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Wolong Nature Reserve，Wenchuan

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:18:29 +0000

Located in Wenchuan County of Sichuan Province, and covering an area of 200 thousand hectares, the Wolong Nature Reserve is a key nature preservation area designed primarily to protect and reproduce the grand panda. In 1982, it was admitted by the UNESCO to be part of “the International Reserve Net of Man and Biosphere.” Lying on the complicated land formations of transition area from the Qinghai and Tibet Plateau to the Sichuan Basin, and with a cool climate, it’s endowed with favorable conditions for the preservation and reproduction of a number of living beings.

The Wolong Nature Reserve has four general regions:

1. Mountain slopes covered in deciduous and coniferous forests as well as bamboo groves
2. River valleys, where most of the people live and farm
3. High alpine slopes above the tree line where wildflowers grow and yaks live
4. 20 glacier-covered mountain peaks over 4,000 m above sea level

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Zhouzhuang–Venice of Orient

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:57:34 +0000

Zhouzhuang has a history dated back to 900 years ago. Located at the southwest of Kunshan city, 70 kilometers away from Shanghai, it is famous for its water and ancient bridges. This town is full of water which flow through the front and back of all houses, the only transportation you can use in this town is gondola. This gives it the name of ” Venice of Orient “.
There are many fantastic places and views to visit and see, including Twin Bridges, Fuan Bridge, Shen House, Milou Tower, and more. Many bridges in the town show unique bridge traditions different from other designs. The most amazing view displays a house where a boat can enter the property through the front gate and sail through the courtyard.

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Xitang– an Popular Ancient Chinese Water Town

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:27:46 +0000

Xitang is a water town located at the juncture of Zhengjiang, Jiangsu Province and Shanghai. It has a history of more than thousand years, famous for its ancient bridges and ceilinged corridors. At the age of Tang and Song Dynasty, Xitang had been inhabited. It developed into a prosperous town in Yuan and Ming Dynasty, leaving a lot of historical buildings which were well-preserved due to the fact that water carriage is the only choice to in and out and that prevented many attacks from outside during the war time.
From a bird’s-eye view of the whole town, one sees blue water sparkling almost in every point the eyes touch and reflections of the houses in the water. The quiet water, handsome bridges, and the reflections in the early morning and the rosy sunset, fishing boats and the glistening lights in the evening, form an amazing picture full of a sense of poetry which can only be seen in the south lower reaches of the Yangtze River. People in Xitang, whether local residents or travelers, feel that this is fairyland. They even have no idea as to whether people are wandering in the picture or the picture is moving in their hearts.

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Lugu Lake

admin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:06:11 +0000

The Lugu Lake is located between Ninglang County in Yunnan Province and Yanyuan County in Sichuan Province, 300 kilometers away from Lijiang County. It is a plateau lake with a total area of 52 square kilometers, 2685 meters above sea level. The average depth is 45 meters, the deepest point being 93 meters. It is surrounded by mountains and has eight islands and many bays and beaches.
The inhabitants around the lake are the Mosuo people, a small tribe that is considered (by the Han Chinese) a sub clan of Naxi people. They are a matriarchal society and seek to maintain that heritage.
The Mosuo wooden houses are built with square – deged timber in the style of “jinganshi building”, also called Mulengfang (Timber House). The Naxi Villages look graceful and unaffected. The Zhuanshan Festival (the Festival of Turning – around the Mountain) which falls on 25th July of the lunar year is the traditional festival of the Mosuo people.

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