Destination attractions things to do in china

Posted: 02/09/2007--25/11/2008 || Rate this Article: 3 || Views|| Sign In || Register ||Hello Guest

China is a fascinating country to visit because of the wonderful combination of modern cities, historic sites and cultural relics. It is the third-largest country in size in the world and there is so much to explore. China has a 5000-year-old history. It is an educational experience to get a glimpse into this past. The following are just a few of the interesting places to visit and things to do in China.

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China was originally created as a defensive project. It was built by the first emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, during the Qin dynasty (221-206 b.c.) but it continued to be built during the Ming dynasty. The wall is made of masonry, packed earth and rocks and goes across mountains, plateaus, grasslands and deserts approximately 4163 miles from east to west of China. Rival kingdoms built walls around their territories. In 221 b.c., the first emperor unified the country and the walls were linked up and new ones added. Each new dynasty increased the length and height of the wall. The section closest to Beijing is called Badaling and this is a popular tourist attraction. Near Badaling there is also a Museum of Chinese History and the Great Wall Circle Vision Theater, a 360 degree amphitheater which shows a short film on the wall's history. Another popular section of the wall is called the Jiankou Great Wall which is about 73 kilometers north of Beijing. Here one can enjoy the view from several observation towers.

The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City, located in Beijing, is now known as the Palace Museum. It was constructed in 1420 a.d. It was a city within a city for the emperor, his family, servants, concubines and eunuchs. Twenty-four emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) lived here. A deep moat surrounded the complex and provided privacy. The Palace Museum has rare and valuable objects on display.

The Summer Palace

The Summer Palace is located six miles northwest of Beijing. It is an excellent place to see beautiful imperial gardens. The Palace was the imperial family's summer escape from the Forbidden City. Visitors should see The Long Gallery, a covered walkway which is decorated with beautiful paintings including mythical scenes. Other attractions include the Marble Boat (a boat which is made of wood and painted white), the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity where the emperors conducted state affairs and the Hall of the Sea of Wisdom.

The Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven, located in the southern part of Beijing, was where the emperors worshipped heaven and prayed for good harvests. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is interesting to see since it was built without nails, cement or beams. Wooden brackets and pillars hold it up. Blue, yellow and green tiles on the roof represent heaven, earth and the mortal world.

Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square is the largest public square in the world. Tiananmen Gate, which is to the north of the square, leads into the Forbidden City. At the center of the square is an obelisk called the Monument to the People's Heroes. At the base of the monument are carvings which illustrate major revolutionary events.

Shopping in Beijing and Shanghai

It's fun to bring back souvenirs from a trip. One can enjoy shopping in Beijing, along Wangfujing Street, which is located to the east of Tiananmen Square. Liuliching Street is a good place to do some shopping for rare books and paintings in Beijing. At the Panjiayuan Weekend Culture Market, located at the southeast corner of the Third Ring Road, one will find antiques, pottery, Tibetan handicrafts and much more. It is the best place to search for bargains.

In Shanghai, visit the pedestrian-only Nanjing Road which has about 600 shops. Curio Street on Dongtai Road has ceramics, jade, bronze items, wood articles and writing brushes. Yuyuan Market is a bazaar of stores which sells Chinese medicine, fans, pottery, food delicacies such as dumplings, cold rice noodles and much more. Note that not all the stores take credit cards.

Dining in China

Everyone has to eat. Be sure to try some specialties such as Peking Duck and Hot pot. Peking duck is a roast duck served with pancakes and plum sauce. Hot pot is a pot of boiling water which is brought to the table along with raw meat and vegetables. The diners basically add the raw ingredients to the pot at their table to cook their own food.

Looking out over China

To see a great view of China, visit the Gaocheng observatory, which is located 4 miles southeast of Dengfeng. To get a great view of Shanghai, go to the Oriental Pearl TV Tower in Pudong. This is the tallest tower in Asia. The tower also has a hotel and restaurant.

The Jinmao Building in Pudong is the tallest building in China. On the 88th floor is a viewing platform where one can see terrific views of Shanghai. Inside one can visit restaurants, food halls and The Shanghai Grand Hyatt Hotel.

Shanghai Museum

The Shanghai Museum, located in People's Square in the Huangpu District, has eleven galleries displaying coins, jade ceramics, paintings, calligraphy, sculptures, seals, numismatics, furniture, arts and crafts and a bronze collection. At this museum, there are live demonstrations of ancient pottery techniques. There is also a restaurant library. tea room and three exhibition halls.

Shanghai Center Theatre and Shanghai Grand Theatre

Be sure to visit the Shanghai Center Theatre where one can see the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe perform juggling, chair-stacking, plate spinning, and other unusual activities. Visit the Shanghai Grand Theatre to see opera, concerts and ballet.

Ancient Temples

There are many ancient temples still in existence in China. Step inside these temples and experience a sense of peace. Visit The Jade Buddha Temple in downtown Shanghai and see the Buddhas. There is a 6 foot tall seated jade Buddha which was carved from a single piece of jade by a monk in Burma. There is also a recumbent Buddha which is 96 centimeters long.

The Five Pagoda Temple in Beijing is an Indian-style temple constructed in 1473.

The Great Bell Temple houses the largest bell in China constructed in 1406. The bell has Buddhist scripture engravings on it.

The Guangji Temple is one of the major Buddhist temples and is also the headquarters of the Chinese Buddhist Association.

The Jietai Temple, located 22 miles west of Beijing, was built in 622 a.d. When visiting this temple, look at the ancient trees such as the Chinese scholar tree which is 1000 years old and the nine flying dragons tree.

The Longua Temple in Shanghai is the oldest and largest temple built during the Song dynasty. Here there are Buddhist scriptures and statues from the Tang, Ming and Qing dynasties. In front of the Longua Temple is the Longua Pagoda which was built in 249 a.d.

Yangtze River, Li River and Huangpu River Cruises

Take a relaxing cruise on the Yangtze River, China's longest tiver. This river has inspired literature, art and folklore. See the Three Gorges Dam which is the largest water engineering project. Take another cruise along the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo. You will see the Kaarsts, which are limestone mountains which form various shapes. Some of these mountains are: crown rock, jade lotus peak and snow lion peak. On this cruise, one would also see the Elephant Trunk Hill which resembles an elephant sucking water from the river with its trunk. At the top of the hill is the Longevity Buddha Pagoda. Another cruise that one can take is the Huangpu River cruise which provides a great view of Shanghai.

The Terracotta Warriors

In Xian, see the Museum of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses which is located near the Mausoleum of the first Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Here there is an amazing army of lifelike warriors, horses and chariots. These were made in the third century b.c. and were uncovered by local peasants in 1974.

Lhasa, Tibet

Visit Lhasa in Tibet. This is the world's highest city which also used to be the home of the Dali Llama. Also in Tibet is Jokang, the holiest Buddhist Temple and the Barkor market, which is a good place to go shopping.

The Silk Road

The Silk Road was in 200 AD the link between the East and the West from Rome to Beijing. The route starts in Luoyang and X'ian, reaches the Yellow River at Lanzhou and then goes westward. It continues along deserts and mountains before it divides among three routes at Dunhuang. The travelers in ancient times left behind relics and historical records. The best time to travel along this road is in May or October.

Activities for Children

Children will enjoy a visit to Children's Park in Harbin, capital park of the Hailongjiang province. In this park, children can ride a miniature railroad. In Beijing, children will enjoy the Beijing Zoo, which has over 7000 animals including: giant pandas, Manchurian tigers, yaks from Tibet and sea turtles. The whole family will enjoy the Beijing aquarium. Other fun activities include: go-karting, horseback riding, ice skating, kite flying, watching puppet shows, bowling, biking and camel rides. Take the children to Ocean Park and Water World on Hong Kong Island. Ocean Park is an amusement park and Water World is an aqua park with swimming pools and slides. The Honey Lake China Amusement Park, which is located four miles east of Shenzhen, has a roller coaster, Ferris wheel, water rides and more.

Places to Learn About Chinese Culture

In Shenzhen, visit the China Folk Culture Village which has 24 recreations of Chinese villages. Here one can make ethnic handicrafts and take part in traditional singing and dancing. Enjoy the selection of different varieties of food from all over China. There is also a musical stage show and parade.

Splendid China has miniature versions of over 100 major tourist attractions in China. In the Comprehensive Service Area of Splendid China, one can also taste delicacies from different parts of China.

Windows of the World has miniature replicas of 118 scenic spots including: the Grand Canyon, Taj Mahal, L'Arc de Triomphe, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and more. On International Street, one can taste the food of various countries including: France, Italy, Russia, Japan, Thailand and Australia.

Visit the Chinese tea museum in Longjing Village in Hangzhou to learn all about the history of tea and also to taste a sample brew.

Mansion, Temple and Cemetery of Confucius in Qufu

Visit Qufu in Shandong Province to see the Mansion, Temple and Cemetery of Confucius. In the Confucius forest there are 100,000 graves of the descendants of Confucius as well as the grave of Confucius. There are 20,000 beautiful trees. The Mansion was the living quarters of the first grandson of Confucius. Inside the Confucius temple is the Forest of Steles. Steles are slabs which contain calligraphic writing from the Qing and Tang dynasties.

Scenic Attractions

There are several beautiful gardens to visit in China. One example is the Plum Garden in Wuxi. This was originally the private garden of a Qing official. There are beautiful plum, peach and cherry trees here.

Some of the mountains in China are considered to be sacred and are worth visiting. One of these, Mt. Tai Shan in Shandong province has over 20 historical sites to see and thousands of ancient remains. Take a cable car or helicopter to see the waterfall which pours over the cliff into The Black Dragon Pool. The mountain Heng Shan Bei in Shanxi Province has a Mid Air Temple. Taoists, Buddhists and Confucians worshipped there. Other sacred mountains to visit include: Pu Tuo Shan in Zheinjiang province, Wu Tai Shan in Shanxi province, Emei han in Sichuan province and Jiu Hua Shan in Anhui province.

The Yellow Mountain, Mt Huangshan, in the southern part of the Anhui province it is one of China's most beautiful mountains. It is not considered a sacred mountain. This mountain is a popular hiking destination. The mountain has many flowering plants and over 300 kinds of medicinal herbs.

The Grottoes

Finally, visitors to China should visit the grottoes. The Mogao Grottoes are located twenty-five kilometers southwest of Dunhuang City in Gansu Province. These grottoes are also called the Thousand Buddha Caves. There are 492 caves set in the cliff wall of the Singing Sand Mountain and there are approximately 2415 sculptured figures. The paintings and murals here were made 1600 years ago and provide good examples of Buddhist culture. There are other grottoes in China which include the Longmen and Yunsang Grottoes which also have Buddhist statues.

Da Zu Stone carvings

There are interesting stone carvings in Da Zu in Chongqing. A Buddhist monk and his followers spent 70 years engraving Buddhist images into rocks here. There are about 100,000 pieces from the Tang and song dynasties. There is also a 31 meter long sleeping Buddha who has a smile on his face.

The 2008 Summer Olympics

China will be hosting the 2008 Summer Olympics. This would be a great time to visit and see badminton, artistic gymnastics, table tennis, fencing, wrestling, and many other events.

There are so many things to do in China. Pick up a travel guidebook which will detail the many attractions that exist in some of the other Chinese cities.