Another tour arranged by Alex Lee
This page will be updated when more informaion are available-please come back
China Tour April 2012
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Day 1 - Guangzhou
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, situated on the southern slope of Yuexiu Hill, was constructed between 1929 and 1931, a monument to Dr Sun Yat-sen, the forerunner of Chinese democratic revolution, by the people of Guangzhou and overseas Chinese.
The hall, a grand octagon building of typical Chinese architectural style, looks brand new because of reconstruction in 1998. The masterpiece of architecture history is created with a span of 71 meters (about 78 yards) without a pillar but significant outlooks and delicate interior designs. As an important place for conferences and performances, it can hold thousands of people with sound equipment. In the hall there is also a display gallery showing pictures and letters of Sun Yat-sen.
The oldest ceiba in Guangzhou City grows in the hall, like a centuries-old man, witnessing great changes of this city; besides, you can also have a chance to see the two biggest white jade orchid trees of Guangzhou.
A bronze statue of Sun Yat-sen was set up in 1956 in front of the memorial hall. Stepping on the monument by a steel spiral staircase, you are presented with a panoramic view of the memorial hall.
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall will refresh you after visiting the bustling commercial metropolis and provide you with a moment to touch this great man in Chinese history.
History of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen
The original name of Sun Yat-sen was Sun Wen (孫文) and his genealogical name was Sun Deming (孫德明) As a child, his "milk name" was Dixiang (帝象) The courtesy name of Sun Yat-sen was Zaizhi (載之), and his baptized name was Rixin (日新). While at school in Hong Kong he got the name Yat Sen (逸仙; Hanyu pinyin: Yìxiān). Sun Zhongshan (孫中山), the most popular of his Chinese names, came from Nakayama (中山樵), a form of the Japanese name given to him by Miyazaki Touten
Day 2 Zhangjiajie 张家界Hunan
Zhangjiajie 张家界
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zhangjiajie 张家界 is a prefecture-level city in the northwestern part of Hunan province in China. It comprises the district of Yongding (永定) and counties of Cili (慈利) and Sangzhi (桑植). Within it is located Wulingyuan Scenic Area which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.
Zhangjiajie: A Celebration of Nature
Yellow Stone mountain
Will also visit Yellow Stone Mountain, which is the biggest observation platform in the area with an elevation of 1,080 m and an area of 16.5 hectares. There is a local saying that one cannot claim to have visited Zhangjiajie without reaching Yellow Stone Mountain.
Golden Whip Stream
Located in the east of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, named after the 380-meter high Golden Whip Rock, Golden Whip Stream meanders 15 Li. Flowing from Laomo Gully first to Confluence of Four Rivers then to Suoxi Stream, it finally joins Li river, one of the four rivers in Hunan Province. It flows between steep grotesque peaks and luxuriant trees. Here, the meandering streams, the crystal-clear waterfalls, exotic plants and rare animals co-exist and constitute the extraordinarily beautiful, tranquil and natural ecological environment. No wonder it is called "the most beautiful valley in the world" and "the most poetic stream". The major scenic spots include Rock of Welcoming Guests, Golden Whip Rock, Reunion Rock and the Purple Grass Pond.
Golden Whip Stream (Jinbian Stream) is famous for its pristine water, its verdant mountains, its steep cliffs and its serene valley. As a veritable “paradise” for plants, its pathways are adorned by an abundance of flowers, trees, and grasses. And it is also a kingdom of animals. Golden Whip Stream is named after Golden Whip Crag, its landmark spot, and runs from Laomo Bay to Shui Rao Si Men(water-surrounded gates).
Baofeng Lake宝峰湖
Day 3 - Zhangjiajie 张家界
--Bailong Elevator/Tianzi mountain/Ten Miles Paiting Galary
Bailong Elevator
Tianzi 天子山
Tianzi Mountain (天子山) is located in Zhangjiajie in the Hunan Province of China, close to the Suoxi Valley. It is named after the farmer Xiang Dakun of the Tujia ethnic group, who led a successful local farmers' revolt and called himself "tianzi". This means "son of heaven" and is the traditional epithet of the Chinese emperor.
Ten Miles Painting Gallery (十里画廊) @ Zhangjiajie (张家界), Hunan, China
Day 4 - Zhangjiajie 张家界
Tianmen Mountain天門山
Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain 天門山 通天大道 超凡橋
Day 5
Sailing through the Yangtze River is a very exciting trip. You can witness the magnificant engineering work of China which makes the building of the three Gorges become one of the wonder of the world like the Great Wall of China.
A number of ancient historical sites were covered with water now because of the high water level for the dam but some of them were brought to a higher level for preservation.
However better water transportaion along the river and more electricity power supply make it justified for such construction.
The three day cruise starts from Yichang and sails upstream through the three Gorges and arrive at Chongqing.
Yangtze River
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Three Gorges Dam 長江三峽大壩 is a hydroelectric dam that spans the Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, located in the Yiling District of Yichang, in Hubei province, China. The Three Gorges Dam is the world’s largest power station in terms of installed capacity (20,300 MW) but is second to Itaipu Dam with regards to the generation of electricity annually.
More images of the dam
Day 6
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shennong Stream , Shennong Xi) is a left tributary of the Yangtze River, located in the Hubei Province of central China. Fed by tributaries some of which come from the Shennongjia Forestry District, the stream flows south, falling into the Yangtze opposite the city of Badong.
Originally the Shennong Stream watercourse consisted of a wild river traversing a tortuous alignment flanked by almost vertical limestone cliffs; however, since the beginning of the construction of the Three Gorges Dam downstream on the Yangtze, the water level has risen approximately 155 meters at the mouth of Shen Nong Stream.(Jin, 2006) The lower reaches of the Shen Nong Stream are presently a torpidly flowing river, most of whose previously scenic vertical gorge is now submerged. By the completion of the dam construction in 2009, a further 20 meters of gorge will be inundated. Shen Nong Stream is also known by its Chinese name of "Shen Nong Xi".
Shennong 神農- practice Chinese Medicinea Chinese
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hanging coffins are
coffins which have been placed on cliffs. They can be found in various locations, including
China,
Indonesia, and the
Philippines. In China, they are known as Xuanguan
悬棺;
懸棺; which also means "hanging coffin".
Hanging coffins are an ancient funeral custom of some minority groups, especially the Bo people of southern China. Coffins of various shapes were mostly carved from one whole piece of wood. Hanging coffins either lie on beams projecting outward from vertical faces such as mountains, are placed in caves in the face of cliffs, or sit on natural rock projections on mountain faces.
It was said that the hanging coffins could prevent bodies from being taken by beasts and also bless the soul eternally.
Wu 巫峡Gorge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wu Gorge sometimes called Great Gorge 大峡 is the second gorge of the Three Gorges system on the Yangtze River, People's Republic of China. Formed by the Wu River, it stretches 45 kilometres (28 mi) from Wushan to Guandukou, and is located downstream of Qutang Gorge and upstream of Xiling Gorge. The gorge straddles the boundary between Wushan County of Chongqing Municipality (formerly part of Sichuan Province) and Badong County, Hubei Province.
The Gorge has been known as the Wu Gorge since at least the Three Kingdoms Period, when it was recorded in the geographical treatise Shui Jing Zhu. In 589 AD, General Lü Zhongsu of the Chen Dynasty stationed troops in the Wu and Xiling Gorges in an attempt to stop the advancing Sui Dynasty armies. Tang Dynasty poet Yang Jiong wrote a classical poem entitled "Passing Wu Gorge" (Chinese: 過巫峽).
The mountains on both sides of the Yangtze, through which the river cuts the Wu Gorge, are known as the Wu Mountains (巫山, Wū Shān).
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Qutang Gorge is the shortest and most spectacular of China's Three Gorges.
Immediately downstream of the ancient village Baidicheng (白帝城) the Yangtze River passes between the Chijia Mountain (赤甲山) on the north and the Baiyan Mountain (白盐山) on the south. The point where the river passes between these mountains is called the Kuimen Gate (夔门) and it is the entrance to the Qutang Gorge - the first of the three Yangtze gorges. The Qutang Gorge is only 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) long, but it is also the narrowest of the Three Gorges. The widest point measures only 150 metres (500 ft) wide. The mountains on either side reach as high as 1,200 metres (4,000 ft). This combination of narrow canyons among high mountains with several switchbacks in only 8 kilometres creates spectacular vistas, and the Qutang Gorge is often considered the most beautiful of all the Three Gorges.
The coordinate of Qutang Gorge is 31.033826 north, 109.540160 east. Administratively, the location is in Fengjie County of the Chongqing Municipality.
Qutang Gorge, which is like a lock, is famous for its steep majestic cliffs on both banks of the narrow stretch of water. It is the most dangerous and shortest of the three gorges on the Yangtze River. It starts at the White Emperor City of Fengjie in the West and ends at Daxi Town in Wushan County in the east, stretching for eight kilometers
Day 9 Chongqing
Located in the west of Chongqing City, Chongqing Zoo was built in 1955, and covers an area of 45 hectares. It is one of China's Mid-scale zoos, and is set amid ...
Kunming 昆明, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan (云南) Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou (云南府, Yúnnánfǔ) until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government. It is also home to several universities, museums, galleries and other important economic, cultural, and educational institutions. The headquarters of many of Yunnan's large businesses are in Kunming as well. It was important during World War II as a Chinese military center, American air base, and transport terminus for the Burma Road. Located in the middle of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, Kunming is located at an altitude of 1,900 m above sea level and at a latitude just north of the Tropic of Cancer. It covers an area of 21,473 square kilometres (8,291 sq mi) and its urban area covers 2,081 km². Kunming has population of 6,432,212 including 3,055,000 in the urban area and is located at the northern edge of the large Lake Dian, surrounded by temples and lake-and-limestone hill landscapes.
Stone forest
Jiuxiang Cave
Jiuxiang Scenic Spot is 20 sq km in area and includes 5 tourist attractions, Diehong Bridge (5 km southeast from Jiuxiang Street, famous for the karst caves, the twin waterfalls and the huge natural stone dam cluster), Dasha Dam (consisting of picturesque karst caves and thick forest), Sanjiao Cave (5 km north of Jiuxiang Street, famous for the karst caves), Alu Long [a scenic area 6 km west of Jiuxiang Street, famous for the excavated Yi Nationality cliff paintings of Qin 221BC-206BC) and Han (206BC-220AD) dynasties] and Mingyue (meaning the bright moon) Lake.
Jiuxiang is known as the "museum of karst caves", which boasts its caves as the largest in scale and number (there are about a hundred karst caves) and has the most wonderful in-cave scenes in China. The caves in Jiuxiang fall into 4 cave clusters: Sanjiao Cave, Dashang Cave, Diehong Cave and Dasha Dam Cave. 66 out of the numerous caves in the area are profitably exploitable and the karst cave cluster is the largest of its kind on Yunnan-Guizhou plateau. The caves in the area are praised for their grandeur, wonder grotesquerie and natural beauty.
Karst: A landform comprised of sinkholes, sinking streams, cave passageways or underground watercourses, and spring resurgences, usually occurring in a soluble rock such as limestone or gypsum.
Day 11 and Day 12 Dali
Dali City ; is a county-level city in and the seat of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, northwestern Yunnan province of Southwest China.
Lijiang 丽江市 is a
prefecture-level city in the northwest of
Yunnan Province,
China. It has an area of 21,219 square kilometres (8,193 sq mi) and a population of 1,244,7690 as of 2010 census.
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