This brick and stone towers have two floors: there is an arched door on all four sides of the tower on the first floor, and you can go up to the second floor through stone stairs. The same exists on the first floor. An arched door was also built on the four sides of the second floor. Additionally, there is a stone window on each side of the four doors. Hanging on an eight-square wooden frame of the second floor, the bell in this tower is the largest and heaviest in China. It is 7.02 meters (23 feet) high including the pendants, with a weight of 63 tons (138,891 pounds). The bell was made of copper, and you can hear its round and clear sound from far away. The two 2-meter-long (2 yards) wooden logs hanging sideward are used to ring the bell. Many tours agents have arranged the Drum Tower to their student tours to China, offering students chances to discover Chinese architecture further.

Located 100 meters (109 yards) south to the bell tower, the drum tower was placed on a 4-meter-high (13 feet) stone and brick base. It is 46.7 meters (153 feet) high, a little bit lower than the bell tower that is 47.9 meters high (157 feet). This tower is also a two-storey building; the first floor contains the China Committee for the Promotion of the Minority Art. The second floor contains the exhibition area. Originally, there was one big drum and 24 smaller drums, but only the big drum remains. The method of beating the drum is to beat it quickly for 18 times and then slowly for 18 times. Altogether there are three rounds and 108 tollings. People knock the bell and the drum 108 times, because 108 times represent one year in ancient times. Before heading to discover the Drum Tower of Beijing, checking the China weather of Beijing is highly recommended.

Telling time by ringing the bell and beating the drum was abolished after Pu Yi, the last emperor of China, left the Forbidden City. Since the New Year's Eve of 1990, the sweet sound of the bell that had disappeared for a long time began to ring out in Beijing. Being drowsy for nearly a century, the drum was also beaten again on the New Year's Eve of 2001. It has been beaten four times a day, for 15 minutes at a time since January 1st in 2002. From then on, every New Year Eve, the drum is beaten with the bell 108 times to send a blessing to the people. Carrying the China maps of Beijing along your trip would help you a lot.

The area of the bell and drum towers has been flourishing since the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), when they were just standing behind the imperial palace. It was the busy downtown district there then, full of storefronts and businesses. Thanks to the further developing of the businesses, the street in front of the drum tower became the busiest shopping street in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties. During the Republican Period of China (1911-1949), many have-nots (impoverished people), along with merchants selling handcrafted items (handicraftsmen) and vendors selling snacks and local food items (snack stands) swarmed the place between the bell and drum towers, which attracted people from all walks of life at that time.Today, when visiting, you can climb onto the bell tower and drum towers to have a birds-eye view to admire the entire city, and even take part in the activity of knocking the bell and drum, appreciating all kinds of folk-customs, such as the dragon and lion dance, and other folk-custom exhibitions. It is no wonder that some businessmen like to visit the impressive Drum Tower along their China business tour of Beijing.

Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake are the best scenic spots in Dali, which are reputed as the "Snow-covered Cangshan Mountains and Jade-Green Erhai Lake". Cangshan Mountain stands erect like a huge screen. Its snowcapped pinnacles and the streams in between under fleecy clouds make a beautiful picture. The placid and crystal clear Erhai Lake comprises the following famous scenic spots: the Three Islets, the Four Sand Bars, the Five Miniature Lakes and the Nine Curvatures. The magnificent Three Pagodas, the Lofty Cangshan Mountain and the Colourful Butterfly Spring add lustre to what is already beautiful. The Wind, Flowers, Snows and the Moon make a perfect natural picture that renders this ancient city even more attractive. So, people adorn it as "A Corner of Mother Nature" and "Switzerland in the East." Lingering yourself in the ancient Dali would reward you totally different experience of Yangtze River cruises .

The folk ways of the minority nationality are richly colourful. The architectural layout of "Sanfang Yizhaobi" (a courtyard with rooms on three sides and a screen wall on the remaining side) and "Sihe Wutiangjing" (one big courtyard with four smaller ones at the corners of the main one) of the Bai nationality is elegant yet unsophisticated. "Every household has a water well and every family owns a number of potted flowers" are the tradition and common practice of the Bais. The attire of the Bai girls are brilliant and graceful, simple yet harmonious. The national minorities in the Dali area have many traditional festivals and gatherings, namely: the Benzhu Festival (worshipping the guardian saint or the local god of a Bai community), the Flower Festival, the March Fair, Raosanling Festival, Torchlight Festival and Lake Tour Festival. Among them, the March Fair is the most magnificent of all. Carrying the China maps of Dali before heading there would be much helpful.

Dali today is full of vitality and prosperity in both the urban and rural areas. With the development in machinery, electricity, textile, chemicals, papermaking, tea processing, marble products and so on, it has now become an industrial base in the west of Yunnan Province. The mainstay in the economy of the city is the production of cigarettes, tea, marble articles, clothing, cement and electric power. The Dali marble, Tuocha (white tea), furniture, tie-dyed cloth, straw woven hats, and plywood are well known both at home and abroad. Why not extend your Shangri-la travel to Dali to spend more leisure time in Yunnnan?

In agriculture, Dali mainly produces rice, wheat, broad beans and maize. The species of rice "Dianyue No. 1" turns out 1,014 kilograms per mu (1/15 of a hectare) creating the highest record in China. And one crop of broad beans ranked the first in our country, yielding 514 kilograms per mu. In recent years, medicinal and perfuming crops are popularized. In sum, both in the city and around the countryside, Dali has become wealthy and prosperous, indeed a land of "fish and rice" in the west of Yunnan. It is no wonder that so many businessmen like to spend their China business travel in Dali in Yunnan.

Lijiang Old Town, which was a famous city in the past, is located Northwest of Yunnan Province, blessed with beautiful scenery. The old town has a long history, and a brilliant culture. It’s also an old city of national minorities rarely found in China, which has been preserved intact. If you want to get close to national ethnic minorities in China along your China tours, Lijiang has much to offer to you.

The Lijiang old town is a central town located in the Lijiang autonomous county of the Naxi ethnic minority in Yunnan province. Lijiang County is located in the northwest of Yunnan province, on the transitional tract from the southern tip of the Cross-Mountains on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the north of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. Affected by the south Asian plateau wind, its climate shows distinctive dry seasons and rainy season. Within the county, there live more than 10 nationalities: Naxi, Bai，Yi，Tibetan，Miao，etc. Of them, the Naxi people account for about 66.7% of the entire population there. This may just show us that why so many China tour agents have stretched their deals to Lijiang.

Lijiang’s scenery are also unique and unconventional. In Yufeng (Jade Peak) Temple there is an old, giant camellia tree of more than 500 years old, which can put forth thousands of flowers, so that it is called a “Ten-Thousand-Flower-Camellia”. Therefore it is known as “the First Tree in the world”. Lose yourself in the beautiful scenery of Lijiang would make your China travel packages of Lijiang more enjoyable and unforgettable.

The old Naxi music with noble elegant lingering charm is thought to be the “living fossil of the Chinese classical music”. Lugu Lake with its deep and transparent water is known as “the pearl on the plateau. The Mosuo villages on the shore of Lugu Lake and the folk customs and the culture are unique in the world and always make a truely unique experience for tourists. There are still some matriarchal families. The Mosuo people are now still keeping the “Axia” marriage customs by which a young man doesn’t get married and a girl is not to be married off. Listening the ancient Naxi music is definitely a must-have along your China travel deals of Lijiang Yunnan.

Shangri-la, a popular word after World War II and one frequently adopted by stores, hotels and restaurants, signifies a "heaven away from the turmoil of the mundane word". Actually, "Shangri-la" is a Tibetan word, which means "land of sacredness and peace." It is no wonder that the China tour to Shangri-la are so popular among travelers.

The word "Shangri-la" first appeared in its westernized form in James Hiltom's novel The Lost Horizon. This book tells the story of three American pilots who, when flying over the Sino-Indian air route during World War II, crash-land in the midst a beautiful landscape. This place of tranquility and peace is described as having "snow mountains, grasslands, Tibetan people, red soil plateaus, with three rivers flowing traversing the landscape". After being rescued by the local Tibetan people, the three American pilots finally return home. Many China travel agencies have arranged Shangri-la into their itinerary.

According to the historical record, in 1944 there was indeed an American transport plane which crashed in the town of Zhongdian within Yunnan province while flying over the Sino-Indian air route. After a careful investigation into these events, it was determined that the beauitful "Shangri-la" described in "The Lost Horizon" is, in fact, the city of Zhongdian, located in the Deqen Tibentan Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province. Many businessmen particularly like to visit Shangri-la along their China business travel to refresh themselves completely.

Even Today, Zhongdian County remains an untainted natural paradise which retains a mysterious and bewitching quality.Visitors to the Deqen Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture are sure to find themselves in a land where mysterious tranquillity pervades every inch of the ever-changing scenery. Searching for Shangri-la tour? Visit http://www.chinatour.com/shangri-la-adventure.htm to know more.

Qujing, the capital of Qujing Region, is a fast developing city 160 kilometers from Kunming. The major tourist attraction in the area is Tiansheng Cave, originally called Xianren Cave (Fairy Cave). It is a 1,560-meter deep labyrinth of stalactites housed in a "3-storey" cave. The mouth of the cave is just big enough to let a person walk in. After some twists and turns, it's the "palace", a big hall 30 meters tall and 20 meters wide. This just show us why the China tours of Qujing are so popular.

Climbing up "tianti" (ladder to heaven), one gets to a second storey that offers a spectacular sight of stalactites in all shapes and sizes. You can even climb to a third storey called de "music cave", where the stalactites make musical sounds if you strike them with metal. Many China business travel have arranged Qujing into their itinerary, offering businessmen chances to get close to nature to refresh themselves.

The Colored Sand Forest is 185 kilometers from Kunming, and 18 km from the town of Luliang. The rock and pillars of this sand forest have adopted different shapes, due to the erosion of the limestone. In different weather conditions and times of the day, they can take different colors. Carrying the China maps of Qujing area is highly recommended here.

Jiulong Waterfalls are 20 kilometers northeast of Luoping county. The 10-fall waterfalls are grand formations of the Jiulong River, which crumbles down non-stop from ten varied hights and widths, before it rolls flat. The deep pools bore by constant pounding of the water enhance the sceanic appeal of the falls. No China vacation packages of tranquil landscape in China are complete if the Qujing is missed.