The Harbin 哈尔滨 Snow and Ice Festival opens January 3rd

Plus - braised pork ribs 红烧排骨 ...

With filmmaker Ryo Takeuchi (He ZhiMeng 和之梦). Moving, uplifting, human spirit, humility, improvement, inspiring - don't miss it ...

Best month to see the yellow canola fields is March.

XiShuangBanNa located in the south of YunNan province, south China, is a charming international eco-tourism resort on the reaches of the Mekong river (known as the LanCang river in China), bordering with Laos and Myanmar, and adjacent to Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Esteemed for its captivating tropical landscapes and exotic cultures of the 13 native minorities, this land is home to China's largest tropical rainforest and abundant biological resources, and the Dai Water Splashing Festival (which lasts for three days from April 13 to 15). The Six Famous Tea Mountains region, 六大茶山 (Liù Dà Chá Shān) produce some of the most highly regarded Pu-Er tea. There are daily flights from KunMing, DaLi and ChengDu.

About 2 1/2 hours NNE from BeiJing city center ...

Starting with 'Now you're in Beijing (commie jungle mix)', music video. Plus Beijing's popular attractions, a trip to the blue sky city, QianHai Lake (in central Beijing), the BeiJing to ShangHai sleeper train, and The Forbidden City (documentary; in English) bonus films ... 'Now you're in Beijing ...' - think about it - you're in Beijing, China - it might be different but that is here and not there; sure some things could be better - such as rights and protections for migrant workers, but Rome wasn't built in a day, as they say. A few words on the Hu JinTao / Wen JiaBao era - definately one of China's most successful jumps forward; a major rise in prosperity for all, the growth of great infrastructure, such as the high-speed rail system, and much more, the Beijing Olympics, the Shanghai World Expo, space exploration, and the list goes on ... A happy retirement to two leaders who helped guide China back to greatness ! Mao ZeDong unified the country and helped defeat the Japanese invaders, and for that is a national hero. But things didn't go so well subsequently and on his death the 'Gang of Four' were arrested and China took a new path, though slowly at first following the courageous efforts of Deng XiaoPing. But it was not until circa 1990 that China really began to take off. So its rise to greatness, once more, is remarkable for having been achieved, from so little, in just 25 years. Obviously, they have done most things very right.

Runs from January 5th to the end of February each year.The artistic side of this cultural tradition derives from the making of wind-proof shells for candle-based lanterns using hollowed-out ice blocks.

September 31st, 2010.

The beautiful Dragon's Backbone rice terraces; about 60km from GuiLin ...

JǐuHuá Shān, 'Nine Glorious Mountains', is one of the four sacred mountains of Chinese Buddhism. Located in AnHui province, it is famous for its rich landscape and ancient temples. A beautiful film ...