Seokguram Grotto is scheduled as the 24th National Treasure of the Republic of Korea, but many scholars and tourist believe this elegant monument near Bulguk Temple in North Gyeongsang Province to be the single most valuable tangible cultural legacy of this country, and its best creatively.

This comparatively small ancient holy site, but many of those who study and knowledge it announce that it is one of the best-made and most-profound outstanding Buddhist artworks on earth.

The perform of carving the images of Buddha’s, Bodhisattvas and other deities into the stone walls of usual caves and dug-out grottos to actualize grand icon-sanctuaries in progress in India at least 2,300 years ago, and then stretch across the Silk Road deserts into China.

As Buddhism flowed into the early Korean kingdoms, however, they only impressed the holy images on cliffs and boulders on their craggy granite mountains, but usually not in caves or grottos because those were previously being used for indigenous mountain-worship customs. It was only the Silla Kingdom grotto-temple is unfortunately less known than some of the world's other huge that shaped a few full-sized grotto-temples, frequently by building a structure outside of depression or cracks in cliffs with a few Buddhist carved images to create them seem like caves.

The Leaning Tower of Niles, Illinois was finished in 1934 by entrepreneur Robert Ilg as part of a recreation park for employees of the Ilg Hot Air Electric Ventilating Company of Chicago. It is located at 6300 W. Touhy Avenue and it is a half size copy of the unique tower in Pisa, Italy, which is a Niles sister city.




Some wonder that part of the inspiration to construct the tower was to observe the 600th anniversary of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. A more likely clarification is its original functional reason, to store water for outdoor leisure swimming pools. In 1960, the descendants of Robert Ilg contributed part of the park for the building of the Leaning Tower YMCA. Other facilities of the employees' recreational park incorporated a wooden toboggan run, which was in decaying but still evident in the 1960s.

In 1991, the village of Niles, Illinois recognized a sister city pact with Pisa, Italy. A $1.2 million Renovation of the Leaning Tower of Niles was started in 1995 by Mayor Nicholas Blase and the Board of Trustees, and was finished in 1996, civilizing the structure, facade and the Plaza area. The Leaning Tower Plaza area now has four fountains and a 30-foot pool. Leaning Tower Concert Series are Summertime open-air music concerts supported by the village since the 1990s.

Located in Chaoyang Lake Scenery, Feixian Pavilion, an inevitable path of Ancient Southern Silk Road has a history more than 2000 years long.A lengend has it that,during the Wen Emperor's reign in Han Dynasty, a General named "Mogong" went on an expedition in Yunnan and stationed troops here after triumphant return. Seeing the picturesque scenery with green hills and clear waters, he decided to cultivate himself in recluse life.

Afterwards, he became accomplished and flied to the heaven riding red-crowned crane.The offsprings built the statue to perform sacrifice for him .Therefore the place was named Feixian Pavilion which means flying fairy. Feixian Pavilion boasts numerous places of interest among which the Cliff Engraved Statue in Tang and Song Dynasty is the most valuable in appreciation and research. There exist statues of 92 shrines and 777 pieces,most of which are Buddhist statues. Among them, No.9 shrine was enlisted into by People's Art Press in June,1988,was recorded into in 1994 and was enlisted into by the United States in the same year.

Zimbabwe’s Tourism Ministry has presented a US$28 million budget to treasury for the sector’s wants during the June World Cup finals in South Africa, at a moment when one team contributing at the finals has decided to use Zimbabwe as their base.

Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi said on Wednesday the budget have been send to the Finance Ministry. “We have presented a US$28 million budget to allow Zimbabwe to fulfill its objectives before the World Cup in June and it is at present under concern,” he said.

He added that it was vital that the funding be offered before the end of this month for some of the projects to be finished on time. So far, US$1.5 million has been held from the private area for the establishment of 15 fan parks across the country. South Africa will not be able to hold about 450 000 visitors anticipated for the World Cup, opening up an opportunity for neighboring countries to advantage economically.

Zimbabwe, expecting financial benefits from the World Cup, has been busy trying to neat up tourist purposes, hotels and stadiums to lure World Cup teams and visitors. Mzembi said the government had since decided with one team that will be captivating part in the World Cup 2010 finals to use Zimbabwe as its base while another “brand team” was also allowing for using the country as its base.

He however could not be drawn into state the names of the two teams citing privacy. The southern African country’s tourism industry is option up after suffering a recession in the aftermath of President Robert Mugabe’s chaotic and frequently violent land redistribution exercise that involved negative publicity for the country to fright away foreign tourists.