2013: The Year in China (88 images)

South Korean military police stand in an aggressive posture as they watch over the demarcation line (concrete slab connecting the two blue conference halls) separating it from North Korea (background) in the Demilitarized Zone's (DMZ) Joint Security Area (JSA) in Seoul on January 29, 2013. UPI/Stephen Shaver

Both Russian and Chinese swimmers compete in the annual Winter Swimming competition during the 14th Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, touted as the world's biggest ice and snow festival, in Harbin, the capital of the China's northern Heilongjiang Province near Russia, January10, 2013. UPI/Stephen Shaver

The 14th Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, touted as the world's biggest ice and snow festival, opens in Harbin, the capital of the China's northern Heilongjiang Province near Russia, January 7, 2013. As the festival grows in international attention, in sheer size and as China's economy grows, the size and amount of it's ice sculptures increase each year. UPI/Stephen Shaver

A newly-built Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlet sits within 100 yards of a culturally protected Tibetan buddhism temple, the Yonghegong Lama Temple, in Beijing on January 2, 2013. China's race towards modernization frequently goes unchecked by government agencies tasked with guarding cultural relics, allowing many major urban projects (and fast food restaurants) to be built close to, if not destroying, historical sites. UPI/Stephen Shaver