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Moon Hill

You get to Moon Hill (Yueliang Shan) from Fenglou village, Gaotian township, near Guilin. It is a huge slice of rock with a round hole in its center, and you mount 800 steps on a marble paved mountain path to reach it. At various angles it resembles from the new moon to a full moon. The rock measures 380 m (height) by 410 m (length) by 220 m (width).

Legend has it that there is a Guanghan Palace on the moon inhabited by the beauty Chang’e, the Jade Rabbit, and Wu Gang the woodcutter. People in olden days thought they saw these immortals when they came upon spots on the moon’s surface. Visitors to Moon Hill call to each other’s attention that there are nature formed rock images of Chang’e, the Jade Rabbit and Wu Gang the woodcutter.

With 14 rock-climbing routes on the northwest side, Moon Hill offers sufficient challenge to both amateur and professional climbers.

Moon_Hill

The region around Moon Hill is endowed with beautiful sight. Many mountain rocks are in particular shapes which bring visitors infinite reverie. Local people call this picturesque scenic sight ‘Ten-li Gallery’. The beautiful land attracted the former US President Carter to have a visit. Having heard the interesting scenery along the ‘Ten-li Gallery’, he hired a bicycle to roam the land instead of taking a car.

The area is included in an official plan for tourism development. In 1995, the local government built a bicycle path for visitors to freely enjoy the natural scenery along the path. The major scenic sights along the path are given vivid names according to their shapes, such as the Flaming Mountain, Heavenly Horse Galloping in the Sky, Golden Cat Comes Out of the Hole, the Emperor Qin Shihuang Goes to the Front and the Beauty Makes Up.

Guilin Moon Hill is included in many China Holidays itineraries – please contact us or visit our website www.BookChinaOnline.com for further details.

Mt. Jiuhua

Bordered on the Yangtze River in the north and overlooked the Mt. Huangshan in the south, Mt. Jiuhua covers an area of 100 square kilometers southwest of Qingyang County, Anhui Province , not far from the picturesque Mt.Huangshan. Mt. Jiuhua boasts 99 peaks and 18 scenic spots in its area. With its marvelous landscape and pleasant climate, Mt. Jiuhua is considered one of the best summer resorts in China. In addition to its popularity as a tourist destination, it is a holy site where Buddhists assemble– it has been established as one of the four sacred Buddhist shrines, along with Mt.Wutai in Shanxi, Mt.Emei in Sichuan, and Mt.Putuoshan in Zhejiang.

According to historical records, Buddhism was first introduced to Mt. Jiuhua in the year 401. In 719, a Korean monk named Jin Qiaojue arrived and practiced Buddhism here for 75 years. Upon his Nirvana in 794, Jin Qiaojue was respected as the Earth Buddha by the locals, hence Mt. Jiuhua has become the place where religious rituals were held to worship the God of Earth.

Mt. Jiuhua has always been a place that attracts men of letters throughout the ages. The story goes that Libai(701-762), the famous poet of Tang Dynasty, once came to visit the mountain. The verse slipped out when he was intoxicated with the scene of lotus blooms-like peaks of Mt. Jiuhua, ‘From the azure skies above descends a jade-like flow, and nine fascinating lotuses rise out of the hills below’. Later, poet Liu Yuxi (772-784) in Tang Dynasty, litterateur Wang Anshi (1021-1086) in North Song Dynasty and many other scholars, politicians and monks also made the journey to the mountain, and thus Mt. Jiuhua got its fame. Just as a Chinese saying goes ‘A mountain is famous not for its height but for its holiness’.

Visitors to the temples on Mt. Jiuhua are always impressed with the exquisite architecture and grand structure. Now there are no more than 90 temples in existence in Mt. Jiuhua, most of them restored in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Among the most well known are the Incarnation Hall, Huacheng Temple, Zhiyuan Temple, Longevity Hall, Zhantanlin Temple, Ganlu Temple and Tiantai Zhending Temple.

Mount Jiuhua

Huacheng Temple is the oldest and holiest temple on the mountain. It is located in the center of Jiuhua Street. Though it first appears simple and solemn, the structure and decoration of the building are truly artistic. The engravings on lintels, brackets and roofs reinforce the brightness and liveliness of the building. The picture, ‘Nine Dragons Playing with Pearls’ on a panel in the Main Shrine Hall is a consummate piece of ancient Chinese art.

Precious sutras and other cultural relics in the temples are displayed in the Historical Relics Museum of the Jiuhua Mountain. The most valuable are the Buddhist canonical literature left from the Tang Dynasty, the Tripitaka left from the Ming Dynasty, and Emperor Kang Xi and Emperor Qian Long’s handwritings left from the Qing Dynasty.

It is also worth mentioning the Corporeal Body Hall houses the skeleton of Monk Wu Xia that has been well preserved for more than 350 years. Wu Xia once wrote sutras with a mixture of gold powder and his own blood in a cave of Mt. Jiuhua during Ming Dynasty. After hard practice of sutras for a hundred year in Mt. Jiuhua, Wu Xia passed away at the age of 126– his body found in the cave three years after his death. Monks on the mountain believed Wu Xia was the reincarnation of Rinpoche. From then on, Buddhist believers have been keen to visit the mountain to pay homage to the monk.

Mt. Jiuhua is included in many China Holidays itineraries – please contact us or visit our website www.BookChinaOnline.com for further details.

Sanshui Lotus World

Located in Sanshui District in Foshan City, the Lotus World is famedas the largest lotus ecological theme park in the world. The park features 300diversified species of lotuses. Among them, the ‘space lotus’ cultivated in spaceand the ‘ancient lotus’ unearthed in Liaoning Province are the most precious.

The Lotus World covers a total area of about 80 hectares (198 acres) which includes the water surface of 53 hectares (132 acres). It mainly comprises eight areas: the Culture Square; the Central Area; the Species Appreciating Area; the Water Platter and Water Lily Area; the Dining and Entertainment Area; the Scientific Research and Breeding Area and the Lotus Seed Collecting Area.

One visiting the Lotus World is surely surprised at its front gate. Constructed about 20 meters (66 feet) high and 60 meters (197 feet) wide, the Main Entrance of the Lotus World looks like a huge lotus in full bloom. The gate consists of six petals connected by a long steel frame. A steel pillar and an arch steel girder support each petal. The yellow steel wire table in the middle symbolizes the pistil of the lotus and the steel ropes underneath imply that the root of the lotus is separated but the fibers are still connected.

The Lotus Fairy Square is the soul of the Lotus World. In the Lotus Pond stands a sculpture of the Lotus Fairy, which is about 15 meters (49 feet) high. It displays a graceful fairy that flies over the petals with a lotus in her hand symbolizing happiness and auspice. Serving as the foil for the sculpture, a part of half-circle pink wall is established behind the Lotus Fairy with crystal spring cascading down. A fascinating picture appears in front of these visitors.

Sanshui Lotus

In the Species Appreciating Area, tourists can enjoy themselves in the sea of multifarious lotuses. The golden, red, purple, blue, green and orange fragrant lotuses give off their scant and make tourists feel as if they were entering the fairy land. The ancient lotus sleeping for thousands of years, the lotus symbolizing the friendship between China and Japan, the bright Oriental Pearl and the thousand-leaf lotus bloom together and vie with each other for glamour. Tourists will surely be intoxicated by the varieties of lotuses.

The Water Platter and Water Lily Area feature its water platters and numerous beautiful water lilies. There, tourists can see many green plates floating on the water, which are called water platters. They are really the miracle made by nature. It is said that the diameter of the water platter can reach two meters (seven feet) and bear 40 kilograms’ (88 pounds) weight. Various water lilies, such as the shy Marshan girl, the innocent White Fairy, the notable and beautiful Egyptian blue water lily are scattered on the water surface, forming a splendid landscape.

Two other features in the Lotus World are the Lotus Culture Exhibition Hall and the Lotus Theater. The Lotus Culture Exhibition Hall is divided into three hemispherical halls looking like a lotus in bud, half or full blossom. In the halls display the monographs on different lotus species, paeans and paintings of famous calligraphers and painters, lotus photographs and artworks of celebrated photographers and artists.

Sanshui_Lotus

The Lotus Theater is the symbolic building in the Lotus World. It can accommodate about 1,300 people. The poetic song and dance drama – the Lotus Fairy is staged there everyday. The drama tells a love story that a lotus fairy and her lover – a lotus root boy fight with demons and witches for their true love. Since it was performed, the Lotus Fairy has been welcomed by the tourists.

Other tourist spots in the Lotus World should not be missed include the Solid Ecological Garden, the Grotesque Stones and Roots Carvings Exhibition Hall, the Seven-Color Fish Pond, the Fishing Island and the Lovers Island.

After appreciating the beautiful lotus landscapes, tourists can go to the Lotus Food Village to have a big lotus feast. All the dishes are made of fresh lotuses, leaves, seeds and roots showing the remedy values of lotuses.

Sanshui Lotus World is included in many China Holidays itineraries – please contact us or visit our website www.BookChinaOnline.com for further details.

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Haizang Temple

Located about 2 kilometers away to the northwest of Wuwei City the Haizang Temple 海藏寺 is so far an intact group of ancient architecture in a relatively good condition. Covering an area of 11,600 square meters it is of the famous ancient monasteries in the Hexi Corridor.

The main building in the temple include: the Temple Gate, Mahavira Hall, Lingjun Terrace, Hall of Heavenly Kings and Hall for Buddha of Boundless Light. All of them are kept in good condition. Now outside the temple a park named Haizang has been opened to visitors. Standing on the Lingjun Terrace and gazing into distance you’ll see limpid water shimmering in the lake below. With wild flowers blooming, skyscraping poplars and dangling weeping willows along both banks it presents a heart–pleasing picture, an ideal tourist site combing the cultural relics and the beauty of nature.

Haizang Temple is included in many China Holidays itineraries – please contact us or visit our website www.BookChinaOnline.com for further details.

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Yiwu City

Surrounded by mountains on three sides, Yiwu City is located in the central Zhejiang Province, covering an area of 1,105 square kilometers (about 426 square miles). In the year 222 BC, the Emperor Ying Zheng of the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206 BC) set up a county here. At present, there is a county-level government of Zhejiang Province, governing 8 towns and 5 subdistricts. Compared with the other big cites of China, Yiwu is small, but it has the largest commodity market in China. This, along with Yiwu’s mild climate has made it a tourism highlight in recent years.

Beautiful Xiuhu Lake and cliffy Songpu Hill attracted a series of historic poets and scholars who were compelled to express their appreciation of the city’s beauty. Yiwu is also the hometown of a number of historic people from ancient times. For example, Luo Binwang – one of the great patriotic poets in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Zong Ze – the patriotic general of Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), Zhu Danxi – one of the four famous doctors of the Jin and Yuan dynasties as well as Chen Wangdao, Feng Xuefeng and Wu Han, all of whom have made their contributions to the modern China. During your trip to this city, you will have chances to visit their hometowns which lie around Yiwu City.

Yiwu is renowned as a shopping paradise for small commodities. The flourishing markets which take up a large area of the city should not be missed. Yiwu provides a different kind of tour experience, for it is a composite of shopping and tour. The Yiwu International Trade City which makes up the China’s Commodities Trade City with Huangyuan Market and Binwang Market presents you with the city’s unique vigor. This is an excellent place to purchase souvenirs for you and your relatives and friends.

Yiwu_Market

If you would like to explore the city on your own, convenient buses will take you to any corner of the city. On the way, it is easy for you to find some delicious local foods. You can have a good dinner either at the reasonable and friendly roadside booths or at one of the quality restaurants. In addition, foods from other regions of China and western food are available here.

Catering to the city’s prosperous economy and accelerating its urbanization, the city has developed a number of public facilities, including star-rated hotels, convenient transportation and amusement places. You can access the city from Xiaoshan Airport which is connected to Yiwu by frequent shuttle buses. Yiwu welcomes visitors from all over the world.

Yiwu Travel is included in many China Holidays itineraries – please contact us or visit our website www.BookChinaOnline.com for further details.

Zhuhai Travel

Located at the southern tip of the Pearl River Delta of Guangdong Province, Zhuhai is one of the five special economic zones in China. It faces Hong Kong in the east across the sea and joins Macau in the south. Also, it is close to many other cities in Guangdong Province.

Standing on the west bank of the estuary of the Pearl River to the South China Sea, Zhuhai is a gardenlike coastal city with 146 charming islands. With its amazing large green area, the city is a modern ecotypic resort. The beautiful Jingshan Road and Qinglu Road (Lovers’ Road) add romantic atmosphere to Zhuhai. In 1990s, Zhuhai City as a whole was selected as one of the top 40 tourist attractions in China. And in 1998, it won the Dubai International Award for Best Practices to Improve the Living Environment. Since then, Zhuhai has become known to the world as a most suitable place for human living.

Actually, people have lived there since the Neolithic Age four or five thousand years ago. A government administrative department was set up in the area in the Qin Dynasty (221 – 206 B.C.). During the following centuries, the area underwent slow but steady development. In 1953, Zhuhai County was set up there, upgraded to Zhuhai City in 1979. In 1980, a special economic zone was established in Zhuhai. Today, the city has under its jurisdiction three districts, namely, Xiangzhou, Doumen, and Jinwan.

In recent years, Zhuhai has made progress in economic development owning to its advantageous geographical location near Hong Kong and Macao, its ports with excellent conditions, its overseas Chinese contributions, and especially the policy of reform and opening up. Foreign investment, advanced technologies and management methods stimulated the economic boom of Zhuhai. As a result, the transportation and accommodations improved. Diversified transportation links provide a wide range of ways to get there or to travel inside the city. A variety of star rated hotels offer convenience and enjoyment.

Zhuhai Travel Guide

The superior advancement in economy promotes the development of tourism of Zhuhai. The moderate climate of Zhuhai makes it an ideal tourist destination all year round. It has many attractions worthy of visiting, including the Zhuhai Fisher Girl Statue, New Yuanmingyuan Garden, Pearl Land Amusement Park, Jiuzhou City, Meixi Royal Stone Archways, Huangyang Mountain and Baiteng Lake. Additionally, various appealing islands are recommended such as Dong’ao Island, Gaolan Island, Qi’ao Island and Hebao Island and so on.

Zhuhai is also famous for its hot springs and golf clubs where you can take a break from sightseeing. The consummate tourist reception and service system offers many choices of entertainment as well. Dining and shopping are also pleasant. Western and oriental cultures collide and combine here: an open, colorful, and romantic Zhuhai awaits you.

Zhuhai Travel is included in many China Holidays itineraries – please contact us or visit our website www.BookChinaOnline.com for further details.

Shigatse Travel Guide

Shigatse, also named Xigatse, means ‘the fertile land’. Covering an area of over 3875 square kilometers (about 1496 square miles), this frontier city is the second largest in Tibet. It sits in the plain at the confluence of the Yarlong Tsangpo and Nyangchu Rivers, where Tibet’s most fertile land is to be found. With some thirteen ethnic groups including Tibetan, Hui and Man, Shigatse is a typical living area for minority nationalities. The population of Shigatse City is 98,700 about 97% of which are Tibetan. Shigatse has a history going back more than 600 years and it is this ancient holy city that is the traditional seat of the Panchen Lama, one of the spiritual leaders in Tibet. The city is also the cultural, economic and political center of Tibet.

Before the 1950s, Shigatse remained in a primitive state in terms of its economy and its people’s lifestyle. Following reformation and the opening up to the modern world, a series of highways were built up such as the Shigatse is one of the world’s highest cities with beautiful high plateau scenery. It is also a hot spot for Chinese tourism. The average elevation here is in a range of 3840 meters (about 12598.4 feet) – 4464 meters (about 14645.7 feet), which endows cool and even cold weather to the area. In the high plateau, the climate is not very pleasant due to the frequent wind and dry atmosphere. However, it is not bad a place for summering.

Its long history gives this city a strong cultural heritage, especially in respect of Buddhism. The approximately 600 year-old majestic Tashilhunpo Monastery has a magnificent architectural style with a golden roof and resplendent buildings. Dozens of monasteries belonging to different sects enhance the atmosphere of Buddhism. Various grand festivals like Buddha Unveiling Festival in the monasteries each year give people a chance to admire the huge portraits of three Buddhas.

Shigatse is of great importance for its location in this area. It is 300 kilometers (about 186 miles) away from the world’s highest peak Mt. Everest, 150 kilometers (about 93 miles) away from the Sakya Monastery and also on the only path to Tibet’s holy lakes. Thus Shigatse is quite an important base for people heading for those places.

Palkhor‑Monastery

In the city, hotels and motels of different classifications satisfy tourists’ needs. Although the accommodation in this remote area cannot be compared with those in modern cities, they are still important and plentiful. In terms of transportation, there are tourist buses heading for the nearby venues such as Lhasa, Zhangmu and Nakchu. Public amenities such as the post office and banks do much to facilitate travel in Tibet.No.318 National Highway and the China-Nepal Highway. These connect Shigatse with the outside world while opening up the outside world to people in Shigatse.

Nowadays, Shigatse is an important Tibetan communication hub and an air of modernization pervades the area. New industries including mechanics, chemicals and food production thrive here. Meanwhile, the traditional handcrafts have been encouraged and expanded. Products such as Tibetan knives as well as items of silver and gold are sought after throughout China and are exported abroad.

Shigatse Travel is included in many China Holidays itineraries – please contact us or visit our website www.BookChinaOnline.com for further details.

Kite Flying

Kite flying is a traditional sports game widely popular among the Chinese people. The kite, dubbed the earliest flying object of man kind, originated from China over 2,000 years ago. Legend has it that in the Spring and Autumn Period, Lu Ban, the great building master, made a bird-shaped wooden kite that could fly in the air. After that, paper was used to make kites, which were therefore called “paper kites”. Starting the Han Dynasty, kites were used for measurement and sending messages.

In the Tang Dynasty, the kite was introduced to neighboring countries like Korea and Japan. In the Five Dynasties, a bamboo whistle was tied to a paper kite, giving out a sound like the zheng (a 21- or 25-stringed plucked instrument in some ways similar to the zither) under the force of wind. That’s why the kite is called “fengzheng” (meaning “zheng in the wind”) in Chinese. In the Song Dynasty, kite flying gradually became an entertainment game among the people, and in the Yuan Dynasty, it was introduced to various countries in Europe.

Kite_Flying

To make a kite, you need to make the frames first with thin bamboo strips, then paste paper or silk to the frames, and finally tie a long thread. Thus a kite is born. It flies into the sky under wind force. There are two major types of kites – “hard-winged ones” and “soft-winged ones”. The former can stand greater wind pressure than the latter and therefore fly higher. But “soft-winged kites” fly further than their “hard-winged” counterparts. The shapes of kites include traditional birds, beasts, worms and fishes. In addition, some new shapes like human figures have been developed in recent years.

Kite flying as a sport has a long history in China. Beijing is one of the best-known hot spots for kite flying. Many remote areas have also joined in the fun recently. In 1989, the International Kite Federation was officially established, with the headquarters in Weifang of Shandong Province.

Kite Flying is included in many China Holidays itineraries – please contact us or visit our website www.BookChinaOnline.com for further details.

Qianshan Mountain

Qianshan Mountain, 20 km to the southeast of Anshan City, Liaoning Province, is one of the well-known scenic spots in China. Being referred to as A Pearl in Northeast China, it enjoys the equal popularity as Changbai Mountain in Jilin Province. The mountain is called Qianshan (Mountain of A Thousand Peaks) because its peaks interweaving one another nearly amount to one thousand. The Terrace of Immortals, the main peak of the mountain, is 708 meters above sea level. Covering an area of about 44 square kilometers, the scenic spot is divided into the north, central, south and west tour sites.

A lot of temples were built through the past dynasties, among which the most famous are the Five Great Buddhist Temples, namely Zuyue, Longquan, Da’an, Zhonghui, and Xiangyan. Most temples were built atop the mountain and along the slopes, integrating temples and mountains into a whole. Temples lie hidden inside mountains, and mountains surround temples.

The Longquan Temple is the biggest among the five. Its preserved buildings mainly include the Great Hall, the Heavenly King Hall, the Hall of Skanda Bodhisattva, the Hall of Vairochana Buddha, the Dragon King Temple, the Sutra Attic and 11 other buildings. Besides the Five Great Buddhist Temples, there are ten-odd other temples preserved in Qianshan Mountain.

Qianshan_Mountain

The Wuliang Temple, built in the sixth year of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), is the biggest. It mainly has 19 constructions, and is surrounded by scenic spots such as the Immortal Gathering Platform, Master Ge Dagoba, Jiabian Stone, Yibudengtian (reach the sky in a single bound), Tianshangtian (sky above sky), Arhat Cave, and Yixiantian (the Crack of the Sky), etc.

With various oddly shaped rocks, the natural beauty of Qianshan Mountain could be best demonstrated in the famous saying there is no peak that is not marvelous, no rock that is not precipitous, and no temple that is not quaint. The highest peak is the Terrace of Immortals. With successive peaks rising one above another, Qianshan Mountain has attracted scholars through ages. They left many calligraphic works there to eulogize its beauty. Therefore, the mountain boasts numerous stone-carvings, tablets and plaques.

Qianshan Mountain is included in many China Holidays itineraries – please contact us or visit our website www.BookChinaOnline.com for further details.

Tiangui Mountain

The Tiangui Mountain is 80 kilometers away from Shijiazhuang. It is one of the first national grade 4-A scenic areas and a famous place of interest in the north, featuring high mountain and ancient temples. The whole scenic area consists of eight scenic spots, some of which are Qinglong Taoist Temple, Xuanwu Peak, Wanghai Peak, Yinhe Cave and Cuiping Mountain The mountains are grand, majestic, and beautiful The trees, flowers and grass are exuberant, and sometimes there will be clouds and mists wreathing the mountains. Spring water is running everywhere on the mountain.

Tiangui Mountain is a famous Taoist Scenic Spot and is called the “north Wudang”. It is a mountain scenic spot integrated with historical buildings and natural landscape.

Besides, The Tiangui Mountain can be called a spectacle in the north of China on the top of the main peak, which is more than 1,000 meters above sea level, groves grow out of stone forests and stone forests are hidden in the groves, making people lost in astonishment. In 1997, in the imposing cliff of theTiangui Mountain, a huge Chinese Character “归” ( ” return ” in meaning ) carved to celebrate the return of Hong Kong to China was written into the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest Chinese Character in the World.

Tiangui Mountain is included in many China Holidays itineraries – please contact us or visit our website www.BookChinaOnline.com for further details.

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We will reply within one working day.