Among the Chinese dances, the folk dance is the greatest in number, the most extensive and the deepest into life, and the closest to everyone's daily life. Folk dance has a wide range, including most of the dances involved in various ethnic and folk custom and activities, such as production, the occasions to mark the climate and other natural phenomena of the seasons, marriage and funerals, beliefs and religions. If you want to discover Chinese folk culture dance along your China tours, why not start from the component of it first?

One major part of the folk dance is composed of dances related to food production and life. An ancient philosopher said, "Food and reproduction are basic human natures." The fundamental requirements of human existence and development are the production of materials and ourselves. The two hence became the most common subjects in the dances of various ethnic groups. I am sure discovering the component of Chinese folk dance would be a great experience along your China tour packages.

Dances related to production can be found in every ethnic group. In the agricultural regions, the dances often represent the farming life and express hopes for good weather and ample harvest. Such dances can be found in the Yangko and Caicha(Picking Tea Leaves) of the Han people, the Moguai(Frog) Dance of the Zhuangs, and the Niuwang(Cow King) Dance of the Bouyei ethnic minority. In the mountainous regions, the people have more dances on paying tribute to the Mountain God, and there are also many dances imitating various animals. Such dances are like Xiangbaga(Dance to Offer Sacrifices to the God of Hunting) of the Nu people, Jishenhui(Fair to Pay Tribute to the Mountain God) of the Oroqin ethnic minority, and the Bear Dance of the Ewenkis. The fishermen who make a living on the sea have dances relating to the ocean species and the gods of the sea, of which one of the most famous goddess is the Mazu worshipped along the southeastern coast. Two dances of such kind are the Wujiuli(Nine Carp Dance) in Fujian Province, and Jihaiwu (Dance to Pay Tribute to the Sea) in Hainan Province. To any culture-addict, their last minute China travel deals would be imperfect if discovering the Chinese folk dances is missed in their itinerary.

The love and marriage of the young are another theme of folk dances. In the early societies of each ethnic group, including the ancient Han nationality before the strict moral system took control of their daily life, music and dance were the main media between a girl and a young man's courtship, engagement and marriage. There are many festivals especially set for the young to get to know each other and to fall in love. The most popular such festivals are the Sanyuesan (March 3), Tiaoyue (Moon Dance) , Tiaoyue (Music Dance), Caihuashan (Picking Flowers at the Mountains) and "Tiaolingtou", (Dance at the Mountain Range). These festivals include music and dance. There are both dances for the festivals and festivals for the dances. Many students particularly like to discover Chinese folk dance while enjoying their China educational tours.

In the folk dances about daily life, the funeral dance also gets a considerable share of recognition. Like the marriage dance, the funeral dance is also varied and diversified. An example is the Va ethnic minority in Yunnan Province. Folk dances usually contain elements of religion and belief, as well as rituals and ceremonies. This is due to their direct lineage from primitive sorcery dance. At a certain development level of sorcery dance, its original function of ritual and ceremony became polarized. One part entered palaces to form the ritual system (as represented with theYayuedance). The other part dived into the broad folk life and through its intercourse with life; it became the folk dance open to the entire society. The multi-facet feelings and beliefs expressed in perceptual terms formed the colorful mosaic of the folk dance. Some businessmen particularly like to enjoy the Chinese folk dance along their business travel to China to refresh themselves.

Today, folk dances appear more in festivals for entertainment, and their original meaning is either weakened or completely lost. But the root of these dances is all deeply connected with folk activities that used to be popular in various ethnic groups. Why not take a China travel to discover the Chinese folk dance further?

Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (aka Inner Mongolia), which lies south of present-day Mongolia (aka Outer Mongolia), got its name because of the presence of large numbers of Monan ("Southern") Mongols in the area at the time the region became a part of the People's Republic of China. Before that, the territory corresponding to present-day Inner Mongolia became a part of the Republic of China after the fall of the Qing (CE 1644-1911) Dynasty (all of Mongolia had become a part of China by the close of the Qing Dynasty). But Inner Mongolia had not always been "Mongolian". If you are planning to visit Mongolia along your China travel, knowing the history of Inner Mongolian first is kindly recommended.

It was first during the Song (CE 960-1279) Dynasty that a large Mongol tribe appeared in the area. Earlier, i.e., from the Tang (CE 618-907) Dynasty down to the arrival of Genghis Khan (see a short profile of Genghis Khan below) and his Mongol hordes, the territory called Inner Mongolia was inhabited primarily by Turkic tribes. With the rise of the Yuan (CE 1279-1368) Dynasty, the area came under strong central government rule, which in fact was Mongolian rule (the first emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, it will be remembered, was Kublia Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan), and the numbers of Mongols in present-day Inner Mongolia increased. It is no wonder that so many history-lovers particularly want to discover inner Mongolia along their China vacation package.

Under the Han Chinese Ming (CE 1368-1644) Dynasty, which had overthrown the Mongol Chinese Yuan Dynasty, Inner Mongolia itself was divided into two separate adminsitrative regions, Dada and Wala. "Northern" and "southern" Mongolia, corresponding to present-day Outer and Inner Mongolia, respectively, were always somewhat divided, as the Monan designation indicates, due to the presence the Gobi Desert, a natural barrier which roughly divides the two areas (it overlaps both areas), thus weakening any bond which might exist even on an ethnic basis. During the Manchu Qing Dynasty, Inner Mongolia was re-unified (the Dada and Wala administrative regions were disbanded), though the areas corresponding to present-day Inner and Outer Mongolia remained separate - both administratively and to some extent culturally - with Inner Mongolia becoming more etnically mixed than Outer Mongolia. Many students particularly like to discover the history of Inner Mongolia while enjoying their educational tours in China.

This tendency would only increase, such that when the Qing Dynasty fell - leaving the newly-formed Republic of China, on the one hand, and Mongolia on the other hand, to emerge from the ashes of Imperial China - the Republic of China would have its own reasons to retain that portion of Mongolia with which it had closest ties, namely, "southern" Mongolia, which, at the time, was under the administration of three separate provinces: Rehe, Chahaer, and Suiyuan (the name "Inner Mongolia" had not yet been conceived). No China travel service offered to history-lovers for discovery Mongolia is complete if the Mongolia history is missed.

When the Republic of China gave way to the People's Republic of China, the territory corresponding to "southern" Mongolia had become such an integral part of China that it was unthinkable to relinquish it, though, in response to the territory's primary ethnic minority make-up (the Han Chinese were already the ethnic majority), it was designated as Inner Mongolia and was soon thereafter - on May 1st, 1947 - made into an autonomous region, the first such ethnic region within the PRC. Knowing the long-stand history would be much helpful for you to understand some special cases seen along your China tours of Inner Mongolia.

After Chinese dance entered the civilized society from the primitive times, its development accelerated and got matured quickly. The Yayue (elegant music) system established in the early Western Zhou Dynasty (11th century -771BC) was a milestone marking maturity of the Chinese dance culture. For the art-lovers, they should never miss appreciating the elegant music and dance along their China tour itinerary.

The rite and music system of the Zhou Dynasty (11th century - 256BC) was founded on the heritage of the preceding systems of the Xia (21st- 17th century BC) and Shang (17th - 11th century BC) Dynasties. As a ruling measure -- an instrument of education, the status and function of music and dance art were given unprecedented attention. This part of music and dance is the so-called Yayue (elegant music) or Yawu (elegant dance), which would remain the chief part of Chinese music and dance culture. Although it experienced ups and downs in the following feudal society spanning thousands of years, it always represented the orthodox trend of music and dance. Many parents especially booked different kinds of China educational tours for their Chinese and offer them great chances to get close to Chinese culture. In this case, knowing Chinese music and dance would be a must-have for them.

The chief content of the dance for Yayue was the Six Major Dances, or the Six-Dynasty Dances, which represented six dynasties. The first dance was said to be the Yunmen (also called Yunmen Dajuan, Xianchi or Chengyun) and it originated from the legendary ancient Emperor Huangdi. The following parts were the Dazhang (or Daxian) from the Emperor Yao, the Dashao (or Dazhao) from the Emperor Shun, and the Daxia (or Xiayue) from Emperor Yu of the Xia Dynasty, and the Dahuo (also called Sanglin) from Emperor Tang of the Shang Dynasty. The last dance was Dawu on a realistic Subject, which reflected the achievements of Emperor Wu who overthrew Emperor Zhou of the Shang Dynasty and set up the Zhou Dynasty. Many businessmen are tired of the hustling and bustling world and want to refresh them in the way of traveling. In this case, appreciating elegant Chinese music and dance would be great option to add into their China business tours.

These dances disappeared long ago and it's impossible to find their details nowadays. However, from various legends about these dances, we can still guess some basic elements of them. Why not pay a visit to China and enjoy the elegant Chinese music and dance along your China travel?

The Hani utilize and manage the local water resources in a unique, simple, economical and efficient manner and the water management has provided a guarantee for the sustainable operation of the Hani terraced rice farming system. Come culture-lovers particularly like interacting with the naïve Hani people while enjoying their China tour, so do i.

The Hani worship of nature ultimately embodies in the worship of the tree. Hani respect trees as gods safeguarding and blessing them. Cutting down trees will bring about retributions. The results of the worship are to make the tree represent the nature and hold a series of religious activities worshiping the tree deity, such as "Village Deity’s Day". Hani people worship trees and nature annually, with a solemn religious ceremony to express their reverence to trees and the nature. Why not worship with the Haini people along your China travel to experience the authentic Chinese ethnic culture?

This region is very susceptible to soil and water loss and landslide and terrace collapse due to the high mountains with steep slopes as well as abundant rainfall. This leads to direct threats to the terrace landscape. Secondly, the terrace is susceptible to drought and water shortage in drought years because of the lack of the reservoirs in the upper regions of the terrace to adapt. Finally, as a result of market motivation and urbanization there is the lack of traditional knowledge transfer from generations and interest from younger generations to carry on the traditional culture. Many students particularly like to photograph the irrigating scenery of the rice terrace while enjoying their educational tours in China.

1.improve the overall protection and sustainable use planning, step up publicity and attract more investments, develop eco-tourism, prevent over-exploitation;

2.benefit farmers through the certification of agricultural products to improve the value of agricultural products

3.adjust the structure of protected areas to form the core zone, buffer zone, radiation zone which are called “3 protection systems”.

4.work out a detailed plan of ecological agriculture to mainly protect and develop organic agriculture, establish ecological agriculture demonstration base, and gradually spread to all the Hani terraced areas

5.raise public conservation awareness upon rice terrace system value and attract local residents to participate in the development and construction of Hani terraced fields. So everyone should protect natural environment while enjoying the sublime scenery along their China travel.

Owing to Dai people are the major residents of Xishuangbanna, Dai-style food is the typical food in Xishuangbanna. The staple of Dai food are glutinous rice, barbecue and aquatic product, which are usually served with wild and cultivated plants. If you are planning to book a China tour to Xishuangbanna, then this blog focused on Xishuangbanna food would be of great help for you.

Nanmi

Representative dishes are "Nanmi" (a kind of sauce), Bamboo Rice, Pineapple Rice, Barbecue, Stewed Fish or Chicken with Pickled Bamboo Shoots, Roast Fish with Vanilla, Fried Ferns, Fried Moss and special dishes of Blang people and Hani people, most of which are worth trying.　Eat the local famous Nanmi along your China tour packages of Yunnan, you should be hooked by its deliciousness and forget to leave the restaurant.

"Nanmi" in the Dai language means sauce. "Nanmi" actually is a general name for crab sauce, bamboo sauce and other sauces on the basis of main materials. The process of making the tomato sauce goes very simple: bake some tomatoes over the fire and then peel them, finally mix them with scallion, onion, coriander, vanilla, wild pepper, chili and salt. It is even more tasteful when it is served with fried foods and local cranberries. No China vacation deals to Xishuangbanna is incomplete if the savory Nanmi is missed enjoying.

Bamboo Rice

Dai people are particular about glutinous rice. They can make glutinous rice into different snacks, among which Bamboo Rice is most favored by visitors. Bamboo Rice is cooked inside fragrant local bamboo. Cut down a part of bamboo keeping two knots and dig a hole at one joint to put in clean glutinous rice and add some water, then bake it on the charcoal fire after bunging the hole with bamboo leaves. When water is dried out, delicious bamboo rice is ready for you. Many China educational tours come to Xishuangbanna and the Bamboo rice is particularly popular among the students.

Night markets in Jinghong are the paradise of gourmets. Apart from the above mentioned local specialties, the night markets are rich in various ethnic foods, such as Roast Bamboo Rat, Duck-foot, Bamboo Worms, and Fried Pigskin and so on. At night, visitors can taste local snacks and dishes and simultaneously appreciate the night scene of Jinghong. Why not extend your travel to Shangri-la to Xishuangbanna and taste the local famous snacks while enjoying the breathtaking scenery of Xishuangbanna?

If you have the courage to try insects, you can order an insect feast to taste grasshopper, scorpion, bamboo worms and bee larva and other insects.

Fruits

Xishuangbanna is the region with the most abundant tropical fruit in China, where the warm and humid climate allows local markets to be stuffed full with attractive-looking delicious fruit all year round. The most famous fruit of Xishuangbanna is Mango, lychee, pineapple, jackfruit, and water melon. And because of the abundance of these local fruit, the prices are very inexpensive and so nothing seems to be able to stop you from sampling the numerous delicacies. To the fruit-lovers, tasting the local specialty fruits like mango, lychee, pineapple, jackfruit, and water melon would be a terrific experience along their China travel packages of Xishuangbanna.

Pu'er Tea

As one of the most famous types of green tea in China, Pu'er tea is highly produced in Xishangbanna and the nearby Simao Region. The tea produces a refreshing aroma and, when drunk as an accompaniment with meals, is believed to have the function of absorbing the oily ingredient from the food. Therefore, the tea is liked by the Tibetan, Indian, and Yunnan people in whose diet meat and butter takes a large proportion. Many businessmen particularly choose Xishuangbanna as their top destination for their China business travel to seek potential business opportunities while appreciating the mesmerizing scenery there. Before leaving Xishuangbanna, they would buy some Pu'er Tea to present to their business partners and family members as gift.