Monday 24 February 2014

Top China Countryside to Enjoy Rapeseed Flowers in March

After another severe winter, the spring finally comes, and sees a traditional revival in all unions: the weather goes up, the frozen rivers melt, the trees turn green, all kinds of flowers com out… Why not kick back in the great nature, camera in hand while watching all these amazing life moments occurring! There’s something far more rewarding about heaving yourself from bed in the wide in this March. And being lazy in a sea of golden rapeseed flowers, having your cameras capture all stunning scenes will be one of your finest pleasures in China’s spring time. Listed here are three best places to enjoy golden rapeseed flowers in China.


1. Luoping in eastern Yunnan province


Luoping finds itself about 228 kilometers northeast of Kunming, and locates near where Yunnan meets Guizhou and Guangxi. Here the rapeseed (also named canola) flowers are in full blossom in spring (usually begin in February), surrounding the scattered houses, twisting roads and pretty mountains. This area of rolling hillside landscape thus takes on a “golden ocean” and becomes a photographers’ heaven. Despite its relatively remote location, the small country with its visual spectacle attracts numerous visitors and photographers each spring. The rapeseed farms (with an area of over 13,000 hectares) in Luoping are among the largest scale in China. The best time for it will be February and March.


2. Wuyuan in Northeastern Jiangxi province 


China’s most beautiful countryside Wuyuan is best seen as the rapeseed flowers are blooming in a dazzling golden color in Spring. Wuyuan is home to dozens of quaint and fancy villages, all of which look almost the same with ancient Huizhou architectural style – of white walls, black roofs, elegant eaves, and dark-green footstones. Wuyuan sees its canola flower blooming peak from March until early May, when you can leisurely stroll on the sprawling farmlands through old villages, immerse yourself in the quite old days of luxuriant camphor trees, wood bridges creeks or rapids…

Top China attractions near Wuyuan include Yellow Mountain, Mt. Lushan, and Jingdezhen.


3. Yangshuo in southern Guilin, Guangxi province


Yangshuo is not all about Karst landscape and Li River Cruise, there are also cozy country life and blooming rape flowers in Spring. The farmlands of rapeseed flowers are not as big as those in Luoping or Wuyuan, but still breathtaking, as they perfectly melt into the idyllic countryside, picturesque karst peaks, flowing rivers and streams. You can rent a bicycle for a delightful Yangshuo countryside tour. Early March is the best time to see rape flowers in Yangshuo, with average temperature being about 15 °C (57 °F). Just bring with an umbrella In case of some rainy days.

Monday 17 February 2014

8 Giant Buddha Statues in china

China is a great Buddhist land, with Buddha statues of all sizes rising up through history. Those Buddha statues are not only dedicated to Buddhist deities, but also beautiful contributions to the religion art and aesthetics. Listed here are the most famous and charming Buddha statues in China, which remain to be, despite huge tourist attractions for making pilgrimages, really peaceful and spiritual places. And some of which are among the largest in the world.
The Spring Temple Buddha in Lushan County, Henan Province 河南鲁山大佛

The Spring Temple Buddha

Built in 1997, the Spring Temple Buddha has become the world’s tallest Buddha and the world’s largest statue since its completion. The Buddha is made of bronze, weighing 6400 tons, and reaches up to 208 meters from the base of its pedestal to the top of its head, with Buddha body of 108 meters high.

Statue of Sakyamuni at lingshan Park in Wuxi, Jiangsu province 江苏灵山大佛

Statue of Sakyamuni at lingshan Park

The 88-meter-tall Statue of Sakyamuni at lingshan Park stands aside the beautiful Taihu Lake, with its three sides surrounded by mountains. The location is regarded as a rare Buddhist land. The Buddha is connected by 1560 pieces of bronze plates, and adopts some modern high technology, such as advanced windproof, shockproof measures and lightning protection.

Of the 408 visitors who reviewed the Buddha on Tripadvisor.com, half of them thought it was “excellent.”

Leshan Giant Buddha in Leshan, Sichuan province 四川乐山大佛

Leshan Giant Buddha

Located about 125 km south of Chengdu, the world’s largest stone Buddha — the 71-meter-tall Leshan Giant Buddha was built in 713 during China’s Tang dynasty and finally completed almost 90 years later. The giant Buddha sits in the cliff, overlooking the confluence of Min, Dadu and Qingyi River. A famous saying goes that, “The mountain is a Buddha, and the Buddha is a mountain”. Leshan Giant Buddha is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Tian Tan Buddha in Lantau Island, Hong Kong 香港天坛大佛

Tian Tan Buddha in Lantau Island, Hong Kong

Tian Tan Buddha, also known as the Big Buddha, is the largest outdoor sitting Buddha statue worldwide. Completed in 1993, the 34-meter-high Buddha is the main attraction of the Po Lin Monastery, and a major landmark in Hong Kong. Buddhists and visitors can take the 20-minute Ngong Ping cable car ride to get there.

Kwan-yin Bodhisattva Statue of South China Sea in Sanya, Hainan 海南三亚南海海上观音

Kwan-yin Bodhisattva Statue of South China Sea in Sanya

The Guanyin Bodhisattva stands erecting on the South Sea, and is the major highlight of Sanya Nanshan Buddhism Culture Park. It is made of white holly and 108 meters high (the highest of its kind). Kwan-yin Bodhisattva statue of South China Sea stands for Oriental world’s spirit – peace, wisdom and mercy.

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva Golden Statue on Mt. Emei, Sichuan province 四川峨眉山金顶四面十方普贤金像

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva Golden Statue on Mt. Emei

The world’s highest golden statue – the 48-meter-high Samantabhadra Bodhisattva Golden Statue on Mt. Emei is Samantabhadra’s first artistic modeling and again the proof of Mt. Emei’s status as one of four sacred Buddhist mountains in China.

Outdoor ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Statue on Mt.Jiuhua, Anhui 安徽九华山地藏菩萨露天铜像

Outdoor ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Statue on Mt.Jiuhua

The 99-meter-tall outdoor ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Bronze Statue stands on Mt.Jiuhua - one of four sacred Buddhist mountains in China (featuring extraordinary landscape) and is among the highest and largest Buddhas in the world.

Guanyin of the South Sea on Mt.Putuoshan, Zhejiang Province 普陀山南海观音

Guanyin of the South Sea on Mt.Putuoshan

Guanyin of the South Sea of Mt. Putuoshan was built in 1998 and made of bronze, limestone, marble and gold. The statue totals 33 meters high from the supporting base to the head, suggesting 33 layers of sky in Buddhist doctrine. Now this imposing statue has been the most visited place for worship by pilgrims.

Saturday 8 February 2014

8 Cool Things to Buy in China

The idea of buying souvenirs in China – one of the world’s oldest countries, can be multifarious. With fabulous antiques occupying many of shopping streets, various arts and crafts fill the tourist-populated areas. But what are the coolest things, special yet affordable, which are worth collecting?
Cheongsam (Qi-pao)

  

Cheongsam has been regarded as the model of Chinese traditional clothing culture. It is a body-hugging one-piece dress that fully displays the civility, elegance, grace and modesty of Oriental women, and outlines perfect female curve! Nowadays, Qi-pao is also a nice choice for dinner party and formal occasions. For ladies who want to buy Qi-pao in China, try to custom one according to your figure, instead of buying a ready-made one.

Silk and silk products

  

For thousands of years, Chinese silk has been universally celebrated for its superior quality, exquisite patterns, gorgeous color and rich cultural connotations. Today the silk from Suzhou and Hangzhou retains the best example of Chinese silk. When come to China, many visitors would like to buy some thin, soft and smooth silk products, such as silk Qi-pao, silk pajamas, silk scarf, silk tie and other accessories.

Handmade crafts

   

Given its vast territory and versatile nation minority, China has the world’s most diverse handicrafts, interesting and absorbing each cultural essence: embroidered clothing, embroidered slippers, bags, hand-knitted clothing, opera masks, papercuts, Chinese knots, Chinese seals, Inner-painted Snuff Bottle, chopsticks, clay figurine, carving…

Chinese calligraphy and paintings

   

Chinese calligraphy and paintings are the essence of Chinese art, and no doubt one of the best souvenirs for foreign travelers. In Beijing, Panjiayuan (潘家园) and Silk Street (Xiu Shui Jie 秀水街) are heavens for collectors of cheaper traditional Chinese art and kitsch, where you will find different sized of brushes and different styles of paintings and calligraphy.

Tea


Tea is a must for your China trip. Chinese tea can be classified into several categories according to the different methods by which it is processed, mainly including black tea, oolong tea, green tea and scented tea. Most famous teas in China include West Lake Dragon Well, Dongting Biluochun, Yellow Mountain Maofeng, and Wuyi Rock Tea.

Porcelain

   

Chinese porcelain, known as “fine china” among Westerners, is one of the greatest achievements of Chinese artworks. China is well known by the world partly due to its porcelains. They integrate perfectly practicality and aesthetics, technology and art. Jingdezhen in the northeastern part of Jiangxi province has been honored as the Porcelain Capital of the world for over 1800 years. And “the blue and white porcelain” is the most famous type of Jingdezhen porcelain.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)


Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory is based on the philosophy concept that the human body is a small universe with a set of complete and sophisticated closely-related subsystems, and pays attention to assisting the balance of the human body and letting its healing system do its job. They are five major TCM treatment modalities: herbal medicine, massage, acupuncture, operations with needles, and operations with Fire.

Four treasures of the study


In the old days, one needed brush, ink stick, paper and ink slab to write and paint, which are called the four treasures of the study. And now they become one of the most famous popular souvenirs among visitors to China. Especially the ink slab, made of stone, is strictly selected. The famous production centers of the ink slabs are Duanzhou in Guangdong, Shexian County in Anhui, Shandong and Lintaohe in Gansu