The history of Dunhuang

Dunhuang, known as Shazhou in ancient times and one destination of Silk Road tours, is one of China's famous historical and cultural cities and lies at the western end of the Hexi Corridor in Northwest China’s Gansu Province, connecting it with Qinghai Province and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. With the Qilian Mountains, the Taklimakan Desert, and the Beisai (north area beyond the Great Wall) and Sanwei mountains to the south, west, and east respectively, Dunhuang is an oasis surrounded by mountains, deserts, and the Gobi desert in the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, accounting for 4.5 percent of the land area with an average altitude of 1,100 meters.

As one of the four cities west of the Han River in ancient times, Dunhuang was established as a prefecture in the sixth year (111BC) of Emperor Yuan Ding’s reign in the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-24AD) and was once called Sanwei or Guazhou. The ancient town used to be an important stopover point on the Silk Road. Dunhuang is the starting point of all three routes to Xinjiang. From the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD) to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Dunhuang was a metropolis and the communication center of politics, economy, and culture between the East and the West.
With a long history and a splendid culture, Duhuang contains the best works representing different historical periods. There are a great many of places of interest and scenic spots, 241 of which are famous ones such as the relics of the grottos, the group of tombs, the Great Wall of the Han Dynasty, the ancient city, the beacon fair, and the relay stations. The world-famous places are the Mogao Grottos, the Yumenguan Pass, the ruins of the Yangguan Pass, the Wuwa Pond, the Sanwei Mountain, the Ringing-Sand Hill, the Crescent-Moon Pool, and the many grotto carvings and murals. The Ringing-Sand Area is especially one of China's key tourist attractions.
In 1986, the State Council proclaimed Dunhuang a Chinese historical and cultural city, and a year later, UNESCO put the Mogao Grottos (listed as the best tours of China) on its list of world natural and cultural heritages. It was approved as an excellent tourist city of China in 1998.

The melted snow water moistens the fertile land, and the forest prevents sand and wind. With so much natural convenience, Dunhuang has good harvests of various kinds of fruits. With marvelous desert scenery and prestigious relics, Dunhuang is the homeland of the flying Apsaras (a goddess) mural masterpiece and is a land of fertility and miracles.
Dunhuang and the Silk Road
Two thousand years ago, Zhang Qian (explorer and Imperial envoy) in the Han Dynasty, the pioneer of the Silk Road, explored the marvelous road to the countries west of China, paving the way for exchanges between China and Central Asia and Europe.
In an effort to guarantee the trade on the Silk Road, the Han Government set up Zhangye, Jiuquan, Wuwei, and Dunhuang along the Silk Road as towns to keep the road smooth. From then on, the Silk Road witnessed the boom of commerce and trade between Chinese and foreign emissaries and merchants, while Dunhuang became a big city of international trade.
In the Sui Dynasty (581-618), Emperor Yang Di held a pageant party and invited leaders from 27 countries west of China to the party, which considerably boosted the trade on the Silk Road.
When the wheel of history headed to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the prosperity and open policies of the Tang society pushed the booming trade along the Silk Road to a height that would never again be reached.
The development of the Silk Road also drove the prosperity of the cities like Dunhuang along the road. Showered by Buddhism for over a thousand years, Dunhuang became the most eye-catching star of the Silk Road.
If you are very interested in Silk Road, you include Dunhuang in your AFFORDABLE China travel packages.

Sublime Culture of the Tujia

Western Hunan Province’s Zhangjiajie City remains a hub of the Tujia people, allowing visitors to make close contact with strong Tujia ethnic culture both in Chieftain City in its urban district and Guanshuiping Village in the suburbs. If you happen to visit Hunan for your China tour deals, you can consider here.
Folk Art in Chieftain City
A man-made cultural attraction sated with Tujia culture, Chieftain City was born as a park built on the site of one of the best-preserved Tujia villages in western Hunan Province. Like many other ethnic cultural theme parks, employees wear traditional Tujia costumes, but they still don’t adequately portray authentic Tujia people. For such employees, performing Tujia folk art to entertain tourists is just a job rather than a lifestyle. Still, some genuine folk artists remain, who manage to move visitors with their persistent adherence to tradition.
Early one morning as we roamed around Chieftain City, a souvenir shop adorned with a row of Xilankapu, hand-made Tujia brocade, caught our eyes. Its proprietor, Zhou Liqun, is a Tujia brocader. “Xilankapu is a unique craft of the Tujia people,” she sighed, “but today only 20-something expert weavers of the brocade still operate in western Hunan.” In years past, Tujia girls began to learn brocading as teenagers. However, due to the expertise required to navigate the complexity of the craft, fewer and fewer girls are willing to sacrifice the hours it takes to learn. They may at least manage to embroider a pair of shoes for their wedding, a tradition meant to ensure a happy marriage. You can learn some wedding customs of ethnic minority through your China travel packages.
Although Zhou has been fond of brocading since her youth, after graduating from college, she became an accountant. Still, her affection for Xilankapu only grew with each passing day. Eventually, she quit her job and devoted her life to brocading.

Resting atop the loom in her shop was a pile of finished Xilankapu brocade, which took her several months of painstaking effort. According to her, embroidering a single pattern might take days, months, and even years because embroiderers must devote attention to each and every thread.
At Baishoutang (a venue used by the Tujia people to offer sacrifices to ancestors and perform traditional dance) in Chieftain City, we were lucky to enjoy breathtaking “sword-mountain climbing,” a traditional ritual reserved for sacrificial occasions. The performer playing Tima (literally “wizard” or “shaman”) blew an ox horn before climbing barefoot up a tall ladder with swords for rungs. He nimbly scrambled a dozen meters up in just a few seconds. During the process, he also performed a variety of stunts. Sometimes he stood on a single foot while freeing both hands, and other times he shifted his entire weight onto his abdomen resting on the edge of a sword. His thrilling performance evoked shrieks and gasps from spectators. “An expert fears nothing,” he grinned. “I’ve practiced sword-mountain climbing for a dozen years. In fact, nothing is dangerous and mysterious.”
Ballads under Ancient Stilted Towers
Compared to the heavy tourist flow in Chieftain City, Tujia villages are more ideal to experience orthodox Tujia culture. Guanshuiping in Wangjiaping Town is a particular standout.

As our bus rolled towards the village (although it is not listed on China best tours), vast, green stretches of paddy fields dotted with stilted houses flashed outside the windows. To maintain the traditional dwelling lifestyle of the Tujia ethnic group, locals don’t build mortar residences, but refurbish decades-old stilted wooden houses through financial support from the government.
At the entrance to Guanshuiping, we arrived at an old roofed bridge spanning a stream. On one end of the bridge, several hospitable villagers, led by an elderly woman, sang to greet us. Their singing wasn’t loud, but melodic. Tujia songs are notable for their lack of set lyrics. Instead, they are all improvised.
The 70-year-old woman is surnamed Gong. She established the Canola Blossom Art Troupe, which is comprised of all local women. Members are all consumed by farming in the daytime, so they can only find time to rehearse and perform at night or on rainy days.

When night fell, a large crowd of people gathered in front of the village’s ancestral temple. Local women in theatrical costume began performing tea-gathering dances, each with a basket in arm. The night’s entertainment reached a climax with a performance of folk Nuo Opera, unique to the Tujia ethnic group, which was inspired by stories of the god of land. The opera also lacked a fixed script and lines, and actors and actresses all improvised. The humorous performance caused laughter to fill the air above the village’s century-old stilted houses.
If you need more detailed information, you can contact with China travel agents.

Fast Times in a Slow Town - Yaxi

Geographically, Gaochun, about 60 kilometers south of the Lukou International Airport, is the remotest county from urban Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province (always contained in AFFORDABLE China travel packages ). Located on the border between Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, it is surrounded by mountains and enjoys flourishing vegetation, which inspired its nickname, the “backyard garden of Nanjing.” Yaxi is found about 20 kilometers west of the garden. It comes as no surprise that Yaxi’s flora seems even more lush and vibrant.

Actually, this “slow town” is comprised of a group of villages. A zigzagging asphalt road (rare in rural China where roads are usually paved with cement) slopes up and down as it stretches over the horizon. Patches of knee-high yellow heronsbills along the road sway in the wind, seemingly greeting guests from afar. Pristine mountains and forests, crystal clear water, varying shades of green and clusters of traditional Anhui-style houses featuring grey eaves and white walls together create a tranquil pastoral landscape romanticizing the area south of the Yangtze River.
Like many small towns in China, Yaxi has changed much since the reform and opening up started in the late 1970s. Young people left the village for work and returned to construct two and three-story buildings with the money they earned. Life in the village has gradually improved. In 2004, officials carefully planned for construction of a country road, “eco-tour,” to connect the six picturesque villages and their combined 20,000 residents. Local governments hoped to develop eco-tourism with their unique ecological resources. In 2009, the first Yaxi Golden Flower Festival attracted a flood of visitors from Nanjing to see the area’s blooming canolas.

How did Yaxi become a Cittaslow town? Zhang Tingsheng, Party secretary of Lanxi Village, Yaxi Town, is one resident who witnessed the town’s decades of changes first-hand. He outlined the story of Yaxi and Cittaslow.
A couple of years ago, with the help of an overseas Chinese friend, Gaochun County and Pollica of Italy became sister cities. In the spring of 2010, Angelo Vassallo, then mayor of Pollica as well as vice-president of Cittaslow, received a letter with photos inviting him to take part in Yaxi’s second Golden Flower Festival. He fell in love with the blooming canolas at first sight of the pictures. Months later, he visited Gaochun for a third time. On the tour, he asked to visit Yaxi. There, he wondered around a lot and talked with many of the villagers. “It reminds me of my hometown,” he sighed from the eco-tour road while looking across the endless scenery. “Every standard of an international slow town can be found here.”
Since 1999, when Cittaslow convened for its first international assembly in Orvieto, Italy, more than 140 cities in 24 countries have been dubbed “slow towns.” Most of these cities are scattered across rural Poland, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Germany, France, UK, Switzerland, South Korea and Japan.To rebel against fast-paced modernization and advocate a return to slower living, Cittaslow has set a series of rigorous standards, such as full membership open only to towns with a population under 50,000. In a Cittaslow town, driving speed is limited to 20 kilometers an hour, and no horns are allowed. A Cittaslow town also frowns upon pollution and noise and favors green energy resources, traditional manual work and plentiful greenery in which people can relax. Billboards, neon lights, massive supermarkets and fast food such as McDonald’s are strictly forbidden in a Cittaslow town. Additionally, harmonious neighborhood relationships and greater time spent with family and educating children are encouraged. Cittaslow organizes regular inspections of member towns to ensure each condition is being strictly carried out.
Yaxi’s application was approved at the International Assembly of Cittaslow in Scotland on November 27, 2010, making it the first Chinese member of the organization.
Now, the sign of a snail, the logo of Cittaslow, can be found everywhere in this small and tranquil town south of the Yangtze River you can visit there through your Yangtze River tour- on road signs, on farmers’ courtyard walls, and even on colorful banners floating in the wind of the fields. It is stipulated in Cittaslow constitution that this logo should be visible in public facilities and as many private facilities as possible to advocate the concept of slow living in formal visual forms.
The Cittaslow member of Yaxi includes six administrative villages. Lanxi Village, where Zhang works, is the core demonstration area, surrounded by a dozen natural villages, most of which have already become “slow.”
Zhang revealed that Yaxi has accomplished much to satisfy Cittaslow’s standards even though it’s natural conditions were already ideal. For instance, the eco-tour road in the village was originally cement, and later it was repaved with asphalt according to Cittaslow requirements. In the past, local grape trellises were mostly built with cement for durability, but now they have all been replaced with wooden structures. To increase yields, a few farmers used to use artificial fertilizers, but now local governments have been persuading them to substitute organic alternatives. At the core of every requirement is making improvements that remove artificial facilities and those incompatible with nature in favor of ecological and environmentally friendly options.
“The title of ‘international slow town’ is a golden signboard,” Zhang Tingsheng proclaimed, words which echoed throughout the villages. Soon after achieving the status, Yaxi drew media focus, and has attracted a steady stream of visitors from other parts of the country, and even foreign journalists and backpackers.
Business is booming at agri-tourism facilities. Without needing guidance and instructions from the government, many former residents who left for work have returned to start businesses. So far, 22 rural caterers and eight rural inns have opened in town. “Those in the business average per capita income of 30,000 to 40,000 yuan a year,” Zhang notes. Now the local government is no longer worried about attracting tourists. Instead, it is focused on providing good service to visitors, especially during festivals, holidays, and peak China tourism season.
Paradoxically, Cittaslow’s “slow” philosophy has accelerated the area’s tourism growth and quickly attracted a flood of tourists. How can Yaxi keep balanced?
Zhang explains that the main purpose of a Cittaslow town is to benefit locals as well as visitors with the enjoyment of “slow living,” and to help the lifestyle become more accepted. The goal is not to develop a scenic zone. “Many ask where to find the Cittaslow town when they arrive here,” grins Zhang. “I have to tell them they’re already in the slow town. We may not have many exciting attractions and we try to keep as few buildings as possible in the area. Here, we celebrate the art of mother earth and lives of ordinary people. Many visitors come just to see what a Cittaslow town looks like. We want to tell them to spend several days in one of our rural inns viewing the scenery, taking deep breaths of fresh air, and falling asleep to the croaking of frogs and awakening to the tweeting of birds.”
Here you can enjoy the life and think the meaning of life and you may have a different experience but Yaxi is not a destination of top 10 China tours.

The story of Tomb-sweeping Day - Qingming Festival

There are three-day holiday for Tomb-sweeping day. If you plan to have China tours in April, you should avoid Qingming Fesival. The following is something about Qingming Fesitival history.

Qingming Festival, means clear and bright in Chinese, is the day for mourning the dead. It falls in early April every year. It corresponds with the onset of warmer weather, the start of spring plowing, and family outings.

Before we talk about Qingming, we must say something about another ancient event, Hanshi, which always comes one day before the Qingming Festival. Hanshi literally means cold food.It is said that in the seventh century BC during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC), Duke Xiao was the monarch of the state of Jin. His eldest son, Shen Sheng should have inherited the throne on the death of his father. But Duke Xiao had other plans. He wanted the son of his favorite concubine, Li Ji,to succeed him as the ruler of Jin. Not exactly a loving father, Duke Xiao had Shen Sheng murdered and would have done the same to his second eldest son, Chong'er, but Chong'er got wind of this and fled.

For 19 years, Chong'er and his entourage of loyal officials and servants wandered homeless. One day, Chong'er was actually starving and close to death. one of his most faithful followers, Jie Zitui, cut a slice of muscle from his own leg and served it to his master, thereby saving his life. Finally in 636 BC ,Chong'er managed to take the throne that was tightfully his and took the official title of Duke Wen of the Jin state.

After becoming the ruler of the state, Chong'er decided to reward the officials who had stayed with him through his years of wandering. But he forgot about Jie Zitui who had sacrificed the flesh of his leg. Jie Zitui was heartbroken and went away. Later Chong'er remembered Jie Zitui's sacrifice and sent people to look for him. Eventually they found him. Chong'er went in person to apologize and ask him to return to the royal court. But Jie Zitui left them and went deep into the mountains, so no one could find him again. Someone advised Chong'er to set fire to the mountain in order to force Jie Zitui into the open, where he could be talked into returning to the comforts of life in the royal house. Chong'er took this advice and set fire to the mountain where Jie Zitui was believed to be hiding. The fires raged for three days and Jie Zitui was found leaning against a large tree, carrying his old mother on his back. Both Jie Zitui and his mother were dead.

Chong'er was deeply saddened by this tragedy. He ordered that a temple be built in memory of his most loyal follower. He also ordered that no fires were allowed on the anniversary of Jie Zitui's death. So people had to eat cold food on that day-the day of Hanshi. In addition, people began to visit Jie Zitui's tomb and pay their respects to his memory.

It was not until the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) about 300 years ago that the practice of Hanshi or eating cold food was replaced by the Qingming Festival (the Tomb-sweeping Day), which had now become an important occasion for people to offer sacrifices to their ancestors.

If you want to know more about the festival, you can contact with China tour operator.

House of Porcelain in China

Which would you rather be: a bull in a china shop or a mortal entering the Porcelain House? Within this space of 3,000 square meters are more than 16 thousand pieces of pottery, 300 white-marble carvings and 290 tons of natural crystals. Luckily, this china is already shattered into 700 million pieces.
Porcelain House, also known as “China House” or Yuebao House, is an historic house-turned-museum. Decorated and refurnished by antique collector Zhang Lianzhi, it is a true gem among the flashy billboard ads and touristy food street in downtown Tianjin. The museum’s uniqueness has earned it a spot as one of the world’s 15 most stunning museums. So you should not miss it for your China tours.

The history of Porcelain House has come full circle. An old French-style building, it served as the dwelling of a central finance minister during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and later a bank post-1949. When the bank relocated, the house remained abandoned for many years.
In September 2002, businessman Zhang Lianzhi bought the house for 1 million RMB. What started as an attempt to beautify the home blossomed into an ambitious art project.
“The experience is like a child building his dream house with toy bricks,” Zhang said. “All I need is my imagination to create and explore with such a large amount of porcelain pieces.”
These pieces span the Tang (618-907) through Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. About 80 percent of the materials used in the house came from damaged antiques. Zhang designed and contracted the project on his own, opening the house to the public in September 2007. Today, the house is valued at over 2 billion RMB.
What makes the museum so beautiful is its juxtaposition with the old and the new. Plates, vases and statues from the dynasties are intermixed. Zhang created a rice paste to glue the porcelain to the wall. Various symbols of Chinese culture are represented throughout the project. It is also a right place for your educational China tours.
The inside of the house is lined with mosaics. Porcelain pillows symbolize “suìsuì píng’ān” (“wellness every year”), since the Chinese word for “sleep” is similar to the word for “year”. Other pieces add aesthetic value to the ceiling, railings and doorways. The house is also furnished with antique chairs, chests and tables.
Outside, four powerful “dragons” 200 meters in length slither down the house. The “Píng’ān Qiáng” (”Wall of Wellness”) is built from 3,000 vases and crystals. The vases are another play on Chinese words: the character for “peace” (平) shares the same “píng” pronunciation as “vase” . There is also a new Land Rover in the backyard with over 10,000 pieces of ceramics, worth more than 1 million yuan.
At one time, the public believed the museum would be converted into a high-end restaurant. For now, it remains a spectacle enjoyed by the public at home and abroad for their private China tours. However, not everyone appreciates Zhang’s technique to bring culture to the masses. Some critics argue that the porcelain becomes worthless displayed in such a way. Zhang countered that his project brings “new life” to the old pieces.
“I want to share my enthusiasm about the collection with many more people. For the past 20 years, I myself have found great fun in studying the stories and history behind the ceramics. It would be a pity and waste if these fabulous works of art were appreciated by myself only,” Zhang said.
While Zhang admits he may be crazy, the house is definitely a culture icon for years to come.
You can get more detailed information from local China travel agency.

Silk Road Destination - Jiaohe Ancient Town

For nearly thirteen centuries the ancient city of Jiaohe (a.k.a. “Yarkhoto”) once sat perched atop a narrow plateau not far from the Silk Road city of
Turpan. It is one of Xinjiang’s best historical sites and one of the most rewarding to visit for your Silk Road tours.
Any trip to Turpan is not complete without a visit to Turpan’s ancient Jiaohe City.


History of Jiaohe
The ancient city of Jiaohe along the Silk Road in Turpan, early in the Han Dynasty as a garrison town, Jiaohe continued to flourish under both Chinese and
Uyghur rule until it was finally abandoned at the end of the 14th century.
The earliest known inhabitants were a group of people called the “Jushi” who made the city their capital until it became a part of the Gaochang kingdom
in 450 A.D.


At this point the capital was moved from Jiaohe to what is now the ancient city of Gaochang. Almost 200 years later in 640 A.D. the Tang dynasty set up
their governmental offices at Jiaohe, offices which are still visible today.
Getting Around Jiaohe
China tour buses and taxis will drop you off at the tourist center to the south
of Jiaohe. After paying your entrance fee, you’re free to walk the miles of paths that twist through the city.
A wide, central street runs north towards the Great Monastery and divides the city into an eastern and western half. Running along this road you’ll find
all the workshops, while on the far eastern and western sides are all the residential districts.
The administrative and governmental offices – also very interesting sites to visit – are located in the center part of the city a short distance form
the many monasteries and Buddhist stupas that occupy the northern half of the city.


Travel Tips for Jiaohe
Because this is one place you won’t want to miss when visiting Turpan for your private China tours, take note of these tips:

Be prepared to pay RMB 40 to enter Jiaohe

Take along plenty of water and sunblock, especially in the summer months. It gets very hot!

Go early morning or late afternoon. It will make the temperature bearable, but more importantly you’ll have much better lighting for your pictures!

Don’t stray off the path. CCTV cameras are now strategically places to ensure that you don’t disturb this historical relic.

Go the distance. You’ll miss out if you don’t walk all the way to Stupa Grove at the far north end. It’s probably the most well-preserved landmark
in the city.
Getting to Jiaohe
Jiaohe ancient city is located a mere 10km to the west of Turpan. For this reason it is possible to travel here by bicycle (ask your hotel for clear
directions), by taxi (approx. 10 RMB) or by public bus (1 RMB). It will also be a part of almost any tour you take with a guide in Turpan.
But China business travel service is not
very good here.


If you are interested in Jiaohe Ancient Town, you can consider the China travel group perchase which save you more money.

5 top tips for first-timers to China

Despite the fact that it seems to be in the news almost every day of the week, China – impossibly vast and fascinatingly diverse – remains a China travel destination with an unquestionable mystique. As exciting as that sounds, it also makes travelling to China for the first time an incredibly daunting prospect. To help you venture into the unknown, here’s our first-timer’s guide to the most populated land on the planet.
1. Break the language barrier
The number one hurdle to overcome when travelling around China is the language barrier. Even today, with Chinese children learning English from primary school onwards, it’s a barrier that can be almost completely impenetrable at times. It’s always advisable to try to learn a few words and phrases before you visit far-flung lands, but in China it’s almost essential. Try to enrol in Mandarin classes before you go (Mandarin Chinese is the default language in almost every part of China), or try to teach yourself some of the basics – the BBC website has a decent introduction to learning Chinese.
Then, when you leave for China, be sure to bring with you one or more of the following:
English-to-Chinese and Chinese-to-English pocket dictionary - I found the Oxford version very easy to use when I was a beginner.
Translator apps - Google Translate is free and includes an impressively accurate speak-your-phrase voice translator. The Lonely Planet Chinese Translator app is similar but has the advantage of being entirely offline with a dictionary tailored to the needs of travellers.
Regardless of all of the above, one thing you should always do when travelling around China is carry with you Chinese-language business cards of your hotel or of places you wish to visit so you can show passers-by, taxi drivers, bus conductors and the like.
2. Focus your itinerary
China is massive. Really, it’s unbelievably large. It contains the world’s highest mountains, some of the world’s largest deserts, remote jungles, seemingly endless grasslands, and, of course, many of the world’s largest cities. You would need months and months of travelling to even begin to do it justice. So, rather than skimming the surface of the whole country on your first trip, choose one region, or even just one province, and explore it properly. See the new region from China guide to help you decide. Still unsure? Here’s the top four:
Sichuan: One province; three regions. Stay in the centre or the south for steamy bamboo forests and cute Ming-Dynasty villages. Head north for stunning lakes set among alpine-esque mountain scenery. Venture west for remote Tibetan-plateau grasslands.
Guangxi: Picture-perfect rice terraces and other-worldly karst peaks dominate a lush, almost jungle-like landscape which is perfect for hiking, cycling and river trips.
Beijing: Don’t just fly here, stay here. Beijing packs in more world-class sites than many whole countries are able to offer: The Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, ancient hutong alleyways, majestic imperial parks…the list goes on and on.
Yangtze River cruise: you can not only enjoy the splendid natural beauty but also witness the historical and cultural sites along the river.
3. Check the weather
At any time of the year there are places in China that enjoy ideal weather for travel, but almost nowhere is weather-perfect all year round. So to ensure your first trip to China doesn’t become a wind-beaten blowout, an energy-sapping sun-scorcher or just a damp squib, get on top of where’s hot and where’s not in the month you’re planning to travel. Generally speaking spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons, although not in all provinces, and in many parts of China spring and autumn are no more than a few weeks long. For starters, check out this China weather rundown.
4. Use public transport
Ditch the taxis and the airplanes and hop on buses, bikes and trains to see China how the locals see it. Sure, it’s easier flying from city to city, and then taking a taxi around each one once you’re there. But where’s the fun in it? China’s public transport systems are already extensive, and getting bigger and better every year and many towns and cities are well set up for cycling – cycle lanes abound in Beijing, for instance. And don’t worry about getting lost. Chinese people in general are extremely friendly, helpful and honest, especially to foreigners who can’t speak Chinese, so there will always be a local on hand to put you back on track if you lose your way.
5. Eat, eat and then eat some more
China has many wonderful features but arguably its standout attraction is its food. As this tasty introduction illustrates, cuisine varies tremendously from region to region – even breakfast time can be an assault on the senses – so try as much of it as you can. And don’t listen to anyone who tells you to avoid the street food. It’s often the best part of a city’s culinary experience.
One final food tip from my aunt, who recently visited China for the first time: If you’re not used to using chopsticks, ditch the white T-shirts and pack more dark-coloured tops. Noodle-slurping stains are an unavoidable nuisance for most China first-timers, and asking for a knife and fork in a restaurant over here…well, that’s just cheating.
If you have more questions about China travel, you can get more detailed info from China tour agents.