The Xingqing Palace Park

Lived in Xian for many years, the Xingqing Palace Park is a site I will go every year in my Xian travel. At that time, the park did not have the wall around it, neither the lush trees and beautiful flowers.

Thanks to frequently visit, I have a little knowledge about the history of this park. But it has passed so many years that the memory about the park has faded to some extent. According to records, Xingqing Park Palace is one of the oldest relic park in China. I mean this park is the oldest at the perspective of ‘relic’, not the park itself.

In the year of 1956, following out the policy of improving city’s environment and building a beautiful city, the government of Xian carry out a decision to build a park on the historical relic, which also provides a place for the residents for rest and entertainment. The students and teachers in the Jiaotong University benefit first in the policy, for in a long time, they are free to visit the park.

Unlike the Terracotta Warriors tour, the staying in the Xingqing Palace Park gives me enough time to embrace this ancient city.

My Xian Trip with my Daughter

After fantastic oversea vacation, my daughter and I took a 4 day Xian Package tour, in which we have visited the most famous attractions in Xian in the previous three days, including the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, the Huaqing Hot Springs, the Qianling Mausoleum, the Shaanxi History Museum, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Famen Temple and the Xian Ancient City wall.

 In the last day, I decided to wonder in the city with my daughter to breath the special atmosphere of the ancient cultural city. It is a quiet leisure day to experience the charming of this ancient city.
My mother was also along with us to take care my daughter when I was busying in taking photos. She also in charge of answering the questions asked by the little kid and telling stories when she felt bored. I appreciated a lot to my mother in the whole Beijing- Xian tour.

“The never dried gentle Hot springs, the never died Huaqing Palace.’ This is a well known description about the Huaqing Hot Springs, which has witnessed the romantic but tragical love story between Emperor Xuangzong and his favorite concubine Lady Yang in Tang Dynasty.

Shapotou-the Harmonious Coexistence Between Man and Nature

Situated at the southeastern rim of the Tengger Desert. over 10 kilometers west of Zhongwei City in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwest China, Shapotou is only about 30 meters from the northern bank of the Yellow River. By the riverbank, there is a large sand embankment, about 2,000 meters wide and 100 meters high, hence the name Shapotou (Sand Slope Head). It means is the Tengger Desert, and on the southern bank is the famous Loess Plateau. Thanks to the outstanding achievements in fixing sands and controlling sands by the Chinese people, the vast sea of yellow sands has been covered by a wide green forest belt, presenting a natural scenic wonder consisting of fine desert, the long river, the high mountain and the oasis an example of the harmonious coexistence between man and nature. The Chinese experts in the sand control have created a miracle that trains have run along the Baotou-Lanzhou Railway and gone through the desert for several dozens of years, a fact which has attracted many Chinese and foreign experts and scholars to come here to make investigations. Accordingly, Shapotou enjoys a high reputation in the world, along with the Terracotta Warriors in China. Here tourists can ride camels to appreciate the sea of sands, take a sand bath, and do sand surfing. Further- south lies the tourist program of cruising the fiver aboard goat-skin dinghies. Tourists can attend the Xian package tour to explore this place. If you are a travel fanatic, please login the site http://www.travel-xian.com for more information. At Shapotou, one can ride a boat made with dead sheep blown into balloons and tied together, they call it Yangpifazi. You can ride this boat for a short distance or a very very long distance (literarily for hours to reach this other site which I didn't not go). At Shapotou, I also rode camels all the way over a sand hill to another area, where the Tangeer Desert seemed endless and extremely beautiful (especially under the setting sun on a clear day!). Though I picked a route to only ride the camel for about an hour, you can choose another option to ride the camel for 5 hours over the Tangeer desert to reach this beautiful lake called Tong Hu in the middle of nowhere and sleep over inside the desert.

Ancient City of Suzhou-the “Oriental Venice”

The Ancient City of Suzhou is located in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province in east China. A famous historical and cultural city of China, Suzhou has a recorded history of over 4,000 years. Now the Ancient City of Suzhou still preserves the double-chessboard layout of the Song Dynasty, featuring "water and roads going side by side, and rivers bordering on streets." Suzhou has crisscrossed rivers, and the famous Grand Canal passes by the city. "The rivers in the Ancient City of Suzhou total 35 kilometers long, with over 170 bridges, hence the name of the "Oriental Venice." Each of the eight city gates of Suzhou can be reached by both land and water. As the city is linked with the countryside by roads and rivers, Suzhou has convenient transport facilities, Tourists can go to the beautiful city by automobile or boat. Suzhou is a noted garden city in China. An old saying goes: "'South China has the most beautiful gardens in the country; and Suzhou has the most beautiful gardens in South China." In the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, private gardens in Suzhou numbered ever 200. Taking a walk in the ancient city. tourists can see the beautiful scenery of a land of water everywhere, with plaster walls, black tiles, small bridges, running waters and waterside houses, Suzhou is a famous tourist destination all the people are eager to go. Ancient City of Pingyao-the “Turtle City” Situated in the seat of Pingyao County in Shanxi Province in central China, the ancient city was built in the third year of the Hongwu reign period (1370) of the Ming Dynasty. The square city wall built with bricks is 6.4 kilometers in circumference, 12 meters high and five meters wide on average. The watchtowers were built on the outer wall at 50-meter intervals, and there is a corner tower on each of the four corners. On the city wall, there are 3,000 battlements and 72 watchtowers, symbolizing that Confucius had 3,000 disciples, of whom 72 were outstanding. Certainly, it is a coincidence. The city wall was built in the shape of a turtle with six gates, hence the name "Turtle City." A bird's-eye view will find that the city is surrounded by a moat, and the city wall has six gates: One on the south, one on the north, two on the east and two on the west. The gates on the south and north wails symbolize the head and tail of the turtle, and the gates on the east and west walls stand for the feet. In ancient China, the turtle is an auspicious animal, symbolizing longevity and as solid as a rock. Opposite the Pingyao city, there is another ancient city-Xian, famous for the City Wall. The city wall in Xian has at least 12 gates. If you want to know more about the Xian travel, you can browse the website http://www.travel-xian.com . All the streets, houses and shops in the ancient city of Pingyao remain intact. The government residences, altars, temples and other large architectural structures in the old city are laid out according to the ranking system of traditional rites, which is a rare living example for the modern people to study the organizational system of a county and the military defensive system in ancient China.The Ancient City of Pingyao has been included in the World Heritage List by the UNESCO.

Hulun Buir Eastern Grassland

According to the estimation of experts, the grasslands in China make up about 40 percent of China's total territory. Whenever the grassland is mentioned, people will recite an ancient poem with a history of over 1,400 years as follows: Below the Yinshan Mountains lies the Chile Prairie Over the earth hangs the sky like a huge yurt. Between the vast sky and the boundless earth, Flocks and herds appear as grasses bend to wind.

To look for the grassland wonders according to this poem is undoubtedly correct, but it is by no means the only criterion, because China has a vast territory, and various types of grasslands. For instance, in her frigid zone in west China,such as Xian, it is impossible for visitors to see the scene "Flocks and herds appear as grasses bend to wind," where grasses are short, but full of glamour. When we recalled our trip to the grassland, we could not help thinking of the blue skies, white clouds, wild flowers, flocks of sheep, horses and cattle, yurts, mutton eaten with fingers, milk tea, bowed stringed instrument with a scroll carved like a horse’s head, horserace, wrestling, archery, songs and dances on the grasslands.

Located in the east of Hulun Buir City of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in north China, it is one of the famous grasslands in the world. With a flat terrain, the Hulun Buir Eastern Grassland(more detailed story on the travel site http://www.travel-xian.com ) embraces over 1,000 winding rivers, forming unique picturesque scenery. With high and dense grasses, the grassland is suitable for grazing horses and Cattle. The famous sanhe cattle and sanhe horses were bred here. In summer, the grassland is a carpet of green grass, which is strewn with a multitude of blossoming flowers, flocks of cattle, sheep and horses, and yurts, being the most beautiful grassland in the eyes of the Chinese people. On July 10th every year, the solemnly held here, which attracts numerous do mestic and foreign tourists. During the Nadam Fair, various kinds of sports competitions are held, such as the horserace, wrestling and archery.

Yarlungzangbo Grand Canyon

 

   A country with numerous mountains and canyons, China ranks first in the world in the number of canyons. The canyons introduced are the deepest longest, widest and weirdest ones in China. The canyons are divided into dry and water Canyons Acanyon with a river presents a magnificent sight because rivers are the blood of the land, and the soul of canyons. A canyon with waterfalls shows fascinating and picturesque scenery.

   Lying at the foot of Namjagbarwa Peak in Mainling County of Tibet, the Yarlungzangbo Canyon was discovered by the Chinese scientists in 1994, and was formally named the Yarlungzangbo Grand Canyon by China in 1998. It is well known because it was the last canyon discovered in the world.

   The Yarlungzangbo River runs from west to east between the Himalayas and the Gangdise Mountains; cuts through the Himalayas at the inlet in Pai Township of Mainling County, with all average volume of flow of 2,000 cubic meters/second; enters Medog County after forming a unique shaped bend around Namjagbarwa Peak; and flows out from the outlet at Baxika, with an average volume of flow of 5, 200 cubic meters/ second, thus forming the Yarlungzangbo Grand Canyon. The canyon is 504.6 kilometers long; and the deepest spot is located at Zaltgrong Village where Namjagbarwa Peak meets the Yarlungzangbo River, 6,009 meters deep. The deepest spot on one side is close to Dego Village, 7,057 meters deep. The aver age depth of the canyon is 2,268 meters; and the average depth of the core section is 2.673 meters. The average volume of flow of the river water in the canyon is 4,425 cubic meters/second, and the flow speed reaches 16 meters/second. According to the judgment by experts, the Yarlungzangbo Grand Canyon is the champion in the world in terms of length, width, depth, flow, magnificence, steepness, weirdness, elegance and mystery, and is the last mysterious site on earth. One who has not gone into it cannot say that one has viewed the most magnificent canyon in the world.

 Compared to the Yarlungzangbo Grand Canyon,Qinling Mountains is the most famous mountains in China , Qinling Mountain located in Shaanxi, China, Xi'an is the Shaanxi provincial capital and it's the oldest city in China,  if you would like to get more info. about Xian Travel, Please visit Xian Tourism.

Chinese Pottery City-Yixing

Yixing, a city on the west shores of Lake Taihu, is known for three caverns, the most famous of which is Shanjuan Cavern in Luoyan Hill about 25 kilometers southwest of the city. Tourists can walk along a distance of 800 meters in this cavern of some 5,000 square meters. According to legend, the cavern got its name from a man called Shanjuan who wanted to live in seclusion here after the ruler's of China, Yao and Shum decided to abdicate one after another in favor of Shanjuan sections: the upper, middle, lower and water caverns. The upper cavern, in a snail-shell shape, is filled with mist most of the time and maintains a temperature of about along the walls collects in a pool, so clear that the naked eye can see the bottom, The middle cavern is simply a huge natural rock chamber, 21 meters at the highest point, which can hold 1,000 people. On the sides of the chamber stand a pair of rocks, one bearing a strong re- semblance to a lion, the other an elephant, respectively called the Lion King and Elephant King. At the en- trance is a seven-meter high stalagmite called Foundation Pillar {Dizhu Feng) for its massive size and shape. A 105-step tunnel leads from the middle cavern to the all shapes and sizes. Turning back, one arrives at the water cavern, 120 meters long. On the walls of this underground waterway, colored lights enhance the beauty of eerie rocks.

The Zhanggong Caverns, named after an elderly Taoist who lived a secluded life here, are a group of lime karst caverns on the Yufeng Hill 20kilometers southwest of the city consisting of 72 small caverns totaling 1,000 meters in length. Taoism is a traditional belief in China. The earliest is in Xian China---the Mount.Huashan. It is the most famous Daoism mountain. By the way, Xian is one of the most famous tourism city in China, when you take a  Xian Tour,another well-known tourist attraction  is the Terra cottaWarriors, you should go and visit it. For more information about ChinesePottery and Xian travel, please log on here Xianterracotta warriors tour.

Over 1,500 man-made steps go up from the bottom cavern to the upper cavern. The appeal of the Zhanggong Caverns comes from the interlocking of the eaves filled with strange-shaped boulders and stalagmites. A spiral staircase leads visitors to the Hall of roof overhung with grotesque rocks and stalagmites. Many smaller caves lead off from this hall, all of them interlocked. Once out of the cavern, visitors on top of the
The third cavern, the Valley Spirit Cavern (Linggu Dong), was discovered only in I979 and is smaller than unique sites in the cavern, including a snow-white 17 meter high, over 5-meter; wide and more than 2-meter-thick stone slab.

Exploring Shaoshan-South China

The village of Shaoshan is situated in a valley surrounded by grin- clad hills. The road to the village from Changsha is paved, passing through the town of Xiang Tan, before crossing the paddy fields to enter the hill country where the plantations and orange groves abound

The road finally ends at a square in front of the hotel built to provide accommodation for the people who make the pilgrimage to the site. The path leads off to the fight to the white schoolhouse Mao attended, past the farm pond where he used to bathe, to the house where he was born in 1893.
According to Mao, his father was a poor peasant who joined the army in order to pay off some heavy debts he had incurred. Through frugal living the father managed to save enough money to buy back his land and, in time, became what is known in China as a "middle peasant,” the family owning about 15 mou, or two and one-half acres, of land.

Mao recounts how he began to help his father oh the farm at the age of six, At eight he entered primary school, and at age 13 he began long hours of manual labor on the farm, doing the accounts in the evening.
The farmhouse is typical of the Hunan area and is built on the slope of a hill overlooking the pond. On the other side of the pond stands a neighbor's house. Visitors pass into a courtyard, and the front door leads into a room which was once the family's altar to the ancestors, Behind there is a wash-house equipped with a stove and in the floor an open drain, then a kitchen with a large stove. The kitchen connects with the dining room, and from there the visitor passes into the bed- room of Mao's parents: this opens into Mao's room From here you pass into the interior courtyard, around which are various sheds: tool shed, rice-storage room, cow shed, wood shed, and pigsty, Thee is also a guest room off the courtyard. Entering the house again, the visitor passes into a corridor; to the left is the bedroom of Mao's eider brother.
There are no organized excursions available but, if you are slaying overnight, you will have time to walk along the narrow roads in the countryside surrounding the hamlet and trek into the hills. The site of a Taoist temples is to be found on the highest hill.