China Travel Blog

I’m tutoring a kid i know. We’re studying marco polo. Can anyone send me a link to lots of info about marco polo’s travels to asia? TEN POINTS! You’ll be helping an underpriviledged kid!

I’m tutoring a kid i know. We’re studying marco polo. Can anyone send me a link to lots of info about marco polo’s travels to asia? TEN POINTS! You’ll be helping an underpriviledged kid!

This article is about the China vacations and you can find some useful information in it if you are planning your China vacations now.

Harbin is the capital of Helongjiang province and it is called the “ice city” of China. The famous “Harbin ice holidy” is hold every year and it attracts thousands of travellers here.

Harbin has a long history and its culture is very unique. This city is influenced by both the eastern and western cultures and you can see lots of Russian architectures here. Because of this, it is also called “East Paris” in Asia.

Eat in Harbin:
The Harbiners like to eat the uncooked vegetables and they believe that it is a better way to absorb the vitamins. An interesting thing I find in Harbin is that the people here like the cold dishes very much. Harbin has a long winter and it is very cold here. I don’t understand why they like to eat these cold dishes. 
The food here is a little bit salty. I think this should have some kind of connections with the cold weather here. I recommend the Harbin red sausage (very delicious, I like it. ). Here are some good restaurants I found in Harbin(good food and services, price is reasonable):
(1). Laoduyichu: 25 Daolixishisandaojie, Harbin.
(2). Dongfangjiaoziwang dumpling: 39 Zhongyangdajie, Harbin.

Hotels and Motels in Harbin:
It is a good choice to live in a hotel near the Zhongyangdajie Street. You can do shopping at anytime you want if you live in a place near this famous business street of Harbin.
(1). Tianzhidajiudian Hotel: 160 Zhongyangdajie Street, Harbin.
(2). Songhuajiangkailai Hotel: 257 Zhongyangdajie Street, Harbin.
(3). Xiaoshanshu Hostel: 83 Xuefulu Street, Nangang District, Harbin. ( this is a good option for you if you are looking for some place cheap. )

Airlines to Harbin:
The Harbin Taiping International Airport is the second largest airport in north east China. There are airlines connecting Harbin directly with Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Qindao, Wenzhou, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shenyang, Dalian, Xian, Hongkong, ect (more than 30 big cities in China). Flights to U.S. Russia, Korea, Japan and Singapore are also available here. (more info about China vacations, Beijing flights and Lhasa travel at Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM)

Taxi service in Harbin:
The price of the taxi service is not low in Harbin (comparing with other cities in China). For the Xiali(a Chinese auto brand) taxicab, the flag-fall price is 7 rmb(for the first 3 kilometers). You will need to pay 1.6 rmb for one kilometer after these 3 kilometers. For the Volkswagen Jetta taxicab, the flag-fall price is 8 rmb(for the first 3 kilometers). After these 3 kilometers, you will need to pay 1.9 rmb for one kilometer.

Some tips:
It is very cold here in Harbin and you can buy a “Xuedixie” (snow boots) here. It is only 20 rmb.
If you wanna go skiing in Harbin. The Yabuli Skiiing Ground is not a bad choice. The coach will cost you 200 rmb. Usually they will not ask you for the tips and it is ok to skip this part in China. (You can pay 50-100 rmb as tips if you are really satisfied with his/her services, )
Shopping in the Zhongyangdajie Street is interesting. You can get good deals if you are good at bargaining.  (sometimes you can get a better price in the shops which is a little bit far away from the center of the Zhongyangdajie Street.)
A map of Harbin will be very helpful for your Harbin travel.

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So you have always heard about HK, but never visited it, or are some what dismal as to what you’ll do in Chinese town. What is the food going to be like, the people, the culture, the temperature and most vital of all what the heck will you do there? Well, these instincts are ordinary, but incorrect. You see, I have always just heard about HK and its progress in their infrastructure and design, but never had I imagined it to be my favourite town in the world. I mostly knew that I needed to go to China to experience their culture, food and to particularly find out what makes them so unique and different in the world. So, I booked a flight to HK and next the thing I knew, I was in HK in the scorching hot summer with 32 degree and 95% humidity. My experience in HK was impressive. Words unfortunately have limits ; photos can only give you a feeling of how a town is, but when you actually live in town of HK the experience is bind blowing. You have got to be there experience the harbour View towards HK Island, you have got to be there to experience the climb to’the peak’ to see the complete view of the attractive city of HK, you have got to sit in the ferry to smell the sweet air of HK.
Now before I left to HK, just like any travel, some research and planning should be done about the city. I searched google continually, but failed to discover a site with great professional footage that described the lifestyle of HK and some of the things I should and shouldn’t do in HK. All of the websites that I found were by firms throwing their bias pitch towards their product, either a hotel, or a tourism package. After endless searching, I finally discovered a perfect site by a student who went to University of HK to study for one month from university of Toronto. I have to say, the way I saw HK was exactly like it was displayed in his photos. People just relaxing on the side of the roads, heaps of construction employees just working around the clock and variety of food offered by different street vendors. If your interested in visiting HK, then visiting his site is an absolute must and even if your not very interested in HK, then just checking out the town is still a thrill!
Hong Kong Photos:
http://viewhongkong.com.

Zhangjiajie is located in the west of Hunan province, China. It is a beautiful and magnificent place. You will never find a place like this in the whole world. (If you are a big fan of the Chinese history and culture, Zhangjiajie is your very good choice for the China vacations.)

Zhangjiajie’s notable features are these: Tianzishan mountain ranges, BaoFengHu lake and the Jingbianxi Valley. These places are very popular filming and tourist destinations. In the ancient Chinese paintings, you can see a lot of beautiful mountains and rivers. The ancient Chinese people love traveling and are very proud of the beautiful natural scenes of China. Zhangjiajie is just like a place in the traditional Chinese painting and you can feel the ancient Chinese culture here. It is a very unique place in the whole world and you will fall in love with Zhangjiajie!

1. Eat in Zhangjiajie: The food in Zhangjiajie is the traditional Hunan food(the famous spicy food in China). Everything is very spicy here. I will recommend the Zhangjiajie Larou and Tucaihuoguo. They are very specail food in China.
If you wanna eat in the restaurants near the Zhangjiajie tourist attractions, it is much more expensive than the restaurants in the downtown of Zhangjiajie city.(the tour guide can get a high commission from the restaurants near the Zhangjiajie tourist attractions)
In the downtown of Zhangjiajie city, you can have more choices. There are a lot of good restaurants there and the price is pretty reasonable. You can get all kinds of good stuffs there like “Xue Tofu”, “Tuanniancai”, “Shefan”, “Suanyurou”, etc.

2. Hotels in Zhangjiajie: There are too many hotels in Zhangjiajie now and the competition makes the price lower and lower. Sometimes you can get a 3 star hotel at only 100 rmb. Another thing you should know is that the price will go up in the big Chinese holidays.
Here are some hotels we recommend:
Xianglong Hotel(4 star): 0744-8226888
International Hotel(4 star): 0744-8222888
Wantai Hotel(4 star): 0744-8388888
Minnan Hotel(4 star): 0744-8228888
Tianmenshan Hotel(3 star): 0744-8257888
Nanhangfulilai Hotel(3 star): 0744-8282888
Jingdu Hotel(3 star): 0744-8236688
Tujiafengqingyuan Hotel(3 star): 0744-8231951

3.Transportation: The traffic condition of Zhangjiajie is pretty good. You can take the train from Guangzhou,Shanghai,Beijing or Changsha to Zhangjiajie. The plane is also a good option for the travellers. There are airlines connecting Zhangjiajie directly with more than 20 cities in China.

4. Ticket price: The ticket price is 245 rmb for the main gate of Zhangjiajie. 60 rmb for Baofeng lake. 65 rmb for Huanglongdong. 60 rmb for Jiutiandong. 38 rmb for Tujiafengqing.
Tips: If your tour guide ask you to burn incense in a temple(he can get a 50% commission there), you should say no. Visiting these places is just a wasting of time for your China vacations. The phone number for the tourists’ complains is: 0744-8380193.

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This article is about the China vacations and Beijing travel. You can find some useful information in it if you are planning your Beijing travel now.

The Thai food is lots of people’s favourite food and you can find many good Thai restaurants in Beijing. If you are not very familiar with the menus in Thai restaurants, you can try the house specails. They are the dishes recommended by the Thai chef and you will not be disappointed with them.

1. Red Basil Thai Restaurant:
Address: 8 Xinyuanli Nanxiaojiejia Street, Beijing.
How to get here: Take the Line 403, 302 or 300 city bus to the station named “Niuwangmiao”.
Capacity: 100 people.
House specials: Thai fried prawn cutlets (60 rmb), Thai hot and sour soup (40 rmb), Thai fried fish cutlets (60 rmb), Thai ginger flavor chicken soup ( 40 rmb ).
Some comments: One of my friends said that the Red Basil Thai Restaurant is the best Thai restaurant in Beijing. In my point of view, this restaurant is not a bad choice for a Thai food fan but it is a little bit expensive. This restaurant has been in good business for a long time now. It is close to the Nanyin Mansion and Yansha Mansion. The good location helps it to attracts more and more customers.

2. Water Lily (Hehua) Thai Restaurant:
Address: Guomao Center West SB124A, Beijing.
Tel: 65055386.
Capacity: 50 people.
House specials: Curry dishes (48 rmb), Thai hot and sour shrimp soup (66 rmb).
Some comments: You can find the native Thai food here and the delivery service is also available here (with reasonable price).

3. Saigon Inn:
Address: Gloria Plaza Hotel, Chaoyang districe, Beijing.
Capacity: 108 people.
House specials: Red Lion-head with Single Narial Bouquet (48 rmb), The peacock spreads its tail feathers (298 rmb), Sixiwanzi (98 rmb).

4. Asian Star Restaurant:
Address: 26 Dongsanhuanbeilu Street, Chaoyang district, Beijing.
Capacity: 150 people.
House specials: Kashao Tofu (28 rmb), Indian Ka Chicken (35 rmb), Masalaka (35 rmb).  ( more info about the China vacations, Beijing flights and Lhasa travel at Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM )

5. Panqumei Thai Restaurant (South-east Asian Dishes, sea food):
Address: 25 Xiaoyunlu Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing.
How to get here: Take the Line 300 city bus to the station named “Jingxin Mansion”.
Capacity: 40 – 50 people.

6. Changtaiyuan Thai Restaurant (South-east Asian Dishes):
Address: 8 Fangzhuanglu Street, Fengtai District, Beijing.
How to get here: Take the Line 63, 12, 112, 52 to the station named “Fangzhuang”.
Capacity: 120 people.
House specials: Curry Chicken (30 rmb for the small dish and 40 rmb for the big dish), Xianglanye Fried Chicken (38 – 48 rmb), Hot and sour shrimp soup (68 – 88 rmb), Thaizhishadie (39 – 45 rmb).
Comments: The food here is the native Thai food and all the spices are from Thailand. The chef here is one of the top 10 Thai food chefs in Thailand. This place is your good choice if you wanna have some real Thai food in Beijing. ( Useful info for your China vacations if you are a Thai food fan.    )

Copyright belongs to Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM .  You can find more information about lhasa travel,beijing flights and china vacations from our web site.
NOTE: Permission is granted by the copyright owner to disseminate this article in whole or in part provided credit is given to the author (with a link to the article’s source URL Travel2ChinaInfo Dot COM ) and this NOTE is not removed.

The best way to kick off your Asian travels is in China’s progressive and even tragically hip capital city of Beijing. Traditional relics like the Tiananmen gate stand juxtaposed against the imposing modernist architecture of recent history, most notable in the Dashanzi Art District. The People’s Republic of China has its financial industries mainly in Shanghai and Hong Kong, but Beijing remains the nation’s true cultural and political center.

Orange County Meets Ming Dynasty in Beijing

When many travelers think of Beijing, they imagine the dictatorial atmosphere of Mao Zedong or television images of protesting citizens; however, Beijing has a tremendous history beginning as early as the 1st century BCE and has persevered through Kublai Kahn’s Mongols, Japanese invasion, and the Communist Civil War victory in 1949.

The Forbidden City is a fascinating journey through 500 years of Imperial secrecy. The head of state no longer resides here and the beautiful buildings and breathtaking gardens are open to the public year-round. The entrance to the Forbidden City is the infamous Tiananmen Square and gate, protected by four formidable marble lions. Nearby, the Temple of Heaven is another sublime representation of an era of dynasties and royal architecture. With airfare to Beijing, you also have the extra opportunity to see the Great Wall of China, which is only one and a half hours away by bus.

Although there are hundreds of historical sites in Beijing, the rapidly sprawling metropolis is also overflowing with contemporary wonders and luxuries. The National Zoo houses the largest inland aquarium in the world as well as China’s famous pandas. Next to the Imperial Palace, the Wan Fung Art Gallery provides insight into the artistic transition from regal and traditional to cutting edge contemporary. Most interestingly, the suburban sprawl has witnessed the creation of a $60 million American-inspired community called Orange County, complete with town homes and tract housing.

Chinese Cultural Centrifuge in Beijing

Experience two cultural traditions in one at the Laoshe Tea House where you will be both charmed by Chinese opera and soothed by a variety of traditional teas. For world-class shopping in Beijing, visit Wangfujing, or you can find your way into the many enchanting smaller districts for traditional Chinese shops and boutiques. Beijing is also home to several notable temples like the Miaoying, and even a mosque that was built in 996.

With such dynamic experiences to offer and the immaculate preservation of its past, Beijing is truly an international city and there’s no wonder the cosmopolis has been chosen for the Olympics. Get your airfare to Beijing now or wait for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.