Immerse in the Tranquility of Small Goose Pagoda &Xian Museum

At the end of the year, I was received a reward with a delightful tour to Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Xian. Ancient capital City Xian was my first stop. It gripped me soon after I set foot on the land. Many places there retained their ancient names, like Hanzhong (汉中), Xianyang (咸阳), Lintong (临潼)… which were very important military, cultural or political towns during China’s Qin Dynasty ((770-476 BC).

A visit to Xian surely focused on museums such as Terra-Cotta Warriors and Shaanxi Provincial Museum, and the old architectural structures, such as the Old City Wall. And the Small Goose Pagoda & Xian Museum standing in the same place offered both museum and old buildings.

1300-year-old Small Goose Pagoda was thirteen stories tall (originally 15 stories), reaching 43.3 meters (142 feet). it was smaller than the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, so the name was given to it. Look closer, I found the outer appearance has been slightly damaged. It was due to more than 70 great or small earthquakes. However, the multi-eave brick pagoda still stood steadily, showing ancient craftsmen’s superb architectural skill!

  

Today, small Goose Pagoda area was built into an elegant park, a perfect mix of history, Buddhism and peace. Dozens of Chinese scholar trees were planted accompanying Small Goose Pagoda and Jianfu Temple in Tang dynasty (618-907). I also noticed the “Yanta Tower Morning Bell”, which was made by iron weighing at 8000 kilograms, 3.55 meters high, with edge diameter of 2.5 meters. I was told that it was one of the eight major cultural sites of Shaanxi province and the sound it made that could be heard over three miles away. While Xian Museum was a historical and cultural site with a collection of 130,000 pieces of relics from different historical periods to help us learn the history of Xian, when enjoying the peaceful and relaxed time.

  

Ursule’s Stroll in the Classic Suzhou Gardens

Located 100 km away from Shanghai (it takes only half an hour from Shanghai to Suzhou by high speed train, which runs every ten minutes or so), Suzhou is a beautiful garden city with a history of about 2500 years, and today known as the “Venice of Orient”. In December, I had a joyous day tour in Suzhou and was very pleased to find canals, arched stone bridges, and low, white washed houses with black roof still stand quietly in this old city.

Garden of Net Master

The highlight of my Suzhou tour was the visit of Garden of Net Master (网师园) and Humble Administrator’s Garden (拙政园), which are two of Suzhou’s four most famous classic gardens.

  

Garden of Net Master was first built during the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279). It is small in size (covering an area of about half a hectare) but a really elegant garden, well designed and meticulously constructed, with Song-dynasty style furnishing. The surrounding scenery including a pond, roofed walkways and pavilions are also fascinating to visitors.

Humble Administrator’s Garden ( with an area of 1.867 hectares) is much bigger than Garden of Net Master, and can be traced back to Tang Dynasty. A winter visit to this ancient garden was so nice without crowds. Just take time to stroll, see into the lives of the family centuries ago, enjoy the fresh air and numerous pavilions and bridges set among a maze of connected pools and islands…

Humble Administrator’s Garden

Wandering around Town God Temple of Shanghai

If you want to experience the old and local parts of international metropolis Shanghai, Town God Temple or Chenghuang Miao (城隍庙) is one of the best choices. Our last stop in Shanghai was just wandering around the Town God Temple, which really impressed us with its old Shanghai flavor.

    

Town God Temple is a Taoist temple built in 1403, during the Yongle era of the Ming dynasty, but today mainly refers to a large commercial and tourist district surrounding the temple. If you are temporarily tired of the high modern buildings and people hurrying for work in Shanghai, head for Town God Temple. Here are arrays of stores, shops, restaurants, teahouses, as well as annual temple fair events. And most of those store structures are around a century old of traditional Chinese features, very interesting and a beautiful place to photograph.

Today the Town God’s Temple is also known as the Yuyuan Market, for being connecting to the Yuyuan Garden, one of China’s loveliest private classical gardens. We really fall love in love with the various local snacks in the Town God’s Temple area, such as steamed buns, the pigeon-egg-like dumplings, the Babaofan, the Nanxiang Xiaolongbao, the dumplings with the wine stuffing, and so much more!

Oriental Statues Museum – Mount Maiji Grottoes

There are top four famous Buddhist grottoes In china: Longmen grottoes in Luoyang, Yungang grottoes in Datong, Mogao grottoes in Dunhuang, and Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui. Yet the last one is what we would like to introduce today.



Maijishan Grottoes finds itself 35km southeast of Tianshui city, Gansu province, and is known as an appealing site along ancient Chinese Silk Road. It was the major part of the Maijishan Mountain scenic area, which is 142 meters high, shaped like a pile of wheat and endowed with green cypresses and pines.

It is said that Mount Maiji Grottoes were first excavated in Later Qin of the Sixteen Kingdoms period (384-417), and were reconstructed during Northern Wei (386-534), when Buddhism began to prevail as a cultural force. The excavation and repairing continued until Qing Dynasty (1616-1911) for more than a thousand year. Today we can still find old murals dating back before the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and statues of the Northern Dynasties (386 – 581) in Mount Maiji Grottoes.



Maijishan Grottoes preserves 194 grottoes in all carved on the east and west cliffs of the mountain, resembling a huge honeycomb, with 7,200 pieces of clay or stone statues vividly carved and more than 1,300 square meters of mural paintings. If the Mogao Grotto group is regarded as an ancient fresco museum, then Mount Maiji Grottoes is an ” Oriental Statues museum”, being the finest example of China’s sculpture through the ages. The clay statues vary in height, from 16 meters to 10 centimeters, showing distinctive sculpture features of different dynasties in Chinese history. The Grottoes are connected by zigzagging plank roads, through which visitors can reach each cave successfully, and have a breathtaking experience.



Apart from the exquisite clay sculptures and murals, there are also pieces of pottery, bronze ware, ironware, and jade articles, as well as ancient Buddhist scriptures and documents and other cultural relics. All these make up a treasure house for people to appreciate and do research on ancient Chinese Buddhist, art and architecture.

Famous Snacks to Try in China’s 10 Cities

Chinese are good at cooking, any ingredients could be cooked into delicacy, and this is evidence in the street food, which is fun, special, absolutely delicious and great value! Make sure you try the snack food when visiting China’s top cuisine cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou…

1. Beijing

Douzhi’er (豆汁) is the most typical traditional drink in Beijing, which is made from mung beans and tastes slightly sour, loved by old Beijingers.

Fried Sauce Noodles or Zhajiangmian (炸酱面) is a flavorful dish of thick wheat noodles covered with a mixture of ground meat stir-fried with fermented soybean paste.

Kaorouwan (烤肉宛) refers to a barbecue restaurant located in Inner St., Xuanwu Gate, Xicheng District, first found in 1686. It is most well-known for roast beef and favored by many famous people such as painter Qi Baishi and Beijing Opera artist Mei Lanfang.

2. Shanghai

Steamed Buns (小笼包) are the iconic food of Shanghai, famous for thin peeling, fresh stuffing, multi juice, delicious flavor and cute shape. Try the Steam Buns of Nanxiang with a history of over 100 years in Town God Temple, which is known as “the heaven of snacks”.

3. Xian

Dumpling Banquet (饺子宴) is renovated from traditional dumpling, and brought forth new ideas on the color, taste, shape and the cooking method, with nearly 120 varieties. Xi’an Jiefang Road Dumpling Restaurant and De Fa Chang Dumpling Restaurant are the best places to have authentic Dumpling Banquet.

Paomo (泡馍) is a featured Xian snack, with a great amount of baked bun soaked in mutton soup or beef soup, called Yangrou Paomo (羊肉泡馍) or Niurou Paomo (牛肉泡馍).

4. Nanjing

Fuzimiao Dining Street (夫子庙小吃街) – Strolling on this bustling dining street, you’ll find a variety of local specialties including griddle-fried pancakes, spicy Gan Si, wheat cake baked with duck oil, tea eggs, bean boiled in tea, dumplings…

5. Kunming

Yunnan Rice Noodles or Crossing the bridge noodles (过桥米线) are served with a large bowl of boiling hot soup and the soup ingredients separate. Ingredients may include several slices of ham, chicken, tine peas, chives, vegetables and rice noodles. And the more you pay the more ingredients you’ll get.

6. Chengdu

Long Chao Shou (龙抄手) is what Sichuan locals call wontons, similar to dumpling, also stuffed with pork and vegetables, but of thinner crust and served in a bowl of soup.

7. Fuzhou

In Fuzhou An Tai Lou Restaurant (安泰楼, located on No. 39, Jibi Road), visitors will have chance to feast on the most famous Min dishes like Fo Tiao Qiang and Li Zhi Rou (Litchi Pork), as well as fun local snacks as many as 200 varieties, including Yu Wan (Fish Ball), Li Bing (Oyster Cake), Chun Juan (Spring Roll), Yan Pi (Dried Meat)…

8. Guangzhou

Chang Fen or steamed vermicelli roll (肠粉) is a very popular dim sum in Guangzhou. It is a thin roll made of rice, filled with pork, fish, beef, shrimp or vegetables inside, and often topped with soy sauce.

9. Taipei

For people fond of oysters or seafood, Oyster Omelet (蚵仔煎) is a great choice in Taipei. It is available at almost every night market in Taiwan. The oysters are wrapped by an omelet coated in potato starch and tapioca. Oyster Omelet taste sweet and sour, and sometimes spicy if mixed with chili sauce.

Bun in a Bun or Dabing Bao Xiaobing (大饼包小饼) is one of the most popular snacks in Taipei’s Shilin night market. A crispy bun, the ‘xiao bing.” is wrapped by a flour tortilla, which is the ‘da bing”. Various flavors, of both sweet and salt are served.

10. Hong Kong

Gai daan jai (鸡蛋仔) is mainly made of egg, sugar, flour, and light evaporated milk, crispy, fragrant and simply delicious. Some stores create different flavors by adding chocolate, strawberry and other ingredients. Remember to eat Gai daan jai before it gets cold.

Put chai ko or Red Bean Pudding (砵仔糕) is a good dessert especially loved by children with a sweet flavor.

Top Places in China to Enjoy Tea

What first comes to mind when you think of China? Great wall, Confucius, porcelains or silk? For many people, Chinese tea together with the long, ritual boiling tea process and refined tea set will be the image. Those obsessed with tea may all the way come to China to appreciate the authentic tea culture, visit the tea production areas, and of course have a cup of local tea. Here we recommend you top places where you may either have chance to see the tea planting and picking or enjoy the tea time in a tea culture city. Anyway, never miss to buy some fresh local tea.

Tailor-make your China tea tour with us 

1. Suzhou in Jiangsu Province

The Jiangnan area in China include Suzhou and Hangzhou is the most prolific tea-growing areas, with most output being the green variety. Suzhou’s Dongting Biluochun is famed as China’s No. 2 imperial tea. How comfortable it is to drink Biluochun tea meanwhile enjoying the exquisite emperor garden architectures! No far from Suzhou, Yixing city is celebrated for Yixing teapots. Here you can learn how to make a Yixing teapot and take it home.

2. Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province

West Lake Dragon Well in Hangzhou is known as China’s No. 1 tea. Take a trip to National Tea Museum, China’s only museum dedicated to the history and types of Chinese tea, and then Long Jing village where Dragon Well Green Tea is grown. You’ll have chance to see tea picking and how it is fired in a wok, and feast on some tea dishes…

3. Huangshan in Anhui Province

Huangshan is not only famous for the spectacular Yellow Mountain, but also for being the growing area of Huangshan Maofeng, one of China’s top five teas and top ten tea Qimen Black Tea, as well as Yellow Mountain Tribute Chrysanthemum (Huangshan Gongju) – the best Chrysanthemum tea. A visit to Huangshan seems to be a must for your China tea tour.

4. Wuyishan in Fujian Province

Wuyishan is the birthplace of China’s rock teas (Wuyi Yancha). Visit several tea gardens, taste different types of Oolong tea and learn the history! We highly recommend you to boat on Nine Curves River and climb the Wuyi Mountain, where you can see Da Hong Pao’s mother bush, which is more than 350 years old and grows on a rock.

5. Anxi in Fujian Province

About 40 km northwest of Quanzhou City in Fujian province, Anxi is where famous Tie Guan Yin tea was originally discovered. Tie Guan Yin tea stands out among varied types of oolong tea due to its floral aroma and long lasting finish. Make sure visit Tieguanyin Cultural Garden and Weiyin Tea Factory in Xinping Village. Please be noted that the best jasmine tea is also produced in Fujian Province.

6. Pu’er in Yunnan Province

Pu’er tea is a large leafed tea from Yunnan province and known as a medicinal tea, as drinking it can lower cholesterol in the blood stream remarkably. Pu’Er tea derives its name from the market town of Pu-er, where it was first processed and traded. Anyway, many other parts of Yunnan do produce Pu’er tea, such as Xishuangbanna, which used to be an endpoints of the Ancient Tea-Horse Road, and now produces some of the best Puer tea.

7. Chengdu in Sichuan  Province

The giant panda’s hometown is also famous for tea culture and tea drinking. There are quaint teahouses of varied sizes and styles here and there, attracting locals and outsiders to sit down and enjoy a happy tea time, just like you do in the cafes in Europe. Apart from reading books and newspapers and chatting, you can also play mahjong and cards. 120 km southwest of Chengdu, Ya’an has been producing tea for 2,000 years, and is well worth a visit.

8. Other Tea Culture Cites

It will not surprise you that tea drinking is popular and a tradition throughout China, though the habit a bit varies in different areas. Like Jasmine tea is a favorite for Beijingers, while milky tea is liked by people in Hong Kong and Guangdong, and Guilin has a special tea named Oil Tea.

Recommended China Tea Tours

20-day China Tea Discovery 

12-day China Tea Culture Tour 

Observing And Studying in the World’s Porcelain Center - Jingdezhen

Located in the northeastern part of Jiangxi province, Jingdezhen has been known as the Porcelain Capital of the world for over 1800 years. It is believed that ceramics production in Jingdezhen can be traced back to the Han dynasty (206 BC.–AD. 220), when it was called Xinping Town. The name of Xinping was changed to Jingdezhen when Emperor Jingde (1004-1007) of the Southern Song dynasty (960-1280) decreed all the quality wares for imperial use to be marked ‘made in the Jingde period’. 

The blue and white porcelain

Jingdezhen porcelain industry was continually evolving. During Yuan Dynasty (1280-1368AD), “All together there were over three hundred kilns in Jingdezhen” according to the Yuan-dynasty Notes of Ceramics by Jiang Qi. Later skills were honed to perfection and the quality refined in Ming and Qing dynasties. Jingdezhen porcelains became the world’s most sought-after wares, and were exported annually to the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia and even farther, being the precious utensils of nobles and the court.

The old working methods in Jingdezhen

Jingdezhen porcelains were known “as white as jade, as bright as a mirror, as thin as paper, with a sound as clear as a bell”. kaolin is one of the essential ingredients that makes Jingdezhen porcelain unique and wonderfully exquisite. And the Gaoling mountain, 40 kilometers to the northeast of the town, is just one of the few regions in China providing pure kaolin. The most famous types of Jingdezhen porcelain are the blue and white porcelain, also known as “underglaze blue”, with bright colors, simple yet elegant patterns, and smooth glaze that never fades. Other major types include Yaobian Porcelain, Celadon (Yingqing) Porcelain, Wucai Porcelain, Doucai Porcelain and Famille Rose. 

Making Jingdezhen porcelains

Today, Jingdezhen remains a center of porcelain production, though working methods have been vastly changed with the using of electric, electric wheels and gas kilns. Yet ancient throwing and decorating techniques and wood-fired kilns can still be seen and infuse the new manufacturing. Visitors can go to the Jingdezhen Ceramic History Museum for the old working methods and Qing Dynasty kilns. Jingdezhen now boasts a ceramic research institute and a ceramic museum, as well as five kaolin quarries, 15 porcelain factories, two porcelain machinery plants, one porcelain chemical plant, two refractory materials factories and dozens of porcelain processing works, and attracts porcelain experts and enthusiasts, in addition to people fond of traditional Chinese culture and art throughout the world. 

Top China destinations around Jingdezhen include Yellow Mountain, Nannjing, Hangzhou, Wuyuan…  

Jingdezhen porcelain cups

Hunan – One of Best Regions for Travel 2014 According to Lonely Planet

Recently, Lonely Planet came out with their “Best of” lists for travel in 2014 – a primer that brings us the next amazing places to visit! And on the top 10 regions list, we found Hunan province in central China capturing Lonely Planet’s travel experts with its rich culture, unparalleled scenic beauty and colorful ethnic customs. Despite some remote corners still relatively backward and keeping mysterious, Hunan is undergoing a rapid development. All of these result in an interesting mix of old and new.

Contact us for a tailor-made Hunan trip in 2014

Changsha

 What to see in Hunan in 2014?

Changsha

Yuelu Academy

Changsha is an urban star and capital of Hunan province, with high-speed trains, superhighways and regular direct flights putting it in easy reach of every major city, domestic and abroad. In 2014, Changsha will see the completion of the world’s new tallest skyscraper, Sky City (10m taller than Dubai’s Burj Khalifa), and the first lines of the expansive Changsha Metro. A visit to Hunan Provincial Museum will be a fascinating experience in Changsha, as a large number of relics of Western Han Dynasty (206BC-24) unearthed from the tomb excavation site of Mawangdui are exhibited there. 1000-year-old Yuelu Academy is another spot you should not miss. Starting from Changsha, visitors can deeply dig Hunan’s unique charm to Shaoshan, Zhangjiajie, Fenghuang…

Shaoshan

The former residence of Chairman Mao

Shaoshan finds itself about 130 kilometers south-west of Changsha. It is the hometown of Chairman Mao. His former residence is named Shangwuchang, nestled in mountains, and now becomes a memorial place for Chinese people to remember this extraordinary man. If you are a fan of Chairman Mao or interested in his controversial saga, this place is worth a visit. Other scenic zones include Shaofeng Peak, Dishidong, Qingxi and Heishizhai.

Zhangjiajie

Fairyland – Zhangjiajie

It is definitely highlight of Hunan province. Still unfamiliar of it? Just recall the floating “Hallelujah Mountains” in Afanda. Zhangjiajie is world famous for its quartz and sandstone geomorphologic structure rare on the planet, and displays the uncanny workmanship of great nature with primitive and wild beauty. The UNESCO natural heritage site Wulingyuan Scenic Area consisted of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Suoxiyu Nature Reserve and Tianzi Mountain Natural Reserve has people of Han, Miao and Tujia, Hui live harmoniously far from the madding crowd. While the mysteriousTianmen mountain, most famous for Tianmen Cave enchants countless mountain hikers and extreme athletes.

Fenghuang Ancient Town

Fenghuang Ancient Town

Located in the west of Hunan province, Fenghuang Ancient Town was first built around 1704 and inhabited by minority ethnic groups, mainly Miao and Tujia. Rewi Alley, a renowned author in New Zealand ever named it “the most beautiful small town in China”. Head to Fenghuang for leisure, for Diaojiaolou half suspended over the river, boating on quiet Tuo river, slow-pace life style, delicious Xiang Cuisine, the Southern Great Wall…

Mt. Hengshan

Mt. Hengshan

Located in Hengyang City, Mt. Hengshan is the southern mountain of China’s Five Sacred Mountains and known as the exquisite one endowed with gorgeous landscape. It also stands out for being a mix of Buddhism and Taoism. Nanyue Grand Temple, Huiyan Peak, Zhurong Peak South Heaven Gate are the major attractions.