Bikes as wedding transportation for couple

About 50 cyclists escort bride Song Zhao and groom Liu Yang to their wedding ceremony in Weifang, East China's Shandong province on May 16, 2010.

Both the bride and groom enjoy cycling and they fell in love with each other at a cycling outing. The escorters, in red T-shirts and jeans, are the couple's cycling buddies. Aiming to be environmentally friendly, the couple chose to go on bikes instead of fancy automobiles as their means of transportation to their wedding reception.







Original: Chinadaily
Related links:
Chinese Wedding Evolution in the past 60 Years Part I

Posted at 04:15PM May 17, 2010 by admin in China Travel  |  Comments[0]

Teatime in heavenly Hangzhou

For those wanting to escape the hustle and bustle of metropolis, Hangzhou's West Lake and tea plantations provide an easy and peaceful getaway.

With branches of leafy willow trees delicately brushing the surface of tranquil West Lake, peach blossoms stretching gloriously along causeways, emerald bamboo shoots peeping through rich, dark soil, and the tops of fragrant tea bushes shifting in the breeze, springtime is heaven in Hangzhou.

Some advice: Avoid the crowded tourist and historical sites and spend time outdoors at West Lake and the nearby Mei Jiawu Tea Plantation. You'll only need two days for a revitalizing break, making it ideal for a weekend away.

On the first day, head to Bai Causeway, the most beautiful causeway at West Lake. Go early to avoid the crowds and, more importantly, to enjoy the ethereal sight of rising morning mist atop the lake.

Part of the beauty of West Lake lies in the reflection of the willow and peach trees along Bai Causeway. Here, the serenity and silence of the lake is broken only by birdsong and the gentle sound of boat oars caressing the water.

One of the best routes is from Broken Bridge to the Autumn Moon on Calm Lake, where visitors can enjoy the splendid views of Solitary Hill and West Lake. Take a break from walking along the 3-kilometer causeway at one of the many cafs or teahouses en route.

At Xiling Yinshe Teahouse, on Solitary Hill, you can enjoy beautiful views of West Lake. The teahouse not only affords views of picturesque landscapes, exquisite pavilions and terraces, but it is also the meeting place of the renowned Xiling Seal Engravers Society, founded hundreds years ago. Here, visitors can view a variety of seal engravings.

After a walk along Bai Causeway, take a lakeside bike ride. The best place for cycling is Taiziwan Park, flush with a plethora of flower types, including tulips and cherry blossoms. Bicycle rentals cost from 5 to 10 yuan per hour.

The next stop is Su Causeway - another scenic causeway with more blossoming flowers and trees, but fewer tourists. Visitors will find this a quieter place to relax and convene with nature than Bai Causeway.

Not far from Su Causeway is Yanggong Causeway, a main section of West Lake. Greenery covers the causeway, which is lined with phoenix trees, and towering firs and pines.

Mei Jiawu Tea Plantation should be your main destination for the second day. Here, the fragrance of fresh Longjing tea fills the air. Visitors can pick their own tea leaves and taste fresh-brewed tea using these leaves. While relaxing in a serene village watching tea harvesters at work, you will feel immersed in China's tea culture.

Visitors can take home some of the famous tea, although it's not cheap. Longjing tea in Mei Jiawu costs about 1,000 yuan per 50 grams, but with a little bargaining, prices can go as low as 700 yuan.

For lunch, try the delicious chicken broth, cooked with fresh chickens raised at Mei Jiawu. After lunch, spend the afternoon relaxing, playing cards and chatting with local people.



Original: China daily

Related link:
The China Tea Party (i)
The China Tea Party (ii)
9 Great Attractions in China That Are Not on Your Itinerary, But Should Be (7-8)

Posted at 02:53PM May 07, 2010 by admin in China Travel  |  Comments[0]

Miss Etiquettes of the Shanghai World Expo (ii)

More pictures of Miss Etiquettes of the Shanghai World Expo

Miss Etiquette in Guizhou pavilion


Miss Etiquette in Mongolia pavilion


Miss Etiquette in Chongqing pavilion

Miss Etiquette in Guangxi pavilion


Related link:
Miss Etiquettes of the Shanghai World Expo (i)

Posted at 11:20AM Apr 30, 2010 by admin in China Travel  |  Comments[0]

Miss Etiquettes of the Shanghai World Expo (i)

Shanghai expo will be open up soon, Yoyoor have prepared some pictures of the expo.

Miss Etiquette in Yunnan pavilion


Miss Etiquette in Ningxia pavilion

Miss Etiquette in Tibet pavilion


Miss Etiquette in Qinghai pavilion



Sourece: China Daily
Related link:
Miss Etiquettes of the Shanghai World Expo (ii)

Posted at 01:20PM Apr 27, 2010 by admin in China Travel  |  Comments[0]

China's top 10 luxury homes iii

More pictures of China's top 10 luxury homes

Source: China Daily

Related links:
China's top 10 luxury homes i
China's top 10 luxury homes ii

Click here to review Daily News Headline, spcialized for you by Yoyoor.

Posted at 03:04PM Apr 09, 2010 by admin in China Travel  |  Comments[0]

China's top 10 luxury homes ii

More pictures of China's top luxury homes

Sourece: China Daily

Related links:
China's top 10 luxury homes i

Click here to review Daily News Headline, spcialized for you by Yoyoor.

Posted at 02:49PM Apr 09, 2010 by admin in China Travel  |  Comments[0]

Hongqiao opens terminal 2

Shanghai inaugurated a massive new airport terminal and transport hub Tuesday meant to help the city handle the 70 million or more visitors it expects to attend the upcoming World Expo.

The new Hongqiao terminal is part of a sweeping upgrading of the transport system for Shanghai, a city of about 20 million people.

Hongqiao Airport's new second terminal, located west of the current terminal building, will handle almost all domestic flights from the airport, though some charter and international flights will still use the older facility.

Posted at 02:58PM Mar 19, 2010 by admin in China Travel  |  Comments[0]

Harbin, Disney in ice (iii)

How to get to Harbin
Flights from Beijing cost about 1,500 yuan ($219) and it takes about two hours to g et there. Trains from Beijing start at 153 yuan (271 for sleeper) for a trip that’s about 12 hours. Nigtly express trains (429 yuan, 9.5 hours) offer soft sleepers only.[Read More]

Posted at 01:50PM Feb 24, 2010 by admin in China Travel  |  Comments[0]

Harbin, Disney in ice (ii)

From the city, there are several ways to get to the festival. If you are trying to do everything in a day, start with lunch and a stroll along Zhongyang Dajie. This pedestrian-only street is the heart of the city's Russian legacy, with interesting shops and food.[Read More]

Posted at 05:02PM Feb 23, 2010 by admin in China Travel  |  Comments[0]

Harbin, Disney in ice (i)

Harbin's annual Ice and Snow Festival, which opens the first week of January and ends this year on Feb 28, in Heilongjiang province, is a fantasy of iconic buildings made of ice and folk legends sculpted in snow. Plan a trip and veterans who have been there will repeat two words over and over: "cold" and "beautiful".[Read More]

Posted at 10:55AM Feb 22, 2010 by admin in China Travel  |  Comments[0]

Snow, rain play havoc with spring festival travel

Bad weather forecast to hit during peak festival season

The weather refused to cooperate yesterday as the country entered its peak traffic season with millions on the move home.

Over the weekend, snow and heavy fog hit northern China, closing expressways and delaying flights. And meteorologists are forecasting bad weather to sweep across the country in the week ahead.

About 2.5 billion trips are expected to be made over the 40 days from Jan 30, as people rush home for family reunions and celebrations during the week-long Spring Festival holiday, which starts Saturday, the eve of the lunar New Year.

The transport authority reported that traffic began to surge yesterday, burdening the country's railways, roads and airports.

The Ministry of Railways said some 5 million passengers took trains on Saturday and yesterday. Railway stations in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou handled more than 200,000 passengers each day.

Some 63 million people took long-distance buses and ships home each day over the weekend, the Ministry of Transport estimated.

The number of passengers taking flights also grew so fast yesterday that belts transporting luggage from a check-in counter in Terminal 3 at the Beijing Capital International Airport broke down.

"The straps became overheated and produced smoke around 1 pm. But the trouble was soon solved and we opened new check-in counters to handle passengers. Order has resumed at the terminal," an airport spokesman said.

Ten freeways were closed yesterday because of snow and fog in Shanxi, Hebei, Henan and Liaoning provinces, causing delays at some long-distance bus stations, state broadcaster CCTV reported yesterday.

Due to the shut-down, Beijing's Liuliqiao bus hub said some buses from Hebei and Shanxi provinces to Beijing would be delayed for three to four hours.

Snow and ice caused at least 21 flights to be canceled and 64 flights delayed at the Beijing Capital International Airport by noon yesterday.

Meteorologists warned that such delays at bus stations and airports could only get worse because of a strong cold snap that will hit most parts of the country this week.

Qiao Lin, chief forecaster with the National Meteorological Center, said from today to Friday, rain and fog will hit central and east China, while lingering snowstorms will sweep northeast and north China.

On Thursday and Friday, freezing rain, which caused chaos during the Spring Festival traffic peak in 2008, is likely to hit Guizhou and the northwestern part of the area to the south of the Yangtze River. Most parts of the country will experience a temperature drop of 6 to 8 C, he said.

As the period coincides with the busiest time for the country's transport system, he warned travelers and transport departments to be prepared for bad weather.

"Nothing can be done about this weather. All I can do now is pray," said Li Zhenzhen, who works in Beijing and plans to leave for home in Henan province on Friday.

Wang Yongping, spokesman for the Ministry of Railways, said that the ministry has urged local bureaus to strengthen check-ups on locomotives, trains, tracks and the electricity network in a bid to ensure no breakdowns in the abnormal weather. Emergency plans will also be implemented during the bad weather.

Posted at 10:18AM Feb 08, 2010 by admin in China Travel  |  Comments[0]

Chinese travel abroad increases

China's statistics from 2009 are expected to show its first deficit in tourism, due to a weak global economy and a strong travel incentive at home, a senior researcher said.

China Tourism Academy, the think tank for the country's tourism authority, said that mainland tourists spent some $42 billion in overseas destinations including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan last year.

At the same time, overseas tourists spent only $38 billion on the mainland, down by 7 percent year-on-year.

Though official statistics for 2009 are yet to be released, the academy estimated that the tourism deficit will stand at $4 billion in 2009 - the first ever tourism deficit in China.

"The deficit in tourism service trade is a new sign saying that China is turning into a notable tourist source market, in addition to being an important destination," Dai Bin, deputy head of China Tourism Academy, told China Daily.

The deficit will enable China to have more say in the global travel market, and also help lift the pressure on China for renminbi appreciation, he said.

The booming outbound travel also will encourage domestic enterprises to "go out" and purchase more shares in foreign travel businesses, he said.

Some 47 million trips were made by mainland tourists to overseas destinations in 2009, up 3 percent year-on-year, the academy estimated.

In contrast, 126 million overseas tourists visited the mainland last year, down by 3 percent year-on-year, it estimated.

Though the inbound tourists far outnumbered the outbound, apparently mainland tourists, with swelling wallets and eagerness for shopping, have spent much more overseas.

"Chinese tourists have a different spending concept from others. They could endure staying at a three-star hotel and eating at a not-so-good restaurant, but would never go back home empty-handed," said Zhang Wei, general manager of the outbound department with the China International Travel Service head office.

Also, since many imported goods are sold on the Chinese mainland at much higher prices, many tourists shop for expensive watches, clothes and cosmetics overseas, she said.

Beijinger Gao Xuenan, on her trip to Europe last month, spent some 13,000 yuan ($1,900) on a Louis Vuitton bag and a purse, and spent another 2,000 yuan on a Burberry scarf.

"The prices of these goods are much higher in Beijing. The scarf, sold at more than 4,000 yuan, is even out of stock in Beijing. I kind of feel I would suffer a loss if I don't buy them in Europe," she said.

A survey by AC Nielson in 2008 said each Chinese tourist spent an average $987 per trip. Those travelling to Europe spent an average $1,781.

But foreign tourists usually do not shop for such expensive items in China, she said.

Besides, the global economic downturn has made many foreign tourists slash their China shopping budgets, said Dun Jidong, spokesman for the China Travel Service.

"But (the economic meltdown) had less impact on mainland tourists, who traveled with confidence in China's economy," he said.

The number of Beijing tourists joining outbound tour groups through China Travel Service still grew at a double-digit pace last year as usual, he said.

From another view, after years of promoting China as a tourist destination, the wealthy foreigners who used to be the primary group visiting the Chinese mainland have been replaced by ordinary tour groups and backpackers, who spent less in China, Dai Bin with the academy said.

But the average GDP per capita has hit $3,000 in China, "a level that industry experts agree sends a signal that the country is entering a stage of explosive growth in travel consumption", he said.

The academy forecast that 54 million trips will be made by mainland tourists to overseas destinations in 2010, an increase of 15 percent year-on-year.

"Compared to the average western tourist traveling at least seven times a year, Chinese tourists travel only once a year. We have a market with huge potential," he said.

Posted at 10:54AM Jan 15, 2010 by admin in China Travel  |  Comments[0]

China Building World's Tallest Airport In Tibet

Tibet already has the world's highest airport, the Bamda Airport in Qamdo. Now China is planning to build an even higher structure, the 14,553-foot Nagqu Dagring Airport. The record-setting airport will be built in Nagqu Prefecture and is set to go live some time around 2014. Construction won't even begin until 2011, and the project is just one of 97 airports that the Chinese hope to build by 2020.

Of course since it's China there's no news that doesn't have some political upshot (just ask Google). The catch here is that Nagqu Dagring is part and parcel of a broader Chinese project to integrate Tibet into the rest of the country. They want to bring Chinese Han into Tibet and wouldn't mind seeing more Tibetans moving into the rest of China, and so they're developing the region's travel infrastructure accordingly. That's happening whether native Tibetans want it or not.

Having finally linked the Tibetan capital of Lhasa to Beijing via rail in 2006, the Chinese now have another six regional railways in the pipeline. The new transportation routes were explicitly designed to create a smoother back-and-forth flow of people, raising concerns about de facto colonization.

As for the question "who wouldn't want a shiny new airport," the answer might well be "ethnic Tibetans who are more interested in preserving their environment than in building new airports and railways." Again they might not have a choice, but the response from the other side is that it's paternalistic to insist that locales wouldn't want to improve their regional economies.

As always with these kinds of questions there are no easy answers. We'll just have to wait and see how the development proceeds, and what toll it takes on the local people and environment.

Posted at 10:25AM Jan 14, 2010 by admin in China Travel  |  Comments[0]

Yoyoor China Tips: Best Rare Vegetable

Yoyoor China Tips: Shopping & Food

Best Rare Vegetable

FOR weeks, Bill Maxwell of Maxwell Farms in Changewater, N.J., put the rutabaga bug in my ear every Saturday morning at the farmers’ market.

At the beginning, his urgings were gentle.

“The rutabaga is looking particularly fine this week,” he said as the vegetable came into season in October.

Throughout the fall, he persisted: “Rutabaga is the most underrated vegetable. You should try it for Thanksgiving.”

But I kept demurring despite his coaxing.

Finally, he insisted, pressing a fat, taut root vegetable into my hands. “Just take it and try it,” he said. “I’ll bet you anything you’ll be back for more.”

Thus began my new obsession with rutabaga.

Though I’d had it before, it wasn’t often. Puréed rutabaga is hardly a restaurant staple. And the one time I made it myself (over a decade ago), the root I got was so tough and dry I could barely slice through it with an ordinary knife, resorting to the meat cleaver. The flavor was wan, not worth the effort.

But this rutabaga was moist and fresh and easy to cube. Mr. Maxwell advised boiling, then mashing it with caramelized onions. But because the oven was on anyway for chicken, I decided to try roasting.

I tossed the rutabaga cubes with oil, salt and a little maple syrup, cooking them until the flesh was tender and translucent, the edges golden. It was as sweet and rich as butternut squash with a slightly peppery turnip note.

It was so good, in fact, that I couldn’t stop eating the cubes straight from the pan before the chicken was done.

Since then, I’ve bought rutabaga (also known as Swedes or yellow turnips) every week and prepared them as boiled, sautéed or braised.

Roasting, which caramelizes the sugars of the vegetable and brings out its sweetness, remains my favorite.

Posted at 05:07PM Jan 05, 2010 by admin in China Travel  |  Comments[0]

Yoyoor Travel Express: Harbin Ice Festival 2010

Activities for the Chinese Harbin Ice and Snow Festival typically start from the Sun Island Scenic Area (Tel: +86 451 8819 0230). Among the many interactive features of the surprisingly extensive world of snow and ice, is a luge-like ice slide integrated into the attractions’ larger works (a few years ago the slide doubled as the Great Wall of China.)

The festival offers an ice wall on which daring visitors can test their climbing skills. Aided by ropes and propelled by insanity, the climbers do battle with an almost vertical ice wall with minimal, if any, traction.

For those who need a break from the frost and frigidity, small, cozy restaurants are scattered throughout the festival in the form of yurts. While it may not feel like walking into a sauna, the brief respite from the cold makes them worth a regular visit. No northeast China cuisine tasting experience is complete without using a straw to suck the juice from inside a pork bone.

Head towards Zheng Yang Lou (No. 252 Zhong Shan Rd. Tel: +86 451 8260 5558) for just such an experience. Need some takeaway? Harbin sausage is tops. Don't be frightened by the long queue at Shangwei Sausage shop (No. 999 Hong Qi Rd. Tel: +86 451  5 76  8 3 59 5), for some truly outstanding sausages (40RMB per kilogram.)

Posted at 04:32PM Jan 05, 2010 by admin in China Travel  |  Comments[0]