Discover the Many Flavors of Breakfast in China

It’s hard to beat various kinds of Chinese breakfast as one of the most authentic and vibrant ways to experience the local cuisine.

When travelling in China, instead of seriously having Western buffet at hotel, why not search out for the most usual yet popular and mouth-watering breakfast? Whether you are obsessed with feasting on Chinese dumplings and noodles, sipping a nutrition soup or chewing the yummy big pancakes, the following Chinese breakfast is to whet your appetite.

Guangzhou - stick rice with chicken 

Guangzhou is hailed as the food paradise in China and boasts very special tea dim sum as daily breakfast. Stick rice with chicken covered by lotus leaf is one of them, which looks fairly plain but stands out for excellent taste, light lotus scent and surprising stuffing including barbecued pork, mushroom and salted egg yellow.

Shanghai – steamed pork bun

Many food cultures have been influencing Shanghai’s breakfast. Steamed pork bun originally from Yangzhou city is favored by both Shanghai people and visitors as breakfast and snack. It is big in size and eaten with a straw to sip the fresh pureed soup first. Steamed pork bun always reminds visitors of the unique flavor of Shanghai.

Guilin – Guilin rice noodles 

Guilin is not only famous for its surreal (Karst) landscape, but also the yummy rice noodles – a must for all local people in the morning. This breakfast needs complex skill on making ingredients, fine brine and bone soup, and could be very spicy if you prefers.

Yellow Mountain - fresh soup wonton

A visit to Yellow Mountain or Huangshan city, you should never miss the fresh soup wonton at a vendor’s stall or snack shop for breakfast. The wonton wrapper is hand-made into crystal translucent, while the soup is carefully processed by pork bones.

Beijing – soya bean milk and fried dough stick

Soya bean milk and fried dough sticks is a perfect match and the most usual breakfast for millions of Chinese people in the morning, especially for Beijingers. Other usual breakfast in Beijing include cruller, porridge, pancake, etc.

Tianjin – Fruit pancake 

A very popular kind of breakfast and snack in Tianjin, the fruit pancake has spread to all over China. It is made up of an egg pancake, caraway, cruller and matched with spicy or sweet soybean sauce. Local people call cruller guozi (fruit), thus fruit pancake.

Chongqing – Xiao Mian (Little noodles) 

Xiao Mian noodle is known as the standard breakfast for Chongqing people, featuring rich aroma of pepper. It pay much attention to the dozens of ingredient and seasonings, including fried peanuts, soybean, sesame paste, pepper powder, caraway, garlic, sesame oil and so forth.

Dumplings 

 

Guilin Is to See More Tourists after the Visa-free Transit Policy Jul 15

The popular tourist city of Guilin in Southwest China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has long taken credit for having the most dramatic Karst scenery in the world, and has confirmed to be the ninth city in China (following Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shenyang, Dalian and Shenyang) to offer a visa-free transit policy since June, 2014, Therefore, transit passengers with passport of the 51 countries are allowed to stay for up to 72 hours without visa on direct transit via Guilin Liangjiang International Airport.

Guilin is expected to see more international tourists! Check the following list for the most famous scenic spots in Guilin.

Li River

Li River traverses through Guilin from north to south, and connects Guilin and Yangshuo by waterway. A cruise down the river all the way to Yangshuo is one of the highlights of a holiday in China. During this 83-km (52 miles) cruise, visitors are going to pass by beautiful countryside, bamboo groves lining along the riverbank, leisurely water buffalo and numerous extraordinary Karst peaks, which have just been added to the UNESCO World Heritage list on June 23.2014 (as part of South China Karst).

Yangshuo

65 km southeast of downtown Guilin, Yangshuo is world-famous for the picturesque countryside, enchanted villages and spectacular scenery of hills and rivers. It is an idea destination and great laidback base for those looking for fun and leisure, by enjoying cycling, rock climbing, hiking, bamboo rafting in the Yulong River and free time in the bars on the West Street.

Rice Terraces

Many visitors prefer an extension Guilin tour to Longji or Dazhai for the rice terraces. Dragon Backbone’s Rice Terraces is 87 km (55 miles) northwest of Guilin, and offers amazing view of terraced fields. In Dazhai and Longji, travelers can also have an visit to the ethnic minority villages of Yao and Zhuang people to experience the unique culture and custom.

Reed Flute Cave

The Reed Flute Cave is one of spectacular Karst caves in Guilin and a must for all travelers to the city. Inside the cave is a wonder world of stalactites, stone pillars and rock formations of various shapes created by carbonate deposition, and Illuminated by colored lighting.

Yao Mountain

At an elevation of 909m, Mount Yao is the highest mountain in Guilin. It’s highly recommended to take a chairlift journey to the top and a speedy toboggan slide-down. Another major attraction around Yao Mountain is a fantastic tea farm about 2 km away, with hundreds of hectares of tea trees. Make sure to watch a traditional tea ceremony for free!

There’s no better way to experience the sheer splendor of Guilin’s Karst landscape than by biking. Therefore, some of ETC team make a plan to cycle around with the purpose of finding out the great cycling routes in Guilin for our clients and friends, while relaxing and enjoying ourselves at the same time. Last Thursday, we had our first biking tour to Yao Mountain, approximately 10 km northeast of downtown Guilin.

909m above sea level, Yao Mountain is the highest mountain in the city, and a should-not-missed destination for all cyclists in Guilin. Before arriving at the foot the Yao Mountain, we have to bike on a bumpy and rugged road with a continuous line of cars, which was surely not a pleasure at all. But it was worth it, – we were awarded with a great view of the endless undulating mountains of Karst geography, which has just been added to the UNESCO World Heritage list recently.

Yao Mountain is different from most of the other stone hills in Guilin, and covered with fertile soil and luxuriant vegetation. With the well-constructed road, it is an ideal place for moderate hiking and cycling (there are also cars running up and down). However, the 8.5 km winding road’s several hairpin turns and rather large tilt brought a real challenge for we first-timers.

Finally we reached the halfway up the mountain at around 19:00 pm, and enjoyed the beautiful sunset. But it was too late to keep climbing. So we decided to turn back. We hope that next time we can reach the top.

Here we would like to share with our biking tips of descending Yao Mountain. So that you can enjoy the thrill downhill under safety.

1. Get low on the bike to get a low centre of gravity, so that you can be better stabilized.

2. Most of the time, use more rear braking. And it’s good to brake earlier into corners, and less during the turn as the bike goes through leaning angles.

3. Always be concentrated to the hairpin turns, road signs and cars in front.

4. Control the speed, especially when the night falls (we descend at night this time)

Special Things to Wear on Head While Travelling in Chin

Travelling is not all about landscape, history or food, but also the local costumes. If you are an experienced traveler, you must have tried all kinds of local clothes each time when reaching a new destination. Therefore I come up with a good idea of wearing various hats while in China. Most of the hats are from China’s 55 ethnic minority groups, and all will keep kids and grown-ups smiling and eye-catching all along.

Red Army Cap 

 

Red Army Cap, or Star Cap has set off a new trend in China. You can match it with a dark green shoulder bag with the famous slogan of“为人民服务”(Serve the People) written on it.

The Officer’s cap of Qing Dynasty 

This cap can often be seen in China’s zombie movies and Qing Dynasty movies, with a broad brim and tall crown.

Skullcaps in Xinjiang

When visiting Kashgar, Xinjiang province, try the skullcaps – the daily hat for local Uyghur men. You can buy it in the local market, where there are skullcaps for sale everywhere.

Large Bamboo Hat

A large bamboo hat coupled with a coir raincoat was once a common combination for farmers in southern China, and now could still be seen on the fisherman in Yangshuo or Guilin when they conduct the performance of osprey to catch fish.

Various Hats of Mongolians

  

Mongolians’ hat are designed to withstand the impact of natural violation. The snow and wind resistant hood is a nice choice for those visiting China in winter.

Tiger-head Cap

  

Tiger-head cap is for kids, both boys and girls! In Ancient China, a child dressed in tiger-head cap, with tiger-head shoes to ward off evil. Today, there are also tiger-face hat, dog-head hat, lion-head hat, little pig-head hat, etc.

Long-hair Women in Longji

Girls in Huangluo Yao village take pride in their long hair, which can be reaching approximately 1.4 meters on average) The long-hair ladies bring their home “the first long hair village in the world”.

More hats from ethnic Chinese minority

Air China International Corp., China’s national carrier, has launched non-stop flights between Washington Dulles International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport from June 10 2014. It is the first direct service between the two national capitals offered by China’s carrier (United Airlines has opened the direct flights since 2007). The company is scheduled to offer four round-trip flights every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, departing from Beijing as CA817, served by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

On June 10, Cui Tiankai, Chinese Ambassador to United States, Anthony c. McAuliffe, Governor of Virginia, Hoskins, Deputy Mayor of Washington, DC, and Wang Yinxiang, Vice Chairman of Air China attended the maiden flight ceremony. The flight CA817 left Beijing at 12:45 p.m. (Beijing time) and arrived at 14:35. (Washington time) on the same day. The return flight CA818 departed Washington at 17:00 p.m. and arrived at Beijing Capital International Airport at 18:40 p.m. the next day.

Washington, DC is the seventh city in North America offered direct service by Air China after New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Hawaii and Vancouver. With the new nonstop service, both Beijing and Washington, DC are expected to see more sightseeing and business travelers. It is bound to promote the trade and business interaction and cooperation between the two metropolis.

The United States is a popular travel destination for more and more Chinese. While China is also an attractive Eastern nation among numerous Americans. Beijing, the capital city and cultural center of China, is the most unmissable destination in the country, and world famous for its history and Culture. when touring in China, allow yourself at least 2 two days to visit the Great wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Hulong with courtyards, taste Beijing roast duck and many other specialties, and take in amazing Beijing culture like Pecking opera, Chinese painting and calligraphy.

(Read more about China Great Wall: http://www.easytourchina.com/scene-v1-the-great-wall)

Enjoy Beijing’s Blooming Lotus in Summer

Beijing is full of fantastic activities in summer, with places to go to shy away from the summer heat, and break out the holiday cheer and noise without having to follow the regular tourists crowds. Of all the summer-fun activities in Beijing, watching lotus in full bloom is a favorable way to relax your mind, being a part of the seas of flowers. Here is our round-up of best places for lotus-watching around Beijing. Make sure you have your cameras ready to capture the beautiful blooming lotuses.

Lotus is one of the most famous flowers in China and has inspired a lot of painters and poets to create great works. Beijing’s lotuses are in full bloom from Late June till early August of 2014.

Old Summer Palace

Lotus Festival was officially opened on June 25 in the Old Summer Palace, and will last over one month. People addicted to photography should not miss this chance, as the theme park not only offers a boating tour on Changchunyuan (Garden of Eternal Spring) to the world of lotus, but also boasts a wealth of sites and ruins of the former imperial garden.

Beijing Lianhuachi (Lotus) Park

Located in the intersection of Xuanwu District, Fengtai District and Haidian District, Beijing Lotus Park is an ancient park known as the birthplace of the city, with a history dating back more than 3,000 years ago. The park covers an area of 446,100 square meters, with 15,000 square meters being the lotus pond in the summer season.

  

Beihai Park with Lotus Festival

In summer, the 800-year-old Beihai Park is a magic place to be, with the scent of lotus all around, and really worth a delightful stroll. The stretches of lotuses surrounding the white pagoda, create a classic ancient imperial garden painting. July is the best time to watch blooming lotus in Beihai Park.

Lotus Pond of Shichahai

Shichahai features Beijing’s largest and best preserved historic areas, teeming with hutongs, ancient palaces, antique shops, and old architecture complex, and has been known as the “White Lotus Pond” since the Liao dynasty (907-1125). People find the lotus pond much more attractive at night, when the lights are lit on the nearby bar streets.

Purple Bamboo Park

Located outside Xizhimen, Purple Bamboo Park has a history of more than 40 years of planting lotus. To help visitors better watch the Lotus, the park has excavated a 800-metre long passage traversing through the lotuses. And visitors can take a boat to get close to the fabulous flowers.

Yuyuantan Park

There are two places in Yuyuantan Park for lotus-watching. One is the Wan Ping He Xiang scenic spot in the southwest corner of the park with a 8000-square-meter pond of Red Lotus. The other one is the Sakura lake in the Sakura garden, with various lotuses planted in 2008.

China's Grand Canal And Silk Road Were Inscribed as World Heritage Sites

China’s Grand Canal and ancient Silk Road were added to the World Heritage list on the 38th session of the UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, held in Doha, the capital of Qatar on June 22, 2014.

The Grand Canal, also known as Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is listed by UNESCO as the longest artificial waterway in the world. The 1,794-kilometer-long canal has a history of over 1,400 years, and is 10 times the length of Suez Canal (172.5 km in length, built in 1869) and 20 times that of the Panama Canal (81.3 km in length, built in 1914).

Running through today’s Beijing, Tianjin Municipality, Hebei Province, Shandong Province, Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang province, the Grand Canal benefited the nation’s material circulation and promoted China’s unification of the north and south. It reflects the superior wisdom of ancient Chinese people and is one of Oriental civilization’s outstanding achievement in technology and management of water conservation. >> Know more about Grand Canal

The ancient Silk Road was jointly submitted for inscription on the World Heritage List by China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Stretching for 7,000 km (of which over 4000 km are in China), it served as a bridge that connected China and Mediterranean Sea 2,000 years ago and has made great contributions in strengthening the trade and cultural exchanges between Asia and Europe. It also demonstrates the significant effects of religious ideology such as Buddhism, Manichaeism, Zoroastrianism and other religions in the development of civilization and urban planning in ancient China, Central Asia and other regions. >> >> Know more about Silk Road

The Silk Road application consists of 33 historical sites from imperial capitals, ancient palaces, pagoda sites to ruins along the old passage – of which 22 are in China, 8 in Kazakhstan and 3 in Kyrgyzstan.

The success of “entitled” calls for the three countries to jointly protect the Silk Road heritage and is bound to promote the regional economic cooperation and motivate a cultural renaissance among the people in these nations.