Qing Court Fans in the Palace Museum Collection

The Palace Museum houses near ten thousands ancient fans, most of which inherit from the Qing court collection. In this exhibition, over 120 fans and fan sets
are selected from those formerly collected by the Qing court and are classified and displayed with accessories. The aim is to shed light on the whole range of varieties, technical features and cultural connotations of fans used in the Qing court, and to provide visitors with a chance to appreciate and study them.

Have a Tour Hangzhou in China Follow Me

Hangzhou, a city famous for its scenic splendor, attracts more than 20 million tourists from home and abroad every year. Its unique environment endowed by nature and those who have lived here, is an accumulation of several thousand years that has formed many world renowned natural, historical and cultural features.
Whenever talking about this city, the famous West Lake can never be far from one's thoughts. Held on three sides in the embrace of hilly peaks, this water wonderland has been an attraction for centuries and it is small wonder that it was a favorite imperial retreat. The lake and its environs have all the elements of a traditional Chinese garden but on a grand scale. The natural setting of strangely shaped peaks, serene forests and springs, dense foliage and a myriad of blossoms especially in springtime are enhanced by a treasury of sculpture and architectural features. The largest part of West Lake is known as the Outer Lake and it is bounded by the North Inner Lake, Yuehu Lake, West Inner Lake and Lesser South Lake.
The Solitary Hill lies between the Outer Lake and the North Inner Lake and is an ideal spot from which to admire the vista. For those who have a love of sculpture and art and those who have a particular interest in Buddhism the Peak Flown From Afar and the Temple of the Soul's Retreat are the must see attractions. The nearby Mausoleum of General Yue Fei is a monument to the patriot who was murdered in 1141 at the behest of his archrival Qin Hui, the Song prime minister. These buildings together with others in the vicinity of the lake such as the slender 13 storey high Six Harmonies Pagoda adds to the calm and beauty of their surroundings.
Gorgeous Cruise boats on West Lake
Temple of Soul's Retreat
This beautiful city is always ready to offer visitors more to see. If you have more time to travel in the city and want to see other places of wonderful landscape, you can visit the following scenic spots. Botanical Garden is both a park embracing beautiful plants and a research base to study botany. Running Tiger Spring is famed for its unique fountain of high water quality. Mt. Putuoshan Scenic Spot is held sacred by Buddhists and it was here that over the centuries a once large Buddhist community was to evolve. Red Carp Pond is the heart of Viewing Fish at Flower Harbor Park (Huagang Guanyu), one of the ten places of interests at West Lake. Thousand Islets Lake (Qian Dao Lake) is a pure lake with fresh and clean air. Twin Peaks Piercing the Clouds is a unique sight in foggy days.
No visitor to the West Lake and the city can fail to learn something of this city's most famous products, namely silk and Longjing (Dragon Well) Tea. China National Silk Museum is the country's first national museum to be dedicated to silk culture and is the largest of its kind in the world. A similar museum is dedicated in homage to tea. Located at the West Lake Dragon Well Tea Plantation, the National Tea Museum provides a fascinating insight into the history and production of tea. Additionally visitors can go to other museums. Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine is the only state-level professional Chinese medicine museum in the country. Southern Song Dynasty Official Kiln Museum has been praised as the Civilized Museum of Zhejiang Province and the first group of provincial education base of patriotism.
Water Town
Qinghefang Ancient Street
Another natural spectacle to be found in the city is the Qiantang River Tide that has enthralled people for centuries. Annually, millions of people from both home and abroad flock there to watch the magnificent tide on the eighteenth day of the eighth lunar month (also around the mid-Autumn Day). When the surging tide comes, the water can rise up to a height of 30 feet and the noise it generates sounds like thunder, or thousands of galloping horses.
The other great feat of much earlier engineering is the Grand Canal. Linking the city in the south with Beijing in the north, this is the longest man-made waterway in China and surpasses both the Suez and Panama canals. Boating on the old Canal is one of the best ways to get a panoramic view of the landscape of typical river towns in southern region of the country, which include ancient dwellings, stone bridges of traditional designs and historical relics.
Six Harmonies Pagoda
The Heavenly King
The Statue of Yue Fei
Around the city area, there are also some places worth visiting. For example, Wuzhen, ranking first among the six ancient towns south of the Yangtze River was authorized as the Provincial Ancient Town of History and Culture. Xitang is a famous town with thousands of years of history. Mogan Mountain has been listed as one of the 'Four Best Summer Resorts in China' along with Beidaihe Scenic Spot, Mt. Lushan and Jigong Mountain. Tiantai Mountain Scenic Area is known for its beautiful scenery and for being the cradle of the Tiantai Sect of Chinese Buddhism.

Have a Heavy Shopping in Grand Pacific Mall !

Open since December of 2003, Grand Pacific Mall is presently one of the largest mall in Beijing (the capital of China).

Grand Pacific Mall is located in the central business area, with a good business environment and excellent services. The mall is well designed with world-class equipment, including lighting systems, audio equipment, elevators and bathrooms. Above all, the mall is home to many international-level brands, fashionable and trendy elements and the best service, which makes
The Grand Pacific Mall has a large variety of cuisine services, including both featured Chinese food and world famous brands like Pizza Hut, KFC, Haagen Daz, Fruit Fishing, Bread Talk, CHAMATE,  Tous Les Jours, LeJazz, Jiajingxuan Restaurant, Kyo-Nishi Restaurant and  Starbucks. These food services meet the needs of different customers.

How About Have a Cherry Picking Tour in Beijing This Summer

This past Saturday morning I had the pleasure of attending Beijing’s Haidian District’s 19th annual Sijiqing Cherry Picking Festival. The event featured eleven different types of cherries native to the area in the city’s largest cherry orchard, a quiet place on the outskirts of Beijing. The morning kicked off with a short ceremony before opening up the orchard for all to branch out and pick their favorite cherries.
I recommend the event for anyone who hasn’t experienced it, especially anyone with children. The event coincides with International Children’s Day and provides a particular thrill for the kids with other events for them to partake in. Just be prepared for the Chinese equivalent of the paparazzi to scramble to get a photo of you assisting your exceptionally cute child in snagging a cherry.
The festival’s preceding ceremony included a speech by several district officials, followed by a gift exchange by a group of local children to symbolize harmony among children. Meanwhile, you could visit the display table to sample the variety of cherries which were being offered. I dropped by to investigate the assortment. While to the untrained eye some cherries appeared identical, the tastes were indeed distinctive. The cherries carry names such as the Red Lantern and the Early Red Jade and varied from a dark violet red, to scarlet, to pink, to yellow. And if you are not a connoisseur of cherries in the slightest, you can at least marvel in the aesthetically pleasing quality of cherries which all can agree upon. My personal trip to the test tasting table included an interview with the local news team which made my day complete even before the picking was

underway.
The cherries were abundant and the orchard was plenty big to spread out and not get crowded—such circumstances are hard to come by in Beijing. With selections for those who prefer sweet cherries or even those (like me) who prefer sour, the search for the tree with the perfect tasting cherries was on. While there were plenty of low hanging fruit for all the little tykes, some of the best clusters involved a little climbing or the use of a latter which made the event even more entertaining and introduced a teamwork aspect into the process.
 It appeared that all had success filling their baskets with plenty of cherries but if you weren’t able to fill up your basket enough during the picking then there were also boxes of cherries for purchase following the festival. While the ceremony is held at the beginning of June, the weather at the orchard was surprisingly pleasant. The trees provided shade and the rhythmic breeze made it pleasurable. However, I would recommend bringing along a bottle of water to keep hydrated.
This short and sweet festival provides a splendid time for those looking to get involved in a bit of the cultural activity that Beijing offers. If you are in town this time of year, you should check it out. The atmosphere is pleasant, the people are cheerful, and the cherries are ripe.

Weekender's Guide to Nanxi China Landscapes

According to popular Chinese belief, Nanxi River is the birthplace of landscape painting, reminiscent of the water-and-ink prints of hatted fishermen hoisting long bamboo poles. This scenic quadruple A-rated attraction in Zhejiang

province's Yongjia county certainly attracts its fair share of students and seniors, but as it's a 90-mile-long river, it's still possible to find a spot to yourself. It's something of a gruelling journey to get there, but completing it ticks a box on any China travel bucket list.
From here, Shiwei Rock Scenic Area is a 15-minute drive. Full of craggy boulders resembling animals, with names such as Lion Rock and Chaotian Turtle Rock, this landscape of mountains, forests and turquoise waters makes for perfect hiking country. There are stops along the way where you'll have to cross submerged stone footpaths, and even take a slow ride down the river. Trekking through the entire parkland takes around five hours, not including stops to wring out wet clothes and trainers.
Leaving the Shiwei area, Furong Cun is a local village that's a popular stop, offering bamboo-rafting down the river, but there's not much to see in the town itself other than winding cobblestone streets and giant trays of drying fish.
Drifting down the river from here is undoubtedly the highlight of the trip. Dusk is the best time to go, when many of the rafters are off-duty and the mist casts an ethereal filter over the water; this is the stuff of painting and poetry, but catching it is just as dependent on inclement weather as the fabled yunhai (sea of cloud) that everyone wants to see during a visit to Huangshan mountain.

The Temple of the Reclining Buddha

The Temple of the Reclining Buddha, or Wofo Si, is situated at the foot of the Western Hills about 30 kilometers west of Beijing. It was first built in the 7th century at a cost of 5 million taels of silver. When it was renovated and expanded in the Yuan Dynasty, a huge statue of the reclining Buddha was cast. It was renamed the Temple of Eternal Peace during the Ming period. When it was restored under the Qing Dynasty, it was given another name: the Temple of

Universal Awakening. It is generally referred to as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha.
The way leading to the temple is lined by towering ancient cypresses, with a glazed archway standing right in front of the temple. The archway is made of marble and crowned with glazed tiles of various shapes and colors.
In the centre of the first courtyard is a little pond with a stone bridge spanning it. The Bell Tower and the Drum Tower stand respectively on each side of the courtyard.
The buildings are symmetrically laid out. Five main halls stand one after another; each has side halls on both sides. The third hall is the Hall of the Reclining Buddha and contains a copper statue 5.2 meters in length in a reclining position with one arm straightened and the other turned to support the head. It was claimed that 250,000 kilograms of copper was used to cast the enormous statue. The statue was completed in 1321. Around the Reclining Buddha are twelve smaller statues. It is said that the posture of the group represents a scene in which Sakyamuni was giving instructions to his disciples under the bodhi tree while he was ill. To make the setting conform to the story, several bodhi trees were planted in the temple. They are believed to have come from India. The bodhi tree has long, narrow, dark-green leaves and its white flowers blossom in late spring and early summer and they resemble myriads of little white jade pagodas hanging upside down amidst the dark leaves. The buildings were renovated and redecorated after 1949.

Chang'an Grand Theater

Built in 1937, Chang'an Grand Theater is located in Guanghua Changan Building, north on East Changan Street. As a modern theater with top quality, luxury and comfort, it perfectly embodies traditional styles, especially that of the Ming and Qing Dynasties and modern architectural art. Up to 800 people can be seated in this classic-oriented theater decorated with elegant red wood tables,

luxurious VIP boxes and comfortable chairs. Its highlights, the multi-functional stage, the advanced sound and light facilities are computer controlled, suitable for all kinds of performances.
There are various types of seats to choose: the tea house in the front area, the rowed seats in the back area, and the VIP box, common box and rowed seats on the second floor. Photos of Beijing Opera masters and theatrical costumes for different roles are exhibited on the second floor of the lobby. There is calligraphy, facial makeup, painting and video sold on the first floor. The highlight of Chang'an Grand Theater is the customized operas designed for the better understanding by foreign tourists. Collaborating with performance bodies like Beijing Opera Company, Chang'an Grand Theater offers "travel opera" for foreigners, which consists of maximum amount of roles in Beijing Opera and is easy to understand. The ingenuity of playwrights and directors, together with sophisticated settings, stage props, lights and sound, embodies the essential spirit of conventional Beijing Opera, best exemplified by The Legend of the White Snake, which made its debut in 1997 and is highly appreciated by foreign audiences. Synchronous subtitles in both Chinese and English are provided so that the audience may know the plot better. The daily show of travel opera in Chang'an Grand Theater has been an indispensable attraction in Beijing.