Jiuzhaigou National Park, Sichuan Province, China

It is said that if there should be wonderlands on the earth, Jiuzhaigou Valley must be one of them. There is no equal elsewhere that has sceneries and fables of dreamlike eloquence, or natural purities like a fairyland as it.

Jiuzhaigou Valley is located in Nanping County, 450 kilometers (about 280 miles) to the north of Chengdu City. Its name is due to the existence of nine stockaded villages of Tibetan origin, and it is always regarded as a holy mountain and watercourse by the Tibetan people.

It is a great masterpiece of nature having dreamlike scenery, which combines blue lakes, waterfalls, verdant forests, snow-covered mountains, and the folk customs of the Tibetan and Qiang peoples. Legend has it that long long ago the deity of mountain named Dago had a crush on the goddess Semo, and he gave a mirror that was made from wind and cloud to the goddess. However, the devil appeared and made trouble to Semo. Inadvertently, Semo broke the mirror into 108 pieces, which fell down to the earth and then turned to 108 colorful lakes. The lake is also called Haizi by local people.

In addition to the dreamlike sceneries, there are numerous flora and fauna in the scenic area. The natural forest covers an area of nearly 30,000 hectares (about 74,132 acres), including 2,576 higher plant species (24 species of national protected plants) and over 400 lower plant species (212 species of algae). The diversity of flora has provided a good environment for wild animals.  There are 170 species of vertebrates, 141 species of birds and 17 species of rare animals. Among them the first rank has giant pandas, takins and golden monkeys and the second rank has lesser pandas, marmots, and blue sheep.

This region covers more than 600 square kilometers (about 230 square miles). Shuzheng Valley, Rize Valley and Zechawa Valley are the three main valleys, but the sceneries are far more than you expect. There are Panda Lake Waterfall which has the longest drop in Jiuzhaigou Valley and freezes to a crystal world in winter, the giant calc-sinter beach Pearl Beach, the Arrow Bamboo Lake that has a large area of bamboo, the favorite food of pandas, and Swan Lake where swans inhabit ...

Transportation

By Air: Jiuhuang Airport is about 88 kilometers from the mouth of the valley and about 52 kilometers from Huanglong. It takes 40 minutes to fly from Chengdu to the airport and a half hours' ride from the airport to the scenic area. There are direct and connecting flights here from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Kunming, Chongqing and Xiamen.  Please use China Flight to search for the latest schedule and price.

By Bus: Regular buses from Chengdu Chadianzi and Xinnanmen coach stations depart around 7:00, 8:00 in the morning. It is suggested to buy the bus ticket in advance. It takes about 10-11 hours from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou. The highway along the west route (Chengdu-Dujiangyan-Wenchuan-Jiuzhaigou) has still been constructing and there is occasional traffic jam, the coach will go through the east line to Jiuzhaigou via Mianyang, Jiangyou and Pingwu.

There are approximately two buses every day between Jiuzhaigou and Songpan, 7:00, 13:00 from Songpan and 7:30, 12:50 vice versa. In addition, there are regular buses from Guangyuan, Jiangyou and Mianyang to Jiuzhaigou. The bus schedule is adjusted to changes. Here is the travel time information by bus from some surrounding places to the scenic area:

from Jiangyou: 7 hours; 

from Songpan: 2 hours;

from Huanglong: 3 hours;

from Mianyang: 8 hours

 Source: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/sichuan/jiuzhaigou/page1.htm

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Beidaihe, China

Beidaihe Scenic Spot, the famous summer resort, is located in the southwest of Qinhuangdao City. Its coastlines, seaside attractions and convenient transportation all make it a popular destination for travelers. Beidaihe Scenic Spot is situated in the warm temperate zone, with a damp monsoon climate and four distinct seasons, neither too hot in summer nor too cold in winter. Therefore, it is suitable for all year round travel, though, the best time to visit is from May to October.

The long coastline to its south has soft sand and sea water of moderate salinity, making it an excellent place to sunbathe and swim. Many modern holiday villages and public bathing places have been established, where you can taste local snacks and delicious seafood, ride in a speedboat, or relax in a ballroom dancing. If you want to get away from the masses, a stroll on the pebbled sand will bring you close to nature.

In the central area of the scenic spot is a great attraction called Tiger Rock Park. It has many huge rocks looking like a herd of tigers. Standing on any of the rocks gives you a deep enjoyment of the beauties of nature. The sea breeze pushing against your face, the waves beating the rocks and the vast sea will make you feel refreshed and energetic. This is a good spot for photography.

To the east another famous attraction is the Yingjiao Stone - a twenty-meter (66 feet) steep rock like an eagle perched on the cliff. Because groups of doves nest in the cracks there, it is also called Dove Nest Park. The Yingjiao Pavilion on the top is famous as a place to watch the sunrise.

The pine-covered Lianfeng Hill, which backs on to Beidaihe beach, comprises two peaks, the east peak and the west peak. Taking the secluded path you can reach Wanghai Ting (Seaside Pavilion) at the top of the hill, where you can best appreciate the vast sea and the scenery around the mountain. At the foot of Lianfeng Hill is a beautiful park named Lianhuashi (Lotus Stone Park) because of the many unexpectedly huge lotus shaped stones.

Now, Beidaihe Scenic Spot attracts more and more attention from around the world with more than 4 million people traveling here every year. Add this scenic spot to your itinerary and you will not regret your decision.

 Link Peak Mountain Park (Lianfeng Mountain Park):

Link Peak Mountain Park, in the western part of Beidaihe Scenic Area, is the largest forest park of Beidaihe. It covers an area of 1,636mu (109 ha.). It is so named due to the connected three mountain peaks of the East, Middle and West Lianfeng Mountains. The whole park looks like the lotus pod from afar and thus has been called the Lotus Pod Mountain Park as well.

The highest peak stands at an altitude of 153m (502ft). There is a Viewing Sea Pavilion at the summit that gives a superb panorama of Beidaihe. A lotus stone is surrounded with rare stones on the mountainside. It is actually a stele with the shape of a lotus. Next to it is another stele with an inscription by Xu Shichang (President of the Chinese Republic during 1918-1922) on the right side and the records of the history of Lianfeng Mountain Park on the back side.

Walking northeastwards for around 550m, the 130m (427ft) high Cockscomb Mountain comes into sight. A summerhouse is set there for visitors to view the busy scene of large ships on the sea of Qinhuangdao. One will also encounter a large stone with a hole on it and produces strange sounds once being hit. Then, there is a well that is practically dry all the time even though rainstorms happen here often. In the south of the highest peak is the Dragon Mountain.

Not only forests, pavilions and rare stones can be seen in the park, but all kinds of villas are hidden in the deep forest. The ones belonged of Lin Biao (a militarist in Chinese history) and that of General Zhang Xueliang are the most attractive.

The Hanwu Platform was discovered in the Middle Lianfeng Mountain recently. It is a high platform built under the order of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty who yearned for immortality. There is also the Bird’s Forest, home to 2,000 rare birds. 

Note: There are a variety of choices for sea food around the park, so just enjoy yourself!

Admission Fee	CNY30
Opening Hours	07:00-18:00 (May - September) 08:00-18:00 (October - April)
Bus Route	Local bus no. 5 and 21

 Safari Park: Qinhuangdao Safari Park is in the Costal National Forest Park of Beidaihe Scenic Area between Qinhuangdao and Beidaihe. It is situated in the middle section of Beach Avenue, faces the Gulf of Bo Hai in the east and joins the Dove Nest Park in the south. Covering an area of 334 ha, it is the second safari park in China, also with the highest forest coverage rate and the most beautiful environment among all the safari parks in China.

This park is the home for 100 varieties of over 5,000 animals. Among them, there are rare ones like Siberian tigers, African lions, giraffes, zebras, and brown bear. It is of a lot of fun to come close to the animals: Tourists can directly play with the meek ones and watch the wild ones by taking the sightseeing bus. Over 20 exhibition areas are set here, including the Lion’s Park, Bear’s Park, Tiger’s Park, White Tiger’s Park, Monkey’s Park, Peacock’s Park, Animal Training Field and the African Flavor Garden. Among them, Animal Training Field shows visitors how the beasts prey on their food. In the African Flavor Garden, besides the largest herbivorous animals, there are aborigines from Africa to give a genuine African flavor. You can take the small trains or electric automobiles to view the lions and other beasts. Or you can stroll around the world of elephants, monkeys and camels and feet them. The more daring will enjoy playing with the animals during their visit.

 Recommended visiting route: main entrance of the park – rockery – Lion’s Park – Tiger’s Park – Bear’s park – White Tiger’s Park – African Animals’ Park – Monkey’s Park – Entertaining Central Square – Herbivore’s Park – Flowers Garden – Birds Garden
If you don’t want to walk a lot in the park, there are battery carts for your convenience. 

Admission Fee	CNY80 for adult; CNY50 for children between 1.2m and 1.4m; free for children below 1.2m
Opening Hours	08:00 - 17:00
Animal Performances Schedule	From Monday to Friday: 10:00 – 10:30; 15:00 – 15:30 From Saturday and Sunday: 09:50 – 10:20; 11:00 – 11:30; 15:00 – 15:30
Recommended Travel Duration	2.5 hours
Best Travel Season	Take Qinhuangdao bus no. 34 and get off at Safari Park Station. Then you can directly walk to the park. Note: Bus no. 34 can be taken at Qinhuangdao Railway Station or Beidaihe Haibin Bus Station.
Bus Route	May to October

 Dove Nest Park: Dove Nest Park is one of the major attractions in the Beidaihe Scenic Area of Qinhuangdao. As an eagle-like large stone is set on the cliff of the seaside and pigeons usually gather here, the park is named the Dove Nest Park or Eagle Horn’s Park.

The park is mainly composed of Eagle Horn Pavilion, Seaside Corridor, Book Cabinet, the Place of Chairman Mao Viewing the Sea and Composing the Poem, and Cherry Blossom Area.

The Eagle Horn Pavilion was built on the cliff of seaside in 1937 as a summerhouse; walking in the southwest direction, you can see the Seaside Corridor with the two ends composed of two pavilions. The corridor which is 50 meters (54 yards) long absorbs the elegant character of both the Summer Palace in Beijing and the Mountain Resort of Chengde in Hebei. Over one hundred Chinese traditional paintings can be found along the corridor; The Book Cabinet is built in the south of the corridor for celebrities and tourists for writing poems and drawing pictures.

The park feeds over 600 pigeons. All of them have been domesticated, so visitors can play and take photos with them. Also, the park is a good place to view the cherry blossom and jade lake.

 Tips: 
1. The eagle horn stone in the park is a perfect site to view the sunrise. 
2. There are many sanatoriums near the park for you to have rest and live. 
3. Walk along the nearby seaside road to the cruise port, where there are boats or cruise for sea viewing. 

Admission Fee	CNY20 per adult; CNY15 for children between 1.2m and 1.5m in height, and the elderly above 60 years old with a valid proof; free for children below 1.2m in height
Opening Hours	03:00-18:00 (May - Sep.) 08:00-18:00 (Oct.- the next Apr.)
Best Travel Time	April to October
Recommended Visiting Duration	Around 1.5 hours
Transportation	1. Take bus no. 34 at Qinhuangdao Railway Station or Beidaihe Haibin Coach Station to get off at Chitushan bus stop. Then you can easily walk to the park. 2. Take bus no. 37 at Beidaihe Railway Station to Chitushan station (North Lianfeng Road). Upon getting off, walk to the park directly.

 Tiger Stone Park: Tiger Stone Park is located in the center of Beidaihe Scenic Area, covering an area of 33,000 square meters (39,468 square yards). It is a perfect place to play and relax in summer. The jade sea, golden sand, bright sunshine and cool wind attract numerous tourists to spend their holidays every year.

The most attractive scenes here are rocks of varied shapes and sizes. Because they form the shape of a herd of tigers in sand beach, forest and seacoast, the park is named the Tiger Stone Park. Under bright sunlight, the tigers seem to be sound asleep. They are many good places to take a photo.

Relating to the tiger rocks, there are legends adding great fun to the park. It’s said that, after the first emperor of China, Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the country; he came to the Bohai Sea to seek an elixir but a mountain got in his way. He whipped the mountain with his magic whip and the mountain gave way to him. As the fragmental stones flew northeastward, Qin Shi Huang chased them to the sea. Suddenly, the stones disappeared and only a herd of tigers played on the beach. Once seeing Qin Shi Huang, the tigers sprang to chase him. After he left, the tigers turned into tiger rocks with a variety of gestures. Now, all the rocks bring great fun to the tourists and the nearby beach is called Tiger Rock Beach.

The bath resort nearby is of great attraction in summer. Apart from lying and bathing there for relaxation, there are many entertainment activities for enjoyment, such as motorboats, beach volleyball, sail boarding, and surf boarding, as well as a playground for children.  

Admission Fee	CNY 8
Opening Hours	06:00-22:00
Best Travel Time	June to August
Transportation	1. Take bus no. 34 to Beidaihe Haibin Coach Station. Upon getting off, walk southwards for around 500m to the park. 2. Local bus no. 5 or 22 can take you to the Tiger Rock Park Station directly.

Source: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/hebei/qinhuangdao/beidaihe.htm

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The Shilin Stone Forest, China

The Stone Forest or Shilin (Chinese: 石林; pinyin: Shílín) is a notable set of limestone formations located in Shilin Yi Autonomous County, Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China, near Shilin approximately 90 km (56 mi) from the provincial capital Kunming.

The tall rocks seem to pray to the ground in the manner of stalagmites, with many looking like petrified trees thereby creating the illusion of a forest made of stone. Since 2007, two parts of the site, the Naigu Stone Forest (乃古石林) and Suogeyi Village (所各邑村), have been UNESCO World Heritage Sites as part of the South China Karst. The site is classified as a AAAAA-classtourist site.

According to legend, the forest is the birthplace of Ashima (阿诗玛), a beautiful girl of the Yi people. After falling in love she was forbidden to marry her chosen suitor and instead turned into a stone in the forest that still bears her name. Each year on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month, many Yi people celebrate the Torch Festival (火把节 Huǒbă Jié), which features folk dances and wrestling competitions.

In China’s Yunnan Province is the famous stone topography of Shilin, meaning “stone forest.” Covering an area of three-hundred square kilometers (or 186 miles) the stone forest is a massive otherworldly landscape of karst formations over 270 million years old. Over the millennia seismic activity and water and wind erosion have carved the present-day limestone formations.

The giant stalagmite-like pillars create huge arrays of labyrinths that are easy to become lost in. Shillin is divided into many smaller stone forests and features caves, waterfalls, ponds, a lake with an island, and even an underground river. Two of the smaller individual stone forests, Naigu Stone Forest and Suogeyi Village, are a part of the South China Karst, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

One of Shillin’s most famous attractions is the Ashima Stone, which legend says was formed after the beautiful Sani girl, Ashima, ran into the forest and was turned to stone after being forbidden to marry the man she loved. Every year on June 24 the local Sani people hold the time-honored Torch Festival at Shilin, which features many “traditional performances such as wrestling, bull fighting, pole-climbing, dragon-playing, lion-dancing, and the A-xi Moon Dance.”

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Shanghai, China

Shanghai is the largest Chinese city by population and the by population in the world. It is one of the four direct-controlled municipalities, with a population of more than 24 million as of 2013. It is a global financial center, and a transport hub with the world's busiest container port. Located in the Yangtze River Delta in East China, Shanghai sits at the mouth of the Yangtze in the middle portion of the Chinese coast. The municipality borders the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang to the north, south and west, and is bounded to the east by the East China Sea.

For centuries a major administrative, shipping, and trading town, Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th century due to European recognition of its favorable port location and economic potential. The city was one of five opened to foreign trade following the British victory over China in the First Opium War while the subsequent 1842 Treaty of Nanking and 1844 Treaty of Whampoa allowed the establishment of the Shanghai International Settlement and the French Concession. The city then flourished as a center of commerce between east and west, and became the undisputed financial hub of the Asia Pacific in the 1930s. However, with the Communist Party takeover of the mainland in 1949, trade was reoriented to focus on socialist countries, and the city's global influence declined. In the 1990s, the economic reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping resulted in an intense re-development of the city, aiding the return of finance and foreign investment to the city.

Shanghai is a popular tourist destination renowned for its historical landmarks such as The Bund, City God Temple and Yu Garden as well as the extensive Lujiazui skyline and major museums including the Shanghai Museum and the China Art Museum. It has been described as the "showpiece" of the booming economy of mainland China.

Source: wikipedia.org

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Forbidden City, China

The Forbidden City is known also as the Palace Museum, the Gugong (in Chinese) Museum or the Purple Forbidden City. It is the largest and best preserved imperial palace in China. This awesome palace is located in Beijing city to the north of Tiananmen Square (the ceremonial center of current Republic of China) and it was the official residence of the Chinese Emperor from the mid Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) until the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). In total the Palace was the home of 24 Chinese emperors.

The Forbidden City is one of the five most famous palaces of the world together with the Palace of Versailles, the Buckingham Palace, the White House and the Kremlin. The Forbidden City was constructed as a replica of the Purple Palace where God lived according to the Chinese mythology therefore the palace was a sacred place, and so it was forbidden to the ordinary people.

The Forbidden City is the largest palace of the World. It occupied an area of 74 hectares. It is surrounded by a great moat of 6 meters deep and 10 meters high. The Palace is a giant rectangle of 961 meters long for 753 meters wide. The walls are 8.62 meters wide at the base and 6.66 meters at the top; they were designed as defensive walls and were made using rammed earth. The complex is composed by 980 buildings and around 8707 rooms.

The four corners of the great rectangle have each one an intricate tower with complex roofs that represents the Pavilion of Prince Teng and the Yellow Crane Pavilion. These towers are the elements most prominent from outside palace. The main entrance to the Forbidden City is through the Tiananmen gate. Behind the Tiananmen gate is the great courtyard of the palace. Here the complex is divided into two parts: the inner court and the outer court (also called working area or front court). The courtyard contains some of the most representative elements of the palace: the “stream of golden water” and 5 beautiful bridges ornamented with carved torches.

The outer court was used mainly with ceremonial purposes and to host the imperial affaires. It is composed by all the buildings of the southern zone.

One of the most important rooms of the complex is the “Hall of Supreme Harmony” which is the largest in the palace and is 30 meters above the level of the surrounding square. This hall was the heart of the power in the country and is the largest wooden structure in China. The roof of this magnificent hall was decorated with a caisson with a coiled dragon. There had two other important halls: the Hall of the Central Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. The three salons had imperial thrones and were used to host the Imperial activities and ceremonies. Behind the Hall of Preserving Harmony is the greatest stone carving of China, an impressive stone piece that weights around 200 tons.

The residence of the Emperor, his concubines and the Eunuchs of the palace was located in the inner court at the northern section of the complex in the central north-south axis of the complex, which was the most important axis of the three that compose the Forbidden City. In the inner are the main buildings that served as home for the imperial family such as the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Palace of Earthly or the Hall of Union. All these palaces have an extraordinaire architectural style and were luxury decorated.

All the elements from the architectural shapes to the colors used in the Forbidden City were designed to symbolize religious and philosophical principles of the Chinese cosmology. This Palace is the abstract of several millenniums of culture.

It can visit the Forbidden City from 08:30 to 17:00 between April 1 and October 31 for 60 yuan and from 08:30 to 16:30 between October 16 and April 15 for 40 yuan. There are also many services to guide visitors available. There is an audio guide (40 yuan) device available in several languages like Chinese, Cantonese, English, French, Japanese, German, Spanish, Russian, Thai , Arabic and Italian. There are also multilingual guides, a tourist service center, bag check services, tourist souvenirs, books, post office and several restaurants where it can enjoy a good food or drink.

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Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is a series of stone and earthen fortifications in northern China, built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire against intrusions by various nomadic groups.

Several walls have been built since the 5th century BC that are referred to collectively as the Great Wall, which has been rebuilt and maintained from the 5th century BC through the 16th century. One of the most famous is the wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall remains; the majority of the existing wall was built during the Ming Dynasty.

The Great Wall stretches from Shanhaiguan in the east, to Lop Lake in the west, along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. The most comprehensive archaeological survey, using advanced technologies, has concluded that all the walls measure 8,851.8 km (5,500.3 mi). This is made up of 6,259.6 km (3,889.5 mi) sections of actual wall, 359.7 km (223.5 mi) of trenches and 2,232.5 km (1,387.2 mi) of natural defensive barriers such as hills and rivers.

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