

The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.

Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.

Hope

While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.

Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.

Frustration

Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.

Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.

Boredom

Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.

Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.

Essentials

The flights

Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours. 

The package

Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.

How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
  • Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
  • Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
  • Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
  • Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
  • Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

The specs: 2019 Haval H6

Price, base: Dh69,900

Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
AndhaDhun

Director: Sriram Raghavan

Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18

Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan

Rating: 3.5/5

The Transfiguration

Director: Michael O’Shea

Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine

Three stars