China Things to Do Tips by hopang Top 5 Page for this destination

Lama Temple, Beijing

Lama Temple is also known as Yonghe Gong in Chinese. It is located just north-east of the Forbidden City in the heart of Beijing. This is one of the most beautiful and pleasant Buddhist temples located in the heart of the city of Beijing. If you have very limited time to visit Buddhist temples in the city, it is advisable to visit this great Tibetan Buddhist temple. Yonghe Gong has history that dates back to the early 18th century. An 18 meter tall giant Buddha is located inside the temple. Opening hours are between 9.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. daily.

Address: Yonghe Gong Taije 12, Beijing

Directions: Located just north-east of Forbidden City in the heart of Beijing.

Website: http://www.itripchina.com/beijing/beijing-lama-temple-v46/

Fubo Hill, Guilin

Fubo (Whirlpool) Hill which is also known as Wave Subduing Hill is located on the western bank of Li River northeast of the Guilin City. It is another popular tourist attraction in the city of Guilin. The hill is approximately 63 meters above ground and 210 meters above the sea level. It measures approximately 120 meters long and 60 meters wide and has a total area of approximately 0.7 hectares.

Among its popular tourist attractions are the Pearl-Returning Cave, the Sword-Testing Rock hanging from the ceiling, the Thousand Buddha Cave, the Tingtao Pavilion, the One Thousand Persons Pot and the Big Iron Clock. It has a commanding and breath-taking view of the surrounding areas and Li River from its peak.

Fubo Hill was named after General Fubo who constructed Mayuan Temple in the hill during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). Basically Fubo Hill is partly submerged in the river and partly above ground. Don't miss Fubo Hill when you are having your vacation in the city of Guilin!

Address: Northest of Guilin City

Directions: Located on the western bank of Li River northeast of Guilin City. Take bus no: 2 or 58.

Folded Brocade Hill, Guilin

Folded Brocade Hill which is also known as Diecai Hill is located on the western bank of Li River north of the city of Guilin. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city of Guilin well-known for its beautiful scenery. It has a total area of approxximately two square kilometers. At approximately 220 meters high, it is the tallest peak in the city of Guilin.

Folded Brocade Hill consists of unique looking rocks which are strangely broken horizontally. It comprises Yueshall Hill, Look-on-all-direction Hill, Crane Peak and Bright Moon Peak. Half way up the hill is the Moon Cave where Buddha images of Tang and Song Dynasties and ancient stone carvings can be found. The summit has a breath-taking view of the surrounding area and the city of Guilin.

Address: Diecai Lu, Guilin

Directions: Located on the western bank of Li River north of the city of Guilin. Take bus no: 2, 13 or 58.

Yuexiu Park, Guangzhou

Yuexiu Park is the largest park in the city of Guangzhou and is also one of the oldest parks in the city. It is located at Jiefang Bei Lu (Jiefang North Road) which is approximately one kilometer southeast of Guangzhou's main railway station. The Park is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city of Guangzhou which attracts many local and foreign tourists. It is well-known for its beautiful surroundings, natural beauty and commanding view of the city.

Yuexiu Park comprises three artificial lakes, i.e. Beixiu, Nanxiu and Dongxiu and seven small hills of Yuexiu Mountain which is also known as Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy) Mountain. Some of these hills include Yuejing, Guihua, Muke and Liyu. The park has a total area of approximately 860,000 square meters. It was constructed in 1952.

Among the popukar tourist attractions inside Yuexiu Park are the stone sculpture of the Five Rams, Zhenhai Tower (Zhenhai Lou) or Five Storey Tower, Ming Dynasty City Wall, Sun Yat-sen Monument and Square Cannon Site. The park also has an amusement park, museums, swimming pool, gymnasium and restaurants. Yuexiu Park has five main entrances, i.e. Facet, East, West, North and South Gates. Admission fee is 5.00 rmb and opening hours are between 6.00 a.m. and 9.00 p.m. daily.

Address: Jiefang North Road, Guangzhou

Directions: Located approximately 1 kilometer southeast of Guangzhou Railway Station. Metro Line 2 and stop at Facet Gate or bus no: 5, 7, 24, 29, 101 and 103.

Other Contact: Fax: 020- 8666 1950

Phone: 020- 8666 1950

Central Business District, Beijing

The Central Business District in Beijing is located on the eastern part of the city of Beijing. It occupies approximately four square kilometers of Chaoyang District. The Central Business District looks rather impressive with the construction of several new super structures over the past several years. One such new super structure is the new CCTV (China Central Television) Headquarters. It was still under construction when we were in Beijing in October 2008. It was expected to be fully completed by December, 2008.

The CCTV Headquaters is a unique shaped building with two L-shaped buildings linked at the top and was designed by Rem Koolhaas. It is said to be the second largest building construction in the world after the Pentagon in USA. The super structure has a total floor area of approximately 380,000 square meters. The building is 51 storey high and has a total height of 234 meters.

Another prominent tall skyscraper at Beijing's Central Bsiness District is the 74 storey China World Trade Center Tower 3. At 330 meters high, it is the tallest building in Beijing. Other prominent buildings include Beijing Yintai Centre, Jianwai SOHO, Jing Guang Centre, Fortune Plaza and Beijing TV Centre.

Address: Chaoyang District, Beijing

Directions: Beijing's Central Business District occupies approximately 4 square kilometers of land at Chaoyang District, on the eastern part of the city of Beijing.

Website: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=179084

Seven Star Park, Guilin

Seven Star Park is located on the east bank of Li River approximately 1½ kilometers from the center of the city of Guilin. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Guilin. It covers a total area of approximately 300 acres. Thus it is the largest park in and around Guilin. The park is also a very popular meeting place for the locals.

The park is so-called Seven Star Park due to its seven peaks, i.e. four of Putuo Hill and three of Crescent Hill. Among the main and well-known tourist attractions worth visiting at Seven Star Park are Putuo Hill, Crescent Hill, Camel Hill, Flower Bridge, Dragon Hiding Cave, Light of China Square, Seven Star Zoo, Bonsai Garden and Guihai Forest of Steles.

The Camel Hill as depicted in our photograph above is located behind Putuo Hill. It looks like a giant camel standing behind Putuo Hill. The Camel Hill is certainly one of the most photographed hills in Guilin!

Address: Seven Star Park, Guilin

Directions: Located on the east bank of Li River approximately 1½ kilometers from the centre of the city of Guilin.

Website: http://www.guilinchina.net/guilin-city/seven_star_park.htm

Tongli Ancient Town, Suzhou

Tongli Ancient Town is located on the eastern shore of Taihu Lake approximately 20 kilometers from the city of Suzhou in the Jiangsu Province. It has a total area of approximately 60 square kilometers with a population of approximately 40,000 inhabitants. Tongli Ancient Town is rich in cultural heritage with ancient architectural buildings including temples and houses and traditional gardens such as the popular Tuisi Garden.

Tongli Ancient Town was founded during the Song Dynasty with more than 1,000 years of history. Most of the present architectural buildings date back to Ming and Qing Dynasties. The Ancient Town was opened to the public only from 1986 and has since become a popular tourist attraction which attracts tourists from all over the world.

Tongli (formerly known as Fushi) is surrounded by five lakes viz Tongli, Juili, Nanxing, Pangshan and Yeze. The town has 15 rivers with 49 ancient stone bridges and seven small islands. Among the popular stone bridges are Taiping, Jili and Changqing Bridges.

Address: Tongli Ancient Town

Directions: Located on the eastern shore of Taihu Lake approximately 20 kilometers from the city of Suzhou in the Jiangsu Province.

Nanjing Road, Shanghai

Najing Road (Nanjing Lu in Chinese) is the city of Shanghai's major thoroughfare with modern shopping centres, old, new, traditional and specialty shops and upscale stores. It is one of the main shopping destinations in China and one of the busiest shopping streets in the world! It is sometime known as the Oriental Paris. It is home to approximately 600 shops and has become a world famous shoppers paradise which attracts foreign tourists and shoppers from all over the world!

It is located in the heart of the city of Shanghai from east to west between the Bund and Jing'an District. Nanjing Road stretches for approximately six kilometers. It has two sections, i.e. East Nanjing Road and West Nanjing Road. The main pedestrian street is located at East Nanjing Road. Lots of open-air bars and restaurants also line both sides of the street.

Nanjing Road has been a commercial centre for several centuries. Its history dates back to the middle of the 19th century when it was known as Park Lane. Nanjing Road has many neo-classical buildings. The streets are beautifully and brightly illuminated at night as depicted in our photographs above. Nanjing Road is a "must-visit" shopping destination if you are having a vacation in Shanghai. Don't leave the city of Shanghai without visiting Nanjing Lu!

Address: Nanjing Lu, Shanghai

Directions: Located in the heart of the city of Shanghai between the Bund and Jing'an District.

Website: http://wikitravel.org/en/Shanghai/Nanjing_Road

West Lake (XiHu), Hangzhou

West Lake (XiHu in Chinese) is located on the western part of the city of Hangzhou which is also known as the City of Heaven or the Paradise on Earth. Hangzhou was the capital of China in the 12th and 13th centuries due in large part to the existence of the West Lake which is an artifical lake. West Lake is a major landmark in Hangzhou and has been a major tourist attraction for centuries. It is surrounded by mountains and trees on three sides.

The total area of West Lake is approximately 60 square kilometers. The man-made lake itself occupies approximately 6 square kilometers. The lake has a circumsference of approximately 15 kilometers. The average depth of the lake is 2 meters with the deepest at 4 meters and the shallowest at 1 meter. There are three man-made islands in the lake and two causeways, i.e. Bai Causeway and Su Causeway and the causeways divide the lake into five sections, viz Li Lake, Yue Lake, Wai Lake, Xili Lake and Xiaonan Lake. Each one has its own beauty and charm.

Several of the popular tourist attractions at West Lake are the boat cruise along the lake, Broken Bridge and Leifeng Pagoda. Leifeng Pagoda is also known as Thunder Peak Pagoda. It is located on the eastern shore of the lake as depicted on our main photograph above. It is octagonal shaped and has five levels. The Pagoda was initially constructed in the 10th century and it collapsed in 1924 and left in ruins for quite sometime. The present pagoda is a reconstruction of the original which was completed in 2002.

The weather was not kind to us when we were at the West Lake. It was rainning and drizzling all the time, almost the entire day as you can see from our photographs above.

Address: Nanshan Lu, Hangzhou

Directions: West Lake is located on the western part of the city of Hangzhou, still in the heart of the city.

Statue of Five Rams, Guangzhou

The Statue of Five Rams is located at Yuexiu Park in the city of Guangzhou. The park covers a total area of approximately 90 hectares and is the largest park in Guangzhou. The sculpture of Five Rams was constructed in 1959. It is a symbol of Guangzhou. Legend has it that several thousand years ago five celestrial beings descended to Guangzhou riding on rams through the air. Each ram carried a sack of rice. The rams turned into stones and the people of Guangzhou were free of famine forever. Guangzhou today is also known as the City of Five Rams.

Address: Yuexiu Park, Guangzhou