China Folk Culture Village

China Folk Cultural Village, adjoining to Splendid China, is the first large-scale cultural & scenic spot assembling folk arts, customs, folk villages. With area of 200 thousand square meters; 24 villages, houses and streets built according to the ratio of 1:1; sticking to the principle of "Originate from life but lofty. Assume the marrow while desert the dross.", China Folk Cultural Village reflects the colorful Chinese culture in many respects. The performance of Villages, Folk dance and sing of the central playhouse, and large-scale joint performance of Folk Cultural Plaza displayed the Chinese folk arts incisively and vividly. After it was opened to the tourists, the China Folk Culture Carnival Parade, Four Seasons Rando, Chinese Charms, Blue Sun, Revised China Folk Culture Carnival Parade, and the latest Emerald, all these performances won the praise of Chinese terpsichorean and all the society. It can be recognized as the soul of Chinese arts that are imposing and implicated theory and poetry. All these performances bring a climax for the tourists and make a carnival by "Chinese Mill of Chinese Characteristics". Meanwhile, various national festivals including the Water-splashing Festival of Dai nationality, Torch Festival of Yi nationality, Lusheng Festival of Miao nationality and Great Temple Fairs of Chinese Nationalities are celebrated in a magnificent manner, and thus bring the tourists into a charming cultural world. The ceremony, which integrated gusto with art and is enterable, is extraordinary, splendid and is most beautiful; fully displayed Chinese long history and glory. "24 Folk villages covering 56 nationalities", the living folk customs, the glorious performances, elegant and harmonious atmosphere, all the above attracted every tourist from all over the world.

Splendid China

Splendid China" is a miniature scenery park which has taken in all the famous historic sites and scenic spots of China. "Splendid China" is the largest of its kind in the world.
Within the park, more than 80 miniature sites are arranged according to the positions of the real ones in the map of China. "Splendid China" focuses on all kinds of styles of buildings , living habits and conventions of different nationalities in China. It is a window on China for the foreigners to know about Chinese history, culture and tourism.
Being well afforested, "Splendid China" is a world of trees and flowers. Within the park, natural and artificial scenery are woven into an enchanting picture.
"One step into the history, and one day travel the whole China."

Window of the World

Shenzhen "Window of The World" is located at Overseas Chinese Town along the beautiful Shenzhen Bay, covering an area of 480,000 sqm. 118 exquisite, magnificent, world-famous scenic spots and folk song or dance shows make World Square , the Area of Asia, the Area of Oceanic, the Area of Europe, the Area of Africa, the Area of America, the World Sculpture Park, Jurassic Park the nine fabulous parts of the whole park. When night curtain falls, a cast of hundreds of artists from home and abroad on the same stage present the spectacular night show and fantastic float parade. On the shell-shape central stage, on the flower road and on the elliptical fountain stage, the magnificent, unique and novel performances display the world civilization, complemented by surrounding stereo sound effect and fancy lightings. The whole night show has created a dazing , colorful, grandiose performing atmosphere and is extremely entertaining. The creative night show in World Square is highly appraised by experts as"the milestone of Square Art in China". And this show, together with 118 scenic spots, form the most beautiful and attractive scenery in "Window of the World".

Mt. Wutai (Wutaishan) Tour

Mt. Wutai (Five Terrace Mountain) is one of Buddhism’s Four Sacred Mountains, and is dedicated to the Bodhisattva of Wisdom Manjusri (Wen shu). It is located about 200 km (77 miles) north of Taiyuan in mountainous country. The name refers to the flat tops of the five principal peaks. The north peak (Dou Feng) is the highest of the group at 3,058 meters (10,036 ft). The Buddhist associations of the site date back to the Han dynasty when an Indian monk is supposed to have had a vision of Manjusri there. The mountain became an important Buddhist center in the Northern Wei through the Tang dynasties, when more than 200 temples there were dedicated to the study of the Avatamsaka Sutra. After a period of decline, the mountain regained popularity in the Ming and Qing periods, when the emphasis on Tibetan-style Lamaist Buddhism made Mt. Wutai an important pilgrimage site. In the 15th century the founder of the austere Tibetan Yellow Hat Sect came to Mt. Wutai to preach.
About forty temples remain in the region, many in the monastic village of Taihuai nestled in the center of the five peaks, and others farther afield in the mountains. The Tayuan Si (Temple of the Pagodas) was built in Tibetan style in the Ming period, with a 50-meter high bulbous, whitewashed dome characteristic of the style. Behind the pagoda is a two story Ming-period library, which contains an older revolving sutra-case, holding rare religious texts. The nearby Xiantong Si (Temple of the Manifestations) is one of the oldest Buddhist monasteries in the world. Its foundation dates back to the early years of Buddhism in China in the 1st century AD, though most of the present complex is Ming or Qing in date.The only major historical site you can visit is the imperial palace of China's last emperor. It is nothing like the imperial palaces in Beijing or Shenyang. It is comprised mostly of simple houses with crude lay-outs, reflecting the hasty establishment of the Japanese puppet state, headed by Puyi, China's last emperor dethroned in the 1911 Revolution.

Dazu Stone Carvings, Chongqing

Dazu, a small mountainous town west of Chongqing, is famous for its stone carvings, with more than 100,000 pieces left over from the Tang (628-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties.
The well-preserved carvings are representative of an ancient Chinese art tradition. They also take a very important position in the religious, artistic and cultural history of China. Stone carvings are found in more than 70 places scattered throughout the county of Dazu. The largest, richest and most exquisite collection of statues is at the foot of Baoding Hill and North Hill.
The stone carvings along the Baoding Hill were hewn out from 1174 to 1249. The row is 500 meters long and consists of nearly 10,000 statues, of which the most distinctive and majestic are the "Thousand-arm Goddess of Mercy" and the 31-meter long sleeping Buddha. These stone carvings are unparalleled works of art in the world and were included by NESCO as a World Heritage site in 1999.

Scenery of Siguniang Mountain

Siguniang (Four Girls) Mountains Scenic Area is situated in Xiaojin County of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China. The area consists of Mt. Siguniang, Mt. Balang and Changping, Haizi, Shuangqiao valleys, covering an area of 2,000 sq km. Featuring primitive ecological condition and exquisite scenery, the area is reputed to be the Queen of Sichuan's Mountains and the Oriental Alps Mountain. It is also a center of attention for scientists.


Here are some photos of Mt. Siguniang taken by Donald Sewell during his trip there on Oct 20 - Nov 13, 2005.




(All photos by Donald Sewell)

Mt. Siguniang encompassing 4 peaks perennially covered with snow soars high with maximum 6,2500 m above sea level in the northwest of Western Sichuan Plain. There exist the remains of glaciers formed in the remote antiquity and vertical distribution of vegetation and rare wildlife. Additionally, there are Mt. Wuse (Five colors), Lieren (Hunter) Peak, Laoying (Eagle) Cliff, Mt. Niuxin (Ox's Heart), which are shrouded in clouds and mists the year round, presenting an atmosphere of a fairyland.

The mountain is not far away from Chengdu. It takes only 5-6 hours to get there. One of the optional tours is to visit Wolong Giant Panda Nature Reverse first (Wolong is actually on the half way to Siguniang).

Shangri-la, Yunnan Tour

Shangri-La - Could British writer James Hilton’s imaginary paradise really exist? According to people of Zhongdian, Yuannan Province, the answer is YES. Shangri-La, a land of eternal youth in Hilton’s 1933 novel Lost Horizon, has fascinated people around the world with its picturesque natural scenery and harmonious living environment. It is a place surrounded by snow-capped mountains, forests, gorges, and lakes. It is a place where many religions co-exist, and people of various ethnic backgrounds get along in harmony. It is a paradise sought by men of all colors and beliefs, a paradise that doesn’t really exist, or so have people believed.
However, since the mid-1990’s, more and more people have come to believe that there is indeed a place that resembles Shangri-La. Zhongdian County, a small township in Yunnan Province, looks so much like Shangri-La that in the summer of 2002, the Chinese government approved its request for a name change, from Zhongdian to Shangri-La.
Our Shangri-La Hiking tour will take you to places that resemble in many details James Hilton’s exotic Utopia. You will experience snow-capped mountains, green lakes, flowers and friendly local residents. Shangri-La’s many attractions include Bita Lake Nature Preserve, Napa Lake Baishui Terrace, Haba Snow Mountain, and Meli Snow Mountain.
China's First National Park Unveiled in Shangri-La
Shangri-La, famed as one of China's most naturally beautiful areas, now has the added honor of holding China's first national park, the 2,000-square-km Potatso National Park which was inaugurated on Thursday in Yunnan Province.

The national park takes up 17 percent of Diqing, an autonomous prefecture of Yunnan principally inhabited by Tibetans. Its diverse sceneries include crystal-clear lakes, undulating mountains and gurgling streams, making it a clear choice to become the country's first national park.

Local government efforts to map the park began in early 2006 since which time over 200 million yuan (US$26.3 million) have been spent on strengthening the park's preservation and eco-tourism appeal.

"By establishing the Potatso national park, China has taken the first step towards blending tourism development with natural protection," said Song Yinxiu, head of the park's administrative bureau.

Currently, around 69 km of roads have been constructed around two of Potatso's major scenic spots, the Shudu and Bita Lakes. The lakesides have also been protected by the laying down of 10km plank roads along their edges. The focus on environmental protection stretches all the way to the park's facilities with solar-powered public toilets and buses using clean energy used to minimize pollution.

During the park's ten-month trial operation run, it received 600,000 visitors with half the revenues from ticket sales being reconverted to environmental protection.

Although this is China's first national park, over 9,800 exist worldwide with the Yellowstone National Park in the US being the first one to be established in 1872. (Xinhua News Agency June 22, 2007)

Shaolin Temple Travel

Located in the Songshan Mountains, a little more than 50 miles southwest of Henan's provincial capital, Zhengzhou, Shaolin Temple is famous not only as one of China's important Buddhist shrines, but also as the ancient center of Chinese kung-fu.
Built in 495, the temple was originally designed to house Batuo, a celebrated Indian monk, who, after many years of spreading Buddhism, was later known as Fo Tuo, or Grand Monk. In 537, another famous Indian monk, Boddhidharma, settled in the temple, and as legend has it, created a sort of primitive bare-hand combat routine called “xingyi boxing” after he had sat meditating in a cave for nine years.
That started the kung-fu tradition at the temple. At the beginning of the seventh century, a tiny army of 13 Shaolin monks were reputed to have saved future Tang Dynasty emperor Li Shimin, by defeating an entire division of the ruling Sui Dynasty's army and helping him break out of prison. When he took power, Li showered favors, land and wealth on the temple. Shaolin then thrived as a center of kung-fu masters from around the country. At its heyday, it housed more than 3,000 solider-monks.
Always a center of rebellion, Shaolin was badly damaged by fire three times, most seriously in 1938, when a blaze raged for more than 40 days, destroying nearly all the temple's classical literature and records.
The present buildings at Shaolin Temple are spread out over an area of about 10,000 acres. The most interesting relics are the murals in the Eastern Hall, which depict groups of boxing monks.