bambootravel.co.uk A Sichuan golden hair monkey 17. Sichuan’s sensational mammals and birds, Wildlife Worldwide Sitting serenely along the ancient Silk Road, the atmospheric frontier town of Dunhuang is home to one of the world’s most important collections of Buddhist art. Among more than 490 Buddhist caves in the area, the mural and statue-filled Mogao Grottoes represent perhaps the zenith of Buddhist artistry in China. Aside from the option of visiting the Great Wall via cable car, embarking on a hike along the Wall would also serve as a fantastic means of exploration. February Tiancang Festival On the twentieth day of the first lunar month, Chinese peasants celebrate Tiancang, or Granary Filling Day, in the hope of ensuring a good harvest later in the year. Coal burning accounts for about 40% of the PM 2.5 in Beijing and is also the chief source of nitrogen and sulphur dioxide. [97] Since 2012, the city has been converting coal-fired power stations to burn natural gas [98] and aims to cap annual coal consumption at 20 million tons. In 2011, the city burned 26.3 million tons of coal, 73% of which for heating and power generation and the remainder for industry. [98] Much of the city's air pollutants are emitted by neighboring regions. [97] Coal consumption in neighboring Tianjin is expected to increase from 48 to 63 million tons from 2011 to 2015. [99] Hebei Province burned over 300 million tons of coal in 2011, more than all of Germany, of which only 30% were used for power generation and a considerable portion for steel and cement making. [100] Power plants in the coal-mining regions of Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi, where coal consumption has tripled since 2000, and Shandong also contribute to air pollution in Beijing. [97] Shandong, Shanxi, Hebei and Inner Mongolia, respectively rank from first to fourth, among Chinese provinces by coal consumption. [99] There were four major coal-fired power plants in the city to provide electricity as well as heating during the winter. The first one (Gaojing Thermal Power Plant) was shut down in 2014. [101] Another two were shut in March 2015. The last one (Huaneng Thermal Power Plant) would be shut in 2016. [102] Between 2013 and 2017, the city planned to reduce 13 million tons of coal consumption and cap coal consumption to 15 million tons in 2015. [102]

Shanghai is China’s most glamorous and prosperous city, where Chinese and Western cultures run side by side. This morning our sightseeing tour begins with a walk along the Bund, on the banks of the Huangpu River. The Bund perfectly encapsulates the diversity of Shanghai, with the grandiose Art Deco architecture of the city’s former banks and trading houses on one side of the river, and the futuristic skyline of Pudong on the other. We continue to the charming Old Town, which is the original centre of the city and retains many of its original temples, alleyways and buildings. Our morning ends in Yuyuan Gardens. Taking 18 years to build during the Ming dynasty, the gardens survived wars and rebellions, and today are a fine example of classically styled Chinese Gardens. This afternoon we explore the impressive collection of Chinese artefacts housed in Shanghai Museum. In the evening, witness a spectacular performance of skill and grace as we experience the world-class Shanghai Acrobatic Show.

7. Ma Po Tofu

For more adventurous travellers who have been to China before and seen all the highlights, this 18-day private tour of southern China covers many of the destinations that don’t normally appear on itineraries. Hong Kong and Macau are the better-known cities you’ll visit, but you’ll also head to Yuchang Lou to see traditional Hakka architecture, Longji for the picturesque rice terraces, and Zhuang Village to learn about the hill tribes who live here. Departures are year-round and prices include flights, hotel and guesthouse accommodation, some meals, domestic travel and a private guide. Right, they came from Xishuangbanna — a pleasant place with an annual average temperature of about 20°C (68°F). It is a paradise of tropical plants, a kingdom of wild animals, and home to the Theravada Buddhist temples of China.

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( October 2017) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Beijing is a global city and one of the world's leading centres for culture, diplomacy, politics, finance, business and economics, education, research, language, tourism, media, sport, science and technology and transportation. As a megacity, Beijing is the second largest Chinese city by urban population after Shanghai. [12] It is home to the headquarters of most of China's largest state-owned companies and houses the largest number of Fortune Global 500 companies in the world, as well as the world's four biggest financial institutions by total assets. [13] It is also a major hub for the national highway, expressway, railway, and high-speed rail networks. The Beijing Capital International Airport has been the second busiest in the world by passenger traffic ( Asia's busiest) since 2010, [14] and, as of 2016 [update], the city's subway network is the busiest and second longest in the world. The Beijing Daxing International Airport, which is the second international airport in Beijing, is the largest single-structure airport terminal in the world. [15] [16] Last, but not least, local tourists rush to Xishuangbanna in winter to escape the cold further north. More flights are available, but you will find airfares are comparatively high during winter times. Other notable mosques in the old city include the Dongsi Mosque, founded in 1346; the Huashi Mosque, founded in 1415; Nan Douya Mosque, near Chaoyangmen; Jinshifang Street Mosque, in Xicheng District; and the Dongzhimen Mosque. [212] There are large mosques in outlying Muslim communities in Haidian, Madian, Tongzhou, Changping, Changying, Shijingshan and Miyun. The China Islamic Institute is located in the Niujie neighborhood in Xicheng District.The Yellow Mountains: The snow-capped Yellow Mountains in winter are quite different from their legendary popularity in other seasons — more like a peaceful haven. October 1 National Day Another week-long holiday when everyone has time off to celebrate the founding of the People’s Republic. TV is even more dire than usual as it’s full of programmes celebrating Party achievements. The largest Tibetan Buddhist Temple in Beijing is the Yonghe Temple, which was decreed by the Qing Emperor Qianlong in 1744 to serve as the residence and research facility for his Buddhist preceptor of Rölpé Dorjé the third Changkya (or living Buddha of Inner Mongolia). The Yonghe Temple is so-named because it was the childhood residence of the Yongzheng Emperor, and retains the glazed tiles reserved for imperial palaces. While the "High-level Tibetan Buddhism College of China", China's highest institution college of Tibetan Buddhism, situated near the Yonghe Temple. The Lingguang Temple of Badachu in the Western Hills also dates to the Tang dynasty. The temple's Zhaoxian Pagoda ( 招仙塔) was first built in 1071 during the Liao dynasty to hold a tooth relic of the Buddha. The pagoda was destroyed during the Boxer Rebellion and the tooth was discovered from its foundation. A new pagoda was built in 1964. The six aforementioned temples: Guangji, Guanghua, Tongjiao, Xihuang, Yonghe and Lingguang have been designated National Key Buddhist Temples in Han Chinese Area. The urban area of Beijing, on the plains in the south-central of the municipality with elevation of 40to 60 metres (130–200 feet), occupies a relatively small but expanding portion of the municipality's area. The city spreads out in concentric ring roads. The Second Ring Road traces the old city walls and the Sixth Ring Road connects satellite towns in the surrounding suburbs. Tian'anmen and Tian'anmen Square are at the center of Beijing, directly to the south of the Forbidden City, the former residence of the emperors of China. To the west of Tian'anmen is Zhongnanhai, the residence of China's current leaders. Chang'an Avenue, which cuts between Tiananmen and the Square, forms the city's main east–west axis.