Beijing City Travels
Badaling Great Wall of China - After the visit to the wax museum, we were on our way to the Great Wall of China at Badaling. Badaling Great Wall is about an hour drive from Beijing city.
Beihai Park - Beihai park is located just a little north of the Forbidden City in Beijing. It's about a 15 to 20 minute walk from the north gate exit of Forbidden City, so I decided to walk to Beihai park.
Beijing Forbidden City - 1 After I managed to recharge my camera battery, I headed back to the Beijing Forbidden City after lunch around 1:30pm.
Beijing Forbidden City - 2 After the 3 halls, you come up to the stairs going down the 7 meter high terrace, and here you will see the stone dragon marble carving.
Beijing Forbidden City - 3 The Nine Dragon Wall Screen was housed in a separate section where you had to pay another $10yuan entrance fee, which also granted me access to a museum of various imperial jewleries.
Hutong Tour - In the old days, many localilities in Chinese cities had hutongs, or a narrow alley or narrow street.
Ming Tombs Lunch - From what I was told (by the taxi driver, and the waitress), the fish was caught in the water reservoir by the Ming Tombs.
Ming Tombs Tour - 1 There were 13 Ming Tombs excavated, and trial excavation began in May 1956, which proved successful.
Ming Tombs Tour - 2 The middle chamber did not contain any coffins, but in the center of it was the throne (made of solid stone) of the emperor with some sort of incense / candle infront of it.
Summer Palace - 1 Summer Palace (YiHeYuan in Chinese) is located North West in Beijing, close to 5th Ring Road.
Summer Palace - 2 Heading east, following the path along West Lake, I came up to the Endless Corridor. The long corridor is a colorful gallery filled with paintings and decorations.
Tiananmen Square - Tiananmen square is located right at the center of Beijing city, and it is a symbol of confidence and self reliance of the Chinese nation.
Temple of Heaven - 1 The Heaven Temple in Beijing was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties worship the heaven and pray for bumper crops.
Temple of Heaven - 2 Keep on heading south, and I exited through to the Danbi Bridge. The Danbi Bridge is the main road (or bridge) leading south to the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the Circular Mound Altar.
Guilin Travelogue
Diecai Hill - Diecai Hill is located northeast of Guilin very close to Lijiang (Li River), and it is one of the more popular mountains that attracts many tourists.
Elephant Trunk Hill - The Elephant Trunk Hill is a popular scenic spot located right on the Li Jiang (Li River) in Guilin.
Fubo Hill - Fubo Hill is another famous tourist destination in Guilin - it's located right by the Li River.
Li River Cruise - 1 The cruise ticket costs $210 yuan per person, and all the cruise boats leave at around the same time each day at 10am.
Li River Cruise - 2 The Li River scenery was stunning. Everywhere is green, green, and more green.
Liu San Jie Park - Liu San Jie, or third sister Liu, is a famous Chinese folk song singer. She was beautiful and was an outstanding folk song singer of the Zhuang nationality during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
Ocean Aquarium - Guilin Ocean Aquarium is one of the largest aquariums in China. It's a relatively new attraction in Guilin that was opened in late 2003.
Reed Flute Cave - Reed flute cave is located about 5km northwest of Guilin city center. My hotel is located right at city center, and the taxi ride took a little under 20 minutes.
Seven Star Park - The Seven Star Park (Qi Xing Gong Yuan) covers an area of over 120 hectares, and is the largest scenic park in Guilin. It's located on the east bank of the Li River.
Solitary Beauty Peak - JingJiang Castle was the home of one of the enthroned princes of the Ming Dynasty.
Guilin Travel Guide - From the moment I got out of the airport to the moment I arrived at my hotel, all there was to see was beautiful scenery everywhere.
Xiongsen Bear and Tiger Zoo - 1 The Xiongsen Bear and Tiger Village is located about 25minutes from the city center just off the Guilin airport expressway.
Xiongsen Bear and Tiger Zoo - 2 At the Xiongsen Bear and Tiger Village, there are 2 daily shows - one starts at 11am, and a second show later in the afternoon.
Yangshuo Big Banyan Tree - You will see a towering Big Banya tree there that was planted during the Sui Dynasty (581-518).
Yangshuo Ju Long Tan - The Ju Long Tan cave covers 900 square meters with 7 exhibition halls which exhibit over one thousand types of stones.
Yangshuo Tour - Yangshuo is a small city located in the heart of the Li River valley, about 65km away from Guilin city.
Hainan Island Travel
Haikou One Day Tour
Haikou Evergreen Park - Located in the central part of Binghai Street in Haikou, the Evergreen Park covers an area of 1070 acres.
Haikou Wugong Temple - It was built during the Ming Dynasty and was renovated on various occassions during the Qing Dynasty.
Sanya City Impressions
Harbin Travel and Tour
Harbin City Impressions - My first impressions of Harbin city is that it's such an organized, and well planned city compared to most other cities I've been to in China.
Harbin Dragon Tower - It is Asia's tallest standing steel tower (336m), second tallest in the world only after the Kiev Tower in Ukraine (385m).
Ice and Snow Festival 2007 -
Ice and Snow World - Because Harbin is famous for its ice sculpture festival each winter, there are several Ice and Snow sculpture events spreadout throughout the city.
Siberian Tiger Park - The tiger park is located in the northern limits of Harbin city, and the entrance fee to the Siberian Tiger Park is $50 yuan.
Sun Island Snow Sculpture Festival
Songhuajiang Gondola Ride
St. Sophia Church Tour - The St. Sofia church in Harbin is located close to city center, and is only a 15 minute walk from Zhongyang (Da Jie) Street.
Stalin Park and Flood Prevention Monument
Xian Travel and Tour
Banpo Village - Inside the building, you will see the actual remains of the Banpo village, that dates back about 6,000 years.
Bell Tower - The Xian Bell Tower is located at the center of the huge intersection between Beidajie (north main road) and Dongdajie (east main road), and the Drum tower is located about 200 meters west of the Bell Tower.
Big Wild Goose Pagoda - Having arrived at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, I came up to a large park infront of the main entrance to the pagoda.
Drum Tower - Drum Tower is located about 200 meters west of the Bell Tower.
Forest of Stone Steles Museum - 1 The Xian Stone Tablets Museum contains the largest collection of stone tablets.
Forest of Stone Steles Museum - 2 This room also exhibits various stone steles from the Ming and Qing dynasties which describe historical events.
Mausoleum of Emperor Qin ShiHuang - The mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shihuang is located 5km east of the LinTong county - it covers an area of 57km where over 500 accessroy burial pits, tombs, and other sites related to the mausoleum have been discovered.
Shaanxi Museum of History - 1 The Shaanxi History Museum opened on June 20, 1991, and is China's first modern museum.
Shaanxi Museum of History - 2 At the entrance of the first gallery, it starts off with the earliest prehistoric age - about 1.15 million years ago up to the 21st century BC.
Shaanxi Museum of History - 3 Gallery 2 starts of with the Han Dynasty ranging the periods from 202BC to 220AD.
Small Wild Goose Pagoda - The small wild goose pagoda along with the big wild goose pagoda makeup two of the very famous landmarks in Xian.
Tang Paradise Tour - The park is modeled after ancient royal gardens so that the tourist can experience the Tang Dynasty culture, and get a glimpse into the life of royalties.
Terra Cotta Warriors - 1 At the front entrance, there's a huge statue of Emperor Qin ShiHuang.
Terra Cotta Warriors - 2 Pit #2 located just north of pit #1. Unlike pit 1, the second pit doesn't cotain a massive army, and much of what I saw lie in ruins and is still being excavated.
Terra Cotta Warriors - 3 Pit 3 was discovered in June 1976, and is located just a bit north of pit #1. This is the smallest of the three pits and covers only 520 square meters.
Xian City Walls - The city walls enclose an area of 11.5 square kilometers. The city wall itself measures 12 to 15 meters tall, 12 to 14 meters wide at the top, and 15 to 18 meters wide at the base.
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