Trip in China, Beijing, the capital

  Beijing, Jing for short, is the nation's political, economic, cultural and educational center as well as China's most important center for international trade and communications. Together with Xian, Luoyang, Kaifeng, Nanjing and Hangzhou, Beijing is one of the six ancient cities in China. It has been the heart and soul of politics and society throughout its long history and consequently there is an unparalleled wealth of discovery to delight and intrigue travelers as they explore Beijing's ancient past and enjoy its exciting modern development.

  As the capital of the People's Republic of China, Beijing is located in northern China, close to Tianjin Municipality and partially surrounded by Hebei Province. The city covers an area of more than 16,410 square kilometers (6336 square miles) and has a population of 14.93 million people.

  How can one city boast so many phenomenal places? Beijing's long and illustrious history started some 500,000 years ago. It is here that the ancestors of modern Homo sapiens, Peking men, lived in caves. Records show that Beijing has been an inhabited city for more than three thousand years and has endured invasions by warlords and foreign powers, devastating fires, the rise and fall of powerful imperial dynasties and has emerged each time as a strong and vibrant city. For more than 800 years, Beijing was a capital city - from the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368) to the Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1911) dynasties. Thirty-four emperors have lived and ruled the nation in Beijing and it has been an important trading city from its earliest days.

  Although now Beijing is a modern and fashionable city complete with a full 21st Century vitality, you can experience authentic Beijing life and become acquainted with 'old Beijing' by exploring its many teahouses, temple fairs, Beijing's Hutong and Courtyard and enjoy the Peking Opera. Add any or all of these to your Beijing tour and you will leave with a feeling of special appreciation in your heart for this ancient city that has truly seen it all and tells its story with matchless grace, charm and vigor.

  With the biggest central square in the world - Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City that is the largest and best-preserved imperial palace complex, a superbly preserved section of the Great Wall,as well as the largest sacrificial complex in the world - the Temple of Heaven, Beijing attracts both domestic and foreign visitors who all come to wonder at its century-old history and unique cultural relics.

  Dwelling too much on the historical past of Beijing may give tourists the false impression that it is little more than an ancient city in style but this is definitely not so! Strolling around Beijing, you'll find it has much in common with any other great metropolis elsewhere in today's world. There are towering skyscrapers; busy shopping malls and an endless stream of traffic that makes the city much the same as others. The most famous and popular commercial circles and commercial pedestrian streets are predominantly located near the Yansha Shopping Mall, Tiananmen and Wangfujing Street, Guomao Shopping Mall, Qianmen Street and Xidan Street, etc. However, although you will find multinational chains with their own brands to offer, nowhere else on earth will you find such a variety of gourmet Chinese restaurants offering the very best of the eight different styles of Chinese cuisine as well as western style dishes. Modern hotels abound, each offering the highest standards of service and convenience.

  After a day's Beijing tours, nighttime can hold other surprises for you. These can vary from traditional performances such as the Beijing Opera, acrobatics and martial arts to modern ones including concerts, ballroom dancing, pubs and clubs. Each and every one has its individual enchantment for the tourist. No description of our capital city is complete without mention of the friendly people who throng the streets. Everywhere you will encounter smiling faces and a warm welcome, especially from the children who love to say 'Hello!' All these things add up to truly make your visit a cultural experience of a lifetime.

Trip in China, Shanghai, the commercial center

  Located at the center of the mainland's coastline, Shanghai has long been a major hub of communications, transportation, and international exchange. The municipality covers an area of 6,341 square kilometers and has a population of more than 13.5 million. Shanghai is China's largest economic comprehensive industrial base, and a famous historical and cultural city.

  The city consistently attracts investment and is seen as an ideal venue for business gatherings. It is also a must on any agenda during a tour of China. Shanghai has fostered a comprehensive transportation network that incorporates land, sea, and air travel, as well as a convenient urban transportation system. More than 300 airlines serve the city, proving direct flights to more than 20 countries and regions. The addition of the Shanghai Pudong International Airport, which went into operation in 1999, is expected to increase the annual passenger volume to some 20 million.

　Special tourist trains running between Shanghai and the neighboring provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, as well as tourist bus routes along newly-constructed expressways, offer great convenience for regional travel. Shanghai has more than 400 travel agencies to assist visitors, and the 127 star-rated hotels offer a total of 40, 000 guest rooms.

　Visitors to Shanghai are not only dazzled by the modern metropolis and gateway to a developing China, but are also able to immerse themselves in the unique Shanghai culture, a combination of Chinese and Western elements. Colorful festivals and celebrations dot the yearly Shanghai activities calendar, such as the Shanghai Nanhui Peach Blossoms Festival, Shanghai International Tea Culture Festival and Shanghai China International Art Festival.

　Shanghai has also introduced special tour packages aimed at the different interests of visitors, such as bicycling tours, hiking tours, gourmet tours, rehabilitation and health care tours, study tours, Japanese young women's tours, honey moon tours, and convention and exhibition tours.

Trip in China, Guangzhou, the biggest city in south China

  Guangzhou is located in the center of Guangdong province. She is not only the capital of Guangdong, but also the central city with strong attraction and influence in South China. She has jurisdiction over 10 districts and 2 county-grade cities. They are Yuexiu, Haizhu, Liwan, Tianhe, Baiyun, Huangpu, Huadu, Panyu, Luogang, Nansha Districts, and Conghua, Zengcheng Cities. Guangzhou covers an area of 7434.4 km2 and has a total population of some 10,000,000. Affected by the subtropical marine monsoon climate, Guangzhou is green and has flowers all the year around, and is known as “the Flower City”.

  Guangzhou is one of the first 24 national historic cultural cities of China. She has a history of over 2200 years, and is the cradle of the South Five Ridge Culture. There is a folklore about Guangzhou’s another name, “Goat City” and “Spike City”. Long long ago, five immortals, riding five goats holding spikes in their mouth, arrived in Guangzhou and presented the spikes to the people. They also wished the people no more famine. And then the five goats became five goat-shaped stones.

  Guangzhou was known as one of the starts of the ancient Marine Silk Road of China and one of the sources of modern China revolution. Now she has become the frontline of the reform and opening-up of China. She has been making brilliant achievements in developing economy and improving urban aspects. Guangzhou, one of the important ports of foreign trade and financial centers, has become the focus of foreign investment. She is also an important hub of sea, land, and air transportation. Several expressways radiate from here. Guangzhou Port, Guangzhou Railway Station and Baiyun International Airport are always busy. Guangzhou is the paradise of sightseeing, dining and shopping. There are many beautiful and attractive scenic spots; such as Chen Clan Temple, Baomo Garden, Guangxiao Temple, Zhehai Tower, Original Site of Huangpu Military Academy, the White Cloud Mountain, Xiangjiang Safari Park, Sunflower Gardens, Guangdong Olympic Sports Center, Nightscape along the Pearl River, and Metro, etc. You can have authentic Cantonese food and many kinds of foreign food everywhere. You can also buy inexpensive but elegant goods. Guangzhou, the wonderful and ardent city, is holding out her friendly hands. Welcome to Guangzhou.

  Guangzhou delicacies are the main representatives of Yue Cai (Cantonese Cuisine), which includes Guangzhou dishes, Chaozhou dishes and Dongjiang dishes and enjoys great popularity all over the country. Guangzhou cuisine uses a wide range of ingredients from the sky, the earth, and the water. They also use seasonings sparingly. Compared with other Chinese cuisines, Guangzhou dishes use few thick spicy dressings in order to keep from masking the original taste of the food.

  Cantonese dim sum ranks the best in the whole country. Exquisitely made dim sums attract your eyes and stomach. Panxi Restaurant (Panxi Jiujia) creates 1,000 kinds of dim sums. Among the various choices of dim sums, you may choose the most typical ones: Shrimp Dumpling, Steamed Shaomai, Steamed Vermicelli Roll and so on.

Trip in China, Tianjin, The biggest port city in Northern China

  Tianjin （Jin for short） is a municipality direct under the Central Government,  as well as an opening city. It's situated in the eastern part of the North China Plain, covering an area of 11,300 square km. and with a population of six million.    It has a semi-humid continental climate in the warm Temperate Zone. With an annual average temperature of 12 degrees centigrade, and rainfall of 590 millimeters, it has 220 frost-free days per year. It's rich in petroleum, natural gas and sea salt along the coastal area.   

  As one of China's biggest industrial centers, Tianjin has built up an all-round industrial system with machinery, electronics, textiles, chemicals, metallurgy, foodstuff etc. as its mainstays. The production on a fairly large scale, of arts and crafts like hand-made carpets, Yangliuqing's New Year Pictures printed from an engraved wood plate, Zhang's painted clay figurines, kites etc. holds an  important position in the country.

  Tianjin has already achieved successes in the operation of its Economic and Technological Development Zone in the northeastern part of Tanggu District, covering an area of 33 square km.  

  Tianjin is one of the most prosperous business areas as well as a distribution center for goods and materials in North China.    It's also a key hub of land and sea communications. Its port consisting of Tianjin, Tanggu and Xingang Harbours is an important Chinese Sea port, serving as the most convenient sea outlet for Beijing, North China and  Northwest. The port accessible to ocean freighters of ten thousand tons class has opened more than 20 ocean shipping routes. Tianjin has a well-developed road transport network, regular air-service to over 30 cities throughout the country, and inland water shipping, in addition to the pipelines for oil transport. 

   Tianjin is a famous historical city. The best known scenic spots and historical sites include Ning Garden, Tianhou Temple （Temple of Heavenly Empress）, Dule Temple in Ji county, The Great Wall at the Huangya Pass, the Panshan scenery area etc.    Efforts are being made to develop Tianjin primarily into a financial center in North China, an international commercial city and a free port.