The Scariest Stairs and Plank Roads in China

For those enjoy a challenge, you’re encouraged to try China’s most awe-inspiring plank roads built on the cliff or totally transparent hanging on the abyss, as well as the near vertical stairs. In return, you will be rewarded with captivating views of nature. Just keep in mind that watch your every step as you walk on it and climb up.  

1. Changkong Plank Road on Huashan Mountain – these wooden walkways are fastened to the cliffs with iron bolts and chains, and looking down the bottomless gulfs. How frightening!  

2. Huashan Mountain Heavenly Stairs – maybe because people get so faint and dizzy when climbing the stairs, so no one knows how many steps on this walkway. 

3. Glass Skywalk on Tianmen Mountain – 60 m long, 1.6 m wide, with a height of 1430 m, the glass corridor is part of the Guigu Plank Road, and offers an unobscured, breathtaking view of Tianmen Mountain.  

4. The Glass Bridge of Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon is known as the world’s highest, longest glass bridge and has the world’s highest bungee jump platform.  

5. The 300-feet ladder on the vertical cliff offers an exciting, thrilling experience to the Taihang Mountain in North China. However, it is only available to people younger than 60 years old. 

 

6. One of China’s top four Buddhist grottoes, the grottoes on Maijishan Mountain are connected by these scary, zig-zag plank roads. 

Affordable Luxury: Guilin & Yangshuo Helicopter Tour

Dramatic Karst landscape, primitive yet lush countryside and stunning Li River scenery combine to make Guilin a perfect destination for scenic helicopter tours. From the air, you’ll have a full view of Guilin’s big-name tourist attractions and Yangshuo’s picturesque countryside - without big budget!

Guilin Helicopter Tours are operated by Guilin Tonghang Co., Ltd. and HNA (Hainan Airlines), and served by an AS350B3 helicopter or a R44 helicopter.

The Cruising Routes:

A. Guilin Sightseeing Flying Tour

Highlights: Reed Flute Cave - Yanshan Bridge – Li River - Leipi Hill – Mopan Mountain - Reed Flute Cave

Duration: 5 minutes

B. Guilin City Highlights Flying Tour

Highlights: Reed Flute Cave - Two Rivers & Four Lakes – Yushan Park – Fubo Hill – Seven Star Park – Elephant Trunk Hill Park – Chuanshan Park – West Hill Park - Reed Flute Cave

Duration: 15 minutes

C. Panorama of Guilin & Yangshuo Flying Tour

Highlights: Reed Flute Cave - Wooden Dragon Lake - Elephant Trunk Hill - Li River – Jingping Hill - Mopan Mountain - Crown Cave - Reed Flute Cave

Duration: 30 minutes

D. Tailor-made Guilin Helicopter Tour

Departure in Guilin, your customized air travel can extend out for up to 120 km, and transfer you to the dating sites or airport. There’s chance to create a flight itinerary based on your interests – an aerial photography trip or a romantic mile-high wedding.

Duration: 60 minutes

Tips and instructions:

1. Bring with your passports when taking this chopper ride.

2. This helicopter tour can be operated every day if the weather permits, but may be delayed, rescheduled or cancelled in case of bad weather.

3. This helicopter tour is inappropriate for children under 4 years old or seniors over 80 years old or hypertensive patients and cardiac patients.

4. Make sure your camera and video is labeled anti-flash before boarding (to avoid interfering with the pilot's control).

5. Please obey the instructions of airport service personnel.

 

Easy Travel in China: How to Find Fast and Free Wi-Fi

So you want to keep connected with family and friends when traveling in China and share them your daily experiences and travel photos? And have to check emails and read online from time to time? China’s fast-developing technology and internet has assured an ever-expanding Wi-Fi coverage throughout the country, which is going to bring travelers much convenience. 

At the Hotel

Nowadays, a large percentage of travelers consider fast Wi-Fi as important as a good night's sleep or a nice, helpful hotel staff.
Free wireless service is available at Most of China’s hotels, including some budget hotels and guesthouses. To figure out if there is Wi-Fi signal at your hotel, you’re suggested to read carefully on the hotel property description or reviews on sites like TripAdvisor or major booking engines before booking. Sometimes free Wi-Fi is only available at the hotel lobby.

In the Public

China’s major cities, Beijing and Shanghai included, are offered many free hotspots at the public places, like airports, railway stations, bus stations, shopping centers and tourist areas.

Beijing has the most extensive wireless network on city buses. Passengers will find free Wi-Fi on Beijing-Shanghai high-speed trains. In Shanghai, free Wi-Fi is available in tourist attractions like the Bund, Yu Garden, Shanghai Museum, and Xin Tian Di. In Hangzhou, outdoor Wi-Fi is available free in most urban areas. While in Hong Kong, free Wi-Fi is available on all metro trains.

In cities, Wi-Fi access service are offered at almost all the restaurants, bars, cafes, shops, book stores, hospitals, etc. – we consider it the current trend. You just have to get the access code from the attendants.

At the Airport

Free Wi-Fi signal is also available at many of China’s modern airports – you’ll just need to apply for the free account with password on your cellphone or at the designated service desk.

One thing to be careful about: the free Wi-Fi policy will differ by airports. To give you an idea, air passengers in Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport can get free Wi-Fi connection with their mobile phone number, while in Beijing Capital International Airport, they can do it with the boarding pass.

On the Domestic Flight

Available only in a few of Chinese airlines, in-flight Wi-Fi could be expensive and typically limited to those they offer. So you may have to control your ‘Wi-Fi addiction’ for a while.  

8-day China Golden Triangle Tour

11-day Golden Triangle with Yangtze Cruise

11-day China Highlights Tour

Discover World’s Highest Village – Tui Village in Tibet

In the rush of excitement to see the best sights of Tibet like Potala Palace, Namtso Lake or Nyingchi Area, you are also encouraged to travel a bit further to the Tui Village, for more sanctity and purity. 

Tui Village (推村), world’s highest village with an average altitude of 5070m, is situated next to Tibet-Bhutan Border, approximately 300km away from Lhasa. It leans against the Himalayas and faces Poom Yumco Lake. You may have had a stop beside Yamdrok Lake, why didn’t you drive 4 more hours and visit Tui Village? Here you can expect a heaven on earth with snow mountains, alpine grassland, lakes, temples, yaks, purified blue sky and clouds at hand.  

The simple and crude village is home to around 150 Tibetans living by farming and grazing, and retains the primitive mode of life - the commune system, which means that everyone is equal regardless of age, gender or hierarchy.

In the bitterly cold winter, when the pasture sees few grass and the Poom Yumco Lake is frozen, the Tui villagers drive the flocks of sheep to the island in the middle of the Lake to enjoy the fresh fine grass for an entire month before the ice melts. The villagers have kept this tradition for more than a thousand years.

The Charm of Chinese Culture: China Icons in the Eyes of Foreigners

What China impresses you most? Probably it is Great Wall or Terra-Cotta Warriors. But many consider the traditional forms of Chinese culture and art or the very little cultural souvenirs and handicrafts are the icons of China.

Chinese knot

Ever since its invention in the Old Stone Age, Chinese knot has been an important part of Chinese lucky culture and folks arts. The different kinds of knots imply unity, peace and happiness.

Abacus

A humble yet convenient computing tool, abacus is usually equated with the four great inventions of ancient China, and has been listed as a UNESCO cultural heritage.

Yin and yang

An important concept of the ancient Chinese philosophy, “yin & yang describes how apparently opposite or contrary forces are actually complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another”.

Chinese calligraphy

Calligraphy is an art form unique to China, gradually evolved from Oracle, stone-drum inscriptions, Dazhuan and Xiaozhuan to today’s cursive script and regular script.

Shadow puppet

A handful of folk artists keep shadow puppet still alive today, by making the traditional silhouette figures and performing in the wonderful shadow plays.

Panda

When people think of China, they think panda. World’s cutest creature has been served as a "peace ambassador” for many times.

Dragon

We Chinese always say that we are descendants of the dragon. You can see dragon patterns here and there on the ancient Chinese buildings (e.g. Forbidden City) or pseudo-classic architectures, which symbolizes holiness, dignity, auspiciousness and sovereign power.

Kung Fu

You may have watched several Chinese or Hong Kong Kung Fu movies, and are fascinated with the mysterious wushu world. Come and visit China that has the real martial arts! 

Tea

One of the original birthplaces of tea, China’s tea culture was formed over 1200 years ago with the accomplishment of the Book of Tea by Lu Yu. Today, many tea production areas in China still keep the traditional tea making procedures.

Confucius

Confucius is probably most familiar to Westerners. The Confucianism was introduced into Europe during the 17-18 centuries. With the founding of 140 Confucius Institutes in 52 countries and regions, Confucius has been the symbol of Chinese culture.

Visiting Danba in Sichuan: Ancient Tibetan Villages and Beautiful Girls

In the wide west of Sichuan Province, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is justifiably known for its nature beauty. On this primitive land sits 7,556-m-high Minya Konka, magnificent Hailuogou Glacier Park, and Daocheng Yading where the deities live in… Penetrate into Danba, and you’ll find the most beautiful and greatest concentration of Tibetan villages in China with authentic Tibetan cultures and distinctive Tibetan dwellings.

We were awe-struck by the spectacular and gorgeously embossed Potala Palace before, but it is for the nobles after fall. What do ordinary Tibetan people’s dwellings look like?

There are buses from Chengdu and Kangding to Danba, where people of 15 minority groups live together and share the wonderland with snow mountains, virgin forests, hot springs, alpine lakes and meadows. Mysteriously, most girls here are born beauties, especially in the Qiongshan Village, which has been widely known as the ‘beauty valley’.

However, the greatest thing about Danba is the Tibetan Villages.

Jiaju Tibetan Village

Thanks to the relatively convenient transportation and being connected by regular buses from Danba Town, Jiaju Tibetan Village can be reached with little difficulty. About 140 Gyarong Tibetan style houses are scattered on the terraced fields and all distinctive with their crown-shaped roofs. Autumn between late September and early November is the best time to visit Jiaju.

Dangling Tibetan Village

It remains underexploited - one cannot fail to appreciate its pristine and intoxicating atmosphere. The main attractions include Heaven Valley, Hulu Sea, Big Hot Spring, etc. that are 3000~4000 above sea level and still accessible only by hiking and horse trekking.

Zhonglu Tibetan Village

There are Neolithic remains, typical Tibetan villages and ancient watchtowers. Travelers can enjoy their view from Zhonglu looking out the holy Moerduo Mountain.

Danba Gyarong Tibetan watchtower clusters

Different from the Tibetan dwellings, the watchtowers built 1000 years ago purely for defensive purposes and make Danba ‘the kingdom of ancient watchtowers’. There are totally 84 watchtowers and scattered mainly in Suopo Viilage and Zhonglu Village. Twilight Time is the optimal timing for photography, when the weather-beaten fortifications glitter in the sunset…

Recommended China Sichuan tours to Danba:

7-day Oriental Alps Adventure

8-day Sichuan Photography Tour

9-day Wild West Sichuan

Easy Tour China’s Raft Race: Who Are Going to Win?

We fled to Yangshuo last Tuesday, again!

The place is renowned for the amazing natural scenery and Laid-back countryside lifestyle, as well as being suitable for various types of outdoor sports, such as hiking, biking, rock climbing, Tai Chi practicing, bamboo-rafting, and also the raft race.

This time in Yangshuo, the active and energetic staff of Easy Tour China was allocated randomly into three groups and would complete in the raft race on Yulong River – it was for fun and also the team building by performing as one great team. None of us wanted to lose.

 

Upon arrival, we cooled off with the unexpected shower, and began the exciting raft race! Team I was led by Wei and Ricky, Team II by Thomas and Zhao, while Team III by Charlie and Kyle.

 

First of all, we should build the raft according to our own ideas with some tires and plastic pipes. When all the three teams had finished, we strove to drive the raft for 30km across Yulong River and captured a flag, then drove back. It was also our own choice to decide how to push the raft forward, by swimming or paddling by hands. Of course the first team to return to the start line was the final winner.

Can you guess who the winner was? It was Team II with team members including Silvia, Peicy, Lydia and Yuri. They were just so fast. And the second and third place went to Team III and Team I separately. Sorry to Wei and Ricky :P