Inner Mongolia: Manzhouli City

Manzhouli City is located at the hinderland of Inner Mongolia’s Hulun Buir Grassland. With east to Xing’an Ridge, south to Hulun Lake, west to Mongolia and north to Russia, it is the biggest land port in China. Covering a total area of 730 square kilometers, its climate is temperate semiarid continental climate. With a population of 260,000, there lives more than 20 peoples such as Mongolian, Han, Hui, the Chaoxian nationality, the Ewenki nationality, Oroqen nationality, the Eluosi (Russian) nationality. Characterized with Chinese, Russian and Mongolian styles, it is a port city of Chinese and western culture melting pot and enjoys the famous reputation of “the widow of East Asia”.

Manzhouli was originally named “Huolejinbulage”, which means “the abundant spring water” in Mongolian. It obtain its present name in 1901 due to the construction of Dongqing railway. The national China-Russia trade district, Border Economic and Technical Cooperation District, the national coal energy base Jalainur digging, and autonomous-region-level Donghu (East Lake) Chuanghui Agricultural Region are all under its jurisdiction

Michael Rice: Beijing: the Ancient Town of Yongning

Michael Rice: Beijing: the Ancient Town of Yongning: Located in the middle area of Yanqing jurisdiction, about 90 kilometers away of downtown Beijing, the ancient town of Yongning is the seco...

Beijing: The Beijing International Flower Port

Lying in Yangzhen Village in Shunyi District, the Beijing International Flower Port is the only one professional flower industry zone in Beijing that planned by Beijing Municipal Government. Being the window of the development of Beijing’s flower industry, it was one of the most important function groups of the 7th China Flower Expo 2009 sponsored by Beijing City.

During the expo, the Beijing International Flower Port was used to demonstrate Beijing’s flower industry zone and outdoor flower show, at the same time, it was responsible for spreading and propagating flower culture of Beijing. Currently, the flower port has become the center for flower producing, research, exhibition, sightseeing and cultural communication.

The Beijing International Flower Port is a flower farm that specializes in growing and breeding flowers and selling seeds and fresh flowers. Fresh flowers are popular as gifts or for decoration, and they are also a profitable business. There are various kinds of landscaping and several special locations of the park such as the Cherry Avenue where there are cherry trees, the Metasequoia Forest, a place for gingko trees, and a pond for water plants and a garden. The 1.5 mile area has a lot you can do and see including picking up fruits, attending several different flower fairs, and attending horticultural exhibitions.

Shanghai: Moller Villa — A Castle of Fairytale

It comes to weekend again. Although it is autumn day, but the hot and humid air still make me feel restless. Having been tired of the noisy shopping mall, in this weekend, I especially find a quiet and graceful corner to spend this leisurely day, just letting the time and life pace slower and slower again. If you are obsessed with a slower life, why not list Moller Villa into you Shanghai Xian tour?

 There are a great deal of elegant and quiet place in Shanghai. After searching on the Internet, I decided to go to a place where I used to go very often — Moller Villa.

Situated in the junction of Yan’an Middle Road and Shaanxi North Road, Moller Villa is a garden villa of Northern European style and has a history of 75 years. With the Norwegian-style spire, gothic style pinnacle and gorgeous colors, the villa is called as “the castle of fairytale” in Shanghai.

It was built by a Swedish shipping magnate, Eric Moller, in 1936. He came to Shanghai in 1919. Legend has it that Moller’s daughter had dreamed about a big house like those in the Hans Andersen fairy tales. After that her father Moller built this fantasy Norwegian-style castle for her according to what she saw in her dream. Now it serves as a boutique hotel to bring guests a fairy-tale fantasy castle life. Compared with the international metropolis Shanghai, Xian tour will give you a total different experience.

Shanghai: Summer Night Rush

With half a month’s high temperature, Shencheng City was heated up like a stove. In the hot summer days, great pieces of white cloud flutter from the sea, like ten thousand horses galloping. In this moment of beauty, I can’t help to go to the Bund and enjoy and sea breeze and night scene of the Huangpu River. In the beautiful color of the night, the whole day’s fatigue had disappeared. And my mood seems to get better too.

Speak of the Bund, it is a must-see place for those who join a Shanghai to Xian tour. It attracts a great number of tourists from both at home and abroad with its unique landscape, and particularly the night scene. In this hot summer days, after the last glow of the setting sun, the Bund is flooded in the great piece of dim light. Standing on the pedestrian causeway and looking forward, the European-style buildings are ablaze with colorful lights, just like crystal palaces standing along the bank of Huangpu river and quietly telling the passing stories. When you turn around, the breeze from the river kisses the faces gently. In the opposite of the Huangpu River, lights are twink in a myriad of households and the Oriental Pearl Tower reaches into the sky. Now and then, there will be several barges boating on the river, which looks very fabulous.

The most beautiful night scene of Xian is in the Great Tang All Day Mall (Great Tang All Day Mall is the continuation and upgrading of the Tang-Dynasty culture. Great Tang All Day Mall demonstrates culture through modern signs and elements, such as floor decoration, lighting art, and architectural art and landscape furniture. It strives to reflect the charm of the Tang-Dynasty culture in slight places and to show the beauty of the Tang-Dynasty art in a concise and plain way ). It is also a must-see place in your Xian tour.

Beijing: Peach Blossom Sea Scenic Spot of Pinggu

 Pingu, a suburb district of Beijing, is the most famous town of the big peach in China. The 220,000-mu garden of big peach is can be said as the largest peach garden in the world, the largest peach town in China and the largest fruit planting area in China’s capital city of Beijing. So far, Pinggu, Beijing has consecutively held 13 International Peach Blossom Festival successfully. And it has been a famous spring tourism activity in Beijing-Tianjin region.

It is time for peach blooming in Pinggu in mid April (15th - 25th) of every year. The over 220 thousand mu colorful peach blossom sea presents tourists a majestic and spectacular scene, which attracts numerous visitors from Beijing, Tianjin city and Hebei provinces etc to flock to enjoy the vaporing and rosy cloud. When I attend the Beijing Xian tour in April this year, I was lucky to be taken there by my friend in Beijing and had a witness of the magnificent pink peach blossom sea.

With high in the east and low in the west, the full-bloom stage of every peach orchard differs a little. In some peach orchard, tourists can appreciate the peach blossom even in early May. In the peach orchard, a purple flower which called is “Eryuelan” can be seen everywhere.

It is said its florescence is even longer than peach blossom. It is free for appreciating the peach blossom during the Festival. As the local tourism is now under the initial stage of development, therefore some tourists facilities are still incomplete. On the one hand, the local villagers expect tourists to view the blossom and buy their subsidiary agricultural products; on the other hand, they don’t want tourists to step back and forth in their orchards. You may see some villagers shout at these tourists sometimes.

My friend took me to the Xian Agriculture Expo Park in the spare time of my Xian tour, it was indeed an interesting experience!

Beijing: Ditan Temple Fair

The Ditan Temple Fair was first held in 1985, so far has been held for 26 years. When I joined the Beijing Xian one day tour this year, I had went there for the 27th Dian Temple Fair. With a high artistic tastes, it enjoys a famous reputation both at home and abroad. The magnificent scene is hailed as a modern Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival (a famous ancient painting in China is a long, painted scroll 528 cm long and 24.8 cm wide, which portrays street scenes of Bianjing, today's Kaifeng City, Henan Province, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) ) and Chinese Carnival.

Ditan (Temple of Earth) Park is the site of the altar where sacrifices were formerly offered to the earth god. The performance reenactment of a Qing Dynasty sacrificial ceremony to worship the God of Earth is an unique traditional program. In addition, there will also be a range of folk performances, children's puppet shows and fashion shows, art exhibitions, ice lanterns and snow sculptures, and traditional Beijing snacks.

Going to Ditan Temple Fair in Spring Festival has been a traditional custom for Beijing citizens. As the first recovered temple fair, Ditan Temple Fair of Spring Festival attracts thousands of visitors every year with its authentic folk arts and customs. Such temple fair also can be found in Taoist Temple of Eight Immortals druing your Xian tour.