he 105-foot-tall (38-meter-tall) "Christ the Redeemer" statue in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil, was among the "new seven wonders of the world"
announced July 7 following a global poll to decide a new list of
human-made marvels.
The winners were voted for by Internet and phone, American Idol
style. The other six new wonders are the Colosseum in Rome, India's
Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, Jordan's ancient city of Petra,
the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, and the ancient Maya city of
Chichén Itzá in Mexico.
Great Wall of China
This newly elected world wonder was built along China's northern
border over many centuries to keep out invading Mongol tribes.
Constructed between the fifth century B.C. and the 16th century, the
Great Wall is the world's longest human-made structure, stretching
some 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers). The best known section was
built around 200 B.C. by the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang Di.
The wall was among the winners of the New7Wonders poll announced
during a televised ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal. However the
Chinese state broadcaster chose not to broadcast the event, and
Chinese state heritage officials refused to endorse the competition.
It was a different story for some of the other candidates. In Brazil,
for example, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva encouraged his
compatriots to vote for Rio de Janeiro's mountaintop statue of
Jesus Christ.
The Colosseum, Rome, Italy
The only finalist from Europe to make it into the top seven—the
Colosseum in Rome, Italy—once held up to 50,000 spectators who
came to watch gory games involving gladiators, wild animals, and
prisoners.
Construction began around A.D. 70 under Emperor Vespasian.
Modern sports stadiums still resemble the Colosseum's famous
design.
European sites that didn't make the cut include Stonehenge in the
United Kingdom, the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, and the Eiffel
Tower in Paris, France.
The Vatican in Rome accused the competition's organizers of
ignoring Christian monuments, none of which was featured among
the 20 finalists. Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, head of culture and
archaeology at the Vatican, called the omission of sites such as the
Sistine Chapel “inexplicable.”
Petra, Jordan
Perched on the edge of the Arabian Desert, Petra was the capital of
the Nabataean kingdom of King Aretas IV (9 B.C. to A.D. 40).
Petra is famous for its many stone structures such as a 138-foot-
tall (42-meter-tall) temple carved with classical facades into rose-
colored rock. The ancient city also included tunnels, water
chambers, and an amphitheater, which held 4,000 people.
The desert site wasn't known to the West until Swiss explorer Johann
Ludwig Burckhardt came across it in 1812.
Jordan has taken the New7Wonders competition seriously. Petra is
an important attraction in a country where tourism has recently
suffered due to troubles in the Middle East region, particularly in
neighboring Iraq.
The Jordanian royal family backed a campaign promoting Petra's
selection.
Machu Picchu, Peru
One of three successful candidates from Latin America, Machu
Picchu is a 15th-century mountain settlement in the Amazon region
of Peru.
The ruined city is among the best known remnants of the Inca
civilization, which flourished in the Andes region of western South
America. The city is thought to have been abandoned following an
outbreak of deadly smallpox, a disease introduced in the 1500s by
invading Spanish forces.
Hundreds of people gathered at the remote, 7,970-foot-high (2,430
-meter-high) site on Saturday to celebrate Machu Picchu's new
“seven wonders” status.
The winners were revealed at a soccer stadium in the Portuguese
capital, Lisbon, where Machu Picchu reportedly got one of the
biggest cheers.
The other two Latin American selections were Christ the Redeemer in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Chichén Itzá, Mexico.
Chichén Itzá, Mexico
Chichén Itzá is possibly the most famous temple city of the Mayas,
a pre-Columbian civilization that lived in present day Central
America. It was the political and religious center of Maya civilization
during the period from A.D. 750 to 1200.
At the city's heart lies the Temple of Kukulkan (pictured)—which
rises to a height of 79 feet (24 meters). Each of its four sides has
91 steps—one step for each day of the year, with the 365th day
represented by the platform on the top.
The New7Wonders competition was launched in 1999, and the voting
process beginning in 2005. Nearly 200 nominations that came in from
around the world were narrowed down to 21.
Unsuccessful finalists included the giant statues of Easter Island in
the Pacific Ocean; the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia; and the Sydney
Opera House in Australia.
Taj Mahal, India
The Taj Mahal, in Agra, India, is the spectacular mausoleum built by
Muslim Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan to honor the memory of his
beloved late wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
Construction began in 1632 and took about 15 years to complete.
The opulent, domed mausoleum, which stands in formal walled
gardens, is generally regarded as finest example of Mughal art and
architecture. It includes four minarets, each more than 13 stories
tall.
Shah Jahan was deposed and put under house arrest by one of his
sons soon after the Taj Mahal's completion. It's said that he spent
the rest of his days gazing at the Taj Mahal from a window.
译文:
新世界七大奇迹
新世界七大奇迹
7月7日宣布的经过全球投票决定新世界人造的奇迹的活动中， 巴西里约热内卢105英尺高（ 38米高）"基督救赎"的雕像成为"新世界七大奇观"之一。
最后的胜出者是经过互联网和电话投票产生。其他6个新的奇迹，是罗马的圆形大剧场，印度的泰姬陵，中国万里长城，约旦城佩特拉古城，秘鲁马丘比丘印加遗址和墨西哥齐秦古代玛雅城遗址。
中国万里长城
这个新入选的奇迹，是数个世纪以前为防止蒙古的匈奴部落入侵而沿着中国的北部边界建立起来的。
长城建造于公元前五世纪到公元16世纪之间，是世界上最长的人造建筑，绵延约4000英里（ 6400公里） 。最著名部分是由中国第一个皇帝-秦始皇于公元前200年建立的。
电视颁奖典礼在葡萄牙里斯本举行并宣布了长城为新世界七大奇迹之一。然而，中国国家广播机构选择不播出这一事件中，与中国国家文物官员拒绝认同这一竞争。
这和一些其他的候选国家完全不同。比如，在巴西，，总统路易斯伊纳西奥卢拉达席尔瓦鼓励自己的同胞给里约热内卢耶稣基督象投票。
，
意大利古罗马圆形大剧场是欧洲唯一入选新世界七大奇迹的建筑。这里曾经能容纳50000名观众前来观看血腥的比赛，包括角斗士，斗兽，和囚犯格斗。
该剧场是在皇帝未斯巴司的命令于公元70前开始修建的 。现代体育场馆仍类似于大圆形剧场的著名设计。
欧洲名胜没有入选的包括英国史前巨石柱，希腊的雅典卫城，和法国巴黎艾菲尔铁塔。
罗马的梵蒂冈指责这项比赛的组织者忽视基督教古迹，20个没有一个入选。大主教Mauro Piacenza，梵蒂冈文化与考古学的权威说那些遗漏的名胜如西斯廷教堂"令人费解" 。
约旦佩特拉古城
约旦佩特拉古城位于阿拉伯沙漠的边缘，它是纳巴泰王国国王阿雷塔斯四的首都（公元前 9到公元40年 ） 。
佩特拉是以众多的石头建筑而闻名如一个138英尺高（ 42米高）寺庙。它古典的正面用玫瑰色的岩石雕刻而成。这个古老的城市还包括隧道，水池，和一个可容纳4000人圆形剧场，。
这个沙漠遗址在瑞士探险家约翰路德维希布而哈特在1812年发现之前一直不为西方人所知。
约旦对新世界七大奇迹的评选十分严肃。佩特拉是约旦一个重要的吸引力，因为它的旅游业最近在中东地区受到了打击尤其是邻国伊拉克的影响。
约旦王室支持佩特拉参与竞选活动。
马丘比丘，秘鲁
马丘比丘是来自拉丁美洲三最后入选的，它是秘鲁亚马孙地区一个十五世纪的山区定居点。
该遗址是兴盛于西南美洲安第斯山脉地区印加文明中最著名的遗留。城市被认为是在爆发了致命的天花瘟疫后被遗弃后。天花是由西班牙入侵15世纪入侵的时候带来的。
周六数百人聚集在偏远的 7970英尺高（ 2430米高）的地方庆祝马丘比丘入选"世界七大奇观"。
得奖名单在葡萄牙首都里斯本的一个大型足球运动场揭晓，而据说马丘比丘得到最大的欢呼声。
另两个拉美入选里的是巴西约热内卢基督救赎象，和墨西哥奇琴。
墨西哥 奇琴
奇琴可能是玛雅文明最有名的寺庙城市，是一直保存到现在的哥伦布发现美洲大陆前的文明。从750至1200， 这是玛雅文明政治和宗教的中心。
城市中心矗立着库库而砍金字塔，其高度为79英尺（ 24米） 。四周环绕91个台阶，其中一个台阶代表每一天的一年，塔顶平台代表第365天。
该新世界七大奇迹比赛于1999年发起，2005年开始投票角逐。来自世界各地近200个提名最后缩减到21个。
没有入选的包括位于太平洋复活节岛巨型雕像，俄罗斯莫斯科的克里姆林宫，澳大利亚以及悉尼歌剧院。
印度泰姬陵，
位于印度阿格拉的泰姬陵，是穆斯林莫卧儿皇帝沙阿节汉为纪念亡妻塔之玛哈而修建的壮观陵墓。
工程开始于1632年，历时大约15年才完成。富丽堂皇的圆顶陵墓矗立在整齐均匀的围墙花园内，被普遍认为是莫卧儿帝国艺术和建筑最完美的代表。它包括四个尖塔，每个塔的高度超过13层。
在泰姬陵的完工后不久沙阿节汉王位被被废黜，并受到他的一个儿子软禁，据说他的余生是通过一扇窗子凝视泰姬陵度过的。