Where do Chinese people like to vacation in China? - Part II

Here are the rest of top 10 domestic destinations in China:

5. Guilin city (桂林山水) - During a visit to China former U.S. President Bill Clinton said "No place in China is more evocative of the beauty of your country than Guilin." Two crystal-clear rivers flow through the city, encircled by mountains with unusual and bizarre rock formations and caves. (Previous Post on Guilin)

4. Jiuzhaigou (九寨沟), Sichuan - The place is dotted with more than 100 gorgeous lakes, which differ from others by having a high concentration of calcium carbonate, so that the lakebeds and embankments are all covered with crystals. The water is so clear that the bottom is visible despite depths of several dozen meters. Waterfalls are the essence of the scenery in Jiuzhaigou. They are created between lakes on different levels with water flowing down the cliffs covered with trees.

(Photo courtesy of www.worldinterestingfacts.com)

3. Yellow Mountain (黄山), Anhui - this mountain was listed as one of the World Natural and Cultural Heritages in 1990. Yellow Mountain is characterized by the four wonders: odd-shaped pines, grotesque rock formation, seas of clouds and crystal clear hot springs. Because of its mists and clouds, natural scenery in the area changes beyond prediction. (Previous Post on Yellow Mountain)

(Photo courtesy of www.chinatownconnection.com)

2. Sanya (三亚), Hainan - The city is located at the southern most tip of Hainan Island to the West of Hong Kong. Sanya has 19 bays and over 40 inlets lying along a 209 km coast line. It is often refer to as the "Hawaii of the East". It is China's idyllic island paradise!

(Photo courtesy of www.worldsbestbeachtowns.com)

1. Lijiang (丽江), Yunnan - With the Jade Dragon Mountain as backdrop, the Lijiang Old Town has adapted itself harmoniously to the natural scenery. Lijiang maintains an ancient water-supply system of great complexity and ingenuity that is still functioning effectively. (Previous Post on Lijiang)

Where do Chinese people like to vacation in China? - Part I

China is one of those unique countries that its tourism industry is still largely supported domestically. Here are the top 1o domestic destinations in China:

10. West Lake (西湖), Hangzhou - It is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with an area of around 6.5 square kilometers. The circumference is around 15 kilometers. Ancient Chinese people praised the West Lake area as a land of intoxicating beauty. Su Shi, a poet from the Song Dynasty, likened the lake to Xizi, a Chinese Cleopatra, for its allure.

9. Potala Palace (布达拉宫), Tibet - is on the list of Chinese national key protected cultural relics and most valuable storehouse in Tibet. It is a huge treasure house for materials and articles of Tibetan history, religion, culture and arts. The Palace is widely known for the precious sculptures, murals, scripture, Buddha figures, murals, antiques, and religious jewelry treasured up, they are of great cultural and artistic value.

8. Zhangjiajie (张家界), Hunan - This geopark is a rare natural museum. It has 4 main scenic spots—Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Suoxiyu Valley, Tianzi Mountain and Yangjiajie Nature Reserve—together with Huanglong Cave constitute an integrated ecosystem with a series of geomorphologic landscapes such as mountains, water bodies, bridges, caves and waterfalls.

(Photo courtesy of www.wayfaring.info)

7. Great Wall (长城), Beijing - Everyone on the earth probably heard of this one. It is the symbol of China and pride of all Chinese people (previous post on Great Wall).

6. Gulanyu (鼓浪屿) Island, Xiamen - this island covers an area of 1.78 square kilometers and stands opposite to Xiamen City across the sea. It is a quiet pedestrian only island where you can walk around and enjoy the food and the old western styled buildings. With beautiful scenery, Gulangyu Island is accredited as "garden on the sea", "architecture exhibition of ten thousand nations", "hometown of music" and "island of piano".

(Photo courtesy of www.gly.cn)

Surprised Great Wall is not the top destination? Stay tone for the number 1 destination ...

Earthquake Stricken Yushu (玉树) Looking to Rebuild

The 6.9 magnitude earthquake that stuck Yushu in Northwest China's Qinghai province on April 14th has been devastatingly. It has so far killed almost 2000 and over 12,000 injured or missing. This region of China is in a not only remote and very rugged terrain, but also poor. However, this tragedy can give this area an opportunity to rebuild itself or even reinvent itself.

(Photo courtsey of Getty)

An eco-tourism plateau city is expected to be built in the future, even as relief work is still ongoing, Beijing News reports today. An overall plan for the reconstruction is expected to be handed in by the province to the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development for approval on April 26. A disaster assessment report for the April 14 earthquake will be done by April 20 to guide the region’s post-disaster reconstruction work, the newspaper said, citing the Qinghai seismological bureau.

Largely inhabited by Tibetans, Yushu is situated on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with most of the region 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) above the sea level. It is the fountainhead of the Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Lancang River. Ravines and valleys have been cut by the rivers in southeastern Yushu.

Another famous Chinese city has successfully rebuild itself after an earthquake. Situated in the northwest plateau in Yunnan (Heavenly Yunnan), the city of Lijiang ("the Beautiful River") got its name from its position at the middle reaches of the beautiful Jinsha River. In 1996 February 3, a 7.0 Richter scaled earthquake hit Lijiang. It took 200 lives and injured 14,000 more. Surprisingly, the city's oldest treasure, the Old Town mostly remain intact. The provincial government decided not to restore the damaged high rise buildings; instead, they were reconstructed as traditional single family dwellings after the quake. The city was given a urban make over to develop into a major tourist destination. Many say the earthquake gave Lijiang a fresh start and the reconstruction played a major role in the city achieving the designation by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

(Photo courtsey of www.studyincn.com)

We all hope the eco-tourism plan will do the same for the city of Yushu and its people.

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Sichuan Province (四川)

Sichuan (capital city - Chengdu), sometimes referred to as Szechuan, is located in the south central part of China. This province best known for its spicy food and panda bears, was struck by a 8M earthquake just two years ago. This devastating natural disaster killed at least 68,000 people including alarming number of children due to what was believed shoddy school constructions. The resilient Sichuan and its people have been trying to rebuild and it is still an amazing place to visit (and to eat, my favourite!!).

Sichuan is gifted with lush mountains and exquisite waters, and abounds in historical and cultural resources. Here are a few major scenic spots and historical sites:

1. Mount Emei, (峨眉山) - Situated in the southwest of the Sichuan Basin, and with a temperate climate, Emei is luxiously green all the year round full of rare and precious animals and plants. From the foot of the mountain to its summit, the Peak of Ten Thousand Buddhas, 3133 metres above sea level, the trail totals some 60 kilometres in length. It is endowed with unique changeable weather and marvelous natural beauty. Scenic spots and historic sites are found all over the places.
2. Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries (四川大熊猫栖息地) - the sanctuaries is the home to 30% of the world's highly endangered pandas. It is the largest remaining contiguous habitat of giant pandas in the world. It is also the most important site for captive breeding of the species. The sanctuaries are home to other globally endangered animals such as the red panda, snow leopard and clouded leopard. They are among the botanically richest sites of any region in the world, outside the tropical rain forests, with between 5,000 and 6,000 species of flora in over 1,000 genera. Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries was listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2006. You can also hold a real living panda for approximately $100 USD.

3. Jiuzhaigou (九寨沟) - The national park is situated in Nanping county, Sichuan Province, and encompasses an area of 720 square kilometers. Dotted with lakes and pools of various sizes filled with crystal clear waters, the valley is a fairy land gifted by nature. The virgin forests, rare flowers and grasses is home to golden monkeys, white geese, pandas and other rare and precious animals. Parts of the hit movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was filmed here.

4. Leshan Gaint Buddha (乐山大佛) - is the largest stone Buddha statue in the world. The giant buddha is carved out of the cliff face located at the juncture of Minjiang river and Dadu river. Legend has it that a monk named Hai Tong from the Tang Dynasty often saw boats capsize in the turbulent rivers, and desiring to protect the passing boats, he vowed to build a Maitreya Buddha. The Buddha was carved during the period of 713 to 803, lasting 90 years.

The buddha is 71 meters in height. Its head is 14.7 meters high, 10 meters wide, and has 1,021 hair coils. The Buddha's eye is 3 meters wide, ears measuring 7 meters, nose 5.6 meters long, and the shoulders are 28 meters wide.