Pre-Trip Planning

2005-01-25T18:57:00.000-08:00

Traveling in China, to pack as little as possible. "Lightweight" and "Compact" are two words that should be etched on your mind when you are deciding what to bring along. Today's China is well stocked with most personal items. You will have many opportunities to buy whatever you may need. It would be much better to make your purchases as you need, along the way, than to end up throwing them away because you have too much to carry!

A few suggestions :

Clothes and shoes: Comfortable clothes, dress in layers. Your trip may cover thousands of miles and temperatures from freezing to steaming hot. Clothes are cheap in China. You may want to buy things such as sweaters in China as souvenir. But check the weather of your first stop; you may not have time to shop. Comfortable shoes as well. There are in general no dressing codes for restaurants or performances. In a few places where there are restrictions, usually the restrictions are no bare feet, slippers or shorts.

Student IDs: Some parks may have discounted entrance fees for students. Usually there are discounts for kids but not for seniors.

Medical Supplies: Bring a few over-the-counter medicines for diarrhea, headache, fever, and sore throat. Dont forget prescription medicine you are currently taking. Generic brands of most medicine can be bought in China, but some many have side effects. Bring your doctors prescriptions or a list of drug names as well. In case you need prescription medicine, ask a doctor what you take usually. The doctor frequently will prescribe what you want. In the absence of a medical history, doctors will entrust you to be your best doctor.

Films and batteries: Commonly used films and batteries can be bought in China. But if you want to take slides or your camera uses special batteries, make sure you bring enough with you.

Here also got some travel tips,just check out them.

Traveling in China

2005-01-25T13:05:00.000-08:00

China is the third largest country in terms of territory. It has an area of about 9.6 million square kilometers, which comprises about 6.5 per cent of the world total land area. China has abundant resources of tourism. It is also the world's most populous country, which have more than twenty per cent of the world's population. At the website of China Travel you can find the more detail about China. Including the China History, Weather and Climate, Ethnic Groups, China Religion, and Chinese Language.

China tourism has been developing rapidly since the reform and opening-up policy was adopted in late 1978. Now it has become one of the fastest-developing industries of national economy and a new economic growth point in the 21st century. China's administrative are based on three-level system that dividing the nation into provinces, counties, and townships. At present, China has 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities under the direct jurisdiction of the Central Government, and two special administrative regions. The Capital city is Beijing.

Beijing is the nation's political, economic, cultural and educational center as well as being the most important center in China for international trade and communications. It has been the heart and soul of politics and society throughout its long history. By the time of the Warring States Period (476 BC - 221 BC), it was serving as the capital of the Yan Kingdom. Because of its role in the life and growth of China, there is an unequalled wealth available for travelers to discover as you explore Beijing's ancient past and enjoy its exciting 21st Century world. In 2008 when Beijing hosts the Olympic Games, Beijing will show the world something so special that everyone will be awestruck by Beijing's latest accomplishments combined with its ancient history.

Hutong is an ancient city alley peculiar to Beijing. Beijing has more than 4,550 Hutong. Those surrounding the Forbidden City and taking Prince Gong's Residence as the center are the best-preserved. The buildings in Beijing hutong are mainly compounds with houses around a courtyard, also known as quadrangles. Narrow passages between these quadrangles linked one with the other are hutong. The hutong in Beijing was mainly formed in the Yuan (1279-1368), Ming and Qing dynasties. Tourists may have a tour of the 700-yearold hutong in Beijing by tricycle.

The largest city central square in the world, , the solemn and respectful Tiananmen Square is not only the symbol of Beijing but also the symbol of China. It is covers an area of 400,000 square metres. The gate, the front of the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, was where important ceremonies, such as enthroning an emperor or granting the title of empress, were held. It is 33.37 metres high, and as long as nine standard rooms and as wide as five standard rooms. With five arched doorways, red pillars, yellow glazed tiles and a double-eaved roof, it looks magnificent and gracious. The square is surrounded by a variety of significant edifices: Chinese Revolution History Museum, Mao Mausoleum, Great Hall of the People, the elegant and beautiful Tiananmen (Heavenly Peace Gate), and Qianmen (Front Gate). The daily flag ceremony at the square, performed at sunrise and sunset each day, is most exceptional and well-worth making time to view.

The magnificent Forbidden City is the world's largest and best-preserved imperial palace complex. The Forbidden City is the largest best-preserved, mass group of palaces in China. The palaces are fully walled on four sides by 10-meter-high walls which extend 760 meters from east to west and 960 meters from north to south. On the wall are four gates, each with a tower above them, and on the four corners of the walls stand four watch towers, each with three roofs and 72 roofridges. Outside the walls a 52-meter-wide, 3,800-meter-long moat surrounds the city. Occupying an area of 72 hectares, it altogether has 9,999 1/2 rooms in the museum. The number is just 1/2 less than ten thousand, the figure that was exclusively used by the emperor to wish him longevity. Almost all the buildings are symmetrically arranged, with the main halls on the meridian line and the less important halls and houses on the east and west sides.

The Summer Palace lies in the northwestern outskirts of Beijing, about 5 kilometers northwest of Beijing University. Equally famous as the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace is called "Yiheyuan" (Garden of Nurtured Harmony) in Chinese. It is up to now the best preserved and the largest imperial gardens in China. You may regret it if you come to Beijing and miss visiting these gardensOccupying an area of 290 hectares, approximately the size of seven Tian'anmen Square, the gardens consist mainly of a hill, the Longevity Hill (Wanshoushan) and a lake, the Kunming Lake, with halls, towers, galleries, pavilions, bridges and islands dotted all over the land, hill and lake. Blending southern China-style garden architecture with northern China's natural landscapes, the gardens are probably the best of their kind in Chinese garden architecture. The history of the gardens goes back to the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty in the 13-14th century. At that time, the Longevity Hill was called Jar Hill (Wengshan) and the Kunming Lake was known as Jar Hill Pond (Wengshanpo). A famous hydraulic engineer called Guo Shoujing succeeded in bringing water from Changping in the northern outskirts and the Jade Spring Hill to the west of the Summer Palace to the pong which was expanded into a large reservoir known as the West Lake.

For a peaceful and interesting stroll, visit one of Beijing's many beautiful parks, such as Beihai Park, which was probably built by the Great Khan centuries earlier than the Forbidden City. This park was enjoyed by the various rulers of China for hundreds of years and features pavilions, architecturally interesting walkways, the 27-meter-long (about 88 feet) Nine Dragon Screen (built to scare off evil spirits), a jar that is the last remnant of the Khan's court that had been there, the Five Dragon Pavilion dating from the mid 1600's, and a large lake with an island in the middle. Sometimes, you can find exceptional gardens within or surrounding Beijing's many ancient temples.

Beijing has many beautiful temples that at one time served as the focus for religious life. Temple of Heaven is the largest group of structures in the country dedicated to rituals that pay homage to heaven. This temple was built specifically for the worship of heaven and prayers for good harvests during the time of the Ming and Qing dynasties. There are two amazing acoustical spots here. On the top of the tri-leveled round altar (originally built in the 1500's) there is a spot where your words reverberate around you. You can easily imagine the power that temporal rulers felt as their prayers for abundance echoed as if they issued down from the heavens. The other is at the Echo Wall that partially encloses a circular courtyard that is 65 meters (213 feet) in diameter. Words whispered at one end travel along the wall and can be heard clearly by someone listening at the other end. The entire temple complex is a treasure of ancient Chinese architectural design and art. Symbolic shape combinations (the temples are round on square bases signifying heaven and earth) and various mystical numbers are the basis for much of the design work. The temple structures themselves are stunning works of art. All of this and more is set in the midst of a beautiful park.

The Chinese folklore is rich and varied. More than 40 Chinese festivals are known throughout the world. The Spring Festival is the most important festival for the Chinese people and is when all family members get together, just like Christmas in the West. All people living away from home go back, becoming the busiest time for transportation systems of about half a month from the Spring Festival. Airports, railway stations and long-distance bus stations are crowded with home returnees.

Not a month passes without a festival being observed among one ethnic group or another. The Peking Opera, Chinese acrobatics, traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy are famous in the world. But the most famous wonders are the Great wall.The Great Wall of China, one of the greatest wonders of the world, was enlisted in the World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. Just like a gigantic dragon, the Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus stretching approximately 6,700 kilometers (4,163 miles ) from east to west of China. With a history of more than 2000 years, some of the section of the great wall are now in ruins or even entirely disappeared. However, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance. The well-preserved sections of the Great Wall in Beijing are China's most famous tourist site. These sections are mainly the remains from the Ming Dynasty, an era of tremendous construction. The wall runs across the northern part of Beijing for over six hundred kilometers with various passes and towers. The mainly sections include Badaling, Simatai, Jinshanling, Mutianyu, Gubeikou, Huanghuacheng and Jiankou.

and Terra cotta warriors and horses.The museum covers an area of 14,000 square meters and contains 6,000 life-size terra-cotta warriors and horses. The impressive sight of the figurines lined in neat formation grips the spectators with grandeur and magnificence and capture their admiration. The 2,200 year-old wonder was part of the Tomb of Qinshihuang, the first emperor of China. It is located in suburb of Xi'an and was discovered when local farmers were digging a well nearby. Three exhibition halls house the continuing excavation of an army of 7,000 terra-cotta soldiers and horses that guard the tomb of Qinshihuang.

Beijing Guide, it shows the vision of the Great wall by the 360°panoramas. And also could checkout for the other famous attractions.

The region of rivers and lakes in south China is referred to as the lower reaches of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River, including Nanjing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou. The region of rivers and lakes is now an important scenic spot crisscrossed by rivers and lakes, with developed economy, convenient transportation, long history, and countless places of interest. Traveling in this area, people can learn more about the lifestyle, gardens and buildings in ancient China. The zigzagging Grand Canal and the picturesque Taihu Lake depict a beautiful picture of natural landscapes, winning the region a high fame as a Golden Belt for Tourism. Here, visitors can enjoy the beauty of townships and villages some 1,000 years ago-a fantastic world rivers and bridges. The most attractive scenes can be found in Suzhou and its neighboring areas, such as Tongli Town, Zhouzhuang, and Yongzhi, as well as the areas near Hangzhou, such as Jiaxing, and Nanxun. The region of rivers and lakes has long been known as a fertile "land of fish and rice." It is also home for silk. In recent years, the region of rivers and lakes has seen a rapid development in tourism. Tourist facilities have been improved, and tourist activities are rich. The people in this region are always ready to offer the best service to visitors and friends from all parts of the world.

By mystery, an otherworldliness envelops Tibet, making a visit here truly inviting. However, there is one caveat Lhasa, 'I'ibet's capital, sits at nearly 12,000 feet, and altitude sickness is a real possibility. 'I'he holiest Buddhist temple in Tibet and bestloved temple in Lhasa is the Jokhang where hundreds of worshipers prostrate themselves in prayer before entering In the Barkhor, a huge market next to the temple, merchants sell just about everything, including beautiful silver, coral and turquoise beaded jewelry. The spectacular, 17th century Potala Palace that looms over Lhasa and the Dalai Lama's old Summer Palace at Norbulingka, two miles to the west, are such monumental structures that it's easy to spend a whole day exploring them. The great monasteries of Drepung and Sera outside the city also have a wealth of religious artwork.

The Chinese tourism industry is not only rich in resources; it has also come a long way in transportation, service, accommodation, catering and shopping facilities. Tourist facilities are being constantly improved, and so is the service. With a winsome smile the hospitable Chinese are trusted companions for those traveling in China. Now China is like in view of the foreigners with the unique charm. And people desire to witness her beauty by their eyes. However, those who haven’t the chances come to China that could only get to know about her through media. I hope I could present a vivid China to the people around world through my weblog.

Traveling In China

Pre-Trip Planning

Traveling in China

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