Located in Chun'an County of Zhejiang Province, the Qiandao Lake is among the first 44 national scenic spots proclaimed by the State Council, and also the largest national forest park at present. It is a man-made reservoir formed during the construction of Xin'anjiang Hydropower Station in 1959. Along your China tour of Hangzhou, you should never miss discovering the Qiandao Lake(Thousand-islet Lake) along your trip.

With 81% of the area covered in forests, Thousand Islets Lake (Qian Dao Lake) is a pure lake with clean, fresh air. It is a young lake formed in 1959 as a result of the construction of New Anjiang Hydroelectric Power Station. It is a beautiful lake with 1078 islets showing different views in different seasons. The Qiandao Lake(Thousand-islet Lake)b would be definitely a highlight along your China tours of Hangzhou.

It is a rich lake abounding with fish and surrounded by trees, tea, mulberry (the food of the silkworm) and other fruit trees. Qian Dao Lake is also a delightful lake with many activities including enjoying the natural scenery and local culture, observing wild animals and taking part in many exciting activities. After your Yangtze River cruises finished in Shanghai, you could extend your trip to Hangzhou to see the Qiandao Lake(Thousand-islet Lake) by high speed trains.

Thousand Islets Lake (Qian Dao Lake) lies in Chun'an County, about 150 km (93 miles) west of Hangzhou City and is 140 km (87 miles) southeast of Mt. Huangshan. It is a resplendent pearl in the classical golden route of Hangzhou-Thousand Islets Lake-Mt. Huangshan and has become popular all over the world. Why not extend your Yangtze River cruises of Shanghai part to Hangzhou to see how beautiful the Qiandao Lake(Thousand-islet Lake)?

The White Cloud Hollow abounds with cultural relics and historic sites of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties such as Three Lakes Academy, Cloud and Spring Hall, White Cloud Ancient Temple and Inscriptions on Cliffs. Additionally, the Cloud and Waterfall of Xiqiao has been listed as one of 'the eight spectacular scenes of Guanzhou' in the Qing Dynasty. At night the scene at White Cloud Hollow is fantastic. The night scene illuminated with resplendent colored-lights adds a splendor to the charm of this scenic spot. Many China tours operator have arranged the Xiqi Mountain along their Guangdong itinerary in order to enrich their deals.

Kwan-yin of South China Sea Cultural Garden is situated at Daxian Peak, one of the 72 peaks of Xiqiao Mountain. The holy statue of Kwan-yin is grand and gorgeous. The statue is about 61.9 meters (about 203 feet) high, implying that Kwan-yin achieved perfection on June 19th. Kwan-yin sits in her holy seat of lotus flowers, with a merciful light shining in her eyes. To the left of Daxian Peak, an architectural complex of Kwan-yin culture is established, where various statues of Kwan-yin are exhibited. Boating on the lake around the Xiqi Mountain would offer you totally different experience with Yangtze River cruises.

Jasper Hollow is situated in a canyon stretching from east to west in the northwestern part of Xiqiao Mountain. The waterfall inside the hollow is the largest waterfall in the mountain. Green Rock Scenic Spot lies in the midst of the mountain. Dragon Beard Spring and Half-moon Spring are also worth visiting. This may just show us why so many student tours to China have stretched their itinerary to Xiqi Mountain

The Best time to visit Xiqiao Mountain is during Spring Festival, when peach trees blossom vigorously and their fragrance spreads over the whole mountain. Indulging yourself in the breathtaking scenery around Xiqi Mountain, you would have an illusion of enjoying China business travel.

The Heilongjiang River, the Sino-Russian boundary river, runs across the northern part of north China. Its headstream includes the northern source and the southern source. The northern source Shilka River originates from the eastern foothills of the Mount Kent in the Outer Mongolia, and the southern source Argun River originates from the western slope of China's Great Hinggan Mountains. Searching for China travel destinations to discover rivers in northeast China? Pay a visit to the Heilongjiang River.

After the convergence of the southern source and the northern source at the Xiluoguhe Village, Mohe City, China, the river is called as the Heilongjiang River that runs eastwardly and finally empties into the Sea of Okhotsk. The Heilongjiang River flows across China, Russia and the Outer Mongolia. Its entire length is 4,370 kilometers, the 11thlargest river in the world. Its drainage area is up to 1,843,000 square kilometers, ranking the 10thlargest in the world. The drainage area within China accounts for 48% of the total drainage area. Check the China weather of Helongjiang area before you head to explore the Heilongjiang River.

The Heilongjiang River was known as the Yushui, Wanshui and Heishui in ancient China. The forests are luxuriant and the aquatic grasses are verdant wherever the Heilongjiang River flows across. The rich black humus in the soil is carried into the river by the surface water and the river water therefore becomes livid. The Manchu people living in the Heilongjiang River Valley call the river Sahalianwula, the Sahalian means the black color, and the Wula means the river. The name of the Heilongjiang River (river in the shape of a black dragon) was thus formed. Therefore, it is lively and visual to name the slightly black river that looks like a black swimming dragon as the Heilongjiang River. Carrying the China maps of Helongjiang area along your trip is highly recommended.

The Heilongjiang River has total 200 more tributaries in which the large ones include the Songari River, the Wusuli River, the Zeya River and the Bulieya River. This may just show us why so many schools booked different kinds of student tours to China for their students to discover the famous Heilongjiang River China.

I had previously spent two Chinese New Years with a Tibetan family in a village of Diqing prefecture, Yunnan Province. The six weeks seemed enough for me to know all that I needed. This year, I planned to spend Losar (Tibetan New Year) in Qinghai Province with the family of a Tibetan girl I'm supporting financially to study medicine. Before I left Beijing, I refreshed my memory with basic words for greeting, eating and drinking, and rejoiced thinking I would eat mutton every day. If you want to purify your soul in your China tours, a visit to Qinghai would be a good idea to you.

I was surprised to discover, however, that the Amdo Tibetan language spoken in Qinghai differed greatly from Khamba Tibetan of Yunnan. But this was only the beginning of a chain of surprises. People in this village raised exclusively cows and ate only beef. We ate with hands, using a knife for big pieces of meat with bones. Many student tours to China come to Qinghai during the summer vacation.

Every morning "my daughter" and her sister would herd the six cows in a specific area on the mountain, and at sunset the cows came back by themselves. One day I accompanied them. The cows suddenly climbed up instead of following the path. The girls said it was because an enormous and dangerous looking black ox was on the way. "They are afraid of the ox?" I asked. "No, the ox is afraid of you." How could that be, a gentle and kind person like me? In other parts of China, many Chinese thought I must be an Uygur. This year, several Tibetans remarked "my daughter" and I looked alike. Well, didn't I say that her father looked like an Italian? Many tour agnents have arranged the Qinghai into their China business tour itinerary in order to enrich their deals.

As it was my third winter visit to Qinghai, I was expecting cold, wind and snow. Surprisingly we did not have such weather. From 10 am to 3 pm, it was possible to take off my coat. Three layers of wool were enough outside, but a surprise awaited me in the bedroom: While the kang (heated bed) was really warm, the rest of the room was below 0 C. In the morning, the water was frozen hard in the basin, my towel was a piece of ice. My hand cream, toothpaste and pens had to be heated. Traveling to Qinghai would offer you the same refreshing experience as travel to Shangri-la. Why not enjoy a trip to Qinghai?

Behind the temple there are seven big and small grottos along the mountains, divided into two floors, five grottos on the upper floor, and two on the lower floor. Among them, the largest one, called the Huayan Grotto, is 6.3 meters wide, inside which the statues of Buddha of various shapes and postures are graceful and elegant. There are 1,028 statues in the One-Thousand Cave, on the top of which are the basso-relievos of flying Apsaras, looking very pretty and charming, with the girdles fluttering in the air. Some of them are playing Pipa (a plucked string instrument with a fretted fingerboard), while some are playing the Sheng (a reed pipe wind instrument). If your China tour is just focused on Chinese grottoes discovery, you should never miss discovering the Grottoes on Xiangtang Mountain in China.

The grottos on the Southern Xiangtang Mountain are on the steep cliffs, and there are altogether nine statues in three groups: the southern, northern and middle. The middle group appears like pavilions, inside which there are many basso-relievos of flowers, animals, statues of Buddha, which are simple and elegant. Searching for China city guide of discovering Chinese grottoes? Visit www.chinatour.com.

The largest one, called the Big Buddha Cave, is 13.3 meters wide and 12.5 meters deep. Inside, there is a statue of sitting Buddha of about 4 meters high, which is graceful and dignified, with well-rounded muscles and soft lines, and no ornaments on the face. Though exposed to the elements for more than one thousand years, the statue of Buddha still appears bright and clean as if it were new. The inner and outer walls of the Sutra Carving Cave are carved with scriptures all over. The best time to visit China to discover Grottoes on Xiangtang Mountain falls onto September and October.

In front of the mountain there used to be a temple called the Changle Temple, but now only an octagonal nine-storeyed brick pagoda stands there, becoming the important symbol of the grottos. On the top of Xiangtang Mountain there are some precious cultural relics preserved such as the Eastern Palace, the Western Palace, stone pillars inscribed with Buddhist scriptures of the Song and Jin dynasties, tablet engravings and so on. Carrying the China maps of Grottoes on Xiangtang Mountain area along your trip is essentially needed.