A Great Hiking Tour on Taishan

Mountain Tai

Ten years ago, my dad and I once had an excellent one day hiking tour on Mount Tai in Shandong Province. After visiting Confucian Temple and Kong’s Residence in Qufu the other day, we set out to Tai An city very early in the next morning. Although it was raining that day, we found that the foot of Tai shan had already been crowded when we got there. Peddlers, tourists and foreign visitors were all heading forward to the front gate.

As the leader of the “Five Sacred Mountains”, Mt. Tai is the largest one lying across the cities of Tai’an, Jinan and Zibo. For both me and my dad, it was our first time to climb such huge mountain on a rainy day. So, we both agreed to pick up the most commonly used and safest east route.

Following the crowds, the first attraction spot of Mt. Tai Scenic Spot area was the Dai Temple located at the foot of Mt. Tai. It is said that this temple was used as a worship place for sacrificial ceremonies in ancient period. The main structure of this temple is TianKuang Hall or “Hall of Heavenly blessing”, which was first built in 1009. The east route, according to the local residence, was regarded as the imperial route because most of Chinese emperors took this way while making sacrifices. There are approximately more than 6000 stone steps along this route and it exactly took us four hours to reach the mountain peak. When moving upward, we had seen so many breathtaking sceneries, palaces and stone inscriptions. The next thing jumped into our sight was Daizong Archway, which was made of stones with four pillars and three gates. Then, the Red Gate Palace is one of the three most important temples in Mt. Tai Scenic Spot Area. Normally, this palace is thought to be the formal starting point of east route. Walking through the Red Gate, we arrived at Jing Shi valley where we saw the biggest stone-carved diamond sutra in China. The Eighteen Bends would be considered as the hardest stretch all the way to the mountain top. It consists of more than 1,600 steps and the total vertical height is around 400 meters.

Among the traditional route, there are other three kinds of route. The fastest and most fashionable route would start from Heaven and Earth Square to Mid-Heaven Gate. Then visitors have to take cable car to the top of the mountain. Attractions along this way include Heaven Earth Square, Black Dragon Pool, Tomb of General Feng Yuxiang, and Longevity Bridge and so on. The most convenient way for tourists who drive or take bus would be Peach Blossom Ravine Route. The last route would be the most adventurous Tianzhu Peak, enjoying Eight Immortals Cave, Big Tianzhu Peak and Small Tianzhu Peak, the pine trees in Hou Shi Wu etc.

Mountain Tai is a perfect combination of fantastic natural scenery and historical relics. Aside from that, it is very suitable for hiking lovers.

If you are interested in traveling in China, you could find more in Chinaholidays.com http://www.chinaholidays.com/. For Taishan mountain lovers, you could find what you like in Beijing Qufu Taishan Weekend Tour http://www.chinaholidays.com/tours/beijing-taishan-weekend-tour.html and 3 Days Beijing Taishan Qufu Tour  http://www.chinaholidays.com/tours/beijing-qufu-taishan-tour.html

Wonderful Trip to Yunnan

Water Splashing Festival

Last spring I went to Yunnan with my friends and had an amazing 10 days holidays there. It was so impressive and I hope I could come back this year!

Yunnan is a warm place, when we stayed there every day was always like a lovely spring day! I saw all kinds of flowers beside the street and the vendor sold them in the local market very cheap! One thing you could not miss is certainly the local market; you could find fresh vegetable, mushroom, flower and delicious local food there! Although some may look strange but once you try, you will fall in love with them!

The most impressive day in Yunnan for me is the Water Splashing Festival! Young persons of Dai will dress colorful and beautiful clothing at that day and splash water to each other to show their good wish to each other! Our guide Tom helped us get the local dress and shorts and join the crazy days! We became soaked through but excited during the splashing! The singing and dancing performance were also wonderful and even my friend and I were invited to take a part in it!

Tom told us there are lots of traditional festivals of these ethnic groups in Yunnan, such as Sanyuejie Festival of the Bai people, Splashing Water Festival of Dai and Torch Festival of Yi and Three Flowers Festival of Naxi People, etc. People could always find happiness in Yunnan!

I really love Yunnan and it is just a paradise for me! Hope to return in the future!

If you are interested in visiting China, you could find lots of information and tours on chinaholidays.com http://www.chinaholidays.com/, for more Chinese Festival Tours, you could find them on Colorful Festival Tours http://www.chinaholidays.com/tours/chinese-festival-travel.html, 2013 Yunnan Water Splashing FestivalTour could be found on china holidays http://www.chinaholidays.com/tours/water-splashing-festival.html

Delicious food and relaxing tour in Shanghai

Shanghai Food

I have just come back from Shanghai this week. The Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai Museum and Yuyuan Garden is fantastic but what impressed me most is Shanghai Food!

In Shanghai, my guide Victor told me proudly that Shanghai food is so famnous and unique in China, so they earn a reputation Shanghainese Food. In the morning of my Shanghai trips, I have tried many delicious Shanghainese foods with him!

The first thing we tried is call Shanghainese fried dumplings. Victor said it was one thing you could not miss when come to Shanghai. I was told to poke a hole in the side in case the liquid is boiling inside. And then use the special vinegar created at the restaurant. It's steeped with ginger and of course, being in Shanghai, has added sugar. With the vinegar in it, the fried dumplings do not taste oily and I eat five in one breath!

The next day I tasted pulled noodles with sesame oil. It looks simple but taste great! At the first time you see, it is just some noodle with oily sauce and green onion. But it realy taste amazing and not oily at all! It has a really fantastic flavor and reminds you of your home made food! Also you could order other food and put it in the noodle. It will have other versions at once.

The last day in Shanghai, I had something sweet, a traditional Macanese egg custard tart. Victor said Shanghai is a city in which you could taste different countries flavor food easily! The tart is a western food at the beginning but is absorbed by Shanghai people and become a part of Shanghainese food.

I really enjoy the Shanghainese food in my Shanghai tour and would like to taste more if I could go there again!

If you are interested in China Tour and Shanghai Tour, you could find more in chinaholidays.com  http://www.chinaholidays.com/  and Shanghai Tour http://www.chinaholidays.com/tours/shanghai.html .

Relaxing Tour to Yueyang Tower Hunan China

Yueyang Tower

Recently I had the chance to visit Hunan Province with my friends Ada. We had a quite relaxing trip there and enjoy many interesting attractions and typical food.

The first attraction our guide takes us to is Yueyang Tower. It is an ancient Chinese architecture and is located by the side of Dongting Lake. Our guide Tanya told us that it was the place where ancient celebrities get together to compose poems and essays. Although I could not understand the famous pieces on the tower but the beautiful roofs, tiles and sculptures are really amazing for me! And I knew that Yueyang Tower is known as one of the four famous Chinese towers. The other three are the Yellow Crane Tower in Hubei Province, the Penglai Pavilion in Shandong Province and the Tengwang Pavilion in Jiangxi Province.

After visit the Yueyang Tower we have a walk around the Dongting Lake, the early spring scenery were gorgeous. The green leaves and prink flower are lovely and I also saw some local families flew kites there. I thought the later it would become more attractive. Hope I could come in another season.

During my visit to Yueyang Tower, Ada and I had also tasted some local food. They all tastes a little bit spicy than other food I tried in other place of China. But they are delicious! I love a kind of rice noodle and if you are brave enough you could try a kind of fried black Tofu product!

I relay had a pleasant holiday in Hunan with my friend and the lovely guide. Thanks for all the people that help me plan the trip and hope you could also have good days!

If you are interested in the fantastic China Tour, you could find more in chinaholidays.com http://www.chinaholidays.com/ , you could also find more Hunan and Hubei tour in 6 days Hunan Tour: Zhangjiajie, Fenghuang http://www.chinaholidays.com/tours/zhangjiajie-fenghuang-changsha.html , 11 days Hubei and Hunan Tour  http://www.chinaholidays.com/tours/wudangshan-shennongjia-zhangjiajie.html

Great Forbidden City in my Beijing Tour

Forbidden City

Last month I had a tour in China, Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai. It is such a gorgeous tour for me and it is just I have dreamed! I would like to share with you all my experience in the wonderful country.

The first city I visited is the capital Beijing. As I came in the Spring Festival time so there are so many colorful lights and festival decorations on the street, they are interesting, especially the little red handmade lantern!

My favorite attraction in Beijing is Forbidden City! It is something you should not miss when visiting Beijing. It is an incredible part of China’s history and the architecture is beautiful. I love the palaces, the golden roof and red wall stand out each other! The column and items in the palace is delicate and amazing, but visitor could only see them out of the door.

I spent almost a whole day with the knowledgeable guide Nancy from www.chinaholidays.com in the Forbidden City, she gave many helpful explanation and guide, and otherwise I would have not understood the meaning and sign of this ancient palace museum!

Besides Forbidden City, I have also visited Summer Palace, Great Wall, Hutong and Panda Hall and other interesting places with Nancy!

Hope you all have a wonderful trip in China just like me!

If you are interested in the Forbidden City, you could book a tour like me with China Holidays.com http://www.chinaholidays.com/ and you could find useful information on China Beijing Tour http://www.chinaholidays.com/tours/beijing.html .

My Visit to Luzhi Watertown

Luzhi Watertown

Last week I visited Suzhou last week and had the opportunity to go to Luzhi. I have to say it is such a surprise in my tour. I have not known it before I came to China but my guide Nancy strongly suggest it to me as I have a day free to travel around.

Luzhi is an amazing place. The old stone bridges, limpid water, venerable maidenhair trees and old-style dwellings always attract my eyes. It is just what I dreamed a China town should be!

Besides the natural beauty, Luzhi town is also famous for several historic and cultural relics, such as Baosheng temple, the Wansheng Rice Company and the White Lotus Flower Temple of the North Song dynasty.

In Luzhi there are so many quaint stone bridges! They were built in the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. So Luzhi has the reputation as a 'Museum of Chinese Ancient Bridges'.

The distinctive traditional costumes worn by the women in the town are also fantastic. Both clothes and trousers are characteristically pieced together using different cotton materials in a variety of designs. In addition to wearing these clothes, local women are accustomed to wearing colorful kerchiefs and embroidered shoes. It is lucky for me to see such beautiful clothes in the pretty water town!

If you also would like to travel in the beautiful water town like me, you could find some useful information in China Holidays http://www.chinaholidays.com/ and Shanghai Tour http://www.chinaholidays.com/tours/shanghai.html and this Water Town Tour http://www.chinaholidays.com/tours/shanghai-bus-tour-suzhou-garden.html would be perfect for you!

Shanghai Museum: Paradise of Knowledge

Shanghai Museum

I left half day free in Shanghai Museum when I had my 4-day-trip (book on the Internet with www.chinaholidays.com) in Shanghai. This is really a different place from the other famous visiting spots. This is a place full of knowledge. This museum possesses over 1000,000 objects. All of these are rich and high quality collections of ancient Chinese bronze, ceramics, painting and calligraphy etc.

The Shanghai Museum was first open to the public in 1952 in the building previously of the horseracing club at 325 W. Nanjing Road. Then it was moved into the former Zhonghui Building at 16 S. Henan Road in 1959. The museum developed very quickly in aspects of acquisition, conservation, research, exhibition, education and cultural exchanges with other institutes. In 1992, the Shanghai municipal government allocated to the Museum a piece of land at the very center of the city, the People's Square, as its new site. The whole construction took three years, from August 1993 to its inauguration on October 12th, 1996. The 29.5 meters high new building has a construction space of 39,200 square meters. Its unique architectural form of a round top with a square base, symbolizing the ancient Chinese philosophy that the square earth is under the round sky, is a distinguished architectural combination of traditional feature and modern spirit. The present Shanghai Museum has eleven galleries and three special temporary exhibition halls. It extends warm welcome to the visitors from all over the world.

The museum has Galleries of Chinese Ancient Bronze, Chinese Ancient Ceramics, Chinese Paintings, Chinese Calligraphy, Chinese Ancient Sculpture, Ancient Jade, Coin, Ming and Qing Furniture, Chinese Seals, Minority Nationalities' Art. If you would like to know more about China, this is one of the best places you must visit.

If you are interested in Shanghai, Shanghai Tours and Shanghai Museum, you could find more on China Holidays.com http://www.chinaholidays.com/ and Shanghai Tours http://www.chinaholidays.com/tours/shanghai.html