Vacation Spots in China, with Pictures
Exciting Vacation Places, the Sights, and the Cities of China

Travel to the vacation spots of China This mysterious country is waiting for you to discover it. China is one of the world's oldest civilizations. With nearly 5,000 years of continuous history, the arts, culture, and architecture can overwhelm a traveler. The population of China is enormous, over 1.3 billion people, about 26% of the world's population. The capital city Beijing has 18 million people and was the site of the 2008 Olympics. Three other major cities are Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing.

The Vacation Spots of China, An Itinerary

For travel through China, first-time tourists often visit the vacation spots of Beijing and Shanghai, with side trips to the Three Gorges and the Terracotta Army. This itinerary includes the most popular attractions. There are 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites throughout China, ranking third in the world, so your travels will be rewarded wherever you go.

Most tourists in Beijing want to visit the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Mao's tomb nearby, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven. Then they strike out on day trips to see these other vacation spots, the Great Wall of China, the Terracotta army at Xi'an, the Mogao Caves and the Longman Caves.

The vacation spots in Shanghai, China, are the Bund, Old Shanghai, Yu Gardens and the Shanghai Art Museum. Hong Kong is also a fabulous destination in the south of China, and for gambling, travelers head to Maccau, the Las Vegas of the Orient. Would you be surprised to know that the Shanghai Disneyland Resort is under construction and will open in 2013? And Disneyland Hong Kong is a popular vacation spot and tourist attraction. Yes, that's right, Disneyland China !!
See the Vacation Spots of Hong Kong.

Vacation Spots to See in Beijing, China

The Forbidden City, also called the Palace Museum, is one of the most visited vacation spots. Located right in the center of Beijing, it is a walled palace complex of 980 buildings, completed in 1420. It was the seat of the Ming Dynasty and the Quing Dynasty, 24 emperors in total, living here with their families, concubines and government officials.

Nearby is another vacation spot, Tienanmen Square, an area large enough to hold a million people, where a flag raising ceremony is held each morming. Around the square you will see the People's Hall, the Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of Revolution. Going toward the north is Beihei Park with its famous wall of nine dragons and the former palace of the Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan. The Temple of Heaven, Tian Tan, where the emperor went to make sacrifices, is in the middle of the park. There you can also see the buildings called the Hall of Prayer and the Alter of Heaven.

Other places to see in Beijing are the Summer Palace and the Pagoda of the Incense of Buddha, overlooking Lake Kumming. In the same area is the palace called Yi He Yuan with its luxurious gardens and temples.

If you have time while you are in Beijing, there are other rewarding vacation spots. See the Beijing Botanical Gardens, and Lotus Mountain, Xiang Shan, for the natural beauty. The Beijing Zoo includes many Panda bears, sharks, whales and dolphins in its collection of exotic creatures.

Vacation Spot to See: The Great Wall of China

Another well-known vacation spot is the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall is an earth, stone and brick structure about 5 thousand miles long. It was begun after the unification of China around 210 BC to protect the northern borders from invasion. The wall was extended through the centuries. You can walk atop the Wall from tower to tower along the steep passageway. Most travelers visit the Great Wall during their stop in Beijing. Contrary to popular myth, the Great Wall of China is not visible from the moon.

Vacation Spots in China: The Terracotta Army

The newest vacation spot in China is the site of the Terracotta Warriors, a recent discovery. The mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor who unified China over 2,200 years ago was guarded by an exceptional army of terracotta soldiers. The army was discovered in 1994 about 19 miles from the city of Xi'an in Shaanxi province, by peasants who were digging a well. There are over 8,000 soldiers, archers and horses, chariots, strongmen, acrobats and musicians that make up Qin's Army. To see the statues in formation is an intimidating sight, probably just what Qin intended.

Vacation Spots to See in Shanghai

Shanghai is on the eastern coast of China, at the mouth of the Yangtze River. It is a major commercial and financial center, the most populous city in China, and the site of the World Expo in 2010. This cosmopolitan city is called the "show piece" of the China economy. There are two airports and new construction around town. The vacation spots in Shanghai are its historical landmarks such as The Bund, with its grand colonial buildings, the river promenade and Yu Yuan, the finest traditional garden. The Pudong district of Shanghai has some of the tallest skyscrapers in the world. The evening lights of the modern skyline of Pudong district are a sight to behold. Shanghai Disneyland Resort is under construction and will open in 2013.

The Shanghai Museum is a vacation spot highly recommended for its cultural relics spanning 5,000 years. You'll see jade, bronzes, ceramics, calligraphy, painting, furniture, coins and seals. Yu Gardens Bazaar has street performers, shopping, and restaurants around the lake, as well as the popular City God Temple, the Dragon Wall, a teahouse, garden waterways, bridges and rockeries. Nanjing Road is a pedestrian walkway and shopping paradise of luxury brands, malls and boutiques. There the Shanghai No. 1 Department store, also a vacation spot, attracts 100,000 customers every day with its exotic window displays. Shoppers in Shanghai will find luxurious silks and fine tailoring.

Vacation Spots in China, The Three Gorges

To see the natural vacation spots of China, cruise the legendary Yangtze River between the cities of Wuhan and Chongqing through the scenic Three Gorges and wildly beautiful Lesser Gorges. You will also tour the Three Gorges Dam, an engineering marvel that created a reservoir 400 miles long and changed the face of China. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Vacation Spots in China, The Dazu Rock Carvings

The Dazu Rock Carvings are a remarkable vacation spot. You'll see Chinese religious sculptures and carvings dating back as far as the 7th century AD. There are some 75 caves and grottoes that contain over 50,000 painted and gilded statues to impress any traveler. Listed as a World Heritage Site, the carvings are located throughout Dazu County, west of the city of Chongqing.

Vacation Spots in China: Ancient Cave Sculptures

There are three famous ancient sculptural sites in China. They are the Yungang Caves, the Longmen Caves and the Magao Caves. It's hard to choose which vacation spot is best of the three.

The Yungang Caves are ancient Buddhist temple grottoes built between 460-525 AD near the city of Datong in the Chinese province of Shanxi. The site has 252 caves with more than 51,000 Buddha statues, masterpieces created to attone for the persecution of Buddhism. They are excellent examples of rock-cut sculpture. The other noteworthy sites are the Longmen Caves and the Mogao Caves. The Longmen Caves contain 100,000 statues carved in 2,000 caves or niches. The Mogao Caves are also known as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas. The caves also have famous wall paintings and early documents.

See Chinese Architecture and Inventions

You'll enjoy travel to China even more, if you prepare by reading about its history, classic literature, poetry and culture. At the famous vacation spots on this itinerary, you'll have a chance to see unique Cinese architecture with flying eaves, pagados, walled cities, ornamental gates, and rock gardens. Throughout its history, China was the source of many major inventions. The Chinese are famous for their inventions of printed books, porcelain, silk, umbrellas and kites. They also invented the magnetic compass, gunpowder, the abacus for computing, cast iron and the riding stirrup. This is the land where people respect the power of Qi, which is the cosmic force or breath of life. Chinese also pay attention to the yin and yang of things, feng shui, acupuncture, Tai Chi exercises and the martial arts.

Chinese Arts and Crafts

The Chinese are renowned for their fine arts and antiquities. The famous blue and white Ming vases, the green celadon glazed bowls, the bronze sculpture, carved jade figures, exquisite snuff bottles, carved lacquerware, and the enameling technique called cloisonne are part of the treasures of Chinese antiquity. Traditional Chinese landscape painting in ink and watercolors on silk captures some of the spectacular scenery of the country. Tourists can still attend the traditional Chinese Opera with its elaborate costumes, makeup and high-pitched singing.

Vacation Spots in China: The Temples of China

The religions of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism have strong roots in China. They all value filial piety, love and respect for one's parents and ancestors, as one of the most important virtues. You'll want to visit the ancient temples, the many statues of Budda, the shrines and the gardens. To worship Heaven and the supreme god Shangdi, ancient China erected shrines, the last and greatest being the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. The shrines and temples are open for worship and as a vacation spot for tourists.

The People of China

About 94% of the Chinese belong to the Han ethnic group, but there are 56 other minority ethnic groups with their own languages, festivals and traditions. China is known as The People's Republic of China (PRC), established in 1949. It includes Hong Kong, once a British colony and Macau, once a Portuguese colony. The first evidence of human presence in the region was Peking Man, found at a cave near present-day Beijing, when the city was called Peking. Peking Man, one of the earliest known specimens of Homo erectus, is about 500,000 years old.

The Language of China

China has one of the world's oldest written language systems.70% of the Chinese people speak the Mandarin language and it is the official language, but there are many other languages spoken, like Wu, Yue (Cantonese), Min, Xiang, Gan, and Hakka. The written Chinese language is based on pictures called ideographs, rather than phonetics. No matter which language a Chinese speaks, everyonel reads the same written language.

History of China

Historically, China was ruled by a long series of emperors during a succession of dynasties. The last emperorer of China was overthrown in 1908 by Dr. Sun Yet Sen, and the tradition of imperial dynasties ended. Chairman Mao Zedong founded the Chinese Communist Party and led the Red Army to defeat the Nationalists led by Chiang Kai-Shek in 1949. Mao's body is still on public display at the mausoleum near Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Later leaders of the Communist government have opened China up to the world, encouraging foreign investment and tourism.

The Economy of China

Travel to China will impress you with the new modern construction, consumer goods and automobile traffic in the major cities. There are no rickshaws and sedan chairs on the streets anymore, but the country is still primarily agricultural. The major agricultural crops are rice, tea and soy beans. The countryside is sculpted into amazing terraces for rice paddies. Bamboo is widely grown for use in building, fences, food and paper. You'll see water buffalo still used for farm work. Everywhere, the Chinese people you meet are warm, generous and intensely curious about tourists.

I hope you have an exciting vacation.
I wish you a very happy day.

Travel Guide Jeff, Travel Welcome

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Vacation spots in China



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