Cherry blossom in Taihu lake.. Wuxi.. Excellent picturesque!!

Taihu Lake is located in the boundary of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. Most of Taihu Lake Scenic Areas is located in south of Jiangsu Province, in the crossing Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou cities.

The scenic areas available for tourists are mainly concentrated in the Western Hills Scenic Area and the Eastern Hills Scenic Area in Suzhou, and Tortoise Head Garden in Wuxi. Taihu Lake is the largest lake in the area of eastern coast line of China, as well as the second biggest fresh water lake. Taihu Lake area now has developed into the famous scenic spot in China.

Taihu Lake is well-known for its beautiful scenery, which is represented by Tortoise Head Garden in Wuxi.
Taihu Lake is one of the first batches of 12 State-level tourism & resort districts approved by State Department, as well as one of the first batches of the demonstration district of tourism industry of WTO level. Some 90 islets, large or small, plus the presence of many fleets of fishing junk boats add to its landscape, making it a remarkable spectacle.

T

he lake has its credit a thriving fishing industry as well as its ornamental limestone rocks that are native to no other place. These are much favored as accessories used in decorating traditional Chinese gardens in China.

Out of all the other islets, Turtle Head Islet is the place which is the most worth visiting.

Radhanagar Beach in Andaman & Nicobar, India : THE BEST !!

Radhanagar Beach lies on the south coast of Havelock Island. It is about 12 kilometers from the Islands ferry pier. Radhanagar is a Grade A beach of outstanding quality. This beach is also rated as one of the best beaches in Asia by TIME Magazine. It has an overall length of two kilometers and an average width of 30 to 40 meters. The sand is white and very fine in grain. The beach has a gentle gradient of around 1:20 and continues out into the sea as a sandy bottom for over 100 meters.

Radhanagar on the Havelock Island in the Andamans has featured among the top 10 in TripAdvisor’s ‘World’s Travellers’ Choice Award-Winning Beaches’.

The Radhanagar beach has secured No 8 position in the world and first spot in Asia. TripAdvisor has honoured 343 beaches, including the top 25 in the world and local lists for Africa, Asia, Australia, Caribbean, Central America, Europe, South America, the South Pacific, the UK and the US Award..

Awesome winter morning in Changde… Hunnan…!!

Changde is home to several tourist attractions. A few of them are located within the city but the most important of them are in the counties outside the city. Inside the city tourist areas include Liuye Lake, Taiyang Mountain, Changde Poetry Wall, and Walking street. Liuye Lake is now a national AAA tourism area with facilities for local, national, and international sporting events such as the 8th Asian Rowing Championship. The lake is an important recreation area for the city.^[37]

Outside the city in Taoyuan county is the 

famous Taohuayuan (桃花源) or “Peach Blossom Spring” in English, named after the fable by Tao Yuanming. The area is famous for its plentiful peach blossoms and natural scenery.

Awesome Peking University campus..

Recently I visited peking University and to my surprise it looks as beautiful as ever, when I last visited in 2013.

Its enchanting, ever marvellous and with autumn and winter its turning into a lovely place to visit. 

Wish I was a student again… Student life is the best part of one’s life.. 

Why I always miss one of the loveliest autumns of Liaoning? ……..

Liaoning (辽宁; Liáoníng) is a province in the North East of China. To the west lies Hebei Province and Beijing, to the north is Inner Mongolia, in the north east the province borders with Jilin and the south east, along the Yalu River, is the border with North Korea. The South of the Province forms a peninsula jutting out into the Bohai Sea. This is one of the most interesting places in Asia, a unique fusion of many different culture heritages. The most dominating culture is however the Manchurian in the countryside and Han in the big cities. Also the Korean, Japanese and Russian cultures establish themselves firmly in the mix.

Colorful, wonderful and playful autumn.. Of course with holidays!!

Autumn in China is by far the best time to be here. The temperatures throughout the country are milder without the extremes you can experience in winter and summer, and without the wetn ess you’ll experience in the spring. While the days are getting shorter, you can have warmish daytime weather right into November in the north and central parts of China and in the south, you’ll find it can still be quite warm.

Excellent Xiamen and it’s cool night life…

Xiamen is a coastal city in Fujian Province in China. It has been an important port for centuries and became one of China’s earliest Special Economic Zones in the 1980s. The name Xiamen means “door to the house”, referring to the city’s centuries-old role as a gateway to China.

It is not Taipei or Hong Kong, but compared to most other cities in the region, Xiamen is definitely a very vibrant, affluent and modern place. It got an international award in a contest for most livable cities in 2002; neighboring Quanzhou won the following year.

The most important tourist area is GulangyuIsland, a small island which contains some beautiful colonial buildings and is car free.

You can enjoy Xiamen’s unique scenery not only in the day but also in the night. Take a breather and walk beside Yundang Lake in the evening and you can see how Xiamen transforms into a different setting: lighted artistic sculptures, scent of the sea, and romantic lovers by the lake. Enjoy your stroll and notice that some buildings even have a light show at night, simple laser/light shows that attract attention, which is some form of an advertisement mostly done by newly opened commercial buildings and some residential complexes to draw attention to their business.

• Zhongshan Road Pedestrian Street (中山路步行街), off Liujiang Road near the Gulangyu ferry terminal. See the yearly facelifts and notice that older buildings are becoming extinct and being replaced by modern ones.  edit

• Night markets (夜市). See how smaller businesses trade in the night.  edit

• Yundang Lake (筼筜湖), (from Hubin bus station, turn left, then turn left on Bailuzhou Road). See how the egrets flock in the day and fly home in the night.  edit

• Bailuzhou Park (白鹭洲公园). A large and beautiful park. Go around 8:30PM and enjoy the vendors, music, and dancing.  edit

• Xiamen University (厦门大学). Beautiful campus with old traditional buildings and a tranquil lake outside the foreign language department. Nowadays the University is open for anyone, some registration may needed on peak holidays. To avoid long registration procedure, you may enter the university from three smaller gates which are across the Baicheng beach.  edit

• Jiageng Park (嘉庚公园). A beautiful park in memory of Tan Kah Kee (Chen Jiageng), founder of Xiamen University.  edit

• Nanputuo Temple (南普陀寺). A big Buddhist temple outside Xiamen University at Xiada (short for Xiamen University) Street. Visitors can climb the mountain behind the temple for beautiful views of Xiamen and surrounding nature. The mountain is also littered with small enclaves with hundreds of Buddhist statuettes. Entrance to the temples is ¥3, but you can walk around the lotus pond and eat in the vegetarian restaurant on the east end without paying admission.  edit

• Music Square (音乐广场). A park-like area along the boardwalk with sculptures of/about many famous composers and musicians, both Western and Chinese. Look for the public toilets with the musical notes on the wall, or a large red sculpture that looks somewhat like an open fan.  edit

• Xiamen Shinegood Culture Gallery (厦门文化馆). It is located in the Culture Exhibition Centre near the beach and a yacht dock. It is the biggest private gallery in China with the main theme being ancient jade. Hundreds of ancient jade objects are not only historically valuable but also pleasant for an eye. Open the door of history, enter the ancient times and afterwards enjoy yourself admiring the picturesque scenery surrounding the museum.  edit

• Hulishan Fortress (湖里的堡垒, Hulishan Canon Platform), (on the south-eastern headland of Xiamen and near Xiamen University). Built in 1894 it is a relic of the Westernization Movement. The architectural of the canon platform is in a Ming and Qing dynasty style. On the front of the platform there are “Wanggui platform” and “Pangui platform”, on which you can see the Dadan and Xiaodan islands through a telescope. In the yard of canon platform there is a gorgeous wall sculpture named “the Soul of Nation”, and a water fountain from the left side of the wall. Entrance is ¥25.  edit

• Water Garden Expo Park (水花园世博园). Water Garden Expo Park has a planning area of about 6.76 square kilometers (land area of 3.03 square kilometers), which consists of five exhibition park islands, four ecological landscapes islands and two peninsulas, including the main pavilion, Chinese Education Park, Marine Culture Island, Spa Island and other functional areas and related facilities.  edit

• Sunlight Rock (日光岩). Chinese say the 92.7m high Sunlight Rock, known as Dragon Head Hill by Chinese and Camel Rock by foreigners, faces Tiger Head Hill across the bay on Xiamen Island, and that the dragon and tiger team up to guard Xiamen Harbor’s entrance.  edit

• Gulangyu（鼓浪屿） A visit to Xiamen would not be complete without setting foot on Gulangyu, the island just across the harbour. A walk around, especially on tourist infested days is exciting. All sorts of food vendors, handicraft hawkers, and cute little cafes and restaurants beckon. To sum up, Gulangyu may just represent what a Chinese version of a Bohemian-like enclave can be. Lots and lots of colourful portrait artists in every nook and corner. A day’s trip is just fine. Unless you are really into a spell of peace and quiet, the island may be a little boring once the sun sets except maybe you are into seafood dining and the upmarket cafes and restaurant for drinks. Not cheap though. Gulangyu business people cater for tourists and tourists only. All in all, don’t miss visiting this relaxing, quiet and yes “European themed” old buildings island. The Chinese tourists flock all over just for this trip down nostalgia lane.
• Shapowei (沙坡尾). The gritty Shapowei sheltered dock area, just a short taxi ride away from Zhongshan Rd, is in the process of being rejuvenated. Several hip cafes have opened in the past few years, and there’s even a new Shapowei Art Zone located inside an old fish processing factory. The area’s still not very well known, even among locals, so go there now before it’s completely gentrified.  edit

Splendid Huangshan mountains… Great view

Huangshan is a mountain range in southern Anhui province in eastern China. Vegetation on the range is thickest below 1,100 meters (3,600 ft), with trees growing up to the treeline at 1,800 meters (5,900 ft)

Having at least 140 sections open to visitors, Huangshan is a major tourist destination in China.

Huangshan Citychanged its name from Tunxi in 1987 in order to promote Huangshan tourism.

 In 2007, for instance, more than 1.5 million tourists visited the mountain.

The foot of the mountain is linked by rail and by air to Shanghai,and also is accessible from cities such as Hangzhou and Wuhu.

As of 1990, there were more than 50 kilometers of footpaths providing access to scenic areas for visitors and staffers of the facilities.

 Today there are also cable cars that tourists may use to ride directly from the base to one of the summits.

 Throughout the area there are hotels and guest houses that accommodate overnight visitors,many of whom hike up the mountains, spend the night at one of the peaks to view the sunrise, and then descend by a different route the next day.

The area is classified as a AAAAA scenic area by the China National Tourism Administration.

Winsome Wuxi!!

Wuxi is in the south of Jiangsu Province, approximately half way between the cities of Shanghai and Nanjing, the former 128 km (80 mi) to its east, the latter 183 km (113 mi) to its west. Along with nearby city Suzhou, Wuxi is a popular travel destination for visitors to Shanghai and being less than an hour away by train, busy weekend retreat area for locals in the area. In its south is Lake Taihu and its northern border is the Yangtse River.

With rich natural and cultural heritage, Wuxi is one of the top ten tourist cities in China. The typical features of the area is that of the regions of rivers and lakes. Wuxi occupies the most scenic part of Lake Taihu and enjoys the beautiful scenery. Theme parks like the Tang City, the Three Kingdoms City, the Water Margin City which feature daily live shows are new tourist attractions. The 88-meter tall bronze Buddha statue (Linshan Dafuo) and the holiday resorts add more appeal to the visitors.

• Garden of Ecstasy (Ji Chang Yuan) one of the leading gardens in SE China and Emperor Qianlong, who made seven visits, had a copy made of the garden at the Summer Palace in Beijing.
• Grand Buddha at Lingshan (灵山大佛) – One of China’s largest Buddha statues at over 80m tall. The whole Lingshan area is a tourist attraction, with a musical fountain which plays out the story of the birth of the Buddha, as well as the Brahma palace (梵宫), a very grand palace with the pillars made of sandalwood, built to host the 2009 Buddhist conference.
• Taihu (太湖) – A very large lake with many scenic spots, famous for its fish and freshwater pearls.
• Donglin Academy (东林书院). Kept by the stone arch, with pool, Dong Lin monastery, Lize Hall, by Yong Tang, Oscillation Temple, three Temple, things promenade, to re-vegetarian, Road South Temple, Donglin Temple and other major construction work report, remain Ming and Qing Dynasty style layout shape and history. There are relegated name associated Gu Xian: “Reading the wind rain and the sound of ears; family affairs world are concerned about everything.”  edit
• Wuxi Zoo (无锡动物园) This is a combination zoo and amusement park, and can get crowded on the weekends.
  

  

  

  

Xiamen cuisine and its mouth watering delicacies

Xiamen cuisine is the main representative of Fujian cuisine which is famous throughout China. Besides local dishes, food of other parts of the country also can be found here, making this city a good destination for gastronomes. Being fresh, light, crispy and slightly spicy in taste, Xiamen cuisine is characterized by the following dishes:

Seafood is famous for its extreme freshness. The location of Xiamen on the southeast coast of China provides it with abundant sea products. Dating from the Qing Dynasty, the seafood locally is always a traditional delicacy make from fresh local fish, prawns, crabs and more, with the flavor depending on the various seasonings.

Herbal Meal has a long history in China and is celebrated at the Lujiang Restaurant in Xiamen. Here, the herbal meal is delicately made according to the seasons and the various effects of the herbs. It is delicious in flavor and very nourishing.

Vegetable Dishes in the Nanputuo Temple are made of vegetable oil, flour, beans, vegetables and fruits. In accordance with the disciplines of the traditional Buddhist diet, the vegetable dishes made here mainly depict the Buddhist ideas and topics, attracting many tourists from both home and abroad.

Local snacks should not be missed during your trip as they are great in variety and reasonably priced.  Snacks have distinct flavors and some of them are listed below:

Tu Sun Dong is made from a sea product called ‘Xing Chong’ and is eaten with the seasonings including sauce, vinegar, chili, catsup, mustard and garlic. It is now becoming one of the most important cold dishes in any banquets.

Peanut Soup is simply made from peanuts but with very complicated production process. It has a sugary flavor and is best eaten with some dim sum dishes such as deep-fried twisted dough sticks, steamed stuffed buns and similar. Many believe the best Peanut Soup is served at Huangzehe Restaurant in Zhongshang Road.

Spring Roll is a fried rolled pancake filled with slices of various vegetables, meats and seafood. The local people like to have Spring Rolls as traditional snacks during festivals.

There are plenty of snacks that are not only well-known but also truly delicious including the Xiamen Pie, Oyster Pancake, Rice Dumplings and Shacha Noodles.