Follow Burke’s Backyard travelling throughout Europe, the Americas and Asia
The 82nd Annual Chelsea Flower Show was held from Tuesday, May 25 to Sunday, May 28, 2004. The show is built on 11 acres in the grounds of the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, and attracts approximately 160,000 visitors annually. During the week of the show, 6,500 bottles of...
Leeds Castle, near Maidstone in Kent, is said to be the most romantic and beautiful castle in England. It is built on two adjacent islands on the River Len, and is set in 500 acres (200 hectares) of wonderful gardens. History In 857AD the Saxon royal family built the...
Don visited Portsmouth Naval Base and went aboard HMS Victory, the oldest commissioned warship in the world. Victory was Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson’s flagship, in fact, he was fatally wounded on her deck during the Battle of Trafalgar, roughly 200 years ago....
Don visited a private home in the hutongs. In the urban district of Beijing, hutongs still occupy one third of the total area and they provide housing for half the city’s population. Hutongs are actually passageways formed by many closely arranged siheyuans, or...
Suzhou is renowned for having the most beautiful examples of classic Chinese gardens. Don looked at one of the largest, called Zhuo Zheng Yuan or Humble Administrator’s Garden. Designed in the 16th century, it makes great use of water with a maze of connected...
The Great Wall Don visited the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu, 90 kilometres north of Beijing. World Heritage listed by UNESCO in 1987, the Great Wall is probably the most widely recognised and enduring symbol of China. In fact, it is said, “The man who...
Don and the Burke’s Backyard team visited the Yu Gardens Bazaar in Shanghai. This is a ‘Disneyland version’ of historical China. Here the Huxin Ting Teahouse seems to float over a lake filled with countless thousands of goldfish. Built in 1784 by...
Shanghai City Shanghai (pron: Shung high), which means the ‘City on the Sea’, is called ‘Hu’ (pron: Who) for short. It is one of the largest cities in China, covering a total area of 6,341 square kilometres with an urban area of 2,643 square...
The Forbidden City, known as Gugong, is the largest and best-preserved cluster of ancient buildings in China. Completed in 1420, it was home to 24 emperors of the Ming and the Qing dynasties, and was the seat of supreme power for over 500 years. The Forbidden City...
Cloud 9 Bar Don headed to the top of the highest hotel in the world for a night-time view of Shanghai. The Grand Hyatt Hotel is located on 53rd to 87th floors of the Jin Mao Tower, in the heart of Pudong, Shanghai’s financial and business district. With a...