The first station Tibet

Welcome to China

  Hi,my name is Lee. I`m a Chinese student in Korea, and I`m majoring in English Communication. I love to travel . My dream is traveling around the world  some day.I`m so glad to be your guide to introduce to my friends of my country China. Follow me I will show you aound of China . Here we go .

 Locked in by towering mountains, the Tibet Autonomous Region, on  China's southwestern border, lies in the main part of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, the highest in the world. Set up as an autonomous region in 1965, it is situated 78'24"-99'06" east longitude and 26'52"-36'32" north latitude with an area of more than 1.2 million square kilometers, acc ounting for 1/8 of the country's total area and ranking 2nd only to Northeast China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the country. Tibet neighbors Qinghai Province and Xinjiang in the north, Yunnan Province in the southeast, and Kashmir, India, Nepal, Sikkim (state in India), Bhutan, and Burma in the west and  south.

Administrative Division and Population

It is divided into 1 municipality, 6 districts, 1 county-level city, and 76 counties, with a population of 2.62 million as of 2000. The municipality is Lhasa, while the six prefectures are Shigatse, Ngari, Shannan, Chamdo, Nagchu, and Nyingchi. Populated principally by the Tibetan people, Tibet also has Han, Menba, Luoba, and Hui ethnic groups.


Food

Zanba (roasted highland barley flour), mutton, and beef are the staple food of Tibetans. Tea with butter or milk, sour milk, and cheese are the favorites of all Tibetans. Other special food includes Qingke barley wine, roasted highland barley flour, and snow-lotus.

Culture

Tibetans like singing and dancing. Another local art is Tibetan Opera, which is one of the most famous art opera forms in China.

When to visit Tibet

Although Tibet may be visited easily year-round, Dec-Feb remain the off season due to cold, dry weather. Coordinating trips with festival dates is a popular practice so the current information is provided below. These are just a sampling of many local events.

Climate Basically, the Tibetan climate is not as harsh as many people imagine it to be. The best time of year to be in Tibet is from April to the beginning of November, after which temperatures start to plummet.

The central Tibet, including Lhasa, Gyantse, Shigatse and Tsedang, generally has very mild weather from April to November, though July and August can be rainy - these two months usually see around half of Tibet's annual rainfall.

October and November often bring some dazzling clear weather and daytime temperatures can be quite comfortable at Tibet's lower altitude.

The coldest months are from December to February. It is not impossible to visit Tibet in winter. The low altitude valleys of Tibet (around Lhasa, Shigatse and Tsedang) see very little snow.

Spring does not really get under way until April, though March can have warm sunny days and is not necessarily a bad month to be in Tibet. More specific information in different areas:

Lhasa - the border of Nepal/China: The Friendship highway is basically in good conditions year around. But from December to February, the thawed road could make some trouble Besides, try to avoid August - landslide could happen in the rainy season.

Mt. Everest Region: Early May and early October are the best time to visit Mt. Everest. Due to the clear weather, you have great chance to see Mt. Everest's true face. From December to February, it's too cold to go to this region. But the magnetism of Mt. Everest always attracts people anytime of the year.

Ali (Mt.Kailash): Even without climate restrictions, this area is already inhospitable. Big rain and snow could make the journey worse. However, for those determined tourists, the appropriate time is May, June, July, September and October.

Eastern Tibet: Don't touch this area in July or August, the rain could ruin the road, and make terrible landslides. While in winter, the road could be frozen.

Northern Tibet: With the average altitude of 4,500m, this area offers very limited time for tourists. Summer is the prime time to enjoy the great plain in northern Tibet

The second station Sichuan province

Capital City: Chengdu

The Chinese often refer to Sichuan as the Heavenly Kingdom(Tianfu Zhiguo),a reference to the province 's abundance in natural resources and cultural heritage.Its name ,'Four Rivers',refers tjo four of the more than 80 mighty rivers spilling across the Chuanxi plain in the east.
Sichuan is the largest province in the south-west, with a population displaying as much diversity as its landscape.While the east supports one of the densest rural populaion in the world, the west rises in giant steps to the Tibetan plateau, where green tea becomes butter tea and Confucianism yields to Buddhism.These windswept grasslands and deep forests are home to the Qiang and Tibetans.
Sichuan's mountainous terrain and fast rivers have kept it relatively isolated until the present era, with much of the western fringe still fairly remote.Such inaccessibility has given Sichuan its own food,dialect and character and made it the site of various breakaway kingdoms throughout Chinese history.It was here that the Kingdom of Shu ruled as an independent state during the Three Kingdoms Period(AD 220-80) and the Kuomintang Party spent its last days before being vanquished and fleeing to Taiwan.The latest breakaway region is Chongqing,which split from Sichuan in March 1997.
Sichuan became famous during the Warring States period(475-221 BC),when a famed engineer,Li Bing,managed to harness Du He on the Chuanxi plain with his weir systerm, allowing Sichuan some 2200 continuous years of irrigation and prosperity.
Today the province continues to get rich,having palyed an active role in China's labouring economic reforms-most specifically as the site where the Communist Party first instituted its pioneering agriculture reforms.
Worlds away from the scenes of urban renewal and economic reform,the remote mountains of Sichuan,bordering Gansu and Qinghai provinces,are the natural habitat of the giant panda.This shy animal is the one that Westerners are quick to associate with China,landing it a new job as 'little ambassador' for the Chiese goverment.


---History

The first evidence of human habitation in what is now Sichuan Province consists of simple tools and a skull cap dating to the Paleolithic (Old Stone) Age. During the Neolithic period (approximately 8,000 - 2,000 BC) people living in Sichuan used axes, pottery jars, bone needles, and crude weapons, but the first major cultures in the province were the Ba and Shu peoples, who lived in what was then called Liangzhou from about 2000 BC. The Shu people lived on the Chengdu Plain while the Ba kingdom was centered in Eastern Sichuan. Many Shu and Ba relics can today be seen at the Sichuan Provincial Museum.
Twenty-three hundred years ago a Shu Emperor named Kaiming IX moved his capital slightly east and named the new town Chengdu (meaning, 'becoming a city') in hopes that it would one day be a metropolis. Chengdu has remained Sichuan's capital ever since.

During the Warring States Period (453-221 BC) a Qin emperor conquered the Shu Kingdom and, in order to take advantage of the fertile plain and secure his hold on Sichuan, he moved thousands of Qin faithful to the former Shu Kingdom. The emperor had thick city walls built around Chengdu in 311 BC and divided the city into two parts--the larger for officials and the army and the smaller for merchants and peasants, who mostly lived outside the walls. A river was diverted to fill a moat around the city, and although the walls no longer remain, the Fu and Nan rivers still mostly ring what was the ancient capital. Southeast of the city the Fu and Nan rivers rejoin to flow south.

The Chengdu Plain's rich soil and flourishing economy made it an important strategic post, and for 2000 years both warlords and statesmen prized it. Possibly the most famous of Chengdu's overlords was Liu Bei, a distant relation of the Han imperial family who, claiming the right of his lineage, ruled the Shu Han Kingdom from Chengdu during the Three Kingdoms Period (AD 220-263). The classic Chinese novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms immortalized the time, and a visitor to Chengdu can see Liu Bei's tomb at the Temple of Marquis Wu.

Since 316 BC, Chengdu has been renovated many times and has remained the economic and social center of Sichuan Province. One of the largest expansions happened in 879 AD when Gao Bin, a senior government officer, expanded the city to 120 streets and built 5,008 sentry rooms along the city walls. The sentry rooms and walls no longer remain; they were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, and the statue of Chairman Mao that stands in the center of the city was erected were the Viceroy's Palace had been.

In the 1940s, Chengdu and neighboring Chongqing were first bases for the 'Flying Tigers,' a renowned group of American and Chinese fighter pilots who fought against the Japanese during World War II, and the cities were later the final strongholds of the Chinese Nationalist Party. The Nationalists fled to Taiwan after Mao Zedong proclaimed the foundation of the People's Republic in 1949, and the Red Army liberated Chengdu in 1950.

Since Deng Xiaoping, a native of Sichuan Province, returned to power in 1977, Sichuan has undergone and often pioneered economic reforms. Among them perhaps the most important was the creation of the 'responsibility system' in which communes were broken up and plots of land let out to farmers. The farmers were required to sell a portion of their crops to the government at state prices, but otherwise they were free to market as they wished. Reforms have reached into the industrial sector as well, meaning the end for many bloated state-owned enterprises, and have been responsible for much of the growth of China's surplus labor force.

Another result of the changes is that Sichuan has gotten richer, and almost all city homes now have color televisions, washing machines, and refrigerators. Shu Kingdom Emperor Kaiming IX's idea of a metropolis on the Chengdu Plain has been realized beyond his wildest dreams, and Chengdu today is a modern city with plenty of swank shops, cell phones, and fancy cars.


Special local products
Tianfu peanut, Jiajiang fermented bean curd, Yibin sprouted broad bean, Pixian thick broad-bean sauce, Xinjin pickles, Guanghan silk twining rabbit, Jiang'an orange, Maowen apple, Longquan honey-dew peach and Cangxi snow pear.

Famous liquor
Wuliangye, Luzhou Laojiao (old cellar), Jiannanchun, Quanxing Daqu, Lang liquor and Tuo Brand Qujiu.

Famous tea
Mengding Huangya, Mengding Shihua, Emei Maofeng and Qingcheng Queshe.

---Sichuan Cuisine

Many travelers know Sichuan cuisine for its "hot and spicy" flavors or a few of its most famous dishes, but that is only the beginning.Sichuan cuisine is legendary in China for its sophistication and diversity.the regional cuisine boasts 5,000 different dishes.
Sichuan cuisine has enjoyed a worldwide reputation. However, most people immediately think of Sichuan food soon after it is mentioned as a hot or spicy food.It is undear how the red pepper was introduced to Sichuan. You may wonder why the red pepper is so popular. Here is a common explanation.Sichuan has a humid climate that encourages people to eat strongly spiced foods.the red pepper may help reduce internal dampness.
Sichuan pepper is another important ingredient in Sichuan cooking.It is known as huajiao(flower pepper).It is the Chinese pepper, and it looks like a reddish brown fruit.the peppercorn comes from the prickly ash tree.the pepper flower creates a most sudden numbing effect on one`s tongue.
Sichuan cuisine so carefully balances color,smell,flavor, shape and nutrition that its dishes not only look pleasant and appealing,bu also nutritious.In Sichuan recipes there are several hundred popular dishes.Sichuan cuisine is able to prduce 100 different flavored dishes!Besides, Sichuan cooks provide dishes that are intentionally toned down for tourists at home and abroad. they have no difficulty in getting Sichuan food that suits their tastes whether it`s in a banquet,outstanding lunches,dinners,or snacks.

The third station Shanghai

        


















   







  Shanghai

is well known in the world not only for its prosperous cosmopolitan feature but also for its rich humanistic resources. In recent years, a number of modern buildings have been added to the city, such as the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai Library, Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai Grand Theatre, Shanghai Circus City, Shanghai City-Planning Exhibition Hall and Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai Science & Technology Museum. They have become new scenic sights in Shanghai. Colorful festivities, like Shanghai Tourism Festival and Shanghai China International Art Festival, have attracted and increasing number of tourists from home and overseas.
Since Shanghai succeeded in winning the bid for the sponsorship of world Expo 2010, all sectors of preparation work have started and are in progress. The world has given China a share of luck and Shanghai will add more splendor to the world. Shanghai is ushering in excellent opportunities for development. People of Shanghai warmly welcome visitors from home and overseas.

---History

Shanghai, the most cosmopolitan, vibrant and economically prosperous city in the world, is originally a fishing village on a mudflat which almost literally overnight became a great metropolis.

Inevitable meeting place of world travelers, the habitat of people of forty-eight different nationalities, of the Orient yet Occidental, the city of glamorous night life and throbbing with activity, Shanghai offers the full composite allurement of the Far East.

Not a wilderness of temples and chop-sticks, of jade and pajamas, Shanghai in reality is an immense and modern city of well-paved streets, skyscrapers, luxurious hotels and clubs, trams, buses and motors, and much electricity.

Less than a century ago Shanghai was little more than an anchorage for junks, with a few villages scattered along the low, muddy banks of the river. What it will be a hundred years from now is a test for the imagination. Principal gateway to China, serving a hinterland population of more than 200,000,000, many close observers believe it will become the largest city in the world.

Although neighboring cities like Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou figure spaciously in the flourished in ancient China, Shanghai is very rarely mentioned. It was the domain of the Kingdom of Wu of the Spring and Autumn Period. Shanghai was so called not until in the Song Dynasty.

But when the British opened their first concession here in 1842, after the first Opium War, it was little more than a small town supported by fishing and weaving. Change was rapid. The French turned up in 1847 and it wasn't long before an International Settlement was established. By the time the Japanese rocked up in 1895 the city was being parcelled up into settlements, all autonomous and immune from Chinese law. Enter China's first fully fledged Special Economic Zone.

The world's greatest houses of finance and commerce descended on Shanghai in the 1930s. The place had the tallest buildings in Asia, and more motor vehicles on its streets than the rest of China put together. Shanghai became a byword for exploitation and vice, in countless opium dens and gambling joints, in myriad brothels. Guarding it all were the American, French and Italian marines, British Tommies and Japanese bluejackets.

The foreigners no longer had control and by 1949, Shanghai was transformed by the Communist Chinese government. As the foreigners left, the businesses that were left behind were one by one taken over by the government. After losing ground during the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, Deng Xiaopeng's open door policy allowed for the advancement back to being an international force in business and finance.

The city continues to grow with new underground stations highways crisscrossing the city, the most modern stock exchange in the world and two new cultural institutions. However despite the growth and international investment Shanghai is still a city of contradictions as poverty is still prevalent.


---Climate

The best time to visit Shanghai is autumn. The temperature during this period is mild and rain is less likely than in spring and summer.

Shanghai's weather is moderate (annual average temperature is about 15 degrees centigrade) and the seasons are not as distinct as in the North. Shanghai is characterized by a warm spring, hot summer, cool autumn and cold winter.

Shanghai receives abundant rainfall and the average annual precipitation is over 1000 cm. The "Plum Flower Rain" season (frequent light rain) is from from mid-June to early July with an average daily rainfall of 259 mm. During July and September, strong storms with torrential rain become frequent. However, it seldom snows in Shanghai.

Shanghai summers are hot and humid. July and August are Shanghai's hottest months with average highs of 27.4 degrees centigrade.

In winter, January is the coldest month, with a temperature average of 3 degrees centigrade.

All in all, it is best to go prepared with light clothing in summer and warm, heavy clothing in winter. Also, always prepare for rain by keeping an umbrella, but most hotels can equip you with one if needed!

---Local Cuisines

Shanghainese food is not known for being the best in China! However, over the years Shanghai has become a city that excells at bringing together many different kinds of cuisine. This wonderfully modern and fashionable city has excellent European Continental cuisine in stylish restaurants such as "M" on the Bund and French, German and American cuisine are widely available here. There are a couple of excellent Indian restaurants in the Tandoor and Hazara. Italian, Indian, Thai, Mexican, Vietnamese and even Brazilian and Cajun cuisine are also on offer here and the style and decor in many of the city's best places such as Face and Ali YYs, is beautiful and unique.

Beyond the various cuisine of the world, Shanghai is a center for the culinary culture of China. Here, you can taste famous dishes and culinary styles from all over China. Bifengtang is a great chain serving delicious Cantonese cuisine. Beijing, Yangzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Fujian, Chaozhou, Henan, Anhui, Hunan as well as vegetarian and Xinjiang cuisine are all available with exceptionally high quality and authenticity in this city. Shanghainese cuisine too can be very delicious and 1221 is a beautiful place to sample the city's unique dishes. Explore our dining index for the best that Shanghai has to offer.

Some of the best and most interesting culinary offerings one can find in Shanghai include: Nanxiang Steamed Pork Dumplings, Local River Crabs, Vegetarian Steamed Buns, Chicken and Duck Blood Soup, and Niangao with Spare Ribs.

Shanghai's world-spanning culinary styles, superior dining environments, cosmopolitan atmosphere and high quality of service make the city a haven for all those who crave variety and excitement on their plate.

The last station Beijing

The Last station  Beijing !

 Beijing is a world-famous city for its long history and splendid culture. According to archaeological discoveries, more than seven hundred thousand years ago, there were primitive people (Beijing Ren) in this area. The written records show that in 350 BC, it was occupied and made the capital of Ji. Later in its history it got other names such as Zhuojun during the Sui Dynasty (581-618), Youzhou during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Nanjing and Yanjing during the Five Dynasties and the Liao Dynasty (907-1125), Zhongdu during the Jin Period (1115-1234), Dadu during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Beiping and Beijing during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Beijing during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Beiping again under the control of Nationalist Party (1912-1949) and it finally was named Beijing after the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949.
In the year 1272, Beijing became the Capital of a unified country for the first time in the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368), which was written in the Travels of Marco Polo.
In fact, Beijing has been the Capital of Jin, Yuan, Ming, Qing and Republic of China and today it still is the center of national politics, economics, culture, transportation and tourism.
Now Beijing is undergoing big changes and heading for modernization as ancient civilization meets with modern achievements of the whole world, creating youthful vigor and energy.

---History


Some half a million years ago, Peking man lived in Zhoukoudian, in the southwestern suburbs of Beijing. The climate of that time was warmer and more humid than it is today. Forests and lakes in the area supported large numbers of living creatures. The fossil remains of Peking man, his stone tools and evidence of use of fire, as well as later tools of 18,000 years ago, bone needles and article of adornment from the age of Upper Cave Man are the earliest cultural relics on record in China today.

Some four to five thousand years ago, settlements to the southwest of Beijing were thriving on basic agriculture and animal husbandry. Story has it that the legendary Yellow Emperor (Huang Di) battled against the tribal leader Chiyou in the “wilderness of the prefecture of Zhuo.”Zhuolu, a town west of present-day Beijing, is perhaps the site of the first metropolis in the area. Yellow Emperor’s successor, Emperor Yao, was said to have established a legendary capital Youdu (City of Quietude) that was where the city of Ji was actually built.

During the Warring States Period (475-221BC), the Marquis of Yan annexed the territory of the Marquis of Ji, making the city of Ji his new capital. The approximate location was north of Guang?anmen Gate in present–day Beijing near the WhiteCloudTemple (Baiyunguan). Early in the third century BC, the first Emperor of Qin (Qin Shi Huang) set about conquering six states and unifying China. The city of Ji was named administrative center of Guangyang Commandery, one of 36 prefectures in China’s first feudal empire. For 10 centuries, through to the end of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Ji remained a strategic trading and military center and the object of frequent power struggles.

wo emperors during that period -- Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty -- left their mark on the city. Emperor Yang amassed troops and supplies at Ji for expeditions against Korea. Emperor Taizong also used the city for military training. He built the Temple for Compassion for the Loyal (Minzhongsi), which is dedicated to troops who died in battle. This temple was the precursor of the Temple of the Origin of the Dharma (Fayuansi) located outside the old walls of the city.

At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, Ji was little different from any other large feudal cities. Several centuries later, however, when the Tang was nearing a state of collapse, the Qidans (Khitans) came from the upper reaches of the LiaoheRiver and moved south to occupy Ji and make it their second capital. They called the city Nanjing (Southern Capital) or Yanjing. Emperor Taizong of the Liao Dynasty (916-1125) carried out reconstruction projects and built palaces, which were used as strongholds from which the Qidans set out to conquer the central plains of China.

---Tourism

Beijing had been the Capital of four Dynasties before the founding of PRC. Its Great Wall, splendid palaces, beautiful gardens, old temples, a considerable variety of exhibitions and museums and former residences of celebrities show its glorious history and civilization.

Today more than two hundred and sixty places of interest have been opened to the public with new ones under building and planning. Besides these places of interest, the natural scenery of Beijing's suburbs also attracts great many visitors with its charms, hills, lakes, hot springs, karst caves and so forth.

In 1986 sixteen famous scenic spots of Beijing were picked from forty spots and were named "the Sixteen Sights of Beijing". They are Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Badaling Great Wall, Beihai Park, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Fragrant Hill, Shidu Scenic Spot, Relics of Primitive at Zhoukoudian, Longqing Gorge, Big Bell Temple, White Dragon Pond, Ming Tombs, Lugou Bridge, Mutianyu Great Wall and Grand View Garden.

The Capital Airport, the largest and most advanced one in China, has more than twenty international airlines connecting countries in Asia, Africa, America, Europe and Oceania. It has over thirty airlines connecting about eighty big cities within the country. Meanwhile, it is the center of highway-net and communication.

There are more than two hundred star hotels in the city supplying more than fifty two thousand rooms. There are about three hundred travel agencies around here.

Beijing is not only a world-famous city for its tourism but also a good medium for you to know more about China, a time-honored country, and the Chinese, a diligent and wise nation.



---Climate

Beijing lies in the continental monsoon region in the warm temperature zone and its climate represents as hot and rainy in summer and cold and dry in winter.

The four seasons in Beijing are distinct. It is dry, windy and sandy in spring and hot and rainy in summer. Autumn is the best season in a year when the sky is blue; the air is crisp, mild and humid. However, winter is cold and dry with little snow. The average temperature throughout a year is 11.7℃. The average temperatures of the hottest month, July and the coldest month January range from 27℃ and -4.6℃. The shorter seasons, spring (usually from February to April) and autumn (usually from August to October) are better seasons for visiting Beijing when it is sunny and warm with few tourists crowding in the attractions.

If you come to Beijing in spring, you could wear a thin sweater, a pair of sweat pants, and a coat. But sometimes it may be a good idea to bring a warm cap because it is windy and sandy during this period though it is not cold. In summer the temperature could reach as high as 30C. When you go out, you could take an umbrella along with you if it doesn't bother you much, because a downpour may come unexpectedly at evenings from July to August. Autumn is the most beautiful season, but after October you may feel the constant changes of the weather and you may encounter light rains at any moment. So it is better to bring some heavy clothes with you. In winter, you need a heavy woolen sweater, and a long wind coat or a down jacket. Generally there will be two or three heavy snowfalls each winter, so it is always wise for you to have anti-skidding shoes with you when you come. Lastly, don't wear light-color clothes in winter.