Top 6 Ski Resorts in China

Yabuli International Ski Resort 

China’s largest and best ski resort so far, Yabuli Ski Resort has advanced trail, intermediate trail and primary trail, with complete supporting facilities.
Season: Early November – April
Location: Shangzhi City, 198km away from Harbin, Heilongjiang Province in northeast China
Floor space: 22.55 square kilometers
Trail vertical drop: From 200m to 1200m with the average drop of 700m
Idea for: all including the beginners and experienced skiers
Recommended tour to Yabuli Harbin: 5-day Harbin Tour

Beijing Huaibei International Ski Resort

The earliest ski resort in Beijing, it is considered the most beautiful ski resort in China, as the ski glade is connected and surrounded by the Great Wall of Mutianyu Section.
Season: December to March
Location: 70km from downtown Beijing, in the Jiugukou (Nine Valleys Pass) Natural Scenic Area
Floor space: 9.6 square kilometers
Trail: 1 advanced trail, 3 intermediate trails and 4 primary trails, with average vertical drop of 238m
Idea for: beginners

Beijing Nanshan Ski Resort

The best and largest ski resort in Beijing, it is a comprehensive leisure resort, also with skating rink, water ski and grass skiing facilities.
Season: Mid December to March
Location: in Miyun District, 62km away from the city center
Trails: 21
Ski Board: Yes
Idea for: all including the beginners and experienced skiers

Xiling Ski Resort

Situated on Xiling Snow Mountain, the highest mountain in Chengdu, it is the largest and best alpine ski resort in China.
Season: Mid December to March
Location: 120km away from Chengdu, Sichuan Province
Trail: 7, 1km in length
Idea for: all including the beginners and experienced skiers

Jilin Beidahu Ski Resort

Beidahu Ski Resort has successfully held national Winter Games for twice and Asian Winter Games for once.
Season: Early November – April
Location: Beidahu Development Zone, Jilin, 53km away from the city center
Trails: 19, with the average drop of 930m (the biggest drop among China ski resorts)
Ski Board: Yes
Idea for: all including the beginners and experienced skiers

Changbaishan Ski Resort

It is an ideal alpine ski resort, with perfect natural condition. Ever since its completion in 1959, numerous professional athletes have been here for snow skiing training.
Season: late November till middle March
Location: at the foot of Changbaishan Mountain, 220km away from Yanqing City, Jilin Province
Idea for: all including the beginners and experienced skiers
Nearby scenic spots: Tianchi Lake, Erdaobai River, hot springs

China Winter Trip Ideas: Top Places to Enjoy Blooming Plum Flowers

Plum flower, in traditional Chinese culture, is the symbol of grace and nobility, and always inspired ancient writers, poets and calligraphers. In this cold winter, instead of moping around the house all day, why not go out and enjoy the blooming plum flowers.

In Beijing 

Lingfeng Plum Flower Forests – It’s said local monks have planted plum trees since Qing Dynasty. Today, there are over 5000 plum trees of tens of varieties.
Beijing Botanical Garden – Many people visit the park to make pilgrimage to the Reclining Buddha Temple and the two plum trees in front of it.

Xiangshan Mountain – Access the park through the east gate, and head for the Liuli Tower, and you’ll find the plum trees valley.

In Hangzhou 

Lingfeng Peak – the most popular place to enjoy plum blossom in Hangzhou, it is home to more than 5000 plum trees of over 50 varieties and a dozen of historic sites.

Xixi National Wetland Park - the first and only national wetland park in China, it possesses some of the best plum tree variety.
Gushan Mountain – the plum blossom has been famous ever since Tang Dynasty, thanks to moist soil and ample sunlight.

In Nanjing  

Meihua Mountain (Plum Blossom Mountain) and Gulin Park are the best places: there’re festivals with many activities about plum blossom. Visitors can enjoy the beautiful scenery with blooming flowers, taking awesome photos, and simply have fun.

In Chengdu  

Happiness Plum Tree Forest – the primitive village is embraced by hundreds of thousands of plum trees. Enjoy the free winter days with the farm food, tea, sunshine and plum blossom.

Du Fu Thatched Cottage – one of the famous cultural sites in Chengdu, the place becomes a classical garden in winter with rows of blooming plum trees, lovely pond, humble cottage, ancient bridge, temple…

In Kunming

Black Dragon Pool Park – The Spring City Kunming is known for the colorful flower markets available all year round. But if you want to see the plum blossom, go visit the Black Dragon Pool Park. Tens of thousands of plum trees of over 100 varieties have been blooming since early January.

In Libo Guizhou 

Libo Maolan Karst Primitive Forest – about 20,000 wild plum trees grow here, including100 over 200-year-old ones, with the surreal limestone peaks as the background.

In Shanghai  

Shanghai Grand view Garden – It’s the biggest Plum tree garden in Shanghai, with stunning colors from red to pink and green to white, and match perfectly with the ancient bridges, river, pavilions and paths.

Qingpu Plum Tree Garden – You’ll see houses and structures of antique Jiangnan architectural style, over 5000 plum trees and many other kinds of flowers and plants.

Shanghai’s Michelin-starred Restaurants

Michelin’s first edition in mainland China, Michelin Guide for Shanghai 2017 was released in September, with which, 26 local restaurants was announced to be Michelin-star restaurants.

18 restaurants in total gained first star, and seven restaurants gained their two stars. While surprisingly, T'ang Court, the only one, went straight in at the top with Michelin’s highest accolade of three stars.

China food tour to Shanghai:

7-day Gourmet Package to China

15-day China Culinary & Cooking Tour

Shanghai's first only three-Star Michelin restaurant:

T'ang Court (唐阁): It is a traditional Cantonese restaurant at the Langham Shanghai hotel, with a very fancy dining room that holds just six tables. (Its sister restaurant also called T'ang Court in Hong Kong was crowned three Michelin stars in 2015.)

Two-Star Michelin Restaurants:

8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon

Canton 8

Ultraviolet

Yi Long Court

Yongfoo Elite

Imperial Treasure

Canton 8 is one of the world’s cheapest two-starred restaurants with a lunch price as low as 48 yuan, about $7.

One-Star Michelin Restaurants:

Sir Ellys

Da Dong (IAPM)

Da Dong (Park Palace)

Madam Goose (Xinzhuang)

Phenix

Fu He Hui

Seventh Son (Kerry Center)

Jin Xuan

Kanpai Classic

Lao Zheng Xing

Lei Garden (IFC)

Lei Garden (IAPM)

Shang-HighLa Patio & La Famille

Jade Mansion

Tai’an Table

Xin Rong Ji (Shanghai Plaza)

Yong Yi Ting

Guilin to Kunming High Speed Train Is to Be Launched

With the upcoming new high speed train between Shanghai and Kunming, Yunnan Province, in the relatively isolated Southwest China, will soon enter the national high-speed rail system and be more easily accessible. Another good news from China Railway Administration is that Guangxi’s several cities will be also connected with Yunnan by high speed rail. The fastest high speed train from Guilin to Kunming takes only 4h 38min!

After the completion and opening of Shanghai Kunming HSR and Yunnan Guangxi HSR, there will be 6 bullet trains running daily between Kunming and Guilin. It will benefit locals and travelers a lot. Firstly, it reduces the normal train journey time from over 19hours to around 5 hours. Secondly, it reduces the travel cost on transportation if taking the high speed train instead of flight, since the high-speed train ticket will be much lower than the full air fare of ￥1150rmb . However, the exact high-speed train schedule, ticket prices and routes will only be announced one month before the official launch.

Both Yunnan and Guangxi have much to offer for world visitors: 

Yunnan highlights: The province is rich in breathtaking natural scenery. There are holy snow mountain such as Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in Lijiang and Meili Snow Mountain in Shangri-La, natural wonders such as Stone Forest in Kunming, beautiful plateau lake such as Lugu Lake in Lijiang and Erhai Lake in Dali, as well as spectacular terraced fields in Yuanyang and tropical rainforest in Xishuangbanna. Besides, Yunnan inhabits 51 ethnic minority groups, visit some of the old towns to experience old folklore and distinguished local minority cultures.

 
Guangxi highlights: Guilin and Yangshuo are the top travel destinations in Guangxi, featuring amazing Karst landscape of limestone hills and caves. Longji Terraced Fields and Li River are also the must-see sights. Guangxi is also ideal for minority culture exploration. In many villages, the Zhuang, Yao and Dong people live a very traditional life and keep the unique customs. Other highlight attractions include Bama Longevity Village, Detian Waterfall and Mingshi Scenic Area.

China’s Oldest and Biggest Bamboo Forest - Shunan Bamboo Forest

Shunan bamboo forest, dinosaur, stone forest and suspending coffin are four ancient miracles in South Sichuan Province.

Located in Yinbin, China’s famous Wine Capital in Sichuan province, Shunan Bamboo Forest (Shunan Zhuhai) is the oldest and biggest bamboo forest in China, by covering an area of 120 square kilometers, and home to around 400 different types of bamboo. It is considered as a natural oxygen bar.

The movie 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' was shot here, therefore, for the first time, people from the outside world witness the natural beauty of the bamboo forest park, as well as its intoxicating atmosphere of peace, serenity and freshness. Travelers can take the cable way up to the top (with a relative height of 350m) for an exciting experience in the air and having a full view of the forest sea.

There are 8 major scenic areas with 134 attractions in the Shunan Bamboo Forest Park. Apart from its huge size of bamboo forest stretching across mountains and valleys, there are plenty of waterfalls, lakes, ancient caves and bridges that will relax and refresh you. The highlight attractions include Bamboo Forest Museum, Emerald Corridor, Rainbow Waterfall, Huaxi Thirteen Bridges, Tianbao Village, Xianyu Cave, Guanyun Pavilion and Qinglong Lake.

Shunan Bamboo Forest travel tips

What to eat:
For foodies, you should not miss the fresh and delicious bamboo-derived foods, also named panda feast, including bamboo shoots, bamboo mushrooms, Bacon in bamboo forests, bamboo rice, bamboo tofu pudding etc.
Local specialties also include Yibin Burning Noodles, Nanxi dried beancurd, odd taste chicken, etc.

China Kungfu Panda tour to the panda village:
http://www.easytourchina.com/kung-fu-panda-tours

Best time to visit: at an altitude of from 600m to 1000m, the average annual temperature here is 15.5℃. March till October is good time to visit the park, while the summer season from May to August is the best, since the park turns to be a natural summer resort.

How to get there:
Travel from Chengdu to Shunan Bamboo Forest – it takes about five hours by taking buses from Xinnanmen Station or Wuguiqiao Station.

Xian Food Tour: 10 Iconic Foods to Try in Xian

When you think of Xian, you think the Terra Cotta Army. However, China’s ancient capital not only boasts one of world’s greatest historical wonders, but also has the longest culinary history that can be traced back to thousands of years ago.

Making the most of pasta, Xian cuisine stands out with a diverse array of noodles, dumplings and steamed buns. For foodies and tourists, the snack street of Muslim Quarter is the best place to experience the local buzz and feast on the various local foods.

Qishan Saozi Noodles (Minced meat noodles) – 岐山臊子面
It tastes spicy, sour and smells sweet.

Lamb or Beef Paomo – 泡馍
A traditional Northwest Chinese style dish, very popular in Xian

Rou Jia Mo (Chinese hamburger with cured meet) - 肉夹馍
The most popular snack in Xian

Hu La Tang (Soup with Pepper and meatballs) – 胡辣汤
Also a popular eat in Henan Province, making the most of seasonal ingredients, locals usually has it for breakfast.

Cold rice noodles - 凉皮

Shannxi style Pickled Beef – 陕西腊牛肉
Beef that is roasted and pickled with candy, wine, salt and soy

He le - 饸饹
A traditional noodle that is favored by people in North China

Steam Bun (Soupy dumpling) – 灌汤包
The steam bun in Xian is stuffed with lamb or beef, instead of pork.

Guo Kui - 锅盔
There are spiced, salted guo kui, scallion guo kui, green pepper guo kui, and guo kui with stuffing.

Yangyu Ca Ca (Xian version of fries) – 洋芋擦擦

Recommended China food tour:
10-day Taste of China Top Cuisines
15-day China Culinary & Cooking Tour

Impressive Images of the Most Beautiful Railways in China

Let your imaginations run wild with the amazing photos of China’s running trains - the seemingly infinitely extending railways take you into the rarely seen landscapes, and some mysterious untouched land.

1. Guiyang-Guangzhou Railway – it covers the world’s most stunning Karst landscape, and features countless surreal peaks and exotic, vanishing mountain tribe villages.

2. Qinghai-Tibet Railway – deep inside, everyone of us has a Tibet dream – we’ll touch its mysterious land someday. This railway is a mortal attraction for world travelers and railway fans.

3. Chengdu-Kunming Railway – one of China’s most difficult and challengeable railways, 42 of the 122 stations are built on the bridges or inside the tunnels.

4. The Southern Xinjiang Railway – another extreme railway in China with a total of 33 meters of tunnels on 3000m above sea level, and runs through desert, oasis, snow mountain and valleys.

5. Lanzhou-Xinjiang Railway – stretching 1903 km, it lies between grasslands and deserts, newly-emerging industrialized cities and enchanting ancient towns.

6. Lhasa-Shigatse Railway: the closest railway to the sky…

7. Hunan-Guizhou Railway: it lies in the mountains and valleys, and offers a panorama view of Zhenyuan Old Town

8．Neijiang-Kunming Railway: a major railway in Southwest China in 20th century, it traverses through Sichuan Basin to Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. 66 people died for this huge construction…

Recommended China train tours:
11-day China In-depth Culture Tour by High Speed Trains
11-day East China Exploration by Bullet Train
12-day Silk Road Adventure by China Orient Express (Beijing to Urumqi)
16-day China Speed Train Discovery

Hangzhou by Night: Best Things to Do

One of the most intriguing water towns in China, Hangzhou always reminds us of its delicate, elegant nightlife.

Teahouse
Of course, there are also cool nightclubs and warm cafes in Hangzhou. But locals are obsessed with the subtle fragrance and peaceful time by enjoying a cup of tea at night. Tea house to Hangzhou people is an art of relaxation.

Impression West Lake Show
Of all the nightlife activities in Hangzhou, the grand outdoor show of Impression West Lake is the main attraction to the city outcomers and travelers. The West Lake then becomes a huge film theater, presenting an ancient romantic story, combined with soulful music and colorful lights.

West Lake Fountain
The 126-meter-long fountain finds itself at the Lakeside Three Park (Hubin 3 Park). The nearby Hu Bin International Boutique Compound is the most striking area of Hangzhou city at night.

West Lake Night Boating
Available from May to Mid-October, boating on West Lake at night is a fun-filled water activity in Hangzhou.

Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal Night Cruise
The Grand Canal has been listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. With the water bus or quaint river boat, we'll shuttle through a dozen ancient bridges, pass by dwellings of both ancient and modern style, and then enjoy the beautiful night view.

Qiantang River Night Cruise
Qiantang River is best known for the world's largest tidal bore, usually seen on the 18th day of the 8th lunar month. The sightseeing cruise on Qiantang River is available throughout the year. It sets out from Wulin Square and lasts for about 3 hours.

Recommended China tours to Hangzhou:
8-day East China Highlights
11-day Splendor of China

Hakka Tulou Buildings Discovery – Also for Tea Culture Experience

Hakka people’s Tulou buildings (or earth towers) have recorded the changes of over 800 years.

The legendary tribes of Hakka in central China travelled south for thousands of kilometers to the remote and isolated mountains of Fujian Province because of the war during ancient times. Yet in their new home, they had to face the threat of local outlaws and bandits. Therefore Tulou was created and built to be an unbreakable castle that housed up to 80 families. Its various functions such as being well-lit, well-ventilated, windproof, fireproof and quakeproof help Hakkas to live safely and comfortably.

Today, in the west and south of Fujian, there are over ten thousand well-kept tulous in Nanjing Country and Yongding Country of Longyan City. The most famous tulous include: Yuchang Earth Tower, Zhencheng Tower, Chuxi Tulou, and Tianluokeng Tulou Cluster.

Tulou is a miracle of Chinese traditional dwellings and attracts the eyes of world architectures with the wacky designs. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.

The industrious Hakka people also reclaim rice terraced fields and tea farms from hills - rows of tea trees stretch down the hillside. They savor the simple pleasure of picking tea leaves and drinking tea in the quint tulou houses.

Sample tours to Hakka Tulou from Xiamen:
3-day Xiamen Tour Package to Hakka Earth Buildings

More Hakka Tulou tours:
5-day Guangzhou Xiamen Tour with Tulou Castles Exploration
17-day China Ancient Architecture Tour