2015年10月22日星期四

Shanghai Museum

bowuguan

As a museum of ancient Chinese art, Shanghai Museum possesses a collection of 120,000 precious works of art. Its rich and high-quality collection of ancient Chinese bronze, ceramics, painting and calligraphy is specially celebrated in the world. Founded and first open to the public in the building previously of the horseracing club at 325 W. Nanjing Road in 1952 and then moved into the former Zhonghui Building at 16 S. Henan Road in 1959, the museum developed very quickly in aspects of acquisition, conservation, research, exhibition, education and cultural exchanges with other institutes. In 1992, the Shanghai municipal government allocated to the Museum a piece of land at the very center of the city, the People’s Square, as its new site. The whole construction took three years, from August 1993 to its inauguration on October 12th, 1996. The 29.5 meters high new building has a construction space of 39,200 square meters. Its unique architectural form of a round top with a square base, symbolizing the ancient Chinese philosophy that the square earth is under the round sky, is a distinguished architectural combination of traditional feature and modern spirit. The present Shanghai Museum has eleven galleries and three special temporary exhibition halls. It extends warm welcome to the visitors from all over the world.



Shanghai Museum

2015年10月21日星期三

Yinshui Dong Village

Situated 1.5 kilometers west of Longsheng County, Guilin City, Yinshui Dong Village is a typical Dong village with a picturesque scenery. The village is built in a valley, and the mountain slopes are very steep. The waterfall is like a silver chain hanging off the mountain slope, hence the attractive name of Yinshui: “Silver Water”.


Yinshui Dong Village


The village has a long history. As early in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Dong nationality had settled there. After the hard work and construction of several generations, the village grew into a populous town. Unfortunately, in the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the Dong people revolted against the Qing Government. The uprising was put down. In order to escape persecution, the villagers fled and abandoned their village. But in 1993, Yinshui Dong Village was renovated under the auspicious of Longsheng County Government.

The architecture in the village is quite unique and with a distinctive style. The most renowned structures are the Wind and Rain Bridge, and the Drum Tower with its square piled-eaves. The bridge is a unique integration of bridge, pavilion and corridor.

The Dong people still retains their unique national identity. Almost everyone of Dong nationality is good at singing their folk songs and dancing.



Yinshui Dong Village

Sanjiang Mapang Drum Tower

Mapang Drum Tower, which is situated in Sanjiang County, is the most well-known tower among the roughly 160 drum towers in and around Sanjiang County, whose base is 169 square meters. It is a traditional Dong minority architecture with a magnificent ethnic culture for people to explore this mysterious group.


It is said that the drum towers in Dong villages are the key to get touch with the cultural connotation of Chinese minority. Usually, the drum tower-constructed of wood and built without nails-is the largest multi-story pagoda-like building in the village. Among these numerous significant drum towers, Mapang Drum Tower possesses the international fame for a long time. This ancient architecture was constructed during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and over the years has been damaged by fire several times. The present appearance of this site was rebuilt in 1943.


mapang drum Tower


The Mapang Drum Tower possesses all the typical architectural features of Dong drum towers. The tower has nine upturned eaves, and each eave is carved with flowers, grass, fish, birds, and characters. As soon as you enter the Mapang Drum Tower, you will see four indoor pillars made of fir that extend all the way to the top floor. Surrounding the four pillars are a group of twelve mid-sized pillars symbolizing prosperity for the village during the twelve months of the year. Upstairs on the second floor, you will see the most important and precious object in the Drum Tower- a large skin drum that gives Drum Towers their name. The drum is used to summon the villagers if something urgent happens in the village.



Sanjiang Mapang Drum Tower

Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge

Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge is a bridge located in Sanjiang County, Luizhou, Guangxi Province. The bridge is a covered bridge which was completed in 1916 and spans a total of nearly 65 meters in length. It crosses the river in the village of Linxi Ma’an. Built of wood in five stacks of stone, was completed in 1916 . Each stack is topped by a tower to the appearance of pagoda. The structure is more than just a useful bridge, it includes a series of shaded pagodas, corridors, verandas, relaxing benches and nowadays a souvenir market.
















Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge

Wuzhen

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In the north-east corner of Zhejiang, the town of Wuzhen has been around since the late Tang dynasty, but was only recently painstakingly restored and resurrected as a tourist destination. Like Zhouzhuang and other places in southern Jiangsu, Whzhen is a water town whose network of waterways and access to the Grand Canal once made it a prosperous place for its trade and production of silk. The ambitious restoration project recreates what Wuzhen would have been like in the late Qing dynasty. While it’s essentially geared toward tourists, residents still live in the old town.
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Wuzhen is very small and it’s possible to see everything in a few hours. The main street of the old town, Dongda jie, is a narrow path paved with stone slabs and flanked by wooden buildings.

Farther down the street and across a small bridge is Mao Dun’s Former Residence. Revolutinary writer Mao Dun is a contemporary of Lu Xun and the author of Spring Silkworms and Midnight. Mao Dun’s great-grandfather, a successful merchant, bought the house in 1885 and it’s a fairly typical example from the late Qing dynasty. There are photographs, writings and other memorabilia of Mao Dun’s life.
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At the western end of the old town, around the corner on Changfeng Jie, is an intersting exhibit many visitors miss.The Huiyuan Pawn House Museum was once a famous pawnshop that eventually expanded to branches in Shanghai. It’s been left intact and the spartan decor gives a Dickensian feel to the place.


One of the best reasons to visit Wuzhen is for the live performances of local opera, Flower Drum opera (Huagu Xi), held throughout the day in the village square and, piyingxi, the shadow puppet shows in the small theatre beside the square. The puppet shows in particular are great fun and well worth watching.


 



Wuzhen

2015年10月20日星期二

CCTV Wuxi Film & TV Studio

TV

CCTV Wuxi Film & TV Studio strives to be the biggest Film & TV production company in China integrated with two functions as movie and TV producing and cultural travel by means of the outdoor scene base in Wuxi established by CCTV. Tang Dynasty City and Three Kingdoms City as well as Water Margin City and Taipingtianguo City are renowned for their distinct characteristics, large scale, mass visitors and complete shooting functions of Film & TV travel.


Up to now, Three Kingdoms City, Water Margin City and Dang Dynasty City have received 20 million visitors, with a daily visiting record of 40,000 people. Film & TV cultural travel created by CCTV Wuxi Film & TV Studio has become the new hot tourist area in eastern China, promoting a large number of domestic visitors coming to Wuxi. Three Kingdoms & Water Margin Scenic Spot was awarded AAAA-level tourism resort by National Tourism Administration at the beginning of the new century.



CCTV Wuxi Film & TV Studio

linshan.

Linshan Buddha, 25 kilometres from the city’s downtown area, the Lingshan Sakyamuni Buddha (Lingshan dafo) stands solemnly at the site of famous Tang Dynasty Xiangfu Temple, which was ruined after a series of ancient wars. The bronze icon is 250 feet long, 100 feet higher than the Statue of Liberty. Entirely made of tin and copper, the statue weighs more than 700 tons. On the left side, the Shiwuwei seal is supposed to reduce suffering in the world while the Yuyuan seal on the right delivers happiness. The character on the Buddha’s chest represents solemnity and virtue. With the nearby Tiahu Lake and a beautiful range of hills, the Lingshan Buddha attracts the faithful, as well as travelers, especially from Hong Kong and Japan, the former of which are said to have contributed some $150,000 towards the construction of the site.



2015年10月19日星期一

LIUHE

Six Harmonies Pagoda, highly erected by the Qiantang River and to the south of the West Lake, is a perfect symbol of brick-and-wood structure built in the ancient China. It is first built in 970 AD in the Northern  Song dynasty (960-1127), in a way to press down the evil of the river tidal  bore in Qiantang River. The name of the pagoda is related  to six codes of Buddhism. Six harmonies mean the harmonies of body, mind speech, opinion, wealth and abstinence from temptation. When you climb  to the first floor, you will attain the harmony of body; the second floor, the harmony of mind; and so on. Another explanation goes that The “six harmonies” comes from  the six Buddhist ordinances, meaning “harmonies of the heaven, earth, east, west, south and north”. The pagoda  has fallen into ruins and gone through reconstruction  many times. The original pagoda is nine storied with a light on the tip, serving as a navigation tower in the river. The present tower was  the restoration in 1156. Seen from outside, the tower, with a height of 59.89 meters, have 13 stories while in fact only seven stories inside. The core of the present pagoda was built with the  bricks left over from the Southern Song dynasty. The upturned wooden multieaves and wrapping structure were first built in the ending years of the Qing dynasty and  have been  refurbished many  times. Commanding a spectacular view of the surging Qiantang River, the pagoda presents a quiet image of age-old majesty.  Looking out from the top of the pagoda, sightseers can see as far  as the misty horizon, enjoying an unforgettable, breathtaking experience.

The Six Harmonies Pagoda has been under the state protection since 1961 as a state-level cultural site.



LIUHE

1 Day Private Hangzhou Tour (start from Shanghai, round trip)


Tour Overview


Duration: 1 Day (Starts from 08:00 am, finishes around 18:30 pm)
Tour Type: Private Tour
Departure: Everyday.


Tour Itinerary


08:00-10:30  Pick you up and transfer to Hangzhou, which is famous for its natural beauty and historical heritages. Chinese saying that – “There is a paradise up in the heaven, and there are Suzhou and Hangzhou on the earth”.


10:30-12:00  Visit the Lingyin Temple, Situated in front of Lingyin Temple and as one of the ten most famous ancient Buddhist temples in China, it houses various Buddhist literature and treasures is such as more than 470 stone carvings of Buddhist figures which dated from the 10th to 14th centuries.
12:00-13:00  Lunch at Huazhoncheng Ou Xiang Ju Restaurant, located at Hangzhou Nan Shan Road No 11( inside the scenic area of Leifeng Pagoda).


13:00-14:00  Visit the Six Harmony Pagoda , Highly erected by the Qiantang River and to the south of the West Lake, it is a perfect symbol of brick-and-wood structure built in the ancient China. It was first built in 970 AD in the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127). The name “six harmonies” comes from the six Buddhist ordinances, meaning “harmonies of the heaven, earth, east, west, south and north”.
14:00-16:00  Visit the West Lake Scenic Area, Lying on the west edge of Hangzhou city, it is the symbol of Hangzhou as well as one of the most beautiful sights in China.
16:00-18:30  Return to Shanghai and transfer to your hotel.










Tour price includes:
Pick-up, drop-off services from  your hotel
Air-conditioned car or business van, coach
Site Entrance tickets
English-speaking tour guide and a driver
Chinese Lunch

How to Book?

1. You can book online or by email, tell us which hotel to pick you up, then receive our confirmation email.

2. When you arrive in Shanghai, our tour guide will call you the night before the tour, if you are not in hotel room, we will leave a message in your room, to inform the time to pick you up in the next morning.


1 Day Private Hangzhou Tour (start from Shanghai, round trip)

Hangzhou Special Delicacies

Stir-Fried Beancurd Rolls Stuffed with Minced Tenderloin


Once upon a time, one hero specially ordered this dish for drinking, and it happened that the beancurd sheet in the restaurant was used up. The hero was unwilling to be disappointed, and he immediately rode his horse and took back the beancurd sheet when he was told that the beancurd sheet was customized in Sixiang Township of Fuyang. The shopkeeper was deeply moved. He cooked the dish elaborately for him and specially made it into the shape of horse bell. Thence, Stir-Fried Beancurd Rolls Stuffed with Minced Tenderloin was made known extensively.


snack1

West Lake Water Shield Soup


West Lake Water Shield (Brasenia schreberi JF Gmel) is also called herb of rush-like bulrush and water lily leaf. Its tender stems, buds, and leaf rolls are all covered with white and  transparent jelly, in ricer contents of gelatin and other ingredients. According to determination, each 100g fresh water shield contains 900mg protein, 230 sugar, considerable Vitamin C and a small quantity of iron substrate. If water shield is cooked together with crucian carp into soup, it has the efficacies of dissipating excess internal heat and stopping vomit, expelling heat toxin and curing abscess as well as removing sore toxins. West Lake Water Shield Soup is also called “Chicken, Ham and Water Shield Soup”, and it is the traditional Hangzhou famous Food.
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West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce


According to legend, in ancient times there lived the brothers of Ning’s family who were well educated and retreated on the shore of West Lake, making a living on fishing. High official Zhao, the local scoundrel wanted to seize Sister Song when he saw Sister Song was good looking and charming and played a trick to bring down her husband. The younger brother brought a lawsuit to the local authority for revenge, only to be cudgeled as a result. Sister Song talked over the younger brother-in-law to flee to some other place. She cooked a huge fish from West Lake  with sugar and vinegar for a special purpose to give a farewell dinner before his departure and urged him  “to keep in mind the hardships of common people no matter in bitterness or in sweetness”. Later on,  the younger brother-in-law gained some meritorious fame. On one banquet, he restlessly tasted the sweet but sour specially-made fish dish and finally found his renamed elder sister-in-law who was on escape. Then he quitted the official position and restarted a fisherman’s family life.
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Hangzhou Special Delicacies

2015年10月18日星期日

West Lake

West Lake or Xi hu is a famous fresh water lake located in the historic area of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province in eastern China. It evolved from a shallow bay through which the Qiantang River flowed into the East China Sea. In the ancient times it was called Wulin Waters, Golden Buffalo Lake, Qiantang Lake and Xizi Lake.

The name of West Lake was fixed as early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907). In the Song Dynasty(960-1279), the Chinese renowned poet Su Dongpo wrote a poem to praise the West Lake and compared it to Xizi, a Chinese legendary beauty. Since then, the West Lake has another elegant name Xizi Lake. And as it lies in the west of Hangzhou it is usually called the West Lake.
xihu.

The famous West Lake is like a brilliant pearl embedded in the beautiful and fertile shores of the East China Sea near the mouth of the Hangzhou Bay.

The famous Italian traveler Marco Polo was so impressed by the beauty of Hangzhou that he described it as “the most fascinating city in the world where one feels that one is in paradise.”In China, there has been a century-old popular saying praising the city: “In Heaven there is Paradise; on Earth there are Suzhou and Hangzhou.”As it is beautiful all the year round, the West Lake was compared by Su Dongpo, a celebrated poet of the Song Dynasty, to a beauty “who is always charming in either light or heavy makeup.”


Ten Scenes of the West Lake


The beauty of the West Lake lies in its lingering charm that survives the change of seasons in a year and of hours in a day. Among its beautifu lsights, the most famous sites are the Ten Sights in West Lake.

A collection of ten scenic views formed during the Southern Song Dynasty, they are distributed around and within the lake, and serve to show the charms of the West Lake. Each scene is unique, and when taken together, are said to present the essence of West Lake scenery, and form the core of any West Lake tour. Visitors to the lake can plan to spend their time viewing the “Ten Scenes of the West Lake.


Spring Dawn at Su Causeway

It is a thin strip of land nearly three kilometers long covered with peach and weeping willow trees. In spring, with the lakeside and dew sparkling in the morning , birds cheerfully chirping among swaying willow branches, the scent of peach blossoms wafting through the air, you’ll question whether you’re in the midst of paradise.

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Breeze-ruffled  Lotus at Wine-making  Yard
This typical West Lake scene has earned its fame since the Southern Song Dynasty, when the lakeside area with an abundant growth of lotus off its shores was known as Crooked Courtyard, and was the location of a brewery.People said the smell of lotus flowers and wine blended by the cool lake breezes was intoxicating.There are plenty of lotus plants still bloom off its shores.They stand gracefully erect in the lake, as if they knew they had visitors coming to admire their beauty.
quyuanfenghe.


Autumn Moon over the Peaceful Lake

This typical West Lake scene has earned its fame since the Southern Song Dynasty, when the lakeside area with an abundant growth of lotus off its shores was known as Crooked Courtyard, and was the location of a brewery People said the smell of lotus flowers and wine blended by the cool lake breezes was intoxicating.There are plenty of lotus plants still bloom off its shores.They stand gracefully erect in the lake, as if they knew they had visitors coming to admire their beauty. At the western end of Bai Causeway is located a lakeside park which houses a stone tablet bearing the etched calligraphy of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, which reads: “Autumn Moon on Calm Lake”.The lake is a special place to appreciate the moon and the effect of moonlight on the land.The moon seems especially bright over the waters.The hills look purplish bathed in the moonlight.The best time for nighttime viewing is on Mid-Autumn Day.
pinghuqiuyue.


Remnant Snow on the Broken Bridge

It is the most romantic scene of the ten mat-see. The stone arched broken bridge is where the character of a famous Chinese folktale Xu Xian and a beautiful girl, who is actually a white snake, first met and fell in love with each other. After a snowfall, when the snow on the more exposed side has melted, with the shade side remaining white, it looks as if a long white belt has been ripped apart on the thus earning the name” melting snow on the broken bridge”.
duanqiaocanxue.


Viewing Fish at flower Pond

Flower Pond Park occupies an area of twenty-one hectares on a peninsula in the southwest corner of the lake. In its heart is the Red Fish Pond, where people can relax to the sight of brightly colorful fish swimming around and to the brisk melody of birdsong. To stay with nature is a highly enjoyable experience.
huagangguanyu.


Orioles singing in the willows

An imperial garden built up in the Southern Song Dynasty. Now the once-imperial garden has been turned into a park open to all. Featuring green willows and singing orioles, there are lawns, pavilions, and bridges that are very impressive, as well.
liulangwenying.


Three Pools Mirroring the Moon


An imperial garden built up in the Southern Song Dynasty. Now the once-imperial garden has been turned into a park open to all. Featuring green willows and singing orioles, there are lawns, pavilions, and bridges that are very impressive, as well. Just off the southern shore of the Island of Little Oceans stand three small stone pagodas that seem to float on the water.Each about 2 meters high, when candles are placed inside on moonlit nights, the effect is of 4 moons dancing on the shimmering night waters.The scene is especially magical when the giant glowing moon on the night of Mid-Autumn Day is overhead.
santan


Evening Bell Ringing at Nanping Hill

Nanping Mountain stretches along the southern bank of the Lake. At dusk, with the sun slowly drifting into the Lake on the west, a huge bell at Jingxi Temple, will ring its farewell to the last sunbeam of the day. With the prolonged bell sound reverberating across the Lake, the peaceful and sacred air offers you a perfect occasion for meditation.
nanpingwanzhong.


Twin Peaks Piercing Clouds

Gaze at the skies above West Lake, you’ll be rewarded with the sight of two limestone mountains past the northern edge of the lake, one to the northeast and one to the northwest, five kilometers apart. On a drizzling day in spring or autumn, the two peaks come and go amongst the drifting rain clouds.
shuangfengchayun.


Leifeng Pagoda in the Sunset
Leifeng Pagoda is another renowned scenic spot in Hangzhou. Originally built in the 10th century, Leifeng Pagoda used to stand in front of Jingxi Temple on Nanping Mountain; However

,it was failed to stand the test of time, the Pagoda collapsed in early 1900s. In 2002, Leifeng Pagoda was reconstructed; then comes back the typical Sunset Glow over Leifeng Pagoda.
leifengxizhao.


There are many other scenes to see. If you walk around the lake ,every where is a beautiful scens. The West Lake is like a shining pearl inlaid on the vast land of China, with beautiful scenery, a multitude of historical sites, brilliant cultural relics, and a profusion of native products. Legend has it that the West Lake was a heavenly jewel fallen to earth. Pragmatists insist that it is a mere lagoon on Hangzhou’s western fringe. In any case, West Lake is both a great tourist attraction and a high inspiration for artistic creations.



West Lake

beijing gl811

Suitable for 3~5 passengers with normal luggage
 Buick GL8


7 seats air conditioned car, with professional driver.

















We provide following services for car rental in Beijing
Airrport pick-up/ drop-offPick up from Beijing Airport to your hotel, you need provide your flight number and arriving time, our driver will wait for you at the Arrival Exit.
Half day Rental4 hours, 50 kilometers. Not including airport transfers.
Full day Rental8 hours, 100 kilometers.
Badaling Great Wall8 hours, pick up from your hotel to the Great Wall and drive back to hotel.
Mutianyu Great Wall8 hours, pick up from your hotel to the Great Wall and drive back to hotel.
Simatai/Jingshanling Great Wall8 hours, pick up from your hotel to the Great Wall and drive back to hotel.
Tianjin Cruise Port TransferPick up the cruise tourists from Tianjin Port to Beijing City, or vise verse.











Price Includes:Price Excludes:
Professional driver. English speaking tour guide.
Gasoline/petrol fee. Entrance tickets of attractions
Parking fee and Highway fees Meals
Extra Hour and Kilometer: 100CNY ($16) per extra hour. For extra kilometers:  6 CNY ($1) per extra kilometers.
Optional English Speaking Tour Guide: at extra cost 400CNY per day. (Recommended. our guide can help you buy entrance ticket, introduce and guide in attractions.)


beijing gl811

beijing deluxecar11

Suitable for 1~3 passengers with normal luggage
 Audi A6 or BMW 5 Series


5 seats air conditioned car, with professional driver.

















We provide following services for car rental in Beijing
Airrport pick-up/ drop-offPick up from Beijing Airport to your hotel, you need provide your flight number and arriving time, our driver will wait for you at the Arrival Exit.
Half day Rental4 hours, 50 kilometers. Not including airport transfers.
Full day Rental8 hours, 100 kilometers.
Badaling Great Wall8 hours, pick up from your hotel to the Great Wall and drive back to hotel.
Mutianyu Great Wall8 hours, pick up from your hotel to the Great Wall and drive back to hotel.
Simatai/Jingshanling Great Wall8 hours, pick up from your hotel to the Great Wall and drive back to hotel.
Tianjin Cruise Port TransferPick up the cruise tourists from Tianjin Port to Beijing City, or vise verse.











Price Includes:Price Excludes:
Professional driver. English speaking tour guide.
Gasoline/petrol fee. Entrance tickets of attractions
Parking fee and Highway fees Meals
Extra Hour and Kilometer: 150CNY ($16) per extra hour. For extra kilometers:  8 CNY ($1.2) per extra kilometers.
Optional English Speaking Tour Guide: at extra cost 400CNY per day. (Recommended. our guide can help you buy entrance ticket, introduce and guide in attractions.)


beijing deluxecar11

2015年10月16日星期五

Zhujiajiao













Shanghai’s Venice


Located in a suburb of Shanghai city, Zhujiajiao is an ancient water town well-known throughout the country, with a history of more than 1700 years. Covering an area of 47 square kilometers, the little fan-shaped town glimmers like a bright pearl in the landscape of lakes and mountains.

Endowed with another elegant name – ‘Pearl Stream’ – the little town is the best-preserved among the four ancient towns in Shanghai. Unique old bridges across bubbling streams, small rivers shaded by willow trees, and houses with courtyards attached all transport people who have been living amidst the bustle and hustle of the modern big city to a brand-new world full of antiquity, leisure and tranquillity.


Bridges in the Town


It is said that to visit Zhujiajaio without seeing the bridges means that you have not really been to Zhujiajiao at all! Bridges in the town are distinctive and old, built during Ming and Qing Dynasties. The old town is thoroughly connected by 36 delicate spans in different shapes and styles, from wooden to stone to marble.


Fangsheng Bridge (Setting-fish-free Bridge) is the longest, largest and tallest stone bridge, with five openings both in Zhujiajiao and in the Shanghai region. This bridge was built in 1571. On the bridge stands a stone tablet named Dragon Gate Stone, which is engraved with 8 coiling dragons encircling a shining pearl. On top of the bridge are 4 lifelike stone lions.


Lang Bridge (Veranda Bridge), also named Huimin Bridge, is the only wooden bridge and the most featured span in this town. It has wooden bars on the two sides and upturned eaves above, just like a narrow corridor.


North Street – Ancient Street


In the town, there is an ancient street filled with representative ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, attracting great numbers of domestic and foreign tourists. That is North Street, which is the best preserved ancient street in this suburb of Shanghai. Only one kilometer long, the whole street is at once primitively simple, yet very elegant. Strolling on this ancient thoroughfare and appreciating the historic buildings, long-established stores, and old bridges as well as the many narrow lanes is another enjoyment.


Ke Zhi Yuan (Course Plant Garden)


Zhujiajiao boasts imposing gardens as well as ancient dwellings built during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Among the ancient architecture, Ke Zhi Yuan is the largest manorial garden in the town. The garden is commonly named ‘Ma Family Garden’ after a former host named Ma Wenqin.


Located in Xijin Street in the northern part of town, Ke Zhi Yuan features beautiful sightseeing and quiet and secluded surroundings. It consists mainly of three parts, including a hall area, an artificial hill area and a garden area. In the artificial hill area, there is magnificent symbolic architecture – a foursquare five-story building, on the top of which stands a diametric pavilion named ‘Moon View Pavilion.’ This building is considered the tallest architecture in the town.


The scenic spots outlined here are just a sampling of the pretty attractions of Zhujiajiao. Old narrow lanes, peculiar stone hawsers on the riverside and old residences also make you enjoy yourself so much as to forget to go home.



Zhujiajiao

Zhouzhuang















Paradise in heaven, Suzhou and Hangzhou below, there is a Zhouzhuang.  No doubt, the most representative ancient watery in China is Zhouzhuang, Zhouzhuang is one of the few places wherre you can experience the life of a typical  Chinese water town. Acclaimed as  ” Venice of the East”.

Zhouzhuang  lies in the middle between Shanghai and Suzhou,  is an ancient town of Kunshan city, Jiangsu province. 38 kilometers southeast of Kunshan city land, built the town over nine hundreds years of history. There are about 100 houses with courtyards, and 60 of them have arch gateways made by the carved bricks.


Zhouzhuang charm lies in her cultural implication, Shen hall, Fan building, former residence, yicheng virtual mount together, Quanfu temple, etc, has a very high places historic interest in the history, culture, and the ornamental value. As the famous painter Wu said” Mountain Huangshan build the beauty of  mountains,  Zhouzhuang sets the beauty of  Chinese water.”


Sheng’s House


Sheng’s House is located to the southeast of Fu’an Bridge, on Nanshi Street. It was built in 1742 during the Qing Dynasty by Shen Benren, a descendant of  Shen Wanshan who was a man of  wealth in Southern China in the late Yuan(1206-1368) to early Ming Dynasties.


It consists of seven courtyards, five archways, more than 100 rooms of different size along two sides of a 100m long axis road, covering an area of 2000sq.m, offering a unique traditional Chinese architectural style.


It has three sections. The first includes the water gate  and wharf for morning boats and washing. The second one consists of the Tea Hall and Main Hall for receiving guests and holding wedding or funeral ceremonies. The rear part serves as living quarters.


The main Hall covers 170sq.m. The 6 m high covered brick archway, facing the Main Hall, is the mos magnificent among the five, with the horizontal inscribed board bearing the inscription, Jihongliuguang(do more good for ever). Around the board are relief sculptures of figurines, animals, pavilions and opera characters.


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Twin Bridge


It consists of shide and Yong’an Bridge built between 1573 and 1619, and is situated to the northeast of the town.


The area is crossed by the Yinzi and Nanbei rivers, and the bridges are built in one in the direction of north- south and the other east- west, with one square and one round opening. Because they look like an ancient key, it is also known as Key Bridge.

Chen Yifei, a young artist residing in the U.S. created a picture” Memories of  Hometown” based on the double Bridge in 1984. The painting , with Cheng’s other 37 works, were exhibited and bought by Dr. Armond Hammer, an American oil tycoon, and later presented to he late Deng Xiaoping. The painting symbolizes the friendship, cooperation, and peace between the two countries. In 1985, the painting was used on the dirst day covered issued by the U.N, so that more and more people come to know Zhouzhuang’s beauty.


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Zhang’s House


Zhang’s House is located at the south of the Twin Bridge on Beishi Street. Built between 1436 and 1449 by the offspring of Xu Kui, the brother of Zhongshan King Xu Da, it was sold to Zhang’s family in the early Qing Dynasty, after which it was called either Yuyan (Jade Swallow) Hall or Zhang’s House.


It has 6 courtyards and more than 70 rooms, covering more than 1800 sq.m. The first courtyard has side buildings on the east and west, with long and short windows. Yuyan Hall is the main building, large and bright with grand column on big nanmu pier bases, a rare Ming style. A river flows under the hall, with a square pool built in the middle section to allow boats to turn round. Its rear hall has open windows and balconies facing the water with a backyard of various plants and flowers.

The place now is an important cultural relic under protection of the provincial government.


Ye Chucang Residence


Ye Chucang (1887-1946), born in Zhouzhuang, was a poet of the South Society and a statesman, and was graduated from Suzhou High School. When he came home during winter vocation, he saw many people involving in gambling and opium, so he organized a group of young people to publicize the harm of these activities.


His residence, Zuyin Hall, located on Xiwan Street facing north, was built in the Qing Dynasty, consisting of five courtyards. The Main Hall is a studio and the Rear Hall is a place where Ye received friends.


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★ How is the weather in Zhouzhuang?

Situated in Yangtze River Delta, Zhouzhuang;s climate is typically subtropical with winds from southeast.  Generally, Zhouzhuang’s annual precipitation is 1063mm, while hours of sunshine reach 2165 per year. The average annual temperature is 15.3°C. The lowest temperature is -5°C in the coldest January. The highest temperature is 36°C in July.

 



Zhouzhuang

Good News: Austrian Airlines to resume Shanghai-Vienna service.

Austrian Airlines, a national carrier, will resume its flight route between Shanghai and Vienna next year due to rising demand, marking its second destination in China after Beijing.


Starting on April 4, 2016, the airline will operate the flight five times a week and on a daily basis beginning in May. The flight time will be about 10 hours 20 minutes and cover a distance of more than 8,500 kilometers.


The airline included Shanghai in its flight schedule in 2004 but stopped the service in 2007.



Good News: Austrian Airlines to resume Shanghai-Vienna service.