China's vast and diverse territory endows the country with some of the most beautiful natural scenery on earth. From the picturesque karst landscape in Guilin and Yanshuo to the precipitous pillars in Zhangjiajie, from the colorful lakes in Jiuzhaigou to the Rainbow Mountains in Zhangye, China's diverse natural beauty is as impressive as its splendid culture.
It was another massive city which we expected to be grimy and dirty with coal dust as it was in the middle of the coal mining region. Any information we had read about the city implied this.
Almost all of us are familiar with the great man-made attractions in China: The Forbidden City in Beijing. The Terracotta Warriors of Xi'an. Shanghai's skyscraper forest in Pudong.
For a country of its massive size and varied geography, however, it's surprising how relatively few people outside China appreciate the extent of the country's other attractions, many of them natural wonders to rival any in the world.
Is it possible to limit a list of China's superlative attractions to a mere 40? Not really. But a photo memory card goes only so far. And, as this story illustrates, it's impossible to stop clicking once you get a camera in front of some of China's most beautiful places to visit.
Awesome Places to Visit in China
1. The Rainbow Mountains
Yes, we had a hard time believing that this insane mountain formation was actually real, because we haven’t fallen down the rabbit hole. But, believe it or not, this technicolor range actually exists.
The mountains are part of the Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park in China. Layers of different colored sandstone and minerals were pressed together over 24 million years and then buckled up by tectonic plates, according to the Telegraph.
2. Li River
The Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo is the centerpiece of any trip to northeastern Guangxi Province. Gorgeous Karst peaks give you surprises at each bend of the limpid river under the blue sky. Water buffalo patrol the fields, peasants reap rice paddies, school kids and fisherman float by on bamboo rafts. With its breathtaking scenery and taste of a life far removed from the concrete metropolis, the scenery along the river become one of China's top tourist destinations.
The trip starts from the wharf south of Liberation Bridge in Guilin downtown area. Otherwise some agencies will transport tourists to take a one-hour bus ride to the Bamboo River Wharf (Zhujiang Wharf) or the Millstone Hill Wharf (Mopanshan Wharf) to start the cruise from its essential part.
3. Zhangjiajie - Precipitous Pillars
Wulingyuan is usually the only one of China's national parks to make it to a top-in-the-world list. It features some awesome towering geology, alongside rich wildlife. Zhangjiajie National Forest Park makes up most of it. Its inspiration for the floating rocks in Avatar has added to its fame.
Jiuzhaigou (‘Nine-Village Valley') National Park is known for its colorful lakes in high-altitude valleys, with waterfalls, snowy peaks, forested slopes, and Tibetan villages. It's a classic national park.
4. Mount Tai
The leader of the 'Five Sacred Mountains', Mt. Tai is located in the center of Shandong Province, lying across the cities of Tai'an, Jinan and Zibo. Its main peak, Jade Emperor Summit, which is within Tai'an City, is about 1532.7 meters (5,029 feet) high.
The mountain was once called Mt. Daishan, Mt. Daizong or Mt. Taiyue and was renamed Mt. Taishan in the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC). It epitomizes splendid Chinese culture and was listed in the World Natural and Cultural Heritage List of UNESCO in 1987.
5. Hanging Monastery
We woke to sunshine and blue skies on our first morning in Datong. Buffet breakfast was a surprise - absolutely everything you could imagine including endless cappucinnos - a lovely way to start the day. We had been planning on catching a bus out to the grottoes - we knew we would have to hire a driver to take us to the Hanging Monastery a it was 70 kilometres from the city but after talking to the staff at the hotel they suggested that we visited both together next day in a taxi which would then take us to the airport (nearly an hour out of the city) for our 7.30pm flight to Shanghai. We decided to follow their advice so once the transport was arranged for the following day we set out to explore.
It was another massive city which we expected to be grimy and dirty with coal dust as it was in the middle of the coal mining region. Any information we had read about the city implied this.
China, the gateway to East Asia, is a fascinating country. It is an ancient civilization that gave the world Peking Man, gunpowder and noodles. Visitors making their first trip to China usually stick to the larger cities. More experienced visitors to the Middle Kingdom will strike out in other directions, where traveling may be a bit more frustrating because of the language barrier, but most definitely doable for independent travelers.
Read Also : The Fabulous Las Vegas : Travel Guide
No comments:
Post a Comment