All posts by Cassidy Tse

Yardang National Geopark, the Devil City

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Dunhuang Yardang national geological park is located in China’s gansu province, 108 kilometers (67 miles) northwest of dunhuang city. It extends 25 kilometers (15 miles) from east to west and 13 kilometers (8 miles) from north to south. The park is famous for its typical wind-erosion landform, yalang landscape. Yardang means a small mound of earth with steep walls in the uyghur language. There are 77 sites and boulders of various shapes in the area.

It also has a nickname “devil city” because when night falls, the wind will roar. There is a legend in this area that the park was once a castle, but a god turned it into a ruin as punishment for evil. Yardang national geopark attracts many explorers with its unique desert landscape, ancient legends and exotic rocks.

Dunhuang Yardang national geopark is divided into the southern region and the northern region. The northern region is characterized by the golden lion greeting, the sphinx, the peacock standing gracefully, and the western sea fleet. The first three are all solitary, and the last is a group of men, like a fleet of sails. The north is strewn with strange rocks. The south is even bigger, with rocks dotted like cartoon characters and traditional Chinese paintings.

Take the shuttle tourist buses for the northern region. During the 1.5-2 hours journey, the bus will stop for 10 minutes at the Gold Lion Greeting Guests and Sphinx, and 30 minutes at the other two spots. To get to the southern region, visitors can rent an off-road vehicle at the Western Sea Fleet at a cost of CNY 400 per car. The journey usually lasts for 1.5 hours. It is freer to go sightseeing in this way, and the driver may stop at wherever visitors want. If time permits, make sure you not miss the beautiful sunset over rolling hills. The sunset usually occurs between 6:00 pm ~ 7:00 pm from October to March and 8:00 pm ~ 9:00 pm from April to September. In northern region, visitors can see the sunset at the Western Sea Fleet. There is also a hilltop in the southern region to catch this stunning scene. Due to the large temperature variation between day and night, as well as the windy and dusty weather there, visitors are suggested to ready hats, sunglasses, and jackets.

Yangguan Great Wall, the Yangguan Pass

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Yangguan was a line of defense along the famous Great Wall of the silk road, but it meant a sad parting, as people would send their relatives off here with famous verses. Among them, the most famous is ‘Oh, my friend, I sincerely entreat you to have another cup of wine; you will see no more friends west out of the Yangguan Pass’, by Wang Wei, a famous poet in Tang Dynasty.

During the western han dynasty (206 bc-ad 24), it was one of the two main fortresses on the western border (the other was yumen pass). In order to consolidate the frontier defense, emperor wu originally ordered it built.

Yangguan and yumen pass are also trade gateways for central and western China. They witnessed the prosperity of the silk road, the world’s oldest trade route. In the tang dynasty, it celebrated the return of xuanzang, a monk commissioned by the imperial court to obtain the original texts of buddhist sutras from the west. It disappeared from view during the song dynasty (960-1279) and Ming dynasty (1368-1644).

Yang means the sun in Chinese. Due to geography, most of the sun in China shines on the southern terrain. Therefore, people use “Yang” to mean the south. Located to the south of yumen pass, people call it yangguan.

It is separated from yumen pass by a 40-mile (64-kilometer) wall with 10 beacon towers every three miles (5 kilometers). Today, much of yangguan lies beneath shifting sand dunes. Only the beacon on the top of the hill survived.

It is the entrance to the entire scenic area, located 870 yards (796 meters) north of the lonely beacon tower on dundun hill. There are nearly 4,000 exhibits related to the “yangguan, yumen pass” and “silk road”, including bronze, iron, jade, fabric and weapons. It was more of a model city for the pass than a simple museum, with gateways, generals’ offices and barracks scattered throughout the area.

Once you’re out of the museum’s gate tower, the 870-yard (796-meter) thoroughfare will take you to the site of the pass. The name of the road translates into a bright and happy future, carrying the best wishes of family and friends. You can ride through it on horseback, on a donkey cart, or on a sightseeing bus. Tickets are 40 yuan, 20 yuan and 10 yuan per passenger.

Xinghai Park, Xinghai Bay in Dalian

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Xinghai park is located in the southwest of dalian city, adjacent to xingwan, because xingwan named. The park is about 800 meters (less than half a mile) long, with lush trees and flowers on the landward side and golden beaches on the shore.

Xinghai park attracts many visitors because it is a peaceful harbor and offers good bathing facilities from its safe beach, where the water is neither too deep nor affected by moderate waves. In addition to the natural beauty of the park, visitors are also drawn to the architectural charms of the seven music pavilion, wanghai pavilion and yingchao pavilion, which are connected by cobblestone walkways.

At the eastern and western ends of xinghai park, the cliffs rise above the sea, and the cliff tops present a fascinating view of the bay, with the sea and sky merging in the distance on the horizon. Lake cave can be seen on the east cliff. The name of the cave means “explore the ocean” and as you walk down the inside steps, you will find the spray rising at your feet. What an amazing sight!

Another feature of xinghai park is sun Asia ocean world, where you can observe many strange creatures living in the ocean. The aquarium is the first in China to have an underwater tunnel where you can see Marine life up close. In addition, you’ll see the world’s first underwater pyramids, cities and flying saucers in this extraordinary ocean world! It is the only museum in China dedicated to collecting fossils from around the world, each of which is hundreds of millions of years old.

Western Thousand-Buddha Cave in Gansu Province

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In Dunhuang, Gansu province, China, we found the Dunhuang Mogao grottoes, which are composed of the Mogao grottoes, the Yulin grottoes and the west thousand Buddha grottoes.

To the west lies the thousand-buddha cave on the western side of the mogao grottoes, perched on a cliff by the dang river, 35 kilometers (22 miles) from dunhuang. Because the cave paintings in this cave are similar in structure and artistic style to those in the mogao grottoes, the western thousand-buddha cave is considered as dunhuang buddhist art. Although the exact age of the caves is not known, some speculate that the caves may have appeared earlier than the mogao caves.

There are 16 caves, more than 800 square meters (8,611 square feet) of murals and 34 painted clay figures. Some caves were built during the tang dynasty (618-907), while others were built during the wei dynasty (386-534). Unfortunately, some caves have collapsed, but 10 of them are open to visitors.

In cave no. 4, we found several large statues. They have strong bodies and long eyebrows. In the fifth cave, which was decorated during the wei dynasty, we found an inscription written by a buddhist disciple named tanzang for his dead grandparents and parents. So far, more than 70 Chinese characters are clearly visible. Moving on to cave 7, we see one of the most famous aspects of the cave, a painting of a flying apsaras, a buddhist god (known for dancing and singing), so vividly painted that it seems to be alive. Herdsman yurts in no. 9 cave have unique shapes, which provide valuable reference for the study of ethnic customs in gansu. In buddhist lore, the great warrior god enriana appeared beneath some of the statues. In these caves, many colorful murals tell colorful buddhist stories, making these caves one of the best sources of buddhist art in China.

Tiger Beach Ocean Park, Laohutan in Dalian

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Tiger beach Ocean Park (tiger beach Ocean Park), located in the middle of the southern coastal city of Dalian, is China’s largest modern lido, with a total area of 1.18 million square meters (about 291 acres) and a coastline of more than 4,000 meters (about 13,123 feet). In the park, you can see many fascinating natural scenery and magnificent artificial landscape, especially tiger sculpture square and tiger beach polar Marine animal world. Tiger beach Ocean Park is a modern Ocean Park integrating tourism, leisure, shopping and other functions. It is the most popular Ocean Park in Dalian.

Tiger beach Ocean Park’s plaza, which covers 15,700 square meters (about four acres), is designed as an irregular shape rather than a traditional circle. The tiger sculpture was designed by the famous Chinese painter and sculptor han meilin and is the symbol of the tiger beach Ocean Park. The sculpted tiger is 35.5 meters (about 116 feet) long, 6.5 meters (about 21 feet) tall and 6.5 meters wide. It took han two years and nine months to complete the great work. To the east, the six tigers varied in shape and size. They roar in the wind to express their power as the king of beasts. Tiger sculpture plaza is one of the most beautiful and gorgeous squares in Dalian.

The polar Marine animal world at tiger beach Marine park is currently the only world with the largest number of Marine animals and the most comprehensive display of polar animals. Here, you can see not only beluga whales, sea otters, walruses, ducklings and other rare polar animals coming to China for the first time, but also lovely dolphins, lovely penguins, polar bears and other animals. In the 2,000-seat aquarium’s performance hall, the animals star daily with spectacular performances such as a gentle beluga whale kissing humans and dolphins performing exuberant acrobatics to music. All this takes you into the magical realm of the sea world, where animals and humans live in harmony. On the other hand, you can experience the cold and the polar lights in the polar environment, where you can touch the polar bears and reindeer. You can also learn about the polar sea world.

In addition, you can see Asia’s largest aquarium — the mouth aquarium, which is dominated by coral reef communities; China’s largest semi-natural artificial birdcage — a songbird forest with more than 2,000 birds; China’s longest aerial rope across the ocean; and a 4d movie.

Dunhuang Dishes, What to Eat in Dunhuang

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In Dunhuang, a vibrant city in western China bordering xinjiang and heavily influenced by nomadic tribes, grilled lamb is a popular dish in restaurants and hotels. However, the cultural taste of Dunhuang cuisine is much deeper. They borrowed from four different dining styles; Including the awe-inspiring han dynasty (206bc-220)(mainly barbecued), the atmospheric tang dynasty (618-907)(mouthwatering, aromatic, visually perfect), the modern new Dunhuang (emphasizing the special appearance of dishes), and a variety of snacks from street vendors, local flavors, will satisfy the hunger of any visitor.

Developed and improved by chef and restaurateur zhao chang ‘an, Dunhuang cuisine is recognized as one of the eight new cuisines in China. First, we will introduce some traditional dishes.

A dish, also known as camel’s toe, gets its name from its resemblance to a camel’s foot. It is well known that camels were the most important means of transportation on the ancient silk road. They can travel long distances across arid deserts with the help of their four feet. Camel toe is actually a tendon, high nutritional value. Camels live long lives, are hard to find hooves, and are almost as valuable as brown bears. Wash the water chestnuts, marinate them until soft, season with seasonings, and steam them with the chicken for seven to eight hours until the bones are easy to remove. Cut the water chestnuts into pieces, put them into a steamer and let them simmer for 2-3 hours. Finally, make snow mountains out of egg whites and put them together in the shape of camel toes.

It is a kind of Lamian (dough stretched to form fine noodles). Yellow Noodles look like golden threads, tastes delicious and have a soft texture. They can be added to soups, or mixed with cooked vegetable dishes, and being savoury, makes a good appetitive. From the vivid painting in the Mogao Caves, we may know Lamian is a traditional food with long history.

Discoveryland Theme Park, the Second Largest Theme Park in Northeast China

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Discovery theme park is located in Dalian city, Liaoning province, Jinshitan scenic area (also known as Jinshitan national tourism resort) gold coast. Covering about 47 hectares (116 acres), it is the second largest theme park in northeast China, with a variety of advanced entertainment facilities.

Discovery park consists of seven themed entertainment areas scattered around a large lake. In a counterclockwise direction, there are: crazy town, mysterious desert, metal factory, magic forest, legendary castle, wedding palace and avenue of America.

Upon entering the discovery park theme park, visitors will first see a beautiful european-style fountain in a large square called discovery plaza. They can take pictures with cartoon characters here. By exploring the plaza, visitors can begin their exploration by walking counterclockwise along the lake.

There are many recreational facilities in this town. Visitors should not miss the “gyro ride,” which literally means “turning over a river.” Imagine what summer would be like if you were thrown into the air. In addition, there are some wonderful performances, such as “robbed treasure” in the crazy theater and “Caribbean carnival” on the water stage.

Children’s favorite pirate ships and railroad cars can be found in this area of discovery park. Visitors can also experience crazy go-kart racing, enjoy unique middle eastern style belly dancing and an evening fireworks display.

The highlight at the metal factory is the roller coaster called “crazy cobra”. Visitors can have a unique experience of acceleration due to the use of linear induction motors; It only takes three seconds to go from 0 to 50 MPH (0 to 80 km/h). The orbit kept spinning and twisting, even spinning 360 degrees in some places. This is particularly exciting.

Visitors can take a hovercraft to start their trip to the amazon. Later, they can experience floating roller coasters and watch an exotic program called “indians worship the sun.”

Visitors should spend some time admiring the wonderful buildings in the castle. Besides, they can challenge themselves in the haunted house. For the children, there was a little train passing through the fairy tale kingdom. The famous European band “King Jocks” regularly performs their best at knight’s square.

It is the most beautiful and peaceful place in the theme park of discover park. It is the ideal place for fairy-tale wedding.

Bingyu Valley Scenic Area, the Oriental Miniature Switzerland

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Bingyugu wind scenic spot is located in the north of Zhuanghe city, 240 kilometers away from Dalian city, covering an area of 110 square kilometers (27182 mu). This spectacular resort is known as “Oriental mini Switzerland”. It is also known as “little Guilin”, which is internationally famous for its extraordinary landscape. These vistas show rugged cliffs, stunning peaks, and clear rivers winding through dense virgin forests. This fascinating place, full of ecological significance, really deserves to be hailed as one of China’s best-kept secrets.

Bingyugu wind scenic area consists of longhua mountain, small fishing valley and yingna river. The mountain gives a feeling of nobility and grace, of courage and serenity. Among the many scattered mountains, you can see many strange things and people, such as a tiger sitting, an eagle spreading its wings, or a sharp sword.

Yingna river in the freezing rain valley wind scenic spot, like a white ribbon dancing in the valley. It was calm in some parts of the valley and later became restless and even turned into a picturesque lake. Its tributaries look like wisps of wire winding around isolated peaks. The scenery of shuanglong dam is reminiscent of the charming scenery of guilin and the most spectacular three gorges on the Yangtze river. Many activities such as skating (only in winter), boating and fishing can only be enjoyed here.

The green virgin forest in the bingyu valley wind scenic area can shade the sky as this natural botanical garden attracts onlookers. There are thousands of plants that provide an oxygen-rich environment. It is also home to hundreds of animals such as otters, roe deer, badgers, foxes, squirrels and birds, especially the native robin. With the end of the life cycle, the years pass: spring flowers bloom; It provides a cool place in summer; In autumn, the beautiful mountains are covered with red leaves. In winter, the mountain suddenly becomes a crystal iceberg.

Bangchuidao Scenic Area, One of the Best Lidos in Dalian

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Nine kilometers (five miles) from downtown Dalian, the bangchui scenic spot is located on the east side of binhai road. It consists of the bontry lido (or beach), bontry island and bontry hotel. This scenic spot is a famous seaside resort, with beautiful scenery of mountains, sea, islands and beaches.

Between Dalian beach and tiger beach is the 500-meter (550-yard) long bantry beach, also known as the bantry lido. It is considered one of the best lido in Dalian due to its clear water and natural landscape. The beach consists of fine sand and pebble areas. Visitors can walk barefoot in the first part and look for interesting pebbles in the second. The Bangchuidao Lido is about 1.5 km (1 mile) from the entrance to the Bangchuidao scenic area, where people can go by electric scooter. One-way ticket is 10 yuan per person. Upon arrival, the three Chinese characters for the scenic spot’s name, written by chairman MAO zedong, will sigh.

About 400 meters (440 yards) from the beach is the island of Bangchuidao, named for its shape. Located in the Bangchuidao scenic area, the island is shaped like a “Bangchui”, a wooden stick used by some Chinese as a washing tool. It is a small island, covering five hectares (12 acres). Located 53 meters (170 feet) above sea level, buntry is 410 meters (450 yards) long and 120 meters (130 yards) wide. The mountain was overgrown with lush pine and cypress trees. The island has steep cliffs, strangely shaped rocks, and beautiful wildflowers and weeds. It is one of the best locations for photographers to shoot “alpenglow”. “Alpenglow” is a red glow that can be seen at the top of a mountain at sunset or sunrise. Visitors can take a boat ride for a closer look at the impressive scenery.

The Bangchuidao scenic area has a mild climate and is a perfect summer resort. The famous buntry road hotel, also known as the buntry road state guesthouse, is located on 87 hectares (about 215 acres) of land. As the only state-level hotel in Dalian, it is both the residence of leaders and the site of major conferences. Many prominent Chinese and foreign leaders, such as the beloved premier zhou enlai, the first premier of the People’s Republic of China, have lived here. The hotel has a standard golf course, a large tennis court, a swimming pool, a bowling alley and other modern recreational facilities, providing quality service to guests from all over the world.

In addition, there are seven villas in different styles nearby. Villas no. 1 and no. 7 are a combination of Chinese and western architectural styles. No. 2 and no. 6 are boat themed and visitors can enjoy the sea view from the balcony. It’s like standing on the deck of a ship. No. 3 is Japanese, no. 4 and no. 5 are traditional Chinese.

Top 10 Universities in China, What You Should Know

By inOthers

With a large territory extended over Eastern Asia, China possesses the world oldest civilization. After years of development, some universities in China have won great reputation among Chinese people and oversea students for their comprehensive strength. Every year, these famous universities are the hot choices for high school seniors. And people from all over the world also come to china to complete higher education.

  1. Tsinghua University

Tsinghua University has now retained its position as the highest ranked university in the BRICS countries for three years in a row, and is also the top performing Chinese university in the University Rankings: Asia 2016, at 5th place (up from 11th last year). Tsinghua University was founded in 1911 and now has 46,200 students enrolled in 20 schools. Located in capital city Beijing, it’s a member of the prestigious C9 League (the Chinese equivalent of the US Ivy League).

Tsinghua University also fares well in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2016, appearing among the world’s best for 33 out of a possible 42 subjects, and claiming top 50 positions for architecture, every branch of engineering (including the new mineral and mining engineering ranking), chemistry, computer science, law, art and design, politics, mathematics, modern languages and more.

  1. Peking University

Peking University is also located in Beijing and retains its position at second place among the top universities in China and in the BRICS ranking. Also ranked 9th in the Asia ranking, Peking University was originally founded in 1898 as the Imperial University of Peking, and has since gained a reputation as one of the most prominent research universities in China. It has maintained a partnership with Germany’s Freie Universität Berlin since 1981 and welcomes a high number of international students every year. Peking University’s campus, known as “Yan Yuan” (the garden of Yan) is celebrated for its beauty and traditional Chinese architecture.

Ranked as one of the world’s best in 36 subjects in the 2016 subject rankings, Peking claims 26 top 50 positions, including modern languages, chemistry, dentistry, mineral and mining engineering, law, computer science, mechanical engineering, art and design, and mathematics.

  1. Fudan University

Retaining its position at 3rd in the BRICS ranking, Fudan University also features at 11th in the Asia ranking (climbing from 16th last year). It’s a member of the C9 League and Universitas 21, an international network of research universities, and is located in Shanghai, China’s largest city.  Fudan University was founded in 1905 as Fudan Public School and now has around 31,000 students enrolled in 17 schools. The university has 77 research institutes and 10 teaching hospitals, and is also associated with the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art (an independent subsidiary).

Internationally ranked for 26 subjects, Fudan University is featured within the top 50 for politics, chemistry, modern languages and materials sciences.

  1. University of Science and Technology of China

Having shared 6th place with Shanghai Jiao Tong University in last year’s BRICS ranking, the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) climbs two places to rank 4th this year. Placed 25th in the Asia rankings, USTC is led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and was founded in 1958 to meet the science and technology needs of the country and increase its global competitiveness. Located in the city of Hefei, its campuses span 360 acres, and the university was the first in China to establish a graduate school.

The University of Science and Technology of China is featured among the world’s best for 12 subjects in 2016, most of which are (unsurprisingly) science subjects. It achieves its highest positions for chemistry and materials sciences.

  1. Shanghai Jiao Tong University

The next of our top universities in China is Shanghai Jiao Tong University, which concludes the set of five continuous Chinese universities in the top five of the BRICS ranking, and also places 22nd in the latest Asia ranking. It was founded in 1896 and now teaches around 37,500 students, of which 1,700 come from outside China. Shanghai Jiao Tong University offers 63 undergraduate programs, 250 master’s programs and 28 postdoctoral programs.

It boasts 25 positions in the 2016 subject rankings, including places within the global top 50 for computer science, chemical engineering, civil and structural engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, mechanical engineering, chemistry, materials sciences, art and design and business and management.

  1. Nanjing University

Retaining its position at 8th in the BRICS ranking, Nanjing University is also ranked 23rd in Asia this year. It was founded in 1902 but can trace its early establishments back as far as 258 AD, and now has about 30,000 students enrolled across two campuses, which each span nearly 600 acres. A member of the prestigious Yangtze Delta Universities Alliance, it’s located in Nanjing in eastern China, the ancient capital of the country for various periods, which holds a significant place in Chinese history and culture.

Nanjing University is ranked internationally for 23 subjects, including a place in the global top 100 for chemistry, Earth and marine sciences, materials sciences and architecture.

  1. Zhejiang University

Zhejiang University is the final of these top universities in China to make the top 10 in the BRICS ranking, climbing two places this year to be ranked 9th in BRICS. Also ranked 24th in Asia, Zhejiang (sometimes known as Zheda) is another member of the C9 League and the Yangtze Delta Alliance. It was founded in 1897 in the city of Hangzhou and now has one of the largest academic libraries amongst Chinese universities, as well as a total enrolment of 47,339 students, over 5,800 of which come from outside China.

Zhejiang University is ranked among the world’s best for 24 subjects, placing in the world’s top 50 for chemical engineering and the top 100 for nine other subjects.

  1. Beijing Normal University

Heading back to Beijing for the next of our top universities in China, Beijing Normal University is ranked 11th in BRICS and 40th in Asia this year. Colloquially known as Beishida, the university’s name reflects its legacy as a former unit of the Imperial University of Peking which was devoted to training schoolteachers. It’s home to a wide range of research centers and laboratories, as well a six-hectare ‘Science Park’, and currently has about 22,000 students enrolled, including 1,800 international students.

Beijing Normal University is included in 16 of the 2016 subject rankings, appearing in the top 100 for education and training, linguistics, modern languages, and social policy and administration.

  1. Wuhan University

Climbing one place from last year, Wuhan University is ranked 16th in the BRICS ranking this year, and 44th in Asia. Located in the city of Wuhan, capital of the Hubei province and the most populous city in central China, the university is administered by the Ministry of Education in China and was founded in 1893. Wuhan University’s elegant and palatial architecture and blend of Eastern and Western styles has led to the campus being called the most beautiful in China.

Not just a pretty sight, Wuhan University is also one of the most prestigious Chinese universities, appearing 15 times in the latest rankings by subject, with a position in the top 100 for philosophy.

  1. Tongji University

The final of our 10 top universities in China is Tongji University, which made a leap from 26th to 17th in the BRICS ranking and is also 53rd in the Asia ranking. Tongji University was originally established as Tongji German Medical School in 1907, becoming a state university 20 years later. It now teaches around 36,600 students, of which 2,200 are from outside China.

An engineering-intensive university, Tongji University is especially renowned for its architecture and engineering programs, and this is reflected in the subject rankings. Of the nine subjects in which it’s internationally ranked, Tongji is in the global top 50 for architecture, civil and structural engineering, and art and design.