Travel-AllIn1 Blog

Author: Vincent Ruan

When many visitors think of Xian, they think of history and the famous Terracotta Warriors. There is much more to Xian than just these. Xian, besides being the capital to thirteen ancient Chinese dynasties, is also a modern cosmopolitan metropolis. It is an ancient city with all of the modern amenities a visitor could want. This ancient yet modern city has is filled with unique cultural aspects that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

Xian was the capital of the Tang Dynasty, the most prosperous and colorful of China’s ancient dynasties. Xian is very proud of its Tang Dynasty past and the Tang Dynasty Show is an example of this pride. The show combines dinner and performances. The dinner served before the performance is a wonderful Jiaozi (dumpling) dinner. It offers dozens of kinds of beautifully crafted Jiaozi to diners. After the banquet, the performance begins. Visitors are transported back in time to that most spectacular dynasty. Live music is performed by an orchestra playing music written during the Tang Dynasty on period styled instruments while dancers wearing Tang Dynasty styled clothing dance and whirl. It is a wonderful combination of art, culture, music and dance.

Tang Dynasty Show

Dumpling Banquet

Shaanxi Opera is a very ancient opera found in northwest China. Originating in the Qin Dynasty (221-206BC) it has been evolving for thousands of years. The performance is accompanied by a number of unique and rarely heard instruments. The arias of Shaanxi Opera are performed in an exaggerated style, but without the falsetto often found in Peking (Beijing) Opera. Shaanxi Opera has facial makeup similar to that in Peking Opera, but it also has many differences that make it unique from Peking Opera. The costumes are much different as well as the performing style. During the performance there are many different arts performed that is not seen in Peking Opera. These include: Fire eating, Chair balancing, Spear performance, performing with flaming sticks, and tumbling. It makes for a very exciting experience!

Shaanxi opera

Shaanxi opera, different from Beijing opera

Xian’s shadow puppets are famous throughout China and versions of it can be found in many parts of the country. Shadow puppets are jointed puppets made of thin donkey, or cow hide. The puppets are controlled with thin sticks similar to chopsticks. The puppets are moved behind a screen with a light behind them. The shadows of the puppets are shown on the screen and can be seen by the audience. The puppet is accompanied by a small band of musicians and the puppet shows are always about legends, battles, and mythological creatures. The puppet shows are full of energy and excitement. Shadow puppets can be found for sale throughout Xian and one wonderful place to find them is behind Xian’s ancient Drum Tower.

Xian’s shadow puppets are made by local people

Enjoy the Xian’s shadow puppets performance is an interesting experience

Normally thought of as an ancient city, Xian has become a modern metropolis, and its nightlife is proof of this. The most famous bar street in Xian is the Defu Lane. This street has bars to cater to everyone’s taste. Every evening, businessmen, students, and visitors congregate here to enjoy live music, performances, and drinks. It is a great way to unwind after a busy day of touring. Another great place to go during the night is the Bell and Drum Towers in the center of Xian’s ancient city. At night the towers are lit and look spectacular. The market behind the Drum Tower is fantastic and offers wonderful arts and crafts, tea, shadow puppets and art supplies. Also at night many visitors like to go to the musical fountain near the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. The spectacular fountain is lit and computer controlled to dance to the music. It is especially popular with children who marvel at the dancing water.

Beautiful night view of the Xian ancient city wall

Beautiful night view of the Xian Drum tower

Xian has so much to offer. Many visitors come to Xian, see the Terracotta Warriors, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and the Ancient City Wall, and then head on to their next destination. They have no idea how much more this ancient yet modern city has to offer. You can visit http://www.chinaodysseytours.com to get more infomation about this.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/travel-to-xian-the-capital-of-the-tang-dynasty-3056894.html

About the Author

China Odyssey Tours – A China-based company provides tour packages for family, couple, individual & group. Help you plan & organize your tour to China according to your preferences.

Hotels in Tang Dynasty

1. Lijiang in the southeast of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, northwest plateau of Yunnan province

Lijiang Ancient cityLijiang ancient town is one of the last surviving ancient towns in China. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, Lijiang’s Naxi people still preserve much of their native Dongba culture and deep linkage to nature. Lijiang may spoil you. Snow-capped mountain vistas, ancient architecture and streetscapes, canals and waterways, and the people and their distinct culture give Lijiang its universal value to mankind. The aged wooden buildings decked with hanging red lanterns and local musicians playing the centuries old Naxi instruments in the time worn streets, display a lifestyle and culture that seems lost in time.
2. Zhouzhuang in east China’s Jiangsu Province

Zhouzhuang Water townZhouzhuang, one of the most famous water townships in China, situated in Kunshan City which is only 30 kilometers southeast of Suzhou. It is a enchanting place. This village features crisscrossing water lanes, ancient bridges and buildings built on and over the rivers. In an area of half a square kilometer, 60 percent of the Zhouzhuang’s structures were built during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It is noted for its profound cultural background, the well preserved ancient residential houses, the elegant watery views and the strong local colored traditions and customs. Zhouzhuang has been called the “Venice of the East”.

3. Hongcun near the southwestern slope of Huangshan Mountain, Anhui Province

Hongcun Village in HuangshanHongcun Village is located near the southwestern slope of Huangshan Mountain. It is listed as one of China’s top 10 charming villages and together with Xidi Village it was added to UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage List in 2000. Morning mists, gray tiles, white walls, stone bridges, water lily ponds, and hills at the background, are all elements of traditional Chinese landscape paintings. Hongcun Village has all of these features, and has been named “a village in the Chinese painting”. It is an inspiration for artists and film directors. Hongcun Village was the location for one of the fighting scenes in the movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, directed by Ang Lee. The film won Oscars for the Best Foreign Film and Best Cinematography categories.

What makes Hongcun Village so unique is that the village was designed by a fengshui master to resemble a cow. Visitors to Hongcun Village’s tour guides will interpret which part of the village is the anatomical equivalent to the cow. Hongcun has a elaborate web of gravel lanes and a complex watering system through which water from the outside pool can be directed to every family.
4. Wuzheng in the north of East China’s Zhejiang Province

WuzhenWuzhen, a town with a history of 1200 years, is Located in the center of the six ancient towns south of Yangtze River, just 50 minutes’ drive from Hangzhou. This small town, with its black tiled, oil-painted timber framework houses that contrast sharply with its white walls and gray flagging brings to mind a Chinese ink and wash painting, is notable as ” home to celebraties”. It has nurtured generations of predominant scholars, government officials, brilliant politicians, etc. The window sills of the houses on the banks of the river are further extended with boards, on which flowers, plants and bonsai bloom in the warm sunshine, adding a touch of life and color to this tranquil, old-style town.
5. Pingyao in central Shanxi province, Central China

PingyaoPingyao in Shanxi Province is a well-preserved Ming Dynasty town, surrounded by a completely intact 6 km Ming dynasty city wall. During the Qing Dynasty, Pingyao was the financial center of China. What’s unique here is this well-preserved ancient city with its grand, solemn city wall, its residences and shops, and even the government office all in the style of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911). In 1997, when it was declared a World Cultural Heritage site for its Old City, Pingyao gradually opened up to the outside world and more and more people have come to have a look at this old city representing the prosperous past of Shanxi during the Ming and Qing eras.
6. Xidi near Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province

Xidi in HuangshanThe old trading town of Xidi, located 40km away from Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province, is gem of the glorious Hui culture. With a history of over 900 years, Xidi Village is segmented by over 40 ancient winding and narrow lanes which are paved with bluestones. Visitors strolling through this ancient village will discover traditional Hui-style houses, ancestral temples, academies of classical learning, stone archways, white walls and grey tiles, beautifully paned windows, projecting horse-head walls, and stone slab bridge. These features are all centuries old and the residents live as they always have making Xidi Village an open-air museum.
7. Yongding in Southeast China’s Fujian Province

Yongding tulouYongding, a county in Fujian Province, is the home of many Hakka families and is known for its unusual architecture called Tulou (Hakka Earthen Fortresses). These large, circular edifices were built by the Hakka, one ethnic group in China. The architectural art of Tulou enjoys great admiration among architects worldwide. The older examples of this style of construction consist of interior buildings enclosed by huge peripheral ones holding hundreds of rooms and dwellers. With all the halls, storehouses, wells and bedrooms inside, the huge towerlike building functions almost as a small fortified city.

Most earthen castles are not tourist traps. People really live and work here, and invariably, when you show up on their doorstep they will grin and say, “You’ve come! Have some tea!”
8. Tongli in east China’s Jiangsu Province

Tongli Suzhou JiangsuTongli is an ancient water town in east China’s Jiangsu Provinceb. A short drive from Suzhou, Tongli offers a step back in time. Crisscrossed by rivers and canals. Tongli enjoys fame across China for its beautiful rivers, historic bridges and opulent court yard homes. Tongli has 49 stone bridges and many gardens, temples. Because of the landscape, almost all of the buildings are constructed along the waterfront. The water also creates reflections of the town’s arched roofs, lofty gables and stone bridges while green willows also line the banks can. This creates a truly poetic atmosphere.
9. Zhujiajiao on the outskirts of Shanghai

Zhujiajiao ShanghaiZhujiajiao, which means “Zhu Family Settlement”, is an ancient town located in the Qingpu District of Shanghai, and it is characteristic of the many water towns in the upper reach of the Yangtze River. Zhujiajiao is an ancient (formed about 1,700 years old) water township that some call the “Venice of Shanghai”. 36 unique wood and stone bridges and numerous rivers line Zhujiajiao, and thousands of ancient buildings still line the riverbanks today. Many centuries-old stone buildings are home to residents today, as they were for many dynasties in the past. Holding an oiled paper umbrella in the rain, you walk in the long and narrow lanes paved with green flags. That kind of happiness with slightly sadness is what you only experience in person – China Tours.
10. Dali in the western part of Southwest China’s Yunnan Province

Dali YunnanDali Ancient City, or the ancient town of Dali, was set up in 1383 in the Ming Dynasty. It has a history of more than 600 years. This ancient city was once a vital communications hub where the population was dense. Many trade caravans gathered here and the markets were prosperous. On both sides of the street, there were numerous shops, inns, tea houses and restaurants, very bustling and exciting. Now, Dali is the economic and cultural center of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture and one of the most beautiful and relaxing places in China. The area is surrounded by mountains. Here you will find 25 ethnic minorities, which have created a unique cultural heritage amidst the area’s picturesque surroundings. The local government has given high priority to its preservation. So Dali Ancient City still remains its original looks. Now, the shops here mainly sell some locally-made handicraft articles: marble products, straw weaving wares, embroideries, wax printing clothes and other ornaments. Small retailers also sell some antiques, ancient paintings, old coins and silver wares.

Hotels in Beijing

Author: Elatrip

Generally Asian countries are considered to be warmer than their European / American counterparts. No wonder, specialities like ‘winter’, ‘snow’, ice’…. are more closely associated with Americas and Europe.

But, still there are a few locations in Asia that can ‘steal a match’ over many celebrated cool-destinations in the rest of the world ! One such location is Harbin, the Ice City, in North-East China.

The capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province (the most north-eastern part of China), Harbin is blessed with natural beauty and a very enjoyable climate. Here temperature is severely low during winter; resulting in abundant ice and snow. This arctic-like climate earned Harbin the tag ‘Ice City’. Harbin alias ‘Ice City’ is now getting worldwide recognition for its “Ice and Snow Festival” – an annual event that is usually held on every January.

Harbin’s one month-long ‘ice fest’ is particularly known for some extraordinary ice / snow artworks and sculptures, which includes scenes from Chinese fairy-tales as well as duplicates of world famous architectures such as ‘Great Wall of China’, ‘Egyptian Pyramids & Sphinx’, ‘Roman Colosseum ‘, ‘Japanese Pagodas’ …. And, the traditional ice lanterns.

The best collections of ice artworks in Harbin festival are generally exhibited in spots namely – ‘The Sun Island Scenic Area’, ‘Harbin Ice and Snow World’, ‘Zhaolin Park’, ‘The Ice Lantern Garden Party’ and ‘Yabuli International Ski Resort’. Harbin city also has the world’s largest “indoor ice & snow art museum”, which opens to public from November every year.

Together with Japan’s ‘Sapporo Snow Festival’, Norway’s ‘Ski Festival’ and Canada’s ‘Quebec City Winter Carnival’, China’s ‘Harbin Ice and Snow Festival’ constitutes the four largest ice & snow festivals in the world.

Apart from the locals, people across the globe regularly flock to see Harbin’s gigantic and marvelous ice-architectural parks – a totally different kind of World !

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/exotic-locations-articles/the-icy-special-harbins-fest-3895842.html

About the Author

Elatrip.com is a fast growing travel / tour player in Kerala (South India), aimed at making tourism accessible to all wakes of life. Our main punch is not the usual travel itineraries, readymade customer holiday packs, etc. but, fully customized travel deals for all kinds of customers.

Hotels in Harbin

Author: Vincent Ruan

Beijing’s Temple of Heaven is an architectural wonder. Originally built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1911) as a place for the emperor to worship heaven, it underwent numerous reconstructions during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Great attention to detail was paid in the construction because the emperor, it was believed, was given his right to rule by heaven and due respect was needed to ensure his rule was successful. The quality of the construction materials and rare and precious objects equal that of the Forbidden City. Temple of Heaven is one of the most visited tourist sites in Beijing, and the symbol of the city. In 1998 the Temple of Heaven was added to UNESCO’S World Cultural Heritage list.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is the most famous building in the Temple of Heaven

Interior of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests

Situated in the southern part of Beijing City on the Imperial Road which bisected Dynastic Beijing, the Temple of Heaven occupies an area of 273 hectares. If you could look at the Temple of Heaven from the air, you would see that the southern part of the temple is square while the northern part is semicircular. It was built like this on purpose because according to Chinese tradition the earth is square and heaven is round. It is believed by some historians that this is the reason why ancient coins had square holes in them to symbolize that the money and the dynasty was smiled upon by heaven. The roof tiles in the Temple of Heaven are cobalt blue symbolizing heaven. It is rare to find blue roof tiles on an ancient structure.

The smaller Imperial Vault of Heaven stored the tablets for former emperors

Interior of the Vault of Heaven, the place to worship the ancestors

The symbol of the Temple of Heaven is the magnificent Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest (Qinian Dian). It is this structure that most people are familiar with. During the Ming and Qing dynasties the emperor would come to the Temple of Heaven every January. The emperors came to the Hall of Pray for Good Harvests to performed intricate rituals to insure a good harvest for the whole nation. This tradition was kept up until the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911. The hall is the most spectacular building in the Temple of Heaven. Measuring 38m high and 32.7m in diameter, it was constructed without a single nail and has been standing for centuries. The 28 massive pillars inside are arranged to symbolize divisions of time: The central four represent the seasons, the next 12 represent the months of the year, and the outer 12 represent traditional divisions of a single day. The interior of the hall is brightly colored and covered with dragons and clouds. The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is the best known building in the Temple of Heaven, but the temple has many magnificent buildings and temples inside of it.

An artist using water to paint calligraphy in the Temple of Heaven

The Circular Mound Altar in Beijing’s Temple of Heaven

In the complex of the Temple of Heaven is a 273 hectares ancient forest made up of row upon row of ancient Chinese cypress trees. Some of the cypresses are more than 600 years old. The most famous one must be the Nine-Dragon Cypress, which lies on the west side of the Echo Wall. It has a history of nearly a thousand year. Wandering in the forest can make you forget the hustle and bustle of the surrounding city.

The Double Ring Longevity Pavilion is unique in China

Ceiling detail of the Double Ring Longevity pavilion

The Imperial Vault of Heaven is located directly north of the Circular Altar to store ceremonial stone tablets. The reason is to try the Echo Wall. The well-know Echo Wall surrounding the vault is 3.72 meters high and 65 meters in diameter. There, a person can face any point along the wall and speak, and another person on the other side can hear it clearly.

In the early morning Beijingers can be found practicing Taiqi

The roof tiles in the Temple of Heaven are blue to symbolize heaven

There are also many other sites in the Temple of Heaven, such as the Red Stairway Bridge, the Circular Mound Altar, the Temple of Heaven Park. If your Beijing tour is not tight on schedule, you could spend an entire day exploring the temple. It truly is a masterpiece of architectural splendor. Even though it is in the middle of Beijing, the park is amazingly peaceful and quiet. Visitors find it easy to forget that they are in the middle of one of the world’s greatest metropolises. You can visit http://chinaodysseytours.com to get more information about Temple of Heaven

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/beijing-temple-of-heaven-2928996.html

About the Author

China Odyssey Tours – A China-based company provides tour packages for family, couple, individual & group. Help you plan & organize your tour to China according to your preferences.

Hotels in Beijing

Author: Vincent Ruan

Most of Suzhou’s local food is snacks or Xiao chi (small eats). They originated in little stands or stalls located on sides of the road. Many locals and visitors to Suzhou enjoy walking down the street and stopping at the individual stalls to buy one or two items, eat as they continue their walk, and pick up some more of the tasty local dishes further on down the street. For visitors who do not like spicy food, most dishes can be prepared without chili.

Pine Nut and Date Cake:
It is a famous traditional snack in Suzhou. It chooses sugar, eggs, food oil, and wheat powder as the raw materials to make the skin. The nutlets, fruit flesh, and pine nuts are the stuffing. Then, the cake is baked over a slow fire. This snack is sweet but not greasy. It is very delicious. It is exactly a good choice to give to friends and relatives as gifts.

The Noodles in Maple Town (Maple Bridge Town near Hanshan Temple):
It is also called the white soup noodles. The soup is clear, and the stewed meat is crisp and soft. The noodles are thin and in a beautiful shape. It tastes delicious and refreshing. There is a legend about the noodle. A wife and a husband run a noodle shop in Maple Town. One day, the husband went downtown to buy sauce. On the way, he met with a man who wanted to kill himself because of no money. The husband gave him some money that he had and went home without buying sauce. Without sauce, how can he make noodle soup and stewed meat? After returning home, the wife didn’t blame on him. She said that they could make the noodle soup by using the original soup and putting stewed meat, shallot and ginger into the soup. As expected, the white soup noodles are delicious! Later on, it is famous throughout Suzhou city.

Pine Nut and Date Cake

The Noodles in Maple Town

Sweet-Scented Osmanthus Chicken:
It uses chicken, white sugar and sweet-scented osmanthus sugar as the raw materials. The chicken are just like white jade, which whet visitors’ appetite.

Suzhou Confects: Suzhou locates near Tai Lake, so it teems with plum, apricot, loquat, waxberry, peach, golden orange, etc. It provides rich raw materials to the production of confects. It is popular from the Three Countries Dynasty. In Qing Dynasty, the confects are famous at home and abroad. It is sweet and refreshing. It is suitable for the old and the young.

Sweet-Scented Osmanthus Chicken

Suzhou Confects

Ao Zao Noodle:
The quick-fry fish noodle and bittern duck noodle is the most famous noodle. Except for good materials and delicious taste, there are three features of the noodle. First, the noodle is very hot. Second, the soup is very hot. Third, the bowls are very hot. Even in winter, after eating a bowl of this kind of noodle, you may sweat.

Bittern Bean Curd:
It is a famous specialty in Suzhou. It has red color and special taste. It can be eaten as confect and bittern dishes. Due to its delicious taste, it is renowned throughout China.

There are so many delicious snacks in Suzhou that visitors must be lured by them. After enjoying the exquisite landscape gardens in Suzhou, tasting the special snack is a good choice that cannot be missed!

Ao Zao Noodle

Bittern Bean Curd

You can visit http://www.chinaodysseytours.com to get more information about this.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/travel-to-china-local-cuisine-of-suzhou-3307884.html

About the Author

China Odyssey Tours – A China-based company provides tour packages for family, couple, individual & group. Help you plan & organize your tour to China according to your preferences.

Hotels in Suzhou

Author: Vincent Ruan

The Great Wall of China, one of the most awe-inspiring man-made projects in the world, lies across the northern part of China like a great sleeping dragon, winding its way through China’s vast northern territory. With a history of over 2,500 years, the Great Wall attracts visitors from all over the world. In 1987, the Great Wall was listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The Great Wall of China was selected as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in a global poll announced on July 7, 2007. It is often said “If you haven’t climbed the Great Wall, you haven’t seen China.” Most people in the world have seen photos of The Great Wall, but photos are but poor imitations of the beauty and grandeur that is China’s Great Wall. No China tour is complete without seeing the Great Wall. Visiting it is the experience of lifetime.

The legend of Meng Jiangnu bringing down a section of the Great Wall with her tears
Many legends have survived about the construction of the Great Wall. Among them, the most popular is the story about Lady Meng Jiangnu.
On the night of their wedding, Meng Jiangnu’s husband was conscribed to work on the Great Wall by the Qin soldiers. Before he went away, Lady Meng broke her white jade hairpin in two and gave her husband one half as a token of love. One day, lady Meng dreamed that her husband was constantly yelling “Cold, cold”. She recalled that her husband was wearing very thin clothes. She made some padded clothes for her husband and left home to look for her husband. She didn’t realize that her husband had already died of exhaustion. Upon hearing this, she burst into tears. The Great Wall was moved and more than 20 Kilometers collapsed, revealing the body of her husband and many others. On seeing this, she committed suicide by jumping into the sea. A temple can be found at Shanhai Pass near the sea in memory of this loyal lady.

A statue of Meng Jiangnu at Shanhai Pass

The statue of Meng Jiangnu is eternally looking for her husband

Sections of the Great Wall

The Great Wall Near Beijing
Factors, such as season, accessibility, safety, health condition, should be taken into account when visiting the Great Wall. The view as you climb to the top is stunning. Badaling and Juyong Pass is the most visited and most easily accessible part of the Wall. The section between Jinshanling and Simatai requires more physical stamina to climb. The scenery of Mutianyu Great Wall is extremely beautiful in autumn when the trees covering the mountainsides have turned golden.

Badaling Great Wall
The best-preserved and most imposing section of the Great Wall is at Badaling, which is located 72 kilometers (45 miles) away at the northwest of Beijing. In Chinese, ‘Bada’ means ‘giving access to every direction’. The name itself suggests its strategic importance. This section is made of large blue bricks. The wall has an average height of 7 meters (24 feet) and a width of 6 meters (19 feet) at the bottom, and 5 meters (16 feet) at the top. It is wide enough to allow ten soldiers to march side by side along the wall. The highest point here is more than 731 meters (2,400 feet) above sea level.

Badaling, the most visited site of The Great Wall nearby Beijing

The Badaling Section is one of the most picturesque locations on The Great Wall

Mutianyu Great Wall

Suggested Beijing tours including Mutianyu Great Wall
Mutianyu Great Wall is located 70kilometers (43 miles) from the center of Beijing. It is much steeper than Badaling Great Wall, and a more challenging climb. This section, older than Badaling, is considered by Chinese and foreign tourists as the best part of the Great Wall. There are fewer people here because the location is less accessible than Badaling. Surrounded by woodland and streams, this section takes on a different look in each season. Blossoming flowers in spring, flowing streams in summer, red leaves in autumn and white snow in winter make this one of the Great Walls most photographic spots.

A guard tower stands quiet sentry over the surrounding hills

The Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall

Simatai Great Wall
The Simatai Great Wall is located 120 kilometers (74 miles) from Beijing. It is often described with the following three words: perilous, diverse, and peculiar. This section has not been restored as much as Badaling and much of the section is in a state of ruin with exposed bricks and the ruins of watch towers. A famous specialist of Great Wall history has stated: “The Great Wall is the best of the Chinese buildings, and Simatai Section is the best of the Great Wall.” This section has been named as one of the most “excellent cultural relics of the world” by UNESCO.

Steep climbing at the Simatai Section of The Great Wall

The Simatai Section of The Great Wall has not been restored

Jinshanling Great Wall

Suggested Beijing tours including hiking route of Jinshanling-Simatai Great Wall
The Jinshanling Great Wall is located 140 kilometers (87 miles) northeast of Beijing. It features complicated and well preserved fortification systems. The walls are more solid, the watchtowers are taller and it retains its original Ming Dynasty appearance. Here you can see the Wall relatively undisturbed and in its original condition. The wall follows the contours of the mountains, and stretches off into the distance. The wall has not been restored, so it has a special beauty. It is the section that foreign visitors like the most.

The Jinshanling Section of The Great Wall follows the mountain’s contours

The Jinshanling Section is unrestored and a challenge to visitors

Shanhai Pass
The Shanhaiguan Great Wall, locates at Qinhuangdao which is in Hebei Province, is the east starting point of the Great Wall. It was first built in 1381 in Ming dynasty. It has the reputation of “the first pass in the world”. The walls are 14 meters tall and 7 meters thick. It has very complete defense system. Standing on the Great Wall can command a panoramic view of the grand ocean and the winding Great Wall. This section is known as the Old Dragon’s Head because it is the easternmost end of the Great Wall.

The Old Dragon’s Head in Hebei Province

The First Gate Under Heave in the Shanhai Pass

You can visit http://www.chinaodysseytours.com to get more information about the Great Wall.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/the-great-wall-2914065.html

About the Author

China Odyssey Tours – A China-based company provides tour packages for family, couple, individual & group. Help you plan & organize your tour to China according to your preferences.

Hotels in Beijing