Mogao Grottoes

Mogao Grottoes, also called Thousand Buddha Caves, is one of the four most famous caves in China. Mogao Grottoes is also the best preserved treasures of Buddhist art in the world. In 1987, it was listed as World Cultural Heritage.

Legend goes that when a monk travelled here, he saw golden light shining on Mingsha Mountain. It looked like that thousand Buddha stood there. Then the Mogao Grottoes was begun to build about in 366AD.

It is about 1600 meters high with five floors. The shape looks like a honeycomb loft. What a wonderful place! Mogao Grottoes is a wonderful art palace with ancient buildings, sculptures, murals, particularly famous for the colorful murals to the world. Among them, Feitian, an imagined flying god, and the Reverse Playing of the Lute are the most famous paintings. Mogao Grottoes’ sculptures enjoy high reputations for a long period of time. There not only stands 33 meters tall statue, and also ten centimeters of small Buddha. Nowadays, there exists 735 caves, 45,000 square meters murals, 2415 colorful sculptures.

However, nature and the tourist traffic become the threat to the grottoes. Although it is under good protection now, nothing can stop its deterioration. Maybe one day, it will disappear forever.

Best Travel Time:
From May to October, the average temperature of July is 24.7 ℃ (it is dry throughout the year, and great temperature difference between day and night.)

Fenghuang County

Fenghuang County is located in Hunan province. It has been the region of Miao and Tujia （two ethnic minorities in China）since ancient times. It is a national historical and cultural city. This old city’s scenery fuses natural beauty and humanity beauty together.

Fenghuang County takes the ancient city as the center, east to Hongqiao, south to Yannao city, west to pond, north to Tuojiang River. It is one of the busiest sections in Fenghuang and was built in the Kangxi Reign (1661—1722). It is regarded as “the pearl of Xiangxi”. The city has a history of more than 1000 years. It comes into being many historic spots and interest places.

Fenghuang county’s attractions have become witnesses to a period of history. The whole mountain town still remains its original characteristics, especially the north gate and east gate of the old city. Ancient buildings can be found everywhere. There are the upturned eave brackets Sun Palace, Longevity Palace, Dacheng Hall, Tianwang Temple and other historic buildings. In the Reign of Emperor Jiaqing (1796-1820)，there had built about 50 temples. Nowadays, there still remain Wang Temple, Town God Temple, King of Hell Temple, Guandi Temple, Confucian Temple, etc. You may also have the chance to live in Diaojiao buildings, which is the typical living architecture of the inhabitants. They are wooden houses with tile roofs and always stand upright beside the lake.

Beautiful places can always cultivate talented people, not excepting Fenghuang County. Here has been the hometown of Shen Congwen (1902-1988), he described its beautiful scenery once in “the border town “.

A famous writer also said that,” Fenghuang county is one of the most beautiful towns in China.” I agree with him. If you want to witness the real west Hunan, you have to make that trip.

Best Travel Time:
1) Spring and autumn (the temperature is about 25 °)
2) Winter (it is cold but you can see a landscape of snow)

Accommodation:
It is very convenient, about 20 to 100 yuan per night

Dragon Boat Races

On June 15, 2010, 18 representatives of the National Dragon Boat Races team and 20 traditional exhibition team at dragon boat training base in China – Harbour Zigui Xujiachong compete in a dragon boat race on the Yangtze River during the Duan Wu Festival. Before the game, there is a Calling Rituals for the respect of Qu Yuan.

The world’s largest steel dragon was unveiled during the race. It is of 2.4 m width, 0.6 meters depth, 0.4 meters draft design and can accommodate 120 people at the same time. The length of the giant dragon boat is 62 meters, which is to commemorate Qu Yuan’s 62-year-old life.

Want to know the Origin about Duan Wu Festival? Want to know more about Qu Yuan? Click here to start your exciting journey now.

Crescent Moon Spring

The Crescent Moon Spring has its name due to its crescent moon shape. Its water tastes fresh and sweet and its color is light blue. However, what makes it famous is that it has surprisingly survived in the desert for thousands of years. Year after year, it has been endangered by the sand storms but until now, it is still full of rippling water. Therefore, it is regarded as one of the wonders in China.

It is surrounded by the Mingsha Mountain, a giant sand dune, which is famous for the echoing sounds the wind makes when blowing over the dunes. Here, you may enjoy the rare view where an oasis meets the desert and you can also get the fun from sand adventure. Camel riding and dune surfing will both be your unforgettable experience.

Manchu Han Imperial Feast

Manchu Han Imperial Feast is one of the most grand and luxurious feast in the Chinese food history. Not counting fruit and desserts, it contains 134 hot dishes and 48 cold ones. Therefore, in total, there are at least 108 courses.

Originally, only the imperial family and meritorious officials had the chance to be invited to enjoy the feast. It was such a great feast that it was always divided into six meals which would last three days. It combines all kinds  of delicacies, including Eight Mountain Delicacies(including camel’s hump, bear’s paws, monkey’s brains, ape’s lips, leopard fetuses, rhinoceros tails and deer tendons), the “Eight Land Delicacies” (including several precious fowls and mushrooms), and the “Eight Sea Delicacies” (including dried sea cucumbers, shark’s fin, bird’s nest, etc.).

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