Yambajan

Posted on January 12, 2012 by admin

Tibet boasts the most hot springs in China. Yambajan, world-famous for its spectacular phenomenon of hot springs boiling on the cold plateau, features all kinds of hot springs including highest-temperature hot springs, boiling springs and geysers as well as common hot springs, the area of which totals more than 7,000 square meters.

There are many hydrothermal wells distributed in the Yambajan hydrothermal area for generating electricity. And the Yambajan Hydrothermal Power Plant, jointly developed and constructed by China and the United Nations and completed in 1977, is currently the biggest hydrothermal power plant in China. The hydrothermal energy in the hydrothermal wells, transported by the pipeline, propels the turbines in the hydrothermal power plant to generate cheap and environmental electricity for Lhasa and the areas nearby.

The early morning in Yambajan is the most beautiful. In the cold morning, the hydrothermal fields are always suffused with white haze and the lake surface is always covered with great steam agglomerations, which is really fascinating and makes Yambajan a wonderland. If you are lucky enough, you may have a chance to witness the fantastic and splendid scene: the boiling water is erupting to the sky from the mouth of hot spring.

The hot spring in Yambajan, which contains high content of sulfureted hydrogen, is therapeutic to many chronic diseases. The bathing place is an open-air swimming pool. The hot spring, the temperature of which is too high, needs to be cooled in two open-air cisterns before it is available for bathing. With the snow-capped mountains in the distance, it is really an enjoyment to have a hot-spring bath in the swimming pool. Especially in winter, it is very pleasant and romantic to enjoy the heavy snowfall by bathing in the hot spring.

Features
Surrounded by the glaciers, lush primeval forest and snow-capped mountains, Yambajan is located in a basin covered with verdurous meadow and beautiful flowers, endowed with picturesque scenery. Driving down the windy and snowy Nyainqentanglha Mountains and near the entrance of the basin, you will feel heat puffing right on your face, warm and comfortable.

Yambajan features eight spectacular scenic spots. The first: Bread-Steaming Hot Spring. Bread can be steamed over the hot springs near Tsangpuqu River in the southeast Yambajan. The second: Fish-Cooking River. The melted ice and snow flowing down from mountains converges to be the water of Tsangpuqu River, which, when flowing across Yambajan, is boiled by the heat erupting from the riverbed. As a result, the fish swimming here are cooked, floating on the surface of the water and becoming the food of passing-by birds and animals. The third: Noodle-Cooking Hot Spring. Around a limpid stream in the southwest Yambajan bestrew a lot of small hot springs, from the mouth of which, the boiling water with the temperature of 90 0c bubbles out and can cook noodles and eggs. The four: Alkali-Liquor-puffing Fountain. In the southwest Yambajan, a big fountain with a diameter of 1.5 meters can puff alkali liquor. The fifth: Vinegar Boiling Spring. With a diameter of 1 meter and a depth of 4 meters, the milk-white acid boiling spring is as delicious as the Shanxi Vinegar (a famous vinegar in China).

The sixth: Hot Water Lake. The lake, located in the northeast basin, is as big as more than 20 basketball courts. The highest temperature of the lake middle reaches 57.7 0c. There was a folktale about the lake. It was said to be a big natural bathing pool that Jade Emperor constructed for the female court attendants in the heaven, who would bath in the lake in the evening. The seventh: Warming Ditches. At the foot of a mountain in the north Yambajan, there are four ditches covered with soft grit. Getting off the bus and sitting on the soft grit, you will find yourself sitting by the fireplace, warm and comfortable all over. The eighth: Sulphur Ditch.

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Rongbuk Monastery

Posted on January 12, 2012 by admin

Rongbuk Monastery or Rongphu is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Nyingma sect in Basum Township, Dingri County, Xigazê Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region, China.

According to Michael Palin, it now houses thirty Buddhist monks and thirty nuns, but another source reports that locals say there are only about 20 nuns and 10 monks, although previously there were about 500 monks and nuns living here.

The Rongbuk Monastery itself was founded in 1902 by a Nyingmapa Lama in an area of meditation huts that had been in use by monks and hermits for over 400 years. Hermitage meditation caves dot the cliff walls all around the monastery complex and up and down the valley. Many walls and stones, carved with sacred syllables and prayers, line the paths.

The founding Rongbuk Lama, also known as the Zatul Rinpoche, was much respected by the Tibetans. Even though the Rongbuk Lama viewed the early climbers as “heretics,” he gave them his protection and supplied them with meat and tea while also praying for their conversion. It was the Rongbuk Lama who gave Namgyal Wangdi the name Ngawang Tenzin Norbu, or Tenzing Norgay, as a young child.

In previous times, the Monastery became very active with the teachings at certain times of the year. It was, and is, the destination of special Buddhist pilgrimages where annual ceremonies are held for spectators coming from as far as Nepal and Mongolia. These ceremonies were shared with the satellite monasteries across the Himalaya also founded by the Rongbuk Lama. The ceremonies continue to this day, notably at the Sherpa Monastery at Tengboche.

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Shanghai Wild Animal Park

Posted on January 12, 2012 by admin

Shanghai Wild Animal Park is the first national wildlife park established by Shanghai Municipal Government and State Forestry Administration. Located in Nanhui District of Pudong New Area, and about 35km from downtown area, Shanghai Wild Animal Park covers an area of 153 hectares (2300Mu).

It was opened to the public on Nov. 18, 1995, also one of the first AAAA national tourist sites. More than 200 kinds of representative and rare animals form all over the world gather in SWAP, such as foreign giraffe, zebra, antelope and so on. Featured Chinese animals like national prior protected giant panda, snub-nosed monkey, and Chinese tiger also live a happy life here.The park is divided into 2 parts, bus visiting area and walking area.

In the bus visiting area, you can see gentle giraffe, elongating his neck and expecting your visit. You also can see elephant, the biggest mammal on land, greeting the guest gently; what is more, you can find you are among golden antelopes, one of the 3 national treasures. At the same time, here you can see the most fast animal in the world, cheetah, who can run as fast as 110 km per hour; African lion, the king of beasts, showing his general deportment; Clumsy bear, begging food from the passing buses; Majestic tiger, watching the passing buses, showing his leadership…

In the walking area, you can enjoy the world rare animals such as white lion, white tiger, white kangaroo, giant panda, Chinese alligator and so on. What is funny is you can have a photo with alpaca camel, zebra and elephant. It is really a good experience and opportunity. In the small animal garden, you can hug and feed the cute small animals yourself, which will be an impressive experience in your visit.

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Shanghai Expo Site

Posted on January 12, 2012 by admin

Taking into account such factors as proper walking distance and perception of visitors, the master plan of Expo Shanghai puts forward a five-level structure of park, enclosed area, zones, groups and clusters.

Park: The Expo Site covers a total area of 5.28 sq km, including the enclosed area and outside areas of support facilities. The Expo Site spans both sides of the Huangpu River, with 3.93 sq km in Pudong and 1.35 sq km in Puxi.

Enclosed Area: Enclosed area measures 3.28 sq km (2.39 sq km in Pudong and 0.9 sq km in Puxi).

Zones: There are five functional zones marked A, B, C, D and E respectively, each with an average area of 60 hectares.

Groups: There are 12 pavilion groups, 8 of which in the Pudong Section and 4 in the Puxi Section, each with an average area of 10–15 hectares.

Clusters: There are 26 pavilion clusters, each covering 2–3 hectares. The average floor area of each pavilion cluster can accommodate 40–45 exhibition units with each exhibition unit covering a total floor area of 20,000–25,000 square meters. For the sake of convenience, each pavilion cluster will contain small canteens, shops, telecom, toilets, nursing services and other public facilities.

Foreign national pavilions, to be grouped by the continent they belong to, will include 3 types: Type 1, pavilions designed and built by official participants; Type 2, stand-alone pavilions built by the Organizer and rented to participants; Type 3, joint pavilions constructed by the Organizer and offered spaces to developing nations free of charge.

Zone A is located between the Expo Boulevard to the west and the Bailianjing rivulet to the east in the Pudong Section. Zone A will host China Pavilion and national pavilions for Asian countries except Southeast Asian ones.

Zone B covers an area between Zone A to the east and Lupu Bridge to the west, hosting national pavilions of Southeast Asian and Oceanian countries, Pavilions for International Organizations, Theme Pavilions, Expo Centre and Performance Centre.

Zone C is located in Houtan to the west of Lupu Bridge in the Pudong Section. It will host European, American and African national pavilion clusters. A large public amusement park of about 10 hectares will be built at the entrance.

Zone D is located to the west of the Expo Boulevard in the Puxi Section. The land is one of the original places of modern Chinese national industry and the site of the Jiangnan Shipyard. Some of the old industrial buildings will be kept and renovated into corporate pavilions. The docklands and slipway to the east of the corporate pavilions will be reserved and made into space for outdoor public exhibition and cultural exchange.

Zone E located to the east of the Expo Boulevard in the Puxi Section, will host stand-alone corporate pavilions, Urban Civilization Pavilion, Urban Exploration Pavilion and the Urban Best Practices Area.

Permanent Buildings:

China Pavilion

The China Pavilion is designed with the concept of “Oriental Crown”. The traditional Chinese wooden structure architecture element — Dougong brackets is introduced. The design concept, “the Oriental Crown, the Crest of Chinese, the Barn for the World and Wealthy People,” reflects the deep accumulation of Chinese culture. The main colour of the China Pavilion is the traditional and sacred colour, “Gugong (Forbidden City) Red” which represents the taste and spirit of Chinese culture.

Theme Pavilions

The Theme Pavilions are located in Zone B of the enclosed area of the Expo Site and to the west of Expo Boulevard. The shape of the Theme Pavilions borrows from the “lane” and “dormer” of the old Shanghai, to form a two to three-dimensional spatial structure by means of “origami”. The Theme Pavilions will be built into a “green, energy-saving, environment-friendly” building with an aboveground area of 80,000 square meters and underground of 40,000 square meters.

Expo Boulevard

The Expo Boulevard is located in the centre of the Pudong part of the Expo Site and is the largest stand-alone structure within the Expo Site. The Expo Boulevard has two floors underground, one above the ground and one canopy. The Expo Boulevard is a semi-open structure and will serve as a large transportation and commercial centre with multiple purposes. The Expo Boulevard will act as the main axis for human traffic flow and sightseeing in the Expo Site during Expo Shanghai and will continue to be main axis of landscapes in the city after Expo Shanghai.

World Expo Centre

The Expo Centre is located at the water-front greenland in Zone B of the Expo Site. This building stretches 350 meters from the west to the east, and 140 meters from the north to the south, with a total floor area of 140,000 square meters. The Expo Centre will be completed and put into trial operation by the end of 2009. Being one of the major permanent buildings, the Centre will serve as the centre for ceremonies and conferences, press conferences and various forums during Expo Shanghai.

Expo Performance Centre

Located in the north of the Pudong Section of the Expo Site and to the east of the Expo Boulevard, the Expo Performance Centre has a floor area of 126,000 square meters, of which 74,000 square meters is above ground and 52,000 square meters underground area. It will be completed and put into trial operation by the end of 2009.

The centre mainly consists of large central stage, large functional hall which can house 18,000 audiences and supporting facilities. The audience seats are convertible between 4,000 seats, 8,000 seats, 12000 seats and 18,000 seats based on requirements for performance and volume of audiences.

The central stage is the first of its kind in China which can be adjusted to form different shapes within 360 degrees. Therefore, it can provide huge space for stage design, artistic innovation and imagination for various performances.

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Shanghai Pudong International Airport

Posted on January 12, 2012 by admin

Shanghai Pudong International Airport is a major aviation hub in Asia, particularly in the East Asian region,faces the East China Sea. It is about 30 kilometers from downtown Shanghai, occupies a 40 kilometre square site adjacent to the coastline in the eastern edge of Pudong district within the boundaries of the Shanghai Municipality.The whole project took two years to complete. The construction area of the main building of Pudong International Airport is about 278,000 square meters.

What is truly spectacular about this building is that its shape is that of an extremely big seagull stretching its wings to soar above the sea. Pudong International Airport can provide landing service for 36 aircrafts simultaneously. In addition, even the largest commercial aircraft in the world can be handled by this immense airport.The airport is organized around two main passenger terminals, flanked on both sides by three parallel runways. Current airport masterplans call for the building of a third passenger terminal, a satellite terminal and two additional runways by 2015, raising its capacity from the current 60 million passengers annually to 80 million, along with the ability to handle six million tonnes of air freight. A station for the Shanghai Maglev Train is sited between the passenger teminals, providing the world’s first commercial high-speed maglev service to downtown Pudong in 7 minutes and 20 seconds. The airport is open round the clock, one of the few Chinese airports to do so.

The airport is the main hub for China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines, and a major international hub for Air China. A total of 28.92 million passengers passed through the airport in 2007, 45% higher than the 20 million capacity of Terminal 1 which was the sole operating terminal during that period, making the airport the 3rd busiest in the People’s Republic of China. However, it handles more international passengers than Beijing Capital International Airport, currently the busiest Chinese airport in terms of total passengers handled, with 17,518,790 international passengers handled in 2007, a 9.0% increase over the previous year. It is also a major hub for the handling of air freight, with 2,559,310 metric tonnes handled in 2007 and making it the fourth busiest in the world in terms of freight traffic. Freight traffic grew 18% in 2007, and is likely to increase further when the new West Cargo Terminal Area becomes operational in the first half of 2008.

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Jiao Hill Scenic Region

Posted on January 12, 2012 by admin

Jiao Hill is covered by greenery that makes it look like a “floating jade”, hence its other name “Floating Jade Hill”. Many also dubs it “A Park on the River” or “A Reef in Raging Torrents”. Due to its splendid beauty, the hill has become a favorite place for celebrities, travelers and locals. Legend goes that in order to commemorate a renowned individual of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Jiao Guang, who once lived here, Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty renamed it as Jiao Hill. Many famous personages left behind marvelous calligraphies and sculptures, and therefore the hill is granted an additional title, “the Hill of Calligraphy”.

The scenic region includes three major tourist attractions: Jiao Hill (Jiaoshan Hill), Dinghui Temple and a park.

Jiao Hill is one of the three well known hills in Zhenjiang City and the other two are Jinshan Hill and Beigushan Hill. The hill is 71 meters above sea level and covers an area of nearly 40 hectares. You can even describe it as an island as it is surrounded by the Yangtze River.

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The Memorial Of Eight Eccentric Painters

Posted on January 12, 2012 by admin

“Eight Eccentrics” are a significant group of innovative artists who played active roles in art circle in Yangzhou during the Qing Dynasty. They are notable for their fresh concept, new composition and creative techniques in art, initiating a generation of brand-new painting style and making and having made great contribution to the development of painting and calligraphy art in China.

The Memorial Of Eight Eccentric Painters is situated inside the Former Residence of Jinnong, Yangzhou City, exhibiting painting and calligraphy collections of the “Eight Eccentric Painters”.

The memorial museum was built on the basis of ancient constructions and covers an area of 4452㎡ in order to develop and expand the splendid achievement of the “Eight Eccentrics”. There is a 700-year old Nanmu Hall in the museum, now made as the main exhibition hall, displaying art works about local customs and practice, convenient trasportation and prosperous economic condition of Yangzhou during the eighteenth century. With millennium-old trees remaining, fantastic rockery and clear pond, as well as soft green grass, the museum is a characteristic tour destination in Yangzhou.

In the Memorial Of Eight Eccentric Painters, visitors can thoroughly understand the historical background of the “Eight Eccentrics” and experience the romantic legend of the “Eight Eccentrics”. The elegant garden landscape and the profound cultural deposits are the most attractive features of the museum.

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Dongqian Lake

Posted on January 11, 2012 by admin

Dongqian Lake, a well-known scenic zone in Ningbo, is situated in southeastern Ningbo and about 15 kilometers off the heart of the city. Dongqian Lake is composed of three areas— Guzi Lake, Mei Lake and Wai Lake. The lake occupies 22 square kilometers, four times that of the West Lake in Hangzhou. As a vestige of a sea during the geological age, the lake is now 6.5 kilometers wide, 8.5 kilometers long and 45 kilometers in girth. It is known as the largest natural fresh-water lake in Zhejiang province and is admired for its endowment of “The landscape of West Lake, The soul of Tai Lake”.

Donghu Lake is always enjoying a loud reputation for an intoxicating blend of its picturesque mountains and clear waters with rich cultural heritages. This is a multi-functional attraction combining tourist destinations, amusement, recreational spots and relaxing vacation.

According to historical records, the lake firstly emerged during the Jin Dynasty and was re-canalled in 744 AD during the Tang Dynasty. Thus it has a history of more than 1200 years. Ceaseless hard work of labourers in the subsequent dynasties finally turned Dongqian Lake into a first-rate reservoir and irrigation source, especially thanks to the renovations and expansions during the Tang and Song Dynasties. The lake has guaranteed good crops under all types of weather and transformed the whole region into “a fertile land of fish and rice” since long. Later local people built Temple of Reverends Lu and Li” and “Temple of Wang Anshi” by the lake, as an admiration for governors who dedicated outstanding contributions for the lake.

Major places of interest in Donghu Lake Scenic Area:
The Hanling Street
A thousand-year-old village which was known as the Hanling City in ancient time.
The Museum Stone Carvings of the South Song Dynasty
The museum exhibits collections of stone sculptured images for tomb passages during the South Song Dynasty and some 120 stone crafts carved during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
Si Jian Tomb Passage
Shi Jian was granted the title Rev. Qi and commissioned the highest officer of the military of the Song Dynasty.
Reverend Tao’s Island
The island was named after Fan Li, also known as Reverend Tao. Fan Li was a minister of the Yue Kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period.
Central Lake Area
It is a 1800 metre-long dyke in the center of the lake connecting the Dual-Soul Hill in the east with the Peninsula of Reverend Tao in the west.
Butuo Cave
Also known as the Cave of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. It is a grotto constructed during the South Song Dynasty.
King Yue’s Temple
Built in 1234 AD during the South Song Dynasty, King Yue’s Temple is in memory of Yue Fei, a prestigious national hero.

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Ningbo Youngor Zoo

Posted on January 11, 2012 by admin

Ningbo Youngor Zoo is located in the beautiful Dongqian Lake Tourist Resort, on the northwest end of Ningbo, covering an area of 1,900 hectares with nearly 10,000 animals of over 200 species living here.

Visitors can see precious domestic animals such as golden monkeys and golden antelopes, and a variety of exotic animals such as rhinoceros and zebras from Africa, kangaroos and ostriches from Australia, flamingos, ruffed lemurs, ring-tailed lemurs and llamas from the Americas and white lions from Asia.

Making full use of the vast water resource and geographic advantage, Ningbo Youngor Zoo has created the first animal viewing route on water among zoos in China. It is very interesting and cosy for tourists to sit in the boat and watch herbivorous animals on both sides of the lake as well as quadrumana on the islands in the lake.

There is a cave of more than 3,000 square kilometers named Wolong Cave built in the zoo. The Wolong Cave is equipped with artificial mimesis sight, sound and light, which makes a much more vivid surrounding for tourists to experience the dinosaur era, paroxysmal eruption, a world of ice and snow, polar night and an idyllic scene.

The zoo also provides varied entertainment programs such as animal performance, animal competition, animal photos, playing on the sand, and happiness of farmhouse. Children can have fun in ferris wheel, bumper cars, space ball, rock climbing etc.

With its up-to-date design and picturesque landscape, Ningbo Youngor Zoo has become a characteristic comprehensive scenery spot. It is an ideal destination for tourists who seeks for relaxation and recreation.

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Ningbo Ocean World

Posted on January 11, 2012 by admin

Ningbo Ocean World is located at No. 936, Sangtian Road, Ningbo city, and has covered an area of 27,000 square meters with the total water capacity of 9 thousand tons. Invested RMB 200 million, it was opened to the public on November 16, 2006. It is one of the large-scale unique aquariums in China for the moment, and it is the only modernized professional aquarium that displays marine creatures and popularizes marine knowledge. Furthermore, it is a member institution of National Marine Rare and Endangered Wildlife Rescue Network, Zhejiang Base for Marine Scientific Education, Zhejiang Base for Scientific Education and Municipal Aquatic Wildlife Rescue Center.

Ningbo Ocean World consists of Aquarium and Ocean Theatre. With a building scale of 10,000 square meters, the Aquarium has different zones with various cultural backgrounds (Angkor Wat, ancient Egypt, the Summer Palace). These zones include fish tank distribution zone, coral reef zone, scientific education gallery, rare fish display zone, penguin zone, shark-feeding interactive zone, seal and mermaid performing zone as well as amphibian display zone. Meanwhile, the Aquarium also has three kinds of different seabed sightseeing tunnels (duplex type, 180°, 270°), and it is the first time for this perfect combination of tunnels to appear in domestic aquariums. In particular, the 180° panoramic seabed sightseeing tunnel is the longest one in domestic aquariums for the moment.

The Ocean Theatre of Ningbo Ocean World has a building scale of 5,800 square meters. It is consisted of such zones as dolphin/sea lion/risso’s dolphin/white whale/walrus performance display zone, arctic wolf/ arctic fox display zone, rockhopper penguin display zone, marine scientific education gallery, marine scientific lecture hall, little world for small marine scientific reporters, marine scientific specimens display zone and walrus-feeding interactive zone, etc. Ningbo Ocean World leads you into a world of profound mystery and boundless joy, providing you to experience, acknowledge and understand the ocean through different aspects. Have you ever been here?

It’s a great family attraction where adults can also have fun as much as children. The visit might lasts up to 2 hours as there are several mini shows inside. Tourists will see the mermaids water ballet and a very funny baby seal doing lots of tricks. Walk through the breathtaking underwater tunnel and see an amazing variety of sea life. Experience the sharks passing by from just a few centimeters. For a fantastic and interesting family adventure, heading to Ningbo Ocean World !

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