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MONEY & ENTERTAINMENT
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Travel to China
China, (People's Republic of China), is situated in eastern Asia, bounded by the Pacific in the east. It is the third largest country in the world, next to Canada and Russia, it has an area of 9.6 million square kilometers, or one-fifteenth of the world's land mass.
Towering mountains and dramatic landscapes make up China's wealth - background scenery to the fall of dynasties, the rise of emperors and the turning of the revolutionary wheel. Unless you have a couple of years to tour, it's best to follow a loose itinerary while visiting. Some suggestions would be; Beijing to Tibet via Xi'an's terracotta warriors, following the Silk Road route, sailing down the Yangzi River, or exploring the Dr Seuss landscape of Guangxi Province. China's imperial jewel in the crown is of course Beijing. It has been the capital of China for around 500 years and is home to sights such as the Forbidden City, the off-limits palace of Ming and Qing emperors, their eunuch servants, princesses and harems. The Summer Palace in Beijing was established in the late Qing period, but is also a major attraction. Beijing is the starting point for China's most famous imperial legacy - the Great Wall. The wall can easily be viewed from many places, but most visitors approach it from Beijing. With a population of close to five million, Tibetans make up one 'of China's largest minorities. There are large Tibetan communities in parts of China that once belonged to Tibet. In the south-western Gansu Province, the Labrang Monastery in Xiahe is one of the six major monasteries of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism and is very much a little Tibet. China's sacred mountains have been pilgrimage destinations for centuries and all have well marked trails to the summits. More often than not there are stairways carved into rock faces, and sights en route include poems and inscriptions and numerous temples. The chief attraction is, inevitably, sunrise at the summit, where camera toting crowds gather to gaze on the, sea of clouds'. The most popular mountains with foreign visitors are Huangshan, Taishan and Emeishan. The Grand Buddha at Leshan (Sichuan Province) is the largest Buddha in the world. At 71m high and carved into a cliff face overlooking the meeting of the Dadu and Min rivers. China's most famous collection of European architecture is lined up facing the sea on the Bund in Shanghai. Xiamen (Fujian Province) has one of China's most charming collections of colonial architecture, on Gulangyu Island. The fact that there are no motorized vehicles on the small island makes this place one of the only places in the country where it is possible to take peaceful walks and appreciate the buildings at leisure. China isn't a country - its own world. From shop-till-you-drop metropolises to the epic grasslands of Inner Mongolia - with deserts, sacred peaks, astounding caves, and imperial ruins - it's a land of cultural and geographic schisms. But what are the best things you can do while you are on your trip to China? Here is a small list that may help you get an idea about the diversity of the landscape and places.
So, here it is: Enjoy China's scenic natural wonders. They include Tibet's Qomolangma Nature Reserve around Everest and UNESCO World Heritage Sites including Mount Taishan Mountain Park, Huangshan Mountain's fog-shrouded rocky precipices, Buddhist Mountain Emei Shan and Jiuzhaigou Valley's lakes and waterfalls. Hike or trek amid spectacular scenery. Everest Base Camp is Tibet's most popular trekking destination. There's also great hiking in other areas of the mountainous Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Yunnan's threatened Tiger Leaping Gorge and along the Great Wall. Conquer the world's highest mountains. Mighty Himalayan peaks form Tibet's southern border, among them Mount Everest (or Qomolangma), at 8,848m (29,021ft), and Namcha Barwa, at 7,756m (25,445ft), around which the Brahmaputra River carves a fantastic gorge to enter India. Go rock climbing, a fast-growing sport in China. The sheer-faced limestone Karsts Mountains around Yangshuo in Guangxi province have become a climbing Mecca, offering many marked routes for everyone from novice to expert climbers. Some bars even have practice walls. Go river cruising. The Three Gorges Dam will raise levels of the Chang Jiang (Yangtze) by 175m (574ft) by 2009, although the spectacular gorges will still tower high above. See striking limestone formations on a Li River cruise from Guilin. Explore caves. Head underground to Zhangjiajie's Yellow Dragon Cave, Asia's largest or more popular caverns including Guilin's Reed Flute and Crown caves and Yangshuo's Silver Cave - their stalactites and stalagmites lit by garish multi-colored neon. See forests of stone. Take a day trip from Yunnan capital Kunming to see one of southwest China's most celebrated natural attractions. The Shilin Stone Forest's limestone rock columns resemble petrified trees. Relax on a tropical beach. Sanya, on the southern coast of China's most southerly province, Hainan Island, is one of China's newest holiday areas and has international resort hotels, fine sand beaches, golf courses, coconut palms and water sports. Try the ancient ‘shadow art' of tai chi, a series of linked, slow movements using the entire body while focusing the mind. Traditionally practiced early in the morning, throughout China, good places to see it include Beijing's Beihai Park. Enjoy festivities surrounding the Spring Festival, the Chinese calendar's most important date. Families get together to celebrate Chinese New Year, festooning homes with banners and pictures to bring good fortune. Festival activities often include parades, lantern shows and lion dances.
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