China Travel Guide

China (中国; Zhōngguó), officially known as the People's Republic of China (中华人民共和国 Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó) is a huge country in Eastern Asia (about the same size as the United States of America) with the world's largest population. With coasts on the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, in total it borders 14 nations. It borders Afghanistan, Pakistan (through the disputed territory of Kashmir), India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam to the south; Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to the west; Russia and Mongolia to the north and North Korea to the east. This number of neighbouring states is equalled only by China's vast neighbour to the north, Russia.

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Posted in Yangtze River Attractions

Gezhou Dam

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Gezhou Dam lies within the municipal boundaries of the city Yichang of Hubei Province and is situated in the Xiling Gorge. This dam was completed in the year 1980 and was largest hydroelectric dam of china which controlled the water volume of about half of the total capacity of Yangtze.

Gezhou Dam is about 2560 meter across and 70 meters in height. It has a depth or the thickness of wall about 30 meters. It was an enormous construction project and due to its dimension it has attracted the attention worldwide and also boosted the tourist industry of that area although the Three Gorges dam is itself a more stellar project and it also belongs to the same overarching flood control and power generating plan for the part of the Yangtze river like Gezhou Dam itself.

Gezhou Dam

Gezhou Dam

Before the construction of Three Gorges Dam in the year 2007, Gezhou dam was the largest hydroelectric dam in china but now the former is the china’ largest hydroelectric dam. But, still you can enjoy the fascinating stretch of Yangtze River, nearby Xiling Gorge and Yichuang’s Gezhou Dam which are the forever noteworthy tourist sites.

The major components of this dam are its shiplocks, power stations and sluices for permitting the passages up and down to the Yangtze River. The shiplocks are for the variety of tonnage categories and some for heavy ships which carry the massive loads. One of the power stations is on the main flow or stream of the river while the other is on the secondary stream of the river.

Gezhou Dam

Gezhou Dam

This dam project in its time took about 10 years to complete and involve the removal of more than 113 million cubic meters of stones and earth which when put together will be enough stone and earth for the construction of a large mountain. This project attracts the tourist from the world wide and its magnificent floodgate has a compelling image beholding the massive flow of the water of Yangtze River spilling over the turbines of the dam creating rolling torrents that roar with the sounds of the thunder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Yangtze River Attractions

Fengdu, Ghost City

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Fengdu Ghost City is located on the northern bank of Yangtze River, having distance of 170 Km from the eastern side of Chongqing. Fengdu became the Ghost City during the Tang Dynasty when two officials of the Imperial Court married and settled on the Mt. Minshan which is just outside the city. On combining their surnames which is Yin and Wang, it sounds like King of Hell in Chinese. Later, both of them became immortals by carrying out the self cultivation. This story was later widely spread making Mt. Minshan a famous place. After that the people used to call Fengdu as “Ghost City”.

Fengdu, Ghost City

Fengdu, Ghost City

According to Chinese, the social structure of hell is just like that in this world. A spirit would go through the whole and complete administration of the government for getting the final judgment in hell. The honest spirits are believed to be rewarded whereas the criminal one would be punished. There are different punishments for the different crimes. The statues and drawings in the temple built on the Mt. Minshan represent the imagination of the hell by Chinese.

According to the superstition of Chinese people, the death come to Fengdu and the devils go to the hell. Since the period of Tang Dynasty, forty eight temples have been built here like Hall of Jade Emperor, Boundary Between the Living and the Dead, the palace of Hell, Balcony of Nostalgia and Ridge of Helplessness. All these temples are magnificent in their looks and the statues are lifelike.

Fengdu, Ghost City

Fengdu, Ghost City

Now days, Fengdu- Ghost city is visited by many tourist who come here to see the temples and shrines which are dedicated to the gods of underworld. The landmarks here also bear some horrific names like Last Glance at Home Tower, Ghost Torturing Pass and Nothing-to-be-done Bridge. These are the three trials for the ghosts who wanted to enter the nether world.

Fengdu has many historical sites which are linked with the culture of ghosts. Local government is also promoting the festival- ghost festival. However, it is investigated that a lot of superstitious activities were involved during the ghost festivals.

 

Posted in Yangtze River Attractions

Lesser Three Gorges

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Lesser Three Gorges is situated on the tributary of the Yangtze River and it is the three sections of wushan valleys in the mid-stream of Da Ning River. They are Misty Gorge, Dragon-Gate Gorge and Emerald George which is about 60 km in length. These Gorges are famous for sky scraping cliffs and crystal clear rapids. You can view the most beautiful picture by drafting on a small boat on the stream in the Lesser Three Gorges. In the year 1991, it was selected as one of the top forty tourist attractions in China by the vote of tourist and the China Tourism Commissioner and evaluation.

Lesser Three Gorges

Lesser Three Gorges

The three valleys of Daning River have an area of about 160 hectare of forest which lies to the lower reaches of Daning. It extends from the entrance of Dragon Gate Gorge in the South to the Tujiaba in the North for about 50 Km. There are sheer cliffs and steep mountains rising on either side which creates natural scenic wonders on the both banks of the river.
It has subtle mountain, pretty rocks, clear waters, dangerous rapids, fantastic curves, sharp turns and stalactites in various shapes which characterize the natural beauty of the landscape in the Lesser Three Gorges. Mandarin, Monkeys, fish and water birds can be seen in this area. In addition to this natural scenery there are various historical places along the way like suspended coffin, ancient plank walkway and boat coffin. This area is made one of the key nature reserves of china and becoming a very famous tourist attraction offering its charm along the golden Yangtze Gorges Travel Line.
Dragon Gate is the shortest of all and is about 3 km long which stretches from the Dragon Gate Bridge to the Rapids of Silver nest. It is unique due to the mountains on its both sides are so high that they seem touching sky. In the Gorges, there are remains of longest ancient plank walkway in china and some scenic sights like Dragon-Gate Spring, Nine Dragon Pillar, Gate Guarded by Lion etc.

Lesser Three Gorges

Lesser Three Gorges

Posted in Yangtze River Attractions

BaidiCheng

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BaidiCheng or the White Emperor City is situated on the Baidi Shan which is now an island at the entrance of Qutang Gorge, one of the famous among the Three Gorges of Yangze River.
The approach to BaidiCheng from nearby Fengjie passes through the scenes of pagoda-topped hillsides but the view is sadly marred by the worker’s housing and factories built in the year 1970. However, the complex of halls and temples and fantastic views of Qutang Gorge make up for this.

Baidicheng

Baidicheng


There is a story that this town was chosen as the headquarters of the 1st century Ad of General Gong Sunshu. He has spotted its strategic potential and now remains of the old city walls can be seen on the hill which is behind Baidi Shan. In 25 AD, white vapor in the shape of dragon was seen from the nearby well rising up. This was thought to be an auspicious omen, Gong declared himself as the White Emperor and town as the White Emperor City. His twelve year reign at that time was known as time of harmony and peace.
A red wall, with an imposing yellow dragon head gateway surrounds the complex of the temple. Although, it was build in his honor, the statues of the White Emperor had been removed during the Ming Dynasty and replaced with the images of Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei and Zhang Fei which were the heroes of Shu Kingom during the period of Three Kingdoms.
Baidicheng

Baidicheng


The main tourist sites include Tuogu Hall displaying statues of Liu Bei, the king of Shu Kingdom, entrusting his son to his prime minister when Zhuge Liang fall after battle against the Wu Kingdom.
The Mingliang Plaace originally housed the statues of Gongsun Shu and was worshipped by the people. Later it was replaced by some heroes of Shu kingdom. A bronze bell hangs to the upper storey of winged, handsome Guanxing Pavillion where Zhuge Lian used to observe the stars and forecasted the weather helping him to plan to victorious battle tactics. Other relics includes stele forest, ancient suspended wooden coffins, paintings, calligraphy of works of different dynasties.

Posted in Yangtze River Attractions

Xiling Gorge

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Xiling Gorge starts from the Fragrant Stream or Xiangxi Kou of Xigui County to the west and ends at the Nanjin Pass in the East. It is about 50 miles long and longest among all three gorges of the Yangtze River. Due to its numerous odd shaped stones and reefs existing in the rapid shoals, it is also known for its danger.
The sceneries along the Xiling Gorges are very spectacular. Some of the renowned springs, streams, karst caves and stones can be found along this section. There are many historical sites like Qu Yuan and Bai Juyi can be found here which has been praised in many poems due to its natural scene, and great historical significance.

Xiling Gorge

Xiling Gorge

Xiling Gorge is mostly comprises of smaller gorges and dangerous shoals. There are four gorges stretching from west to east. They are Military Books and Precious Sword Gorge or Bingshu Baojian Xia, The Ox and Horse Lungs Gorge or Niugan Mafei Xia, Kongling George and Lantern Shadow or Dengying Xia Gorge. Some of the dangerous shoals are Xietan, Qingtan, Konglingtan and Xintan. Due to rapid flow of water, many boats have sunk here in the past striking the reefs. Water has been calmed now to some extend by the efforts of Gezhouba Water Conservancy Project.

Xiling Gorge

Xiling Gorge

There are some historical landmarks also besides the natural landscape like the Three Traveler’s Cave or Sanyou Dong and Huangling Temple which are worth visiting. It is one of the two natural gateway of the Yangtza river, other one being the Kui gate, Nanjing pass is the end of Xiling Gorge to the eastern end of the Three Gorges. When you will cruise from boat downstream out of the Nanjin Pass, dangerous shoals and cliffs will be left behind when the middle section of Yangtze River begins. At the two banks of the Nanjing Pass, the cragged peaks tower into the sky majestically narrowing the river. You can view the natural boundary of the middle and upper section of the Yangtze River.

Posted in Yangtze River Attractions

Three Gorges Dam

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Three Gorges Dam is the water control project on the Yangtze River. It lies in the middle section of the Xiling Gorge near the Town Sandouping in the Yichang City of Hubei Province. It is the largest hydro

power project of the world and has created many firsts like most efficient dam in controlling flood, most difficult construction work and the largest migration project of the world.

Three Gorges Dam

Three Gorges Dam

The beautiful landscape along the Three Gorges is like the traditional Chinese picture and various precious cultural relics, which range from Paleolithic Age to the modern time, add human touch to this area. It is always on the top hot spot of traveler’s itinerary. But, many of its scenery and historical sites were or might be flooded due to change in the water level. Cultural relic department as well as local government is trying their best to save these precious cultural treasures. Various protection methods such as removal and reproduction are being adopted. However, the rise in water level also increase the scenic area makes some impenetrable streams as well as scenic sights easy to reach. So, the summary is that this dam project has ruined much natural beauty but at the same time created some of the new scenery. So, you can explore more and do not feel pity about it.

Three Gorges Dam

Three Gorges Dam


This dam was opened in the year 1997 and mainly composed of the 185 Platform, Tanzi Mountain, Memorial Garden and Dam Viewing Point. It displays the full culture of a water conservation project to its visitors. When you will climb on the viewing platform, you can get a panoramic view of the whole dam. 185 Platform has got its name as it is 185 meters in height and equivalent to the height of the dam crest. You can get the huge dam body view at close range while standing on the Dam Viewing Point. Memorial Garden is the large open air museum exhibiting various machines which were used in the construction of the Dam like mechanical excavators and cranes. You can also visit Huangling Temple which is the largest ancient building of the Three Gorges area.

 

Posted in Yangtze River Attractions

Wu Gorge

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Wu Gorge is one among the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River and is one of famous tourist attraction. It is spread over 25 miles and starts from the estuary of the Daning River from the East of Wushan and ends at Guandukou in Badong of Hubei Province.

It is also called as Da Xia or Large Gorge and comprised of Silver Armor Gorge or Jinkui yinjia, Golden Helmet and Iron Coffin Gorge. With strange peaks, fog and clouds, grotesque rocks surrounding the gorge, makes it notable. Daily period of sunlight is very short here due to long and deep canyons impeding the dispersal of air borne moisture within the Gorge. It also creates clouds and fog in several fantastic shapes which looks wonderful.

Wu Gorge

Wu Gorge

There are twelve peaks on the each bank along the Wu Gorge. This make the scene of the Wu Gorge most prominent. There are several legends associated with these twelve peaks. Six peaks which lie to the northern banks are Climbing Dragon or Denglong peak, Sage spring or Shengquan Peak, Facing clouds or Xhaoyun Peak, Godess or Shennu Peak, Fir Tree Cone or Songluan Peak, Congregated Peak or Jixian Peak, Misty Screen or Cuping Peak, Assembled Cranes or Juhe Peak, Clean Altar or Jingtan Peak, Rising Cloud or Qiyun Peak and Rising or Shangsheng Peak. The last among these three are not at the riverside and the Goddess peak is highest among all and most notable as it is the first peak that welcomes the glow of sun and say farewell when it is dawn.

Daning River flows to the Yangtze River from the wester of the Wu Gorge. It is the largest tributary of Yangtze River. There are three little Gorges located at the lower reach of the Daning River and a worth visit for the tourists. You can see the historic relics like the ancient plank roads, boat coffins and suspended coffins while drifting along the Three Little Gorges.

Wu Gorge

Posted in Yangtze River Attractions

Qutang Gorge

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Qutang Gorge is the shortest as well as most majestic among all Three Gorges and winds five miles from the Baidi City of Fengjie County to the Daxi Town of Wushan County. Two banks of this gorge contain various scenic spots.

Kui Gate, which is also called as Qutang Pass is to the southwest of Qutang Gorge. There are two peaks namely Mt. Baiyan or White Salt Mountain in the north and Mt. Chijia above the horizon. These two mountains resemble gate that is created by the Heaven and placed on the earth here. The peaks along the two banks are about 3,300 and 5,000 feet in hight and Yangtze River is only 100 to 220 yard wide, the River looks like the narrow belt which is winding its way through the deep canyons. This deep gorge has fast moving water and several mountains forming an imposing picture. Because of Kui Gate this is also known as Kui Gorge.

Qutang Gorge

Qutang Gorge

To the upstream of the mount of Qutang Gorge lies the ancient county of Fengjie where you can admire the Ba Zhen Tu which is the Eight Element Battle Formation. In the gorge, White Emperor City or Baidi City lies at the top to the northern bank. The unusual sight, the Chalk wall is to the southern bank having numerous inscriptions carved on it. Hanging Monk Rock and Mengliang Stairway have several legends associated with them which lie on the southern bank. Northern bank has some interesting sites and Bellows Gorges or Fengxiang Xia having the ancient hanging coffins and ancient plank road remains. Holes for the support of road were also chiseled into the sheer face of the cliff by ancient people. This road was used as the only means of transportation for goods and people when the river was flooded.

Other attraction at this site includes the Rhinoceros looking at the moon which is a unique stone shaped in the form of rhinoceros near the Bellows Gorge, the Iron Lock pass which was used for prevention of enemy invasions in the Song Dynasty and the Daxi Culture Heritage Site to know about the Chinese Neolithic Culture.

Qutang Gorge

Qutang Gorge

Posted in Travel Tips

Tips on Tea Culture Cities

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Top Tea culture cities of China falls into mainly two categories: those which have famous tea growing areas nearby and those who have history and culture of tea drinking. Tea drinking is very much popular in all parts of china and all have their different favorite types. There are mainly five cities representing the cream of favorite tea production areas of China.

One of the best attractions to go in the tea growing areas is that it has scenic mountains where the tea is green and you can see yourself how the tea is being produced. You will love to drink the local tea with the guide explaining the tea ceremony and the methods for best brewing and drinking the tea. You will get a chance to bargain and buy the tea.

Huangshan Tea

Huangshan Tea

Huangshan is the number one tea cultural city. It has mythical Yellow Emperor and gives the name of Yellow Mountain. Huangshan Furry Tip is one of the top five teas of China and it is named for its furry leaves. Another famous tea is the Keenum Black which is a black tea grown in the prefecture of Huangshan. The best quality Chrysanthemum tea is also found in Huangshan. Tunxi Ancient Street is the place from where you can buy Huangshan’s tea.

Imperial tea is number two popular choice of tea is the Suzhou’s Green spiral tea. Suzhou was an imperial retreat for the elite of Beijing. Suzhou’s ornate gardens were settings for many a classy cuppa for many centuries. You can also drink the emperor’s tea and enjoy the gardens which emperors enjoyed on the tour to Suzhou.

Fujian Jasmine Tea

Fujian Jasmine Tea

Quanzhou is located in the Fujian province to the south East China. it has two famous tea which are Iron Goddess and Fujian jasmine tea. Iron Goddess Tea is an oolong or Wulong tea which has a fresh and mellow taste and a favorite drink for summer.  Anxi is about 40 Km to the northwest of Quanzhou City where Iron godess is grown. Jasmin tea is the favorite of Beijing which use jasmine flower mixed with the green tea. It is produced in the Fujian Province.

Xishuangbanna is at the endpoint of Yunnan and a major tea growing area. It is the place from where pressed tea was taken on horseback to Tibet, Nepal and India. In the tropical forested hills of Xishuangbanna, the Dai people produce the best Puer tea by pressing into variety of wheels and bricks.

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Tips on Chinese language

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The interest of the people in Chinese Language is growing all around the world as the development in communication and transport has made this planet seem like a small place. Mandarin or Standard Chinese is widely used mother tongue on this planet having more than 800 million speakers.

English and Mandarin are the two language of world having more than billion users. English is used by about 2 billion people and Mandarin being spoken by 1.3 billion people which includes the people using them as business language or second language.

China has many language and the Mandarin is the most famous and national language of China and Cantonese which is spoken in southeast China. There are many minority languages and dialects in China as well.

Chinese Characters is what makes the Chinese language fascinating in its written form. The characters of Chinese are the only in the form of pictorial written in modern use. They are very much rich in symbolism and have many stories behind them. They look beautiful when they are penned with a brush and written in traditional style. Chinese calligraphy and Chinese writing is highly regarded as the art form.

Chinese literature is very rich in poetry, philosophies and proverbs which are unusual as well as unique. It is the mastery of Chinese language particularly in the written form and being able reading is synonymous with being civilized in China. This is due to the development of Chinese culture for more than thousand years n relative isolation.

Most of the Chinese tourist likes to be able to speak a little bit of Chinese language and recognize few letters of Chinese. Chinese is often referred to as the most difficult language for learning on this planet. This is most due to the remembering Chinese characters which are 3-4000 in common use. Learning to read and write Chinese is a laborious process. However, you can easily learn few phrases of Chinese Language. Spoken Chinese in the form of the tonal syllables and each one corresponds to a Character of Chinese language. It can also be written using the English alphabets in notation of pronunciation called pinyin. You can try few words from Chinese in your common language and do not hesitate to learn.