Chengdu (成都) is the capital of Sichuan province. During the era of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei (刘备) founded the the kingdom of Shu-Han (蜀汉; 221-263) with Chengdu as its capital. People from Sichuan love to eat “Mala” which means “numb and spicy”. The tingly numbness is caused by Sichuan pepper “hua jiao” (花椒) or…
The oldest city area in Shanghai – Chenghuangmiao 城隍庙
Shanghai (上海), the Oriental Paris, is the largest commerical and financial centre of China, and the eighth largest city in the world and one of the world’s busiest port. It isn’t an ancient Chinese city with loads of historic temples and ruins to visit; it’s a young new city more akin to Hong Kong. After…
Lingyin Temple / 灵隐寺
This is an interesting temple where my Hangzhou friend told me he and his school mates would go there to pray before they sat for his exams and his prayers were answered… Lingyin Temple is located in Hangzhou (杭州), Zhejiang province and is one of the largest and wealthiest Buddhist temples in China. It was…
Mei Jia Wu Village 梅家坞: Longjing Tea / 龙井茶
In Hangzhou (杭州), don’t forget to try some Longjing (Dragon Well) tea (龙井茶). It is a famous variety of green tea from Hangzhou and is produced pan fried by hand to stop the fermentation process, which refers to drying of the freshly picked leaves, resulting in enzymatic oxidation. This means Longjing tea leaves are unfermented…
The West Lake / 西湖
上有天堂，下有苏杭 – “In heaven there is paradise, on earth Suzhou and Hangzhou.” It is a famous Chinese proverb. Hangzhou is well-known for its enchanting natural scenery, with Xi Hu (西湖), literally “West Lake” as the most noteworthy location. The West Lake is said to be the incarnation of Xi Shi (西施), the one of the…
The Mausoleum of General Yue Fei
The Mausoleum of General Yue Fei (岳飞), situated near the West Lake, is a memorial built in honor of the great general Yue Fei who had won many wars against the armies of the Jin Dynasty. He was politically executed by traitors and since then, he has evolved into the role model of loyalty in…
The Zhexi Valley in Zhejiang
We visited this valley in Zhejiang while on the way to Mount. Huangshan. It was very cold and windy, and we were all shivering in thin clothings. Next: Mt. Huangshan (day 1) !
Mt. Huangshan / 黄山游记 (day 1)
“五岳归来不看山，黄山归来不看岳” is a famous proverb to describe the beauty of Huangshan in comparison with the five other famous sacred mountains in China. It means after visiting the five superb sacred mountains, you won’t want to visit any other mountains; but after returning from Mt. Huangshan, you won’t wish to visit the five sacred mountains. The…
Mt. Huangshan / 黄山游记 (day 2)
The bizzare pines, absurd stones, sea of clouds and hot springs are the four wonders of Mt. Huangshan. For thousands of years till now, Chinese painters have been inspired by Mt. Huangshan for its mesmerizing sceneries. There are pines growing everywhere in Mt. Huangshan, even on the crevices of the cliffs. The pines growing from…
Nanjing Tour
Nanjing often leads people to relate its tragic history during the Japanese occupation. It once served as the capital of China during several dynasties and is one of the four great ancient capitals of China. The three others are Beijing, Luoyang and Chang’an (Xi’an). We visited the Mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-sen (中山陵). It’s a…
