Xi'an - Living history

Dating back 630 years, Xi'an's city wall offers visitors a fine vantage point as they zoom around its ramparts on bicycles. And as a proud civic symbol, it's a favorite spot for lovers to take a stroll, while children play in its shadow.

Bathed in glorious spring sunshine - much welcome after a long winter - our full circle around the Xi'an city walls was an unforgettable experience.

Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province in northwestern China, boasts a history of more than 3,100 years. Named Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), it is one of the world's four great ancient capitals. And with all due respect to Athens, Rome and Cairo - all I cared about right now was this center of the origins of Chinese ancient civilization, situated by the Yellow River estuary in the mid-western region of the country.

Or rather, its city wall was at the center of my attention.

These days, according to a friend of mine from Xi'an, people who live just under the city wall are all very proud of it. Children grow up playing around it, and the city wall garden is where you can sense the real local life of Xi'an people. In the morning, they exercise in the gardens around the city wall, some practicing taichi, some playing diabolo or kongzhu in Chinese. You can also hear the authentic qinqiang, the local opera performed by Shaanxi people. It is also a good place for lovers to have a walk. "You can see the lichen after rainy days, and kind of sense the vitality of the ancient wall," my friend said.

Along the city walls there are several gates, with the main ones being Changle - or Eternal Joy - in the east, Anding - or Harmony Peace - in the west, Anyuan - or Forever Harmony - in the north and in the south, Yongning - or Eternal Peace. All the main gates have three towers, positioned to serve different purposes in defending.

The South Gate is the eastern starting and finishing point of the Silk Road, and hence the most beautifully decorated and famous one.

In ancient times Xi'an, or Chang'an, was the oriental cultural center of the Silk Road, and a vibrant and cosmopolitan city before any other in the Middle Kingdom.

These days, the South Gate square is often used by the provincial government for important official events and greetings, and there are regular performances, like the daily Gate Opening Ceremony, the Warrior Parade and acrobatics shows.

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Amazing Mount Wutai in Shanxi

Wutai Mountain

I was always dreaming about visiting Wutai Mountain since I knew it from Internet. There are so many temples, myths, stories and masters in the fantastic mountain in Shanxi, central China. Last month, I have the opportunity to explore the mysterious mountain with Beijing Chinaholidays (http://www.chinaholidays.com). The 6 days Wutai Mountain and Datong tour was really amazing for me. I would like very much to share the great experience with all of you.

The first day, I went to visit Yungang Grottoes with my guide Linda, she introduced lots of interesting history stories. The nest day I came to find Hanging Temple and Yingxian Wooden Pagoda. They are all amazing architectures which was built hundreds years ago and still well preserved until now. Especially the wooden pagoda, I was quite surprised to see that the ancient and elegant pagoda has not used any nails in it.

The last three days I have a in-depth adventure in the fantastic Wutaishan Mountain. The mountain is located in Wutai Country of Shanxi Province, 240 kilometers from the provincial capital of Taiyuan, Mount Wutai has the longest and most prestigious history in the four well-known Buddhist Mountains. I was always looking forwards to see the famous Buddhist Mountains!

In the mountain area, spring arrives in April, and snow falls in September and even in mid-summer, it is cool and pleasant. The cool and pleasant summer climate of Wutai Mountain has also given rise to another name: Qingliang (Cool and Pleasant) Mountain. The mountain has been regarded as an ideal place for escaping summer heat since ancient times.

With the average altitude over 1,000 meters (over 3,281 feet), its apex, the summit of the northern peak which is famed as being the "Roof of Northern China", reaches 3061.1 meters (10,043 feet). Besides the religious aspect, the beauty of rising and falling ridges of mountains, exotic rocks, crisscrossed gullies, crystalline waters and towering green forests also gives the mountain its reputation as a colorful and notable scenic resort.

Mount Wutai is home to 53 sacred monasteries, and they were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009.

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Tai'erzhuang Ancient Town in China's Shandong

Tai'erzhuang Village

Tai'erzhuang Ancient Town, located in Zaozhuang City, Shandong Province, is surrounded by water and has some classical bridges, an old water transport system, wetland parks, temples, museums, and the architecture of a bygone era. It is also the site of the Battle of Tai'erzhuang, an important victory during the Anti-Japanese War.

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Residence of Pu Songling: Typical Residence in North China

Pu Songling Residence

Last year, I went to Shangdong province and visited Jinan, Qufu, Zibo and Qingdao. In Zibo, I went to the residence of Pu Songling with the help of Beijing Chinaholidays and have a special visiting experience in the little north China village.

The Former Residence of Pu Songling is located in Pujiazhuang Village, Zibo City in east China's Shandong Province. It looks quite different from south China gardens. Without too much pools, stones and delicate sculptures, it is simple but graceful, with four courtyards connected by moon gates, which is typical of residences in north China. When we entered the main room in the courtyard in which Pu Songling lived is named "Liao Zhai" (literally talking room). The guide Tom told us that it is just in the place that Pu Songling created one vivid story of ghosts and spirits after another. In the room, people also display various editions of Liaozai Zhiyi and the paintings of related stories. We have learnt lot form the rich collections.

Pu Songling Residence

In the large area of Pu Songling residence, there is also a temple where we have leant some matter of Chinese religions. The garden, trees, pools and stones are not so delicate like gardens in Suzhou and Hangzhou. It has not so many palace or royal residences like Forbidden City and Summer Palace. But we have experience the real local life of ancient people in China!

I really enjoy my Shandong Tours in China with Beijing Chinaholidays and hope you a pleasant trip in China!

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Courtyard of Family Zhang in Guxian county, Shanxi

Courtyard of Family Zhang

Located in Shibi vilage, Guxian county, north China's Shanxi province, the Courtyard of Family Zhang was built in late Ming and early Qing dynasties.

The courtyard consists of two grand yards and five separate small yards. Zhang's Family settled in Shibi village in late Ming dynasty, rose in the reigns of Emperor Jiaqing (1796-1820) and Emperor Daoguang (1821-1850) in Qing dynasty, and reached its apogee in the beginning of Minguo period.

Zhang's Family is a courtier family, which enjoys a reputation of "Father and son are both provincial graduates, brothers pass the ancient imperial examination in the same year". Besides, many family members had engaged in farming and merchandising, making the family one of the richest in the region at the time. Zhang's Family is a typical representative of Jin merchants in ancient China.

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Jingdezhen: Pottery Capital of China

For around 2,000 years Jingdezhen has reigned as the pottery capital of China. Since the time of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), exquisite porcelain wares were fired in the town's kilns for the Middle Kingdom's emperors. By the Renaissance, goods crafted by Jingdezhen's artisans were even reaching Europe. In fact Jingdezhen is so important to this country’s cultural history that, one theory goes, the city helped give China its European name. Most Europeans first encountered the Middle Kingdom through the ceramics it exported; Jingdezhen's ancient name – Changnan – became synonymous with this pottery and somewhere in the mists of time "Changnan" was transformed by Western tongues into "China".

Whatever the truth of its past, today Jingdezhen continues to play a key role in China's porcelain industry. This is where Beijing's Spin Ceramics shop produces its wares, and where Ai Weiwei employed 1,600 people for five years to make his 100 million sunflower seeds. And, in case you had any doubts that you’d come to the right place, the city planners have even decorated the lampposts and traffic lights with porcelain.

In the fantastic city Jingdezhen, you will have a look at the procedure of making porcelain crafts and the Ruins of Ancient Porcelain, which consists of the History Museum of Porcelains and an ancient porcelain mill. Besides, you could also visit the ancient porcelain street, which has 136 structures, including housing, shops, temples, archways, and roads, all in the Ming and Qing dynasties. During the visit you could also have a close look at the different phases of making pottery, which is a quite interesting activities and people could learn lots.

If you also would like to experience the long history of the pottery capital of China, enjoy the natural beauty of this town and learn more about making pottery, please click 7 days Indepth Jiangxi Tour http://www.chinaholidays.com/tours/indepth-jiangxi-tour.html. For more information on China tour, you could find more in Beijing Chinaholidays http://www.chinaholidays.com

Find Long History in Beijing Hutong

Hutong, Beijing

If you’ve never seen Qianshi Hutong before, don’t blame yourself: with an average width of 70cm, it is by some way the narrowest hutong in the city, and easy to miss. Located just off Zhubaoshi Jie, it was once the banking capital of Qing Dynasty Beijing (1644-1912), being home to some 26 mints. People also exchanged money here, as the narrow space made it hard for any would-be thieves to evade capture.
Equally quirky is Jiuwan Hutong, which is based off Liuxue Lu and lives up to its name, ‘Nine Turns’, by being the most crooked alley in Beijing. With nine 90-degree corners, this winding little street seems to stretch on forever. Be wary, however: entering via the west entrance (on Xiaowei Ying Hutong) is considered to be bad luck, and there are documented cases of people being mugged in its twisty confines.
A little bit more bright and shiny is Dongjiaominxiang, located south of the National Museum of China. Once connected to Xijiaominxiang, but now divided by Tiananmen Square, it was filled with foreign embassies from 1900 onwards, hence the Western-style architecture that makes it an unusual example of hutong redevelopment, and a historically protected site.

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Jimei School Village in China's Xiamen

Jimei, Xiamen

Jimei is a small town on the side of the bank facing north Xiamen Island. With both Gaoji Causeway and Xingji Causeway meeting there, Jimei becomes the sole gateway into Xiamen. Jimei is the hometown of Mr. Tan Kah-Kee, a famous overseas Chinese leader who devoted himself wholly to education. In this small hamlet, Mr. Tan built 12 different kinds of schools including Xiamen University, a science center, gymnasium, library, hospital, and a navigation club. Jimei School Village is a general name for all schools and cultural institutions here. It was built by Mr.Tan Kah-kee in 1913.

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Baoguo Temple in China's Ningbo

Baoguo Temple, situated 15 kilometers away from downtown Ningbo City on the side of Lingshan Mountain, is the oldest and most completely preserved wooden structure in South China. The main hall of the present temple dates back to 1013.
It consists of Shan Men (Mountain Gate), Tian Wang Dian (Hall of Heavenly King), Da Dian (Grand Hall), and the Scripture Repository, occupying an area of 13,000 square meters.
As the oldest and the best-preserved example of wooden architecture south of the Yangtze River, the Grand Hall is invaluable to the nation's architectural studies and still a mystery to scientists.
The hall was built without a single nail or beam. In addition, no birds have ventured inside to make nests, nor have insects, and no dust has accumulated. The Bell Tower, the Drum Tower and the Guest House are scattered along the hall.

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Wuyuan, Jiangxi

I have visited Yuyuan this vacation and enjoyed a really relaxing time in the fantastic natural and man-made beauty.

If you would like to slow down, wander among old homes and smell the flowers, Wuyuan is definitely the best choice!

Wuyuan is in the northeastern Jiangxi province, dubbed "China's most beautiful countryside", features hills dotted with black and white homes. It has quite long history and has been the cradles of Huizhou culture Tang Dynasty. I really fell in love with these beautiful villages and buildings the first sight I saw them.

The walls of these traditional Anhui style buildings are inlaid with black bricks shaped like horse heads and that is why they get the name of "horse-head walls". With the passage of time, rain and moisture have penetrated the white walls and have given them the watered down look of ink painting. And these buildings are also constructed at different heights to prevent fires from quickly spreading.

Besides its signature architecture, the county is also known for its fields of cole flowers. In spring, their golden petals blanket the horizon. In Jiangling village, the blossoms cover curved terraces, like luxurious brocade, cascading from hilltop to valley.

Walking along the white and black buildings in the peaceful village in Wuyuan, you will forget all the troubles in city life and abandon yourself in this paradise-like village.

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