Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street is located in the Nankai District of the Tianjin Municipality and was formally opened in 1986. It is located on the west bank of the Haihe River, with Tianhou Palace as its geographical center. Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street begins at Gongbei Avenue in the north, and ends at Gongnan Avenue in the south, being 0.36 miles long and 16 feet wide. Although essentially a business street, Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street attracts tourists who come to see its special architectural styles, admire its classic cultural features, buy various folk crafts, and sample the delicious local Tianjin snacks. Above all, as visitors walk along the street, they will be particularly impressed by the splendid replica classical architecture in the folk style of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). If you want to discover Tianjing further, why not meander along the Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street? It would be an unforgettable experience along your China vacation deals of Tianjin.

Turpan sits at the very center of Xinjiang, a desert bastion at the foot of the Tianshan Range. The area is commonly known as the "Turpan Depression", 328ft. below sea level, the lowest and the hottest place in all of China. Thanks largely to the people here, this relatively small and economically unimportant place has blossomed in recent years, attracting numerous tourists and travelers, who come to experience the laid-back pace of life and to witness the desert. Saying Hello to the local Turpan people and was greatly welcomed by them would a great memory when recalling your China tours of Turpan.

The city itself, despite the intense heat, has been made livable by the construction of vines and trellises, providing avenues of shade from the sun. The heat means that no one is in a real hurry to get anywhere and it is pleasant just to sit in the shade with a cool drink and watching. Turpan is most famous for its splendid grapes. Every household has a ventilated barn on the roof, and some of the world's finest grapes are produced here. 70% of the population here is Uigur, whihc makes it a Muslim oasis, with not much inside but a lot outside to explore. Many China educational tours designed for students particularly arranged Turpan for students to discover how diverse the Chinese geography is.

Climate

Turpan, located in the Turpan Basin, has long been known as "Fire State" or "Land of Fire" for its extreme summer heat. This is due to it being in the third deepest inland depression in the world. It surpasses all other Chinese cities by having the hottest weather, lowest altitude, driest climate, and sweetest fruit. So, before heading to Turpan, ask for more advise from the tour company offering your China travel service to Turpan.

The Turpan Basin has a hot and arid continental climate in which the precipitation is far less than the potential evaporation. July is the hottest month with an average high temperature of 39.7°C (103.5°F) and a maximum as high as 48 C. Because of its climate, the area has been nicknamed, "the Oven". January is coolest with an average low temperature of -2.2°C (28°F). Monthly rainfall is highest in June (3.3 mm) and lowest in February (0.2 mm). The annual average precipitation is less than 2 cm and the potential annual evaporation rate is 3 m. Generally speaking, the area receives little rain during summer but regional heavy rain sometimes causes flooding. It is no wonder that so many businessmen come to Turpan to conclude their wholesale fruit deals with the local while enjoying their China travel packages

Best Visiting Time

The grape harvest season, namely July, August and September, is the best time for tourists to visit. Due to unique geographical conditions, the city enjoys long hours of sunshine and scarce rain. The average temperature between June and August is 30 degrees C. In a year, there may be a 5-month period of sustained heat above 35 degrees C. The temperature of the ground surface can reach 75 or even 82.3 degrees. Many a China travel agency particularly arrange group tours of August and September for travelers, along which picking up grapes with the local are also arranged.

Getting there and away

By train

Less than 200km(4~5 hrs) from Urumqi, Turpan is the last stop along the Lanzhou-Urumqi line. Although booking train tickets in Turpan is fairly easy, considering the location of the railway station (in Daheyan, 40km & 1.5hrs north of the city), train is not the most convenient means of transport to/from Turpan. Minibuses run between the train station and down town for around Y5, frequent as every 30 minutes. A taxi ride is around Y80 to the train station from down town. Train is the most economical way, but the most time-consuming way, to head to Turpan for enjoying your last minute China travel deals of Turpan.

By bus

This is a better alternative for traveling around the neighboring cities and towns, including Urumqi / Hami / Korla (daily), Aksu (twice/week) and Kashgar (three times/week). Since the new highway has been completed and put into use, the time to drive between Turpan and Urumqi has been substantially shortened to around two hours. The local bus station is near the bazaar. Travelers are advised to either ask a travel agent to arrange tickets or go to the station in person to buy tickets in advance.

Customs and Taboos

When traveling in Turpan, you should pay attention to Muslim customs and taboos in particular.

1. Do not poke the food in dishes or get close to the kitchen.

2. Never eat pork or talk about pigs when a Muslim is present.

3. Do not wear clothing that is short and too revealing.

When receiving something, you should use both of your hands to show your thanks and respect to the host.

When enjoying your China tours of Chinese ethnic minorities, just respect their customs and culture.

Shanghai Tourism Festival is an important tourist festivity which is jointly sponsored by Shanghai Municipal People's Government, Tourism Administrative Commission, Shanghai Municipal Economic Commission and Shanghai Municipal Culture, Broadcasting, Film and TV Administrative Bureau. Shanghai tourism festival is just a window for China tourism of Shanghai, from which we could see how Shanghai is prospered in the passing years.

Shanghai Tourism Festival is held every year from the third Saturday of September to the 16th day of October. The tourism festival is organized on a large scale and showcases all that the city has to offer to the visitors. The festival acts as a perfect event for locals and foreigners to discover the fascination of Chinese culture and history. A number of traditional as well as non-traditional entertainment programs held across different venues across the city. Some of the events that could be seen during the tourism festival include a "rose wedding" ceremony, float parades and markets. During the festival you could take a tour of the Shanghai Lanes, attend the Chinese Festival at Yu Garden or be at the Century Park to witness the Music Fireworks Festival. If your China tour packages of Shanghai happen during September and you are lucky enough, you would see how the Shanghai tourism festival is celebrated, which would be a great feast to your eyes.

The tourism festival begins with an Opening Ceremony Parade which is composed by the floats; about 20 in number and having different styles perform the cultures of a particular area showcasing their individual charm. Each float comprises of a square team. More than 400,000 people cheered the opening ceremony of the 19th Shanghai Tourism Festival, despite rain spells courtesy of typhoon Sinlaku. Spectators watched 21 floats parade along Huaihai Road in Luwan District and 28 performing squads from both home and abroad. Almost all the floats were decorated with fresh, colorful flowers in keeping with this year's "floral" theme. Haibao, the 2010 World Expo mascot, was the first float to arrive at the main stage and was given a rousing cheer by spectators. It was followed by a squad of huge performing puppets representing different nationalities and marking Shanghai's welcome to Expo. As the floats march forward, the crowds get immersed in happiness. The float parade attracts thousands of people and the streets become an ocean of cheerful chat and joyous songs immediately. Discovering Shanghai tourism through folk dances and songs would be a memorable experience along your private tour of China in Shanghai.

When Shanghai is mentioned, many people may know it is the starting point of Yangtze River cruises, while to the culture-lovers, they may pay much attention to the culture-elements of Shanghai. In this case, Shanghai tourism festival would be much attractive to them.

Tian'anmen Square is the large plaza near the centre of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen (literally, Gate of Heavenly Peace) which sits to its north, separating it from the Forbidden City. It is the largest city square in the world, at 440,000 square meters, and can hold about one million people for public celebration or gatherings. In the square tourists can climb the Tiananmen Rostrum, attend the national flag raising ceremony every morning at sunrise, visit the National Museum of China, and go to the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, in which one will see the body of the great Chinese leader. No people could say he had visited Beijing unless visited Tian'anmen Square in his China travel.

The Tiananmen Gate was first built in 1417 in the Ming Dynasty. During the demise of the Ming Dynasty, heavy fighting between Li Zicheng and the early Qing emperors damaged (or perhaps destroyed) the gate. The Tian'anmen square was originally designed and built in Beijing in 1651. It was enlarged to its present size (four times its original size) and cemented over in 1958. Discover the age-old history of Tian'anmen Square would be much helpful for you to discover the time-honored Chinese history along your China vacation packages.

British and French troops who invaded Beijing in 1860 pitched camp near the gate and briefly considered burning the gate and the entire Forbidden City down. They decided ultimately to spare the palace and to burn instead the emperor's Old Summer Palace. The Qing emperor eventually agreed to let the foreign powers establish headquarters in the area. During the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 the siege badly damaged the office complexes and several ministries were burnt down. In the conflict's denouement, the area became a space for foreign troops to assemble their armies and horses. It was cleared in due course to produce the beginning of what is now known as the Tiananmen Square. Many people particularly request their China travel agents to leave some time for them to meandering along the boundless Tiananmen Square.

Near the centre of today's square, close to the site of the Mao Zedong Mausoleum, once stood one of the most important gates of Beijing. This gate was known as the "Great Ming Gate" during the Ming Dynasty, "Great Qing Gate" during the Qing Dynasty, and "Gate of China" during the Republic of China era. Unlike the other gates in Beijing, such as the Tiananmen and the Qianmen, this was a purely ceremonial gateway, with three arches but no ramparts, similar in style to the ceremonial gateways found in the Ming Dynasty Tombs. This gate had a special status as the "Gate of the Nation", as can be seen from its successive names. It normally remained closed, except when the Emperor passed through. Commoner traffic was diverted to two side gates at the northern and eastern ends of today's square, respectively. Because of this diversion in traffic, a busy marketplace, called Chessgrid Streets developed in the big, fenced square to the south of this gate. In the early 1950s, the Gate of China (as it was then known) was demolished along with the Chessgrid Streets to the south, completing the expansion of Tiananmen Square to (approximately) its current size. If you want to enrich your discounted China tour deals of Beijing segment, why not strolling along Tiananmen Square to touch Chinese history further?

Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street is located in the Nankai District of the Tianjin Municipality and was formally opened in 1986. It is located on the west bank of the Haihe River, with Tianhou Palace as its geographical center. Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street begins at Gongbei Avenue in the north, and ends at Gongnan Avenue in the south, being 0.36 miles long and 16 feet wide. Although essentially a business street, Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street attracts tourists who come to see its special architectural styles, admire its classic cultural features, buy various folk crafts, and sample the delicious local Tianjin snacks. Above all, as visitors walk along the street, they will be particularly impressed by the splendid replica classical architecture in the folk style of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). If you want to discover Tianjing further, why not meander along the Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street? It would be an unforgettable experience along your China vacation deals of Tianjin.

Standing at the center of Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street, Tianhou Palace, originally built in 1326, is one of only three Mazu Temples in the world (the other two are Fujian Mazu Temple and Beigang Chaotian Temple on Taiwan Island). Tianhou Palace is now the Folk-custom Museum of Tianjin and displays many folk crafts and cultural relics of ancient times. Yuhuang Cabinet (Yuhuang Ge) is the only building that was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) in Tianjin, and is the oldest structure in the street. From the top of the two-floor Cabinet, visitors have a bird's-eye view of the whole street. Another building, Tong Qingli (ancient residential houses), built in 1913 and lying to the east of the cultural street, is the largest architectural edifice that combines both eastern and western architectural elements. If you still have much time, you could ask the China travel agency from which you booked your tour to arrange Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street to discover the distinctive architecture of Tianjin.

Looking closely, visitors will note that buildings along the street are all built with 'blue bricks', and that the doors and windows have colorful paintings drawn upon them. These paintings range from stories of legendary and historical figures to flowers and birds. Some retell stories contained in Chinese classical novels, such as The Dream of a Red Mansion (one the four Chinese classical novels) and Song of Eternal Sorrow, which is a story about the Empress Yang Kwei Fei in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

Visitors who are interested in Chinese traditional handicrafts will also appreciate another Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street attraction - the hundreds of stores selling a wide variety of folk handicrafts. These include the famous Yang Liuqing New Year Paintings and Niren Zhang Painted Sculptures. Visitors who are fond of Chinese curios, such as jade items, cloisonné and potteries, will also be able to find many examples of these for sale here. The street is also a favorite place to sample the delicious Tianjin local snacks. The local delicacies include Goubuli Steamed Dumplings, Erduoyan (the Ear-hole Lane) Fried Glutinous Cakes and tea soup. Though Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street is just a street, It contributes a lot to China tourism of Tianjin, because it attracts many travelers home and abroad to pay an annual visit.