Chinese Specialty

Xingcheng is the first station north to the Shanhai Gate of the Great Wall, an ancient one nestles aside the Bohai Sea. This is a new face among the great tourism spa spots. Although owns a huge source of beautiful landscape, it is still like a beauty in the innermost chamber, unknown to the major public. Xingcheng has a long history, which dates back to the end of the 10^th century. Luckily, it has always beyond the evil reach of wars and industrialism as well, thus it is the best preserved ancient town in China, even better than Pingyao and Lijing in this regard.

Neighboring the sea, Xingcheng has mile climate, featuring cool summer and warm winter. Inside the city, green trees stand along neat paths and houses are arranged in good order. There is a spa river and a spa well for which this town is famous. Because of the fine quality of the spa, Zhang Zuolin, the famous commander in chief of northeast China in modern history, used to build a villa in center of the town. There is also a beach with clean water and bright sand, which can accommodate 200 thousand guests. One can also get to the Seaview Pavilion and the watchtower in the north. It is from these places where one can get a great sight overlooking the sea. One can watch constant see breeze roll up waves, the waves knock the bank and seagulls dance around white sails.

It is hard to identify the exact position of Maduo, cause it is nowhere near any big cities. We could only say it is in Qinghai Province, southwest remote to the city of Xining. Anyway, Maduo is a little town at the upper reaches of the Yellow River, with few people, bad weather and an altitude of 4000 meters, nevertheless, it is still a place well worth visiting. It is the cradle of Chinese civilization, because the Yellow River commences in this town. Since the ancient times, people tirelessly come here to explore the root of Chinese nation.

In the west outskirts of Maduo, lies the first bridge of the Yellow River. Unlike the other places, water of the river is extremely limpid. It will be of great fun wandering on the bridge and thinking about the initial times. Go further west, you will reach the Eling Lake and the Zhaling Lake, which decorate the upper course of the mother river like a pair of gems. Ascending along the river, the clear waves and the pure sky mirror each other. In the middle are marvelous pictures of Tibetan natural pastures, where grasses are tumultuous, flocks and herds are fat. There are also several other famous lakes. If you are there in winter or early spring, you will have a chance to break the ice and fish and to spot numerous birds of passage.

Tsedang is known as the most beautiful town in Tibet. It is also the origin of Tibetan people. Legends say there once was a sacred mountain named Gongbu in ancient Tibet. On the mountain, there were three caves, where respectively inhabited a Bodhisatva, a beautiful siren and a celestial being who was turned into a monkey for violations. Later, the monkey married the siren in light of will of the Bodhisatva. Offspring of the monkey later involved into today’s Tibetan nationality. And the Gongbu Moutain in Tsedang, 200 miles southeast of Lhasa (capital of Tibet), has been regarded to be the place where the history of Tibet began.

Today, in Tsedang, there do exist a monkey cave covered with scriptures. Together, there is also the first farmland and the first house. Story has it that the farmland was given to the monkey by god and was blessed, so every planting season, people would fetch a handful of earth in this land to their own fields, praying for a good harvest. And the first house, it is said to be the first palace of the first king of Tibet. Although this palace is now a ruin, people can still behold its awe-stricken topography and amazing, 100 percent natural landscape.

Pingxiang is situated in the southwest of China, sharing border line with Vietnam. It is beautiful in an exotic and some odd way. With more attention it has focused, more and more people flood in Pingxiang to do business. Wandering the old streets, you can see often enough dark-skinned Vietnamese in straw hats, vending their local specialties or smuggling, or purchasing inexpensive Chinese commodities. Most of the inhabitants in Pingxiang are from Zhuang nationality, who feed on with betel-nuts and five-colored rice. When you are there, you are very likely to be served with these.

Used to be a significant military town? Plenty legacy in Pingxiang might have told you this. Yes, it has experienced constant fights and peace over the border. Youyi Guan (friendship gate) southwest to the town has so much history of this.

In Journey to the West (one of the four Great Classic Chinese Novels), Tang Priest (Sanzang) was hindered by a mountain of flames on his way to the Western Heaven to obtain Buddhist scriptures. In fact, the impressive flaming mountain is not a fabricated thing but is derived from a region in the city of Turfan, center of the Turfan Basin. The flaming mountain is not actually burning with fire, it is composed by red sandstones which look like flames when shining in the hot sun and emitting heat. The flaming mountain sits in the hottest area in China, nevertheless, there are many forested valleys in the mountain holding a number of streams. This special kind of geography produces wonderful fruit like grapes and Hami melons, especially the seedless white grapes growing in the Grape Valley, which are perfectly fine!

Uygurs living in Turfan are very hospitable. You will encounter everywhere with men in square flowered hat and long rope and women in garment and dresses who say “Yaksimtse (hello)” to you. In southeast of Turfan, there stand the Sugong Pagoda and the public cemetery of Gaochang ancient city. The cemetery is an ideal place to store mummy because of the dry and natural sterile environment. While Qianfo Cave at the northeast is rich in both cultural and natural scenery.

Xichang has its name known all over the world after it has witnessed the launch of many domestic and foreign satellites. It is the biggest satellite launch center in China, situated in southwest of Sichuan Province. Xichang can be regarded as the first station of China’a high-tech journey. Here, visitors can watch not only the gigantic launching pads, but also the whole launching procedure.

But technology charm is not the only card of Xichang, which also rewards visitors with much natural enchantment. 2.5 miles southeast to Qionghai, the Qiong Lake has an exuberance of reeds encompassing a crystal vast of water. Qionghu Lake features different landscape in four seasons, and that of autumn and winter is especially fabulous. In autumn, the light of a bright moon helps the gentle motions of the waves that often romp with egrets, and in winter, the water keeps warm when the adjoining mountains are crown with snow, and birds are attracted here to see the winter out. Or you can opt to the virgin forest. It is home to cute lesser pandas, sprinting roes, cascading waterfalls and deep pools.

Inconsistent with its big fame, Yan’an is actually a little town holds a population of only 200 thousand. Ever since 1935, Yan’an has been considered to be a place rewriting Chinese history. Here a tall man came from Hunan Province who was a big fan of tobacco and hot pepper sparkled the fire of revolution, which later lightened the whole China. Thereafter, the Pagoda Hill in Yan’an has been a holy place for that generation. 30 years after that, the same tall man announced a policy which encouraged young men and women from cities to support countryside development, and they willingly did it of course. In this trend, Yan’an was a popular spot for young educates from Beijing.

Today, Yan’an still remains its charm. On top of its list of highlights, lamplights of Yanjialing, the Date Garden and the ball of Wanjiaping might already be heard by many. Visiting the Pagoda Hill, Phoenix Mountain and the Yan River that have significant historic values is another nice choice. Locate yourselves to the spots, walk on the firm yellow earth and enter the shabby cave dwellings the great men used to live, you may get a sense that other places can’t make.

Chinese people get a dreamy impression of Phoenix from Border Town, a novel of the famous Chinese writer, Shen Congwen. This place fosters crystal characters and pure love of heroine of this novel, nice and broad-minded people as well as the lovely wooden houses projecting over water. This town is built aside the Tuo River. The river is as intoxicant as wine, and the buildings along the river are as cute as drunk beauties. Amongst the streets and allays in the town, there is aroma of bacon and spicy food issuing from everywhere. Lightly and elegantly, emotional local ladies are passing by. Every night when the sky highlights a bright moon, young men and women from Miao Nationality will merrily sing a question and answer duet. That is an interesting show before going to sleep.

Outside the town, you will see the steep and high Tianxing Mount ripping into the sky like a sword. In the gigantic crevice of the mountain, a limpid stream is traveling through. Not far from the stream, an ancient path lined up with old trees and odd-shaped stones leads straight upward to top of the mount. On the top, there is a flat land adorned with a pool that never stops flowing and is often visited by little animals and birds. Further, at the foot of the mount, the stream enters a crave which gathers marvelous views that are similar with those of Guilin and Zhangjiajie.

In the last century, Pingyao staged a prosperous commercial picture. It comprised all kinds of business forms such as exchange shops, ancient private banks, pawnshops, pharmacies, silk shops and retail stores. They busily lined up along the streets and the alleys offering fans, lanterns, costumes and other handicrafts that were unique to ancient China. Such flourish scenes once won Pingyao the reputation “younger brother of Beijing”. Decades later, the bustle of Pingyao has gradually faded in the whirligig of time, leaving today the ancient buildings lonesome and cheerless.

90 miles southwest along the wine-smelled Fen River away from the city of Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi Province, you will spot the Pingyao ancient town, which appeared antique and gentle. It is another UN-endorsed historical and cultural city in the world, one of the best preserved. Step over the city moat, travel through the arch city gate and climb to the top of the city towers, and you will have a glimpse of grey tile roofs and upward tips of the eaves, and also the flat and vast lands around the town. Inside town, the ancient stores keep their original looks. That’s why many Chinese costume plays are shot on location here. Actually, this ancient town we have today was near to die away because of all-around new layout plans came out in the 80s. But for several professors and archeologists who appealed for historic values of this place, have already gone the hundreds of alleys and folk houses which are now living fossils of Ming and Qing dynasty cultures.

Misled by its name—signifying “beautiful river” in Chinese, Lijiang many years ago was mistaken for a little river. Today, it has won a considerate fame around the world endorsed as a historical and cultural city by the UN. But its fame was not a green thing. As early as the Ming and Qing dynasties, namely 700 years ago when China enjoyed enormous wealth, this little town was a top-notch boasted of amazing landscape. Here, looking down, you may see limpid rivers with crystal waves and merrily swimming fish flowing swiftly. Looking upward, snow-capped peaks and ridges erect there silently and lastingly as grandeur settings, and the lower parts of them are vestured with greenery and encircled by cloud belts. Listen carefully, the sound of tumultuous waves pounding on rocks could be heard in the distance. That comes from the famous Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Wandering on the flagging walk, you are likely to feel yourself to be the fisherman bumping into the Spring of Peach Blossom Fountain—known as Chinese utopia, where houses and paths are arranged in neat order, kind people are busy with work and the crowing of cocks and barking of dogs are within hearing of each other (not really in most places). What a cozy picture of tranquility and antiquity! Afar from ancient wars and modern industrialism, Lijiang managed to keep intact to the best its ancient legacies, especially the Ming Dynasty palaces. These palaces are imitations of the Forbidden Palace in Beijing. On the walls of the palaces, there are huge impressive frescos reflecting religious stories. They are mix of different ethnical paintings namely that of Han, Tibetan, Naxi and Bai nationalities, featuring generous use of colors and wild styles.