Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for china
The Trail to Happiness
By Linda Tancs
Of all the ski destinations in the world, northeastern China might not sound like a natural choice. Yet the Changbai Mountain region is Asia’s largest ski area. Bordering Russia and North Korea, the mountain region has a UNESCO nature reserve boasting Siberian tigers and a crater lake, among other attractions. Now visitors can enjoy the combined luxury of Westin and Sheraton at the mountain’s base, an area rife with ski runs sporting monikers like the Trail to Happiness. Zen on the slopes? As American writer Robert Pirsig observed, the only Zen you find on the mountaintop is the Zen you bring there.
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Through the Looking Glass
By Linda Tancs
Stained glass, leaded glass, art glass–the possibilities are endless. That’s what the folks at the Shanghai Museum of Glass want you to take away from their new museum celebrating the art and technology of glass making. Boasting ancient and contemporary collections from around the world, the glass-encased facility includes a hot glass demonstration hall for those interested in understanding the process and performance of glass blowing. Handle with care!
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A Hare-Raising Experience in San Francisco
By Linda Tancs
The rabbit, or hare, is the fourth animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. Welcome to the year of the rabbit. San Francisco’s Chinese New Year Festival will culminate on 19 February with an evening parade from Market and Second Street to Kearny and Jackson. Named one of the top ten parades in the world by the International Festivals and Events Association (IFEA), the San Francisco march is one of the grandest night illuminated parades in the country (think: Disney), not to mention one of the largest celebrations of Asian culture outside of Asia. Parade highlights include elaborate floats, lion dancers, folk dancers, Chinese acrobats and a 250 foot long Golden Dragon (“Gum Lung”) flowing along the parade route. Happy Year 4709.
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World’s Most Interesting Rest Stop
By Linda Tancs
Generally, rest stops are not the most interesting part of road travel, necessitated by refueling, nature calls and sundry other details. No doubt any traveler to Hangzhou Bay Bridge, linking China’s Cixi City in Zhejiang province with Jiaxing City to the north, would never view the lowly rest stop the same way again. Although damaged by fire earlier this year during renovation work, the bridge remains the longest transoceanic bridge in the world at 22 miles in length, roughly the size needed to link Britain and France across the English Channel. Its 10,000-square-meter service center in the middle offers unrivaled views of the bay and its tides at the lookout, together with a hotel, conference center and parkland to complement the usual rest area amenities.
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Harmony in Pudong
By Linda Tancs
China is celebrating harmony. Odd, you might think, for a world power not exactly known for its humanitarianism. Well, put those beliefs aside when you visit Shanghai’s World Expo 2010. The first world’s fair to take place in China, the exhibition welcomes 189 nations to a five-square-kilometer, $50 billion playground. Over 200,000 visitors poured in for the 1 May opener and fireworks extravaganza over the Huangpu River. Events include folk festivals and cultural feasts, perfect complements to the Austrian theme “Feel the Harmony” or Pakistan’s “Harmony in Diversity.” Over 70 million guests are expected before the event’s close on 31 October. Will you be one of them?
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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Mighty Ice
By Linda Tancs
Unruly amounts of snow and ice pounding the northeastern U.S. this winter would be a most welcome visitor in northeastern China these days as Heilongjiang province celebrates its annual International Ice and Snow Festival in Harbin. The arctic climate produces enough ice and snow to produce a slide that rivals that of Atlantis in the Bahamas, a palace to top the Taj and a sphinx to…well, you get the idea. That’s a lot of ice, baby. You can view this arctic architectural achievement until 28 February.
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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Valentine’s Day is for Tigers
By Linda Tancs
Hearts, flowers and–dumplings? You bet. This year, Valentine’s Day ushers in the Chinese Year of the Tiger. Boiled dumplings are a tradition on New Year’s Eve and symbolize prosperity. So while all you food mavens are rolling those homemade chocolate truffles for your sweetie, why not try a dumpling recipe. May the new year be a happy and healthy one.
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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Food and Fast Cars in Macau
By Linda Tancs
The lure of good food and fast cars isn’t lost on the organizers of November’s events in Macau. Beginning on 13 November, Macau launches its international food festival at Sai Van Lake Square. Highlights include delicacies zones comprising Asian, European and local cuisines. On 19 November, sports enthusiasts will gather for The Windsor Arch 56th Macau Grand Prix, headlined by the official FIA Formula 3 Intercontinental Cup. One of only a few locales authorized to carry the FIA World Championship title, many top drivers annually converge on Macau from around the world. The Macau Motorcycle Grand Prix, now in its 43rd year, is likewise considered one of the most challenging road races in the world.
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Beijing Celebrates Diversity
By Linda Tancs
Sixty years of Communist rule will soon be feted in Beijing when National Day celebrations commence on 1 October. In addition to its spectacular military parade on Tiananmen Square, the city has erected giant columns to celebrate China’s ethnic diversity. Rivaling the attention given the Bird’s Nest of Olympics fame, the pillars of red and gold are an imposing sight in a city basked in notoriety for its reinvention. Consider the refurbished Palace (now Peninsula) Hotel, the World Trade Center, Grand National Theatre and redesigned airport. Maybe the pillars are as much a tribute to architectural diversity as anything else.
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Chinese New Year Continues
By Linda Tancs
Here’s one New Year’s celebration that doesn’t end the morning after. Chinese New Year is a fifteen-day event (having begun this year on 26 January), culminating with the Lantern Festival, when brilliantly decorated paper lanterns are strung and parades mark the end of the New Year festivities. This year marks the Year of the Ox. Legend has it that Buddha invited all the animals to meet him on New Year’s Day. Of the twelve that arrived, Buddha named a year after each one. The other animals are rat, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and boar. The ox is denoted as hardworking and dependable, marking a characteristic of those born every twelve years under its influence. As an English proverb says, “The old ox plows a straight furrow.” May your path be long and prosperous.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it on sites such as StumbleUpon, vote for it, or bookmark it. Thanks for your support! Travelrific® was featured as Blog of the Day on NJ.com!
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