All posts by Cassidy Tse

Once upon a time, Xingping town was the largest town on the Lijiang River, 63 km (39 miles) from Guilin, 25 km (15.5 miles) from Yangshuo, and located on the East Bank of the Lijiang River. This town is really a beautiful place with beautiful scenery. Mural mountain and huangbutan both belong to this scenic spot.

The surrounding mountains greatly enhance the charm of Xingping town. The town is at the foot of Wuzhishan. The mountain in the East is sengni mountain, which looks like a fight between a monk and a nun. It is said that chaoban mountain is like a plaque of an ancient court official, and Luohan mountain is like a smiling Luohan monk with his chest exposed in the sun. The mountains in the south are carp mountain and snail mountain. The mountains to the West are Bijia mountain and Maire peak. The mountain to the north is Camel Mountain, like a camel crossing a river.

Historic sites can be found in Xingping old street and fishing village, about 2 km (1.3 miles) from Xingping town. This old street is a one kilometer long stone street, flanked by old brick houses and conference halls like many different provinces. This old banyan tree needs eight people to stretch out their arms to surround it. The Guandi temple built in the Qing Dynasty tells about the long history of Xingping town.

The fishing village has a history of nearly 500 years. It typically represents the architectural style of Northern Guangxi in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The houses in the village are the same as those in Xingping town. They have horsehead walls, cornices, painted rafters and carved windows. When former U.S. President Bill Clinton and his wife visited the village, they highly praised it and were deeply attracted by its residents. The villagers live on cormorants. Maybe you can go fishing on a raft instead of a boat. It’s exciting. Not far from the village is Dishui village, where there is a waterfall. Water is often used to make wine.

Three kilometers (1.9 miles) northeast of Xingping Town, there is a newly opened lotus cave. The cave is more than 600 meters long and the widest part is 2 meters wide. Different shapes of stalactites can be seen in the cave. For example, the main scenic spots are “upside down lotus petals”, “two dragons climbing out of the cave” and 108 “Lotus pods”, large and small. The diameter of the lotus seed pod ranges from 20cm to 1.5m (4.9ft), and the small stones inside look like real seeds. It’s amazing! In spring and autumn, under a layer of mist, the scenery is really lifelike. There is a stalactite that makes a pleasant sound when it is struck. Do you want to try it?

Yangdi village is located on the West Bank of Lijiang River, about 50 km (31 miles) from Guilin, 40 km (25 miles) north of Yangshuo County. Behind the village is a small mountain composed of two peaks, which looks like two sheep hoofs hanging upside down.

The scenery on the way from Yangdi to Xingping town is the highlight of Lijiang River Cruise. You will see the wave stone landscape, Xialong village, mural mountain and huangbutan. It can be said that if Lijiang River is a long poem, Guilin’s trip to Niucun is at best a prelude. Yangdi village as the starting point of tourism is the theme part, beautiful scenery, typical karst landscape. Therefore, if time is limited, we suggest that you limit the trip of Lijiang River to this section.

There are many attractive spots around Yangdi village. You will meet Yuanyang beach on the way from the upstream ferry to the village. To the west of the coast stood two stalactites, which looked like a pair of mandarin ducks nestling together. There is a small hill near Yangdi village. On the top of the hill stands a big stone, like a grindstone. Next to it is a three yard long ramp stone, which is like a stone mill pushed by a man, so it is called “stone mill pushed by a man”.

From Yangdi village, about 1 km (0.6 miles) down, you can see the spectacular wave stone landscape. The white waves beat the stones in the river, which is different from the peaceful river you can see along the Lijiang River.

Downstream you will meet another boy who attracts him to worship Buddha. A mountain like a Buddha sits quietly, in front of which stands a small mountain like a boy kneeling to worship Buddha. That’s fantastic, isn’t it? But what’s more incredible is that nature gives these mountains all kinds of shapes.

Beautiful mountains, winding waterways, beautiful coast, striking waterfalls, lush green bamboo and scattered villages constitute a beautiful landscape painting. Yangdi village is an ideal place to enjoy the Lijiang River in the misty rain. It seems to be a peaceful, peaceful and mysterious fairyland. From November to march is the dry season of Lijiang River. Yangdi village sometimes becomes the starting point of Lijiang River Cruise. At this time, water resources are extremely scarce. It is suggested that tourists visit the Lijiang River during the period from April to October when the water level is deep and green.

Qinghai Lake is the most famous place in Qinghai, it is located in the west of Xining, is the largest inland lake in China. The beautiful scenery and good road conditions make it a hot spot for self-help tourism. Every year, July and August is the season when the rape flowers bloom in Qinghai Lake. Thousands of mu of rape flowers are competing to open, attracting tourists from all over the country. At this time of year, the hotels are full and need to be booked in advance.

Qinghai Lake is also a cycling resort. Every summer, the riders’ hard-working figure will become another unique scenery line by the lake, and the annual international road cycling race around Qinghai Lake will be held here.

The road from Xining to Qinghai Lake is about 80km, 4 hours’ drive, passing through sun and moon mountain, watching the sunset in Qinghai Lake tourist area, and staying in Qinghai Lake at night. It’s about 400 kilometers around the lake. There are also long-distance buses from Xining to Qinghai Lake.

There are many recommended places in Qinghai, such as guide county. As the saying goes, “the world’s Yellow River is guideqing”. In guide, the Yellow River water is clear and transparent, which can be directly drunk. It is understood that the reason why the Yellow River is clear is that the upper and lower reaches of the river are turbid due to the sedimentation of the upper reservoir, but only the guide section is clear. The mighty river flows eastward, revealing the beauty of hegemony.

There are also Qinghai Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. There are no four seasons in the whole year, only cold and warm seasons. The cold season lasts for 7-8 months, and the warm season lasts for 4-5 months. May to October is the best. There are also many scenic spots in Yushu, including Yushu earthquake museum in Jiegu Town, Sanjiangyuan, KEXILI, etc. In a word, Qinghai has places worth visiting all the year round. In spring, everything is reviving. Qinghai is about to usher in the most beautiful moment of the year. Are you ready?

The bird island of Qinghai Lake is named after the hundreds of thousands of migratory birds inhabiting the island. It lies northwest of Qinghai Lake, one of the most beautiful lakes in China, is connected to the bank on one side whilst the others are surrounded by water.

It is similar to the pet of almost all people who love nature. Maybe you are fascinated by their sweet singing in the dense forest. Or when you see birds flying freely in the sky, a feeling of worship will fill your heart? So what do you feel when you see groups of wild birds flying on the wide lake? Here, on the bird island, which is famous for bird kingdom and heaven, you can enjoy the wonderful world yourself.

Bird island includes two islands, one is haixipi in the East, the other is haixishan in the west, which is four times smaller than the former Island, but it is the place where most birds gather in the lake. When spring and summer come, many birds come here from distant mountains and deserts to breed. In the most noisy April and may, the number of them can reach 10000, 80% to 90% of which stop in Haixi mountain to lay eggs. The eggs of Haixi mountain are all over the island, also known as “egg island”.

Why does the island attract so many birds? Because of its flat landform, mild climate, close to the water surface, it can produce rich floating grass and fish. The environment here is also very quiet. It is a natural space for birds to breed and inhabit.

Bird island has charming natural scenery and many beautiful wild birds. It is the only place for many tourists to travel in Qinghai. It has been listed as a National Nature Reserve, which mainly protects birds and provides a great place for tourists to visit.

The Yangling Mausoleum of the Han Dynasty, in short Han Yang Ling, is located at Zhangjiawan Village, about 20 kilometers north of Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province. It is a joint tomb of Liu Qi, a notable emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, and his empress Wang. It was built in the year 153 AD and covers an area of 20 square kilometers. It is a magnificent and abundant cultural relic, comprising the emperor’s tomb, empress’ tomb, the south and north burial pits, ceremonial site, human sacrifice graveyard and criminals’ cemetery.

Neatly arranged and centered with the emperor’s tomb, Han Yang Ling Mausoleum reveals the strict hierarchical social structure. The Outside Pits Exhibition Hall was opened in 2006 and is the first underground museum in China.

Liu Qi, the fourth emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, and his father, Liu Heng, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, jointly created the first rule of the Chinese monarchy, the rule of Wenjing. In the third year of the later Yuan Dynasty (141 BC), it collapsed in Weiyang palace of Chang’an City and was buried in Yangling [5]. Yang Mausoleum was built in the fourth year of the Yuan Dynasty (153 BC), from the beginning of emperor Jingdi of Han Dynasty to the burial of the queen. The construction of Yang Mausoleum lasted for 28 years.

The archaeological research achievements of Hanyang mausoleum have attracted worldwide attention. Its drilling, excavation and research achievements have laid a solid foundation for the study of the burial and burial system of the Western Han Dynasty imperial mausoleum, provided a large number of detailed material materials for the study of the political, economic and cultural life of the Western Han society, and played a leading and reference role in the archaeological research of the Western Han tombs. The Yangling archaeological exhibition hall The opening to the outside world of “wenjingzhi” shows the whole world the grand occasion of “the rule of wenjingzhi”.

Located in the north of West Street in the center of the city, the district covers several blocks and is inhabited by more than 20000 Muslims. There are about ten mosques in the Muslim Street area, of which the Great Mosque in Huajue lane is the most famous and popular. The Muslim food and souvenir market is another feature of the region. Beiyuanmen Muslim market, located in the north of Gulou, is the best choice after sightseeing in the city center. It’s about 500 meters (547 yards) long from the south to the north. You can get to the street through the arch under the drum tower. The street is covered with dark stones and trees in summer; the buildings on both sides of the street follow the style of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Some buildings are restaurants, while others are shops. But there is one thing in common: all are Muslims.

Mutton stewed unleavened bread is a special snack in Xi’an, very delicious. Stir fried rice with pickled vegetables and chili peppers is very delicious. It’s a real pleasure for you to eat it in the hot summer. Roast beef, lamb or lamb is another snack that makes your mouth water. Roast the meat on the charcoal fire, add some seasoning to the meat, and you can eat it. The most famous snack in this street is Jiashan baozi. The main raw material of steamed bun here is beef and mutton soup.

There is also a fruit pie made of persimmons, which is considered to be a unique snack in Xi’an. These pies are made of Persimmon in Lintong District, Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province. When making pies, first remove the persimmon skin, mash it into meat filling, mix it with flour, then put osmanthus and sugar in it to make filling, and then fry it in oil. When you eat them, you will feel delicious, sweet and soft.

There are many other snacks in the street, such as bacon, casserole, noodles and so on. They are waiting for you to enjoy.

Being the world’s largest hydropower project, Three Gorges Dam Project has created many “Firsts” such as the most efficient dam in flood control, the most difficult construction work and the largest migration project in the world.

Three Gorges Dam is a project has been completed of great weight to China. What are the advantages of the Three Gorges Dam? So far, the project has begun to bring benefits to Chinese people in mainly five aspects: flood control, power generation, navigation, drought resisting and tourism.

Flood control is a vital Three Gorges Dam benefit. Since ancient time, Yangtze River floods have been disasters to people, especially in the section of Hubei province and Dongting Lake area. Three Gorges Dam can efficiently store the water from upper stream and reduce the flood during the flood season. Three Gorges Dam is world’s largest hydropower station with a total capacity of 22.5 million kilowatts and the annual power generation is 100 billion kilowatt hours, which greatly meets the electricity demands in middle and eastern China. Located in the middle of China, this hydropower station supplies power to the middle, eastern and southern China, that within 400 to 1,000 km economic transmission distance of the load, including the provincial regions of Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Chongqing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Guangdong.

Located in the middle reach of Yangtze River, the Three Gorges Dam raises the water level in its upper stream and greatly improve the waterway conditions from Chongqing to Yichang, totaling 660 kilometers (410 miles). In dry season, the water in its lower reaches can get ample supply to ensure regular water transport. The ships of ten thousand tons can sail directly between Chongqing and Wuhan even further and Shanghai. Besides, due to the improvement of the navigable waterways, the ship size and fleet size are accelerated standardization and become larger, and the transport costs can be expected to reduce.

The Heptachord Terrace was built in honor of the sincere friendship between Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi during the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279).Heptachord Terrace, or Guqin Tai to give it its Chinese name, is located in the north of the Hanyang District of Wuhan City, Hubei Province. It is situated at the west of Tortoise Hill and on the bank of the Moon Lake.

The Heptachord Terrace is a reminder of the legend of Yu Boya, who was a famous official who lived in the Jin State during the the Spring and Autumn Period (770 – 476B.C.), and was an expert heptachord player. One day, Yu Boya played two pieces of music on his way home by boat from an official visit to the Chu State. One was a composition called ‘High Mountain’ and the other ‘Flowing Water’. To Yu Boya’s amazement Zhong Ziqi, a woodcutter, understood and appreciated his music. Yu Boya admired Zhong Ziqi’s musical attainment and after a long conversation they became bosom friends. Since Yu Boya had to return to his state, they agreed to meet again in the coming year. Unfortunately, Yu Boya found that his friend had died from a disease before their planned meeting could take place and understandably he was deeply grieved upon hearing the sad news. Upon setting up an altar near his friend’s grave and burning incense there, he played ‘High Mountain’ and ‘Flowing Water’ once again. The emotion of the music was so strong that it was as if the rivers and the mountains were crying. When he had finished playing, the distraught musician broke his heptachord to pieces. From then on, Yu Boya never played again.

The Heptachord Terrace is surrounded by water on three sides. The scenery is very beautiful. In addition to the stone platform, there is a hall called “high mountains and flowing water” standing on the site. Other recreational facilities in the area include courtyards, teahouses and botanical gardens. At the entrance of the seventh harmonic stage, you will see a colorful glazed tile hall with the words “Guqin stage”. When you go to the north, you will see a screen facing the door with the Chinese characters written by Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty (1875-1909). Through a small door on the east side of the screen wall, a winding corridor is in front of you. Here, you will see many stone carvings and inscriptions to commemorate the restoration of the Heptachord Terrace. On the west side of the corridor is a seven corner hall, in front of which is a white marble terrace. It is said that Yu Boya plays his musical instrument on this platform. There is a wax exhibition, which depicts how the two became good friends. At the same time, there is a white marble statue of yuboya playing the seventh chord.

In the West White Poplar Gully, there are snow peaks, steep mountains, tall spruce and green grass. The white yurts, exquisite villas, elegant sanatoriums, hotels and snack bars, all of which add to the vitality of the deep mountain canyon. The scenery is more beautiful. A waterfall with a height of more than 40 meters and a width of about two meters is like a white practice hanging in the air. It flows down like a silver dragon flying and roars like a drum. At the falling place of the waterfall, the spray is all over the place, and the water drops are flying. It is like drizzle in the mossy rocks and dark green trees on both sides, cool and pleasant.

The word ‘Urumqi’ originally means ‘Beautiful Pastures’ in Mongolian. Fortunately in the suburb of the city of Urumqi there lies the Southern Pastures, a beautiful pasture the pastoral Kazakh inhabit and graze in summer. Covering an area of 119 square kilometers (about 45 square miles), Southern Pastures, the natural large and famous summer resort, 75 kilometers (about 46 miles) away from the city, is located in the Southern Mountain, the area at the northern foot of Karawuquntag Mountain.

It takes you about one hour by bus from Urumqi to get to West White Poplar Gully which is one of most typical sights. On the way, you can see the bright snowcapped Karawuquntag Mountain, the wandering valleys, hear the gurgle of springs, and smell the lush spruce trees. In the thicket of the lush spruce trees, let your eyes delight in the traditional villas and the scattered Kazakstan yurts as they paint the grassland.

As you stand in Southern Pastures, you can see the forest of emerald green spruce on a chain of undulating grass hills dotted with combined flocks and herds. As you immerse yourself in this beautiful site, the singing of the Kazakh may envelop you and inspire you to sing with them. You can visit one of the traditional yurts locating in the spruce forest where you will be welcomed by a generous host with fragrant milk tea, mare’s milk, cheese and roasted lamb. If you are lucky enough, you will be able to observe the amazing horseracing and traditional Kazakh dancing.

The ancient city was the capital of the former Cheshi State. An Indian proverb says, ‘Intelligence is bound to exist where two rivers meet’. Jiaohe, meaning in Chinese where two rivers meet, is such a place. According to historical records it was home to 700 households, 6500 residents plus 865 soldiers.

Jiaohe distinguishes itself from other ancient cities owing to three features. First, it had only two city gates, the South and East Gates. The main South Gate vanished long ago, leaving a huge breach. The East Gate cut by the cliff was virtually non-existent. Second, the city faces cliffs on three sides, so there are no city walls commonly seen in other ancient cities. Third, all the buildings were dug from earth, and wood was rarely used.

The central avenue, 350-meters (1148.3-feet) long, runs north from South Gate, separating the city into three parts; namely, residences for common people, temples, and residences for aristocrats.To the west of the avenue, low buildings with sparse small temples were residences for commoners, while the high ones in the east were for aristocrats and troops. At the end of the avenue stands a large well-preserved Buddhist temple, Jiaohe Temple, with an area of 5,000 square meters (53,824 square feet).

The relics we see today featured Tang Dynasty ( 618-907) architectural style. Houses were dug downward from the earth, and as no house gates faced the streets, military defense was apparently priority.

At the end of the 8 Century, the city was tossed into the reigns of the Turpan, Hui, and Mongols. Residents fled from the destroyed city continuously until in the beginning of the 14 Century, the city was abandoned, as was its glory and prosperity of over 2000 years. Miraculously, owing to the arid climate and remote location, the ancient city of Jiaohe remains intact, leaving us a rare exemplar of an earthen castle.