Dule Temple is more than 1,000 years old and consists of a complex of grand structures. In Dule Temple you can see the oldest multi-storied wooden pavilion in China and The Kwan-yin statue, one of the biggest clay sculptures preserved in China. If you are traveling Tianjin and want to discover the temple-culture of China in China travel service booked, then paying a visit to the magnificent Dule Temple in Tianjin is what you can not miss.

Dule Temple of Tianjin also called Solitary Joy Temple was built in the early reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty (618-907). It was also an important historic area, and it was said that An Lushan who was the prefecture military governor of Tang Dynasty and the adopted son of Concubine Yang Yuhuan and Emperor Xuanzong(someone also considered An Lushan was the secret lover of Concubine Yang Yuhuan, and his rebellion against Tang Government was mianly for this lady), once gave oath in Dule Temple to rebel against the Tang Dynasty. To the Chinese-culture-addicts, discovering the Dule Temple is indeed a must-have along their private China tour.

Dule Temple is comprised of east, west and central parts, with monks' rooms and Xanadus in the east and west parts, and the temple gate and the Kwan-yin Pavilion in the central part. According to historical record, in the second year (984) of the Tonghe reign, the temple was rebuilt. Except the temple gate and Kwan-yin Pavilion built in the Liao Dynasty (916-1125), other buildings in the temple were all built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911).

China is a large tourist country and has much to offer for travelers, from scenery sites, cultural sites to historical sites. To the scenery-seekers, travel to Shangri-la would be much luring to them, while for the culture-lovers, some ancient architecture relics like temples and museums would be much attractive for them. For the latter, a visit to Dule Temple in Tianjin is highly recommended, which would never let them down.

Shanghai Chunming Roving Factory was located at No.50 Moganshan Road on the south bank of the Suzhou Creek. It grew out of the former Xinhe Spinning Mill, a Zhou-family enterprise and a representative of the merchants from Huizhou prefecture of Anhui province. It was renamed Xinhe Cotton Mill, Shanghai No.12 Woolen Mill and Shanghai Chunming Roving Factory after 1949. It was renamed Shanghai Chunming Metropolitan Industrial Park in 2002 and Chunming Art Industrial Park in 2004 by Shanghai Municipal Economic Committee. Now it is known as Shanghai M50 Art Community, where you’ll find the best of Shanghai contemporary artists as well as emerging talent. If you are planning to take the China tours of Shanghai with your kids, paying a visit to Shanghai Chunming Roving Factory is highly recommended.

It’s an exciting place to wander. The mill closed in 1999, and the alleys and buildings clearly reflect their industrial past. In 2000 local contemporary artist Xue Song was attracted by the possibilities of the area, and low rental. He moved in, and soon other artists, such as Ding Yi, Qu Fengguo, Wang Xingwei set up studios here too. Which is very fortunate for the rest of us, otherwise it may have been demolished, and this wonderful area which both nurtures new talent and showcases established artists, may never have existed. Many parents traveling with their children particularly request their China tour operator to arrange the Shanghai Chunming Roving Factory in their itinerary in order to practice the creativity ability of their children.

Within a few years Shanghai Chunming Metropolitan Industrial Park has introduced more than 130 artists who come from over 10 Chinese Mainland provinces and 16 foreign countries and districts, including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Swiss, Israel, Norway and Hong Kong, as well as the galleries, plane design institutes, architect firms, movie and television production firms, environmental artistic design institutes and artwork (jewelry) design institutes and so on. It enjoys high reputation in international art circle. Among them, ShanghArt Gallery established by Swiss Lorenz and BizArt Center established by Italian Davide Quadrio are the best galleries in China and gain high reputation. Shanghai Camera Television & Movie Media Group has attracted so many people's attention due to its strong strength. No private China tour of Shanghai arranged for families are not beneficial and popular enough if some creative experiencing activities are not included. To enrich the family Shanghai family tours, adding the Shanghai Chunming Roving Factory is a good idea.

China is a world-renowned large tourist country, which attracts tens of thousands of travel-addicts domestic and abroad to join different kinds of China tour packages despite of fatigue and long journey. Besides its breathtaking landscape, China is also endowed with profound culture. When mentioning Chinese culture, Chinese Dragon Boat Festival is what cannot be missed. The following mainly focus on Chinese Dragon Boat Festival.

The Dragon Boat Festival, also named "Chongwu Festival", "Calamus Festival" or "Daughter's Festival", takes place in May 5 in the lunar calendar. It is a folk festival widely passed down with a history of over two thousand years, and one of the most important festivals as well. There are various celebrating activities on the day of Dragon Boat Festival, among which eating rice dumplings (zongzi, the steamed glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves) and dragon boat race are important customs.

There are many legends on the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival. Some people say it is to commemorate the poet Qu Yuan, while some people think it is to memorialize Wu Zixu, a famous official in the Warring States Period, still there are some others regarding May 5 in the lunar calendar as the date when the Wuyue people held a memorial totem ceremony in ancient times. However, the legend on Qu Yuan is the most widely spread. People praise highly the lofty sentiment and outstanding talent toward this patriotic poet and take more pity on the finale that he drowned himself in a river. In the mind of most Chinese people, the conventions of eating rice dumplings and Dragon Boat Race in the Festival are all closely related to the commemoration of Qu Yuan. Besides, there are also different conventions like drinking realgar wine and wearing sachet. It is no wonder that so many foreigners prefer discover Chinese culture further after they finished their Yangtze River tours.

Girls' Day

In ancient times, a married daughter would return to her parents' home during the Dragon Boat Festival and a bride-to-be would put on her Sunday best. So, the Dragon Boat Festival is also called "Girls' Day"

Driving away the Five Poisonous Pests

Nuns in Buddhist nunneries cut out of colourful thin silk patterns of toads, lizards, spiders, snakes and centipedes and distribute them to their benefactors to be posted on doors and in bedrooms before the Dragon Boat Festival. It is believed that the cutouts can suppress such poisonous vermin. These emblems are thus called the "amulets against the five poisonous pests". According to The Customs of Qingqi, on Grain Rain Day people painted "amulets against the five poisonous pests" in the shapes of the lizard, the centipede, the poisonous snake, the wasp and the demon, each impaled by a needle. These paintings were duplicated and put up on the doors of the houses in an attempt to drive away all pests and pestilences. In the Wu area this custom is practised during the Dragon Boat Festival. No last minute China travel deals are complete without experience the Chinese culture. Come to China and discover it on your own.

Kid / Stroller Friendly?: While the Insect Kingdom is very kid friendly (it's made for them), it is not terribly stroller-friendly. There are no elevators and most of the exhibits are on the basement level so you'll have to carry the stroller downstairs. If your kid is mobile, park your stroller at the inside gate and leave it there till you leave. If you've got an infant, be prepared to bump the stroller around quite a bit. If you are traveling with your kids and do not know what to see along your 72-hour visa free travel to Shanghai, a visit to Shanghai Natural Wild Insect Kingdom is highly recommended, which is of highly educational value.

Features: Parents should note that while the name is all about bugs, there's a lot more to the Wild Insect Kingdom than bugs alone. In fact, bugs make up only a small section of this unique menagerie of creatures. Kids will have fun. You'll find it bizarre. Outside is a small garden with a gazebo and large fiberglass Looney Toons characters (unexplained).

First floor entry: As you enter, there's a large tank. This has been full of enormous goldfish until recently a seal was installed. I'm not sure if the seal is permanent - the tank is rather small for this busy creature. Next you enter a faux rain forest where alligators and chameleons are stationed (in glass) along a water feature full of fish. Use a few 1 rmb coins from the machines to enjoy feeding the ravenous (yet enormous) koi who follow you as you walk waiting for a hand-out. If your China tour packages cover Shanghai, and you only have time to enjoy one attraction of Shanghai, it should be Shanghai Natural Wild Insect Kingdom if you are traveling with your kids.

After the "forest" there is a small section of enclosures for pygmy marmosets (of course) who seem very busy. If you stand near the glass, they'll come check you out. Across from the marmosets are snakes of all shapes and sizes. Next on the first level, you'll enter the world of bugs. From singing crickets to hatching butterflies to cockroaches the size of small children, here's where the "Wild Insect" big comes in.

Now head downstairs to the basement level where you'll find the petting zoo area (feed the goats for 2rmb), the frog area, the lizard tunnel and the extensive turtle area. Beyond all these live creatures is a room for preserved insects where you should definitely have a wander. There are some amazing butterflies, beetles and insects in here. You'll also find a large shallow pool for DIY fishing (rent a bucket and net from the ladies in the toy shop to let your kids have a go. While we've never been successful (or patient enough?) to catch any fish, the local kids seem to head home with hundreds. There's also a large sitting area next to the toy shop where tired parents can rest while the kids check out the fake Legos and Transformers in the shop. No affordable China tours of nature-discovery are incomplete if the kaleidoscope Shanghai Natural Wild Insect Kingdom is not covered.

Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Causeway Bay or East Point is one of the major shopping districts in Hong Kong. It contains many trendy shops carrying both locally made fashion and products from Europe, the United States and Japan. It includes the 13-storey Japanese department store Sogo and Times Square, an indoor shopping complex. There are also smaller malls such as World Trade Center, Hang Lung Center, Windsor House, Fashion Walk, Fashion Island, Lee Gardens and Lee Gardens Two. As such, it is a popular social spot for young people. If you are a shopping-addict, then a visit to Causeway Bay is definitely a must-have along your Hong Kong tours.

Nanjing Road, Shanghai

Nanjing Road is located in the city center, running in a west-east direction. Its eastern section is in Huangpu district and extends from the Bund west to People's Square. The western section begins at People's Square and continues westward towards Jing'an district. Nanjing Road is the main shopping street of Shanghai and one of the world's busiest shopping streets. Hundreds of shops, many with a rich history are located in the street. Along the 72-hour visa free travel in Shanghai, many travelers prefer to shopping during this limited time, why not pay a visit to the Nanjing Road, Shanghai?

Chunxi Road, Chengdu

Chunxi Road is the most crowded shopping district in Chengdu which can host a million visitors on summer weekends. The shops in the street sell brand name foreign goods and their Chinese counterpart. The road has been redeveloped around a group of plazas stretching out across three or four city blocks, which include high and low-class shopping districts, restaurants and bars and hundreds of other shops.

Wangfujing Street, Beijing

Located in the Dongcheng district of Beijing, Wangfujing Street is one of the most famous shopping streets in Beijing. It is home to approximately 280 famous Beijing brands, such as Tongshenghe shoe shop, Shengxifu hat store and Wuyutai tea house. A photo studio which took formal photos of the first Chinese leadership and the New China Woman and Children Department Store helped established by Soong Ching Ling (Madame Sun Yat-sen) are also located on the street. For any shopping-lovers, if he only have time to hang out in one shopping destinations along his 72-hour visa free China travel in Beijing, then a visit to Wangfujing Street, Beijing is highly recommended.