Yuyuan Garden in Shanghai, China

Yuyuan Garden is a famous classical garden located in Anren Jie, Shanghai. The garden was finished in 1577 by a government officer of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) named Pan Yunduan. Yu in Chinese means pleasing and satisfying, and this garden was specially built for Pan's parents as a place for them to enjoy a tranquil and happy time in their old age.

In the 400 years of its existence, Yuyuan Garden had undergone many changes. During the late Ming Dynasty, it became very dilapidated with the decline of Pan's family. In 1760, some rich merchants bought Yuyuan Garden and spent more than 20 years reconstructing the buildings. During the Opium War of the 19th century, Yuyuan Garden was severely damaged. The Yuyuan Garden you see today is the result of a five year restoration project which began in 1956. The garden was open to the public in September, 1961.

Yuyuan Garden occupies an area of 20,000 square meters (about five acres). However, the small size is not a representative of the attractions of the garden. The pavilions, halls, rockeries, ponds and cloisters all have unique characteristics. There are six main scenic areas in the garden: Sansui Hall, Wanhua Chamber, Dianchun Hall, Huijing Hall, Yuhua Hall and the Inner Garden. Each area features several scenic spots within its borders.

Ibirapuera Park in Sao Paolo

Ibirapuera Park (in Portuguese: Parque do Ibirapuera) is a major urban park in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. It has a large area for leisure, jogging and walking, as well as a convention center. Its importance to São Paulo is comparable to the Central Park in New York City.

Inaugurated in 1954 for the 400 anniversary of the city with buildings designed by famous architect Oscar Niemeyer and landscape by designer Roberto Burle Marx, Ibirapuera Park covers an area of almost two square kilometers.The second biggest park in the city. Admission is free of charge.

The park complex contains several buildings, most of them designed by Oscar Niemeyer. They include The Grande Marquise (The great marquee), where the Modern Art Museum is located. Then, there is also Cicillo Matarazzo Pavilion, home for the Contemporary Art Museum, and a space for events and expos, including the São Paulo Art Biennial and the São Paulo Fashion Week.

The Manoel da Nóbrega Pavilion, which is located in the park until 1992 was the city hall. The Lucas Nogueira Garcez Pavilion, formerly known as Palácio das Exposições (Expositions Palace) and now known as the Oca ("hut", given its round shape), which harbors both the Air Force Museum and the Museu do Folclore (Folklore Museum).

Cook Landing Site, Gisborne

The site, in Gisborne, of the first point of contact of the land between Maori and Pakeha and of Cook's first landing in New Zealand is an historic site of immense importance. In 1990, its designation as a National Historic Reserve reinforce the status. The current risk to this special place is not new. The compromise of the site's relationship with its wider context, and in particular its links to the sea and views across Poverty Bay to Te Kuri a Paoa (Young Nick's Head), has been a matter of local and national concern for more than fifty years.

The site has changed dramaticaly since 1906 when Sir James Carroll unveiled a granite monument there. In 1957 the new Regional Committee of the Historic Places Trust began the struggle to retain a satisfactory relationship between the site and the sea. Years of persistence were rewarded when a small area was finally set aside as a reserve in 1964. It took nearly thirty more years, until 1990, to establish a scenic easement (the Cone of Vision) from the monument to the sea. But this has not protected the site's integrity.

Today industrial buildings hem the monument in and views to the sea are obscured by piles of logs and wood chips which are deemed temporary and therefore allowed under the 1990 decision. Today only the Cone of Vision issue is delaying the Gisborne District Plan from becoming operative. Despite three years of mediation a solution has yet to be reached. The ideal solution will allow the Port of Gisborne to grow but protect the integrity of the Landing Site.

The Official Residence of Ruler of Dubai

The official residence of Sheikh Saeed Al-Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai (1912-1958) and grandfather of the present Ruler, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, has been restored to stand proud again on the Shindagha end of Dubai Creek. The house, which dates from 1896, today houses a rare collection of historic photographs, coins, stamps and documents that record Dubai's history. Sheikh Saeed's House overlooking the mouth of the Creek at Shindagha is a listed monument that showcases the history of the development of Dubai.

Dating back to 1896, this imposing building was once the seat of local government, the nucleus for political and social organizations of the day and the official residence of Sheikh Saeed Al-Maktoum, the father of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, the architect of modern Dubai.

The ambitious restoration project begun in 1986 won a coveted award from the Arab Cities Organizations for the conservation of heritage buildings. Today, fully restored to its former glory, the building houses an impressive collection of photographs, paintings, lithographs and art objects that vividly portray the early development of the emirate. For those with interest in Arabian culture, history and architecture, Sheikh Saeed's House is well worth a visit.