Surprisingly located on a 1752-meter-high cliff of Mt. Taihang in Henan Province, Guoliang Village (郭亮村) is considered as the most dangerous village in the world, and can be reached only by a 720-stairs ‘Celestial Ladder’.

 

Getting to Guoliang Village was so difficult, but the isolation from the outside world helped the local people keep their customs and untouched amazing natural scenery.

 

To go out of the poor mountain area and allow children to reach out to the wider world, in 1972, 13 male villagers began to dig a tunnel. They conquered all the difficulties – no electricity, no any modern machinery, and finally dig and carved a 1300-meter-long tunnel through the cliff in 6 years, with only hammers and drilling steels. Thanks to the magical tunnel, today Guoliang Village can be accessible by vehicles.

The Guoliang Tunnel or Guoliang Hanging Highway is one of the craziest roads in China and named the ‘the ninth wonder of the world’.

Recommended China adventure tours:

8-day China Wild West Adventure

11-day China Culture adventures by High Speed Trains

13-day South China Cycling Adventure from Zhangjiajie to Guilin

Explore China’s Most Famous Water Town Wuzhen with Photos

Make a romantic approach to China’s ancient water town Wuzhen, and enjoy the peaceful and relaxing hours by boating on the limpid river, roaming in the century-old streets, or drinking a cup of tea in a quint tea house with subtle traditional music – you will feel as if you were in a captivating Chinese ink painting!

In east of China, Wuzhen has a history of over 7000 years, and still keeps its elegant original look.

The intriguing Chinese ancient town with diverse arched bridges, narrow lanes and old dwellings of blue brick flies and white walls, painted pillars and carved beams is about to take us back to the past…

China tours to Wuzhen Water Town:

3-day Hangzhou Tour

13-day Eastern China Perspective

Wuzhen are particularly enchanting when the night falls and the lanterns are lighted. If you are looking for a boisterous place, go enjoy the fun with others around the ancient theaters.

Basic Wuzhen travel guide:

1. Allow yourself at least two days to explore the most of Wuzhen.

2. Wuzhen consists of Dongzha and Xizha. The smaller Dongzha is more pristine, while Xizha features more beautiful night scene.

3. The accommodation in Wuzhen: there are star-rated hotels, boutique hotels, and budget guesthouses.

4. How to get to Wuzhen Water Town:

From Hangzhou - Option 1: take the bullet train to Tongxiang city, then change for a cab or bus from Tongxiang train station to Wuzhen. Option 2: Take the express bus from Hangzhou East Bust Station directly to Wuzhen.

From Shanghai - Option 1: take the bullet train from Shanghai Hongqiao to Tongxiang city, then change for a cab or bus from Tongxiang train station to Wuzhen. Option 2: take the express bus from Shanghai South Bus Station directly to Wuzhen.

Tea Time at Laoshe Teahouse: Experiencing Unique Beijing Culture

Laoshe Teahouse was built in 1988 by Mr. Shengxi Yin, to commemorate Mr. Laoshe, one of the representatives of traditional Beijing Culture, and his magnum opus Tea House. Ever since its opening, the tea house has been a desirable place for both tea lovers and Chinese culture vultures.  

Location: No. 3, the west street of Qianmen, Xicheng District Beijing 

Of over 500 tea houses in Beijing, Laoshe Teahouse stands out not only for the association with cultural celebrities, but also for its origin from stall tea or Dawancha (Big Bowl Tea). Inspired by the play of Tea House, Laoshe Teahouse attaches much importance to the Beijing local culture traditions and lifestyle, apart from ancient tea culture.  

Take our Tea Culture Tours to disover China in depth with the begin of a singe cup of tea

 

Constant change has made Beijing a brand-new metropolis, though, the ancient capital has much more to offer beyond the gaudily ornate buildings.  

Laoshe Teahouse is one of the most well-known ‘trendy’ areas of Beijing and incredibly cool. From food to fun, from waiter’s dialect to architectural design, everything creates a Beijing-style cultural ambience. The three-floor building is of typical Beijing courtyard design, and involves traditional art and modern comforts. Travelers may find it to be a folklore museum by seeing its elegant old-fashioned tables and chairs, palace lanterns, painting &calligraphy works and couplets hung on the walls, as well as the memorable sculptures and pictures. It's worth mentioning that Laoshe Teahouse has received 47 heads of state such as former U.S. President George W. Bush, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Israeli President Shimon Peres.  

The performing artists of Laoshe Teahouse keep the traditional Beijing art alive 

Difference tea ceremony performances, including oolong tea ceremony, farm tea ceremony, and jasmine tea ceremony are available in Laoshe Teahouse. Here you can also taste various traditional foods and snacks of Beijing or Shanxi or Shandong flavor.  

Most travelers to Laoshe Teahouse are most impressed by the various forms of traditional performances: Peking Opera, Chinese shadow puppetry, dramas, plays, ancient music, ancient dancing, comic dialogue (cross talk), acrobatics, oral stunts, Chinese Kung Fu, face changing of Sichuan Opera, etc. With a different culture background and difference languages, international travelers may not fully understand the stories or what performers try to express, but most people are able to feel the charm of traditional Beijing art and also take a deep look into Chinese culture.  

You know what, many traditions and traditional artistic forms in China are disappearing or are in danger of disappearing. So the performing artists in Laoshe Teahouse are trying their best to keep the traditions and arts alive. 

 

China’s Top Destinations in April for Terraced Fields & Blooming Flowers

China is never short of historical sites and natural wonders, but the romantic towns and villages with amazing terraced fields or blooming flowers are the most iconic highlights in April. Take a journey from Danba Town in Sichuan to Nyingchi in Tibet, from Fengshan Town in Guangxi to Congjiang Town in Guizhou to explore the best of the beautiful spring season of China.

Yili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang

There is a large area of virgin almond forest dating back to Middle Ages in Xinyuan Country, Yili Prefecture. The almond trees are in full bloom for only four or five days from April 10 to 20. Morning hours will be perfect time for the serene sunrise and the almond blossom in the color of white or pink stretching for a few tens of kilometers.  

Nyingchi Prefecture in Tibet

Make a romantic approach to ‪‎Nyingchi in spring season for the ‘Peach Blossom Valley’‬, where the thousands of peach trees will be in full bloom and scattered in the grassy pasture land, with the permanent snow-capped mountains as the background.

Danba Tibetan Town in West Sichuan

Ranked as the top of the most beautiful villages in China, Danba boasts profound yet unique Jiarong Tibetan cultures and beautiful girls. Usually in early April, stretches of pear flowers are in bloom embracing the local Tibetan dwellings and ancient watch towers, and extending to the Jinchuan River.  

Maojiabu Scenic Area (茅家埠) in Hangzhou

Hangzhou is intoxicatingly beautiful in the springtime, but the famous attractions such as West Lakes and Xixi Wetlands may be overcrowded with tourists. Therefore, you’re encouraged to visit Maojiabu Scenic Area for distinctive riverside dwelling houses, Hangzhou green tea culture and Buddhist culture.

Fengshan Town in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

Fengshan Town features groups of Karst peaks as beautiful as those in Guilin and Yangshuo. There are also fascinating Karst caves, pits and naturally formed bridges. Travel to the countryside to experience the Chinese pastoral life in this busy farming season.

Congjiang Town in Guizhou

Inhabited by many minority tribes including Miao, Dong, Zhuang, Yao, etc., Congjiang features amazing terraced fields named Jiabang Terraced Paddy Fields. April is a one of the best time to visit Jiabang, when farmers will irrigate the fields then plant rice seedlings.

Jiangling Terraced Fields in Wuyuan Town, Jiangxi Province

In China’s most beautiful countryside Wuyuan, there are terraced canola‬ flowers fields surrounding the scattered traditional villages with Huizhou architectures and dwellings in April.

Experiencing Dong Culture at Zhaoxing’s Grain Rain Festival

With over 1000 different festivals celebrated by 48 different minority groups in one year, Guizhou is one of the two provinces in China (the other one is Yunnan Province with 51 minority groups) that offer best minority culture experience.

Soon on April 19 (the 13th day of the third lunar calendar month), Dong people in the thousand-year-old Zhaoxing Dong Village will celebrate the Grain Rain Festival (the 6th solar term of Chinese 24 solar terms), with various fun-filled activities and unique cultural experiences for Dong people’s agricultural civilization and very old traditions. 

One of the most beautiful ancient villages in China, Zhaoxing Dong Village retains the traditional layout and architectures. The villagers have been living a simple humble life and devoting themselves to preserving the Dong culture and customs, such as the ‘Kam Grand Choirs’ which was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Site in 2006.

To celebrate the Grain Rain Festival, traditionally Dong people will ‘eat black rice and sow the rice seed’, so as to mark the beginning of busy farming season, show respect to the hard-working cattle, and give an important and special gift to the sweetheart. The ‘black rice’ is made from sticky rice with the leaf juice of Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb. It is usually considered as a love token according to the traditional Dong marriage customs.

Therefore Grain Rain Festival is also a big day for unmarried men and women. Young men will throw bamboo baskets with presents into young women’s houses for ‘black rice’, meat and wine. Then the man will sing a folk song to get back the basket, yet remain wary of the girl’s sneak attack by applying soot with oil on the man’s face, named ‘Da Hua Lian’. Finally people of all ages including both the locals and travelers join in the ‘Da Hua Lian’. It turns to be a Carnival Night!

>> If you are planning a minority culture tour to Guizhou and want to take part in Zhaoxing’s Grain Rain Festival on April 19, 2016, please contact us for more details.

A Spring Outing to Yangshuo and Hike to the Countryside

People never get tired of Yangshuo, generally, and we're no exception. This place offers many cool and unique ways to amuse the friends and family, such as biking into the rural landscape, bamboo-rafting on the rivers for the awesome Karst mountains, rock-climbing on the scaring vertical peaks, and enjoying the peaceful and relaxing hours at a secret, quaint hotel. Or, do what ETC team was doing – hiking to the countryside of Yangshuo.

Yangshuo, with its surrounding pristine villages and old towns like Xingping and Fuli, offer numerous hiking trails to meet all difficulties. This time, we chose the trail from Jiuxian Village to the Yulong Bridge in Baisha Town, an easy and scenic route. We walked along the Yulong River, through the villages, and passed by paddy fields, vegetable fields and fruit gardens en route. On the photos, you can see that the country roads are rough and rugged, and sometimes difficult to figure out. However, we were rewarded with picturesque landscape and a great hiking experience.

 

The Yulong Bridge

Here we also would like to recommend two hotels, the Secret Garden Boutique Hotel and Jade Mountain Hotel.

The Secret Garden hides itself between towering Karst peaks & lush rice paddies in Jiuxian Village of Yangshuo. The hotel is converted from a group of Qing Dynasty dwelling houses, but restored and provides modern comforts. It is a wonderful place for visitors who desire serenity and a chance to experience the gentle rhythm of Chinese rural life.

Jade Mountain Hotel is a budget hotel and enjoys an ideal location by standing at the opposite of Yulong River. Therefore, you can have a relaxing walk along the river or enjoy doing the morning exercise like running and Tai Chi.

In this season of spring, the canola‬ flowers are in full blossom. Isn’t it beautiful?!