When you first arrive in Tanzania, you will be impressed by the beauty here, it is really amazing!
The blue sky and white cloud are so beautiful with the endless green on the horizon. At the end of the sky, where the blue and green meet each other, you can see everything very clear, because there is no pollution here. If you gaze into the distance, you will suddenly feel that you can see so far. The blue of the sky is clear, transparent and clean. Standing on the spectacular land, I feel so close to the sky and it seems like I can even touch it when I stretch out my hands.
![Africa in my eyes Africa in my eyes](https://en.yutong.com/res/images/introce/20141021/2014JUOZetpu2D.jpg)
Covered with verdant vegetation, the land here are full of trees, giant cactus and flowers everywhere. The branches on the trees growing towards the sky look like a number of big umbrellas, standing quietly on the beautiful plains of Africa.
The ebony coming from here is rare and precious. This kind of tree is particularly hard and weighs heavy like iron in the hand. Tanzanians carve the wood into different art works, like figures, animals and human masks. Only this kind of artware can truly represent the characteristics of Africa.
![Africa in my eyes Africa in my eyes](https://en.yutong.com/res/images/introce/20141021/2014JUOZ3fGOdO.jpg)
Tanzania has rich forest resources and forty-three percent of the land area is covered with forest. Variety of fruits all over the mountains and plains have raised generations of Tanzanians living on this land. The coffee and tea here are said to be the world's best. Tanzanians are known for their enthusiasm and dubbed as “country of gentlemen”. Arriving here, you will never feel lonely. When you are walking in the streets, a lot of local people will greet you warmly regardless you can understand them or not.
People living generations in Tanzania don’t have the sense of urgency like Chinese people, nor do they have hurry and anxiety. They face the disappointments in the reality calmly and live the life happily and freely. The “poor” African people can also be unrestrained and enjoy spending. They are not frugal even they only have the money of a bottle of beer in their pocket. So they enjoy the fun of drinking beer first and leave all the worries till tomorrow. The women in Tanzania are hard-working. You can often see they carry heavy things on their heads and walk in the towns. Their garments are very unusual, and only three colorful fabrics can form their fashion looks.
![Africa in my eyes Africa in my eyes](https://en.yutong.com/res/images/introce/20141021/2014JUOaVkAA3P.jpg)
Staying in African for a long time, I also have a lot of feelings. Compared with the people living in Africa, I feel the Chinese people kind of lack freedom and ease the Africans have, but generate a lot of desire and restlessness, as well as anxiety and worry. To live quietly and happily like most Tanzanians might be another kind of life wisdom.
Great Zimbabwe Feb. 1, 2014
As written in Africa Geographic “The evidence of the lost civilization is rising from the inland of Africa like a spiral of smoke”, the Great Zimbabwe Ruins, Khami Ruins and petroglyph of Matobo Hills, as well as those profound totem symbols of the stone carving, spread out in front of us with the essence of African aboriginals, instantly reflecting the once splendid civilization of “Country of Gold”. Drew by its sensitive and delicate tentacle, we approached the world’s only country named after the archaeological site - Zimbabwe.
![Africa in my eyes Africa in my eyes](https://en.yutong.com/res/images/introce/20141021/2014JUOau0tORY.jpg)
When I was a middle school student, I had known from the history course that there was a Monomotapa civilization in Africa besides the civilization of Egypt, Ethiopia and Nubian. My friend from Zimbabwe told me that there are many places in this country worth going and the Great Zimbabwe is one of them. This time I got a chance to go to the Great Zimbabwe which is located in the southern Zimbabwe and 350km away from Harare, capital city of Zimbabwe. I started off at seven thirty in the morning and arrived at the destination in three hours.
If only one word is allowed to describe the landscape along the road, I want to say “fantastic”!
The tree is green and the grass is green. Tracts of acacia trees with unique and beautiful appearance form the magnificent scenery. Sometimes you can see the farmlands, some have green crops while others have wandering flocks and herds. Here, you can not help amazing its harmony with the nature.
![Africa in my eyes Africa in my eyes](https://en.yutong.com/res/images/introce/20141021/2014JUObcypHXw.jpg)
The Great Zimbabwe civilization was once glorious at that time, but today it leaves only ruins in front of us.
But even the ruins can give your mind strong shock. You can hardly imagine, there exists such a brilliant civilization in this uninhabited jungles and hills. Within the scope of several square kilometers, there are dozens of large and small round stone buildings. Among them, the one is the palaces of the king and the queen, the former is located on a hill while the latter at the foot of the hill with a distance of about one or two kilometers. Since these buildings are all made of stone materials, this civilization ruin is also known as the Town of Stone.
![Africa in my eyes Africa in my eyes](https://en.yutong.com/res/images/introce/20141021/2014JUOcAJcFMS.jpg)
The Town of Stone is actually an ancient capital of Monomotapa Empire. It is said that the capital's population reached more than 20,000 at its heyday. Compared with the towns of other area, it is not very large. But for the sparsely populated southern Africa, it is really a miracle to have a town of such size. Monomotapa Empire existed from the 11th century to the 17th century, which is equivalent to China's Yuan Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty. However, who built the empire? Why did it become ruins? Where are the descendants of the capital residents? Since there is no historical record, so far these are still a mystery. Maybe that is just the charm of history.