It's Sunny Today in Guilin!

Today the sun comes out after several days of chill. Photos are the symbol of Guilin, Sun and Moon Pagodas on the Lake.

Christmas in China

Christmas is more and more popular in China. It is not only a good season for business and for young people, it is a good day to meet friends and make new friends. For parents and grandparents, they look forward to New Year’s Day, typically a day when families get together.

Cindy

Merry Chrismas and Happy New Year

For celebrating Christmas Day, all the people think lots of ways to do. This is an opportunity for reunion. People wishes to accompany their families. They will take a trip, go shopping, take part in family gathering, and so on. In China, Christmas Day is also popular, especially for the youny people. The sellers also like this festival. They absolutely don’t lose the chance for earning money. The shops were decorated beautiful. The lights were colourful. Lots of things were on sale. I think these are strongly attractive for many people including me. I could not push against the temptation and bought the clouthes, shoes and snacks on Dec.25. Then I had very little money left. Well, I can still earn money. After several days, New year’s Day will be coming. It is also a exciting day. And it is more popular than Chrismas Day. Because so many old people are familiar with this festival.
A new year will come. Do you make a plan for the new year? Do you make a wish? I hope my families, my friends and all people are happy for ever.

Lussie

Delicious Food We Had in Datong

On December 15-19, 2010, I visited Datong in Shanxi Province, North China. Datong is a noted historical city, famous for the magnificent Yungang Grottoes, Zhangbi Ancient Castle, Hanging Monastery, and the nearby Pingyao ancient town. Most people think that cuisines in North China are not as delicious and delicate as those in South China. However, this trip proved us wrong. North China does have many very delicious dishes! Here are some photos. Don't envy me J, come visit China and taste the food by yourself. Visit www.chinahighlights.com for more information about China tours.

Photo 1: Pancakes. It is the typical staple food in North China. Usually people eat it with sauce, meat, garlic, and some other vegetables and dishes.

Photo 2: Tofu. Tofu in South China tastes tenderer than those in North China. See those very tiny holes? Usually South China tofu does not have holes.

Photo 3: Crystal dumplings.

Photo 4: Haha, bring on some fun. This is me on the mountain of Yanmenguan Great Wall. During our stay in Datong, it happened to be the coldest day there over the past 10 years. 15 degrees Celsius below zero! I felt the wind almost blew me away, and wrapped myself like a mummy J

China Highlights’ Harvest in the 6th Annual Balloon Volleyball Tournament of CITS Guilin

CITS Guilin (China International Travel Service Guilin) successfully held the 6th Balloon Volleyball Tournament on last Saturday, December 18, 2010, with 16 teams joining the tournament. China Highlights, as an important part of CITS Guilin, organized 5 teams to take part in the annual tournament of CITS Guilin, and two teams got into the final eight with team 1 ranking the 3rd and team 3 ranking the 6th.

The tournament began at 09:00 am with a wonderful PK � the match between China Highlights' Team 1 and Team of Outbound Department, and finally China Highlights' Team 1 ranked the 3rd and Team of Outbound Department ranked the 1st. The match actions proved that the 6th Balloon Volleyball Tournament of CITS Guilin was really a brilliant event, because during most matches, both team were parallel teams in strength. It was a pity that one of our members (an important role belonged to China Highlights' Team 3) got hurt during the tournament, however, with the strong cohesion and skilled cooperation, China Highlights' Team 3 achieved the victory in the 3rd place.

China Highlights pays a lot of attention on team-building in energy, cohesion, communication, dedication and effective cooperation. Playing the balloon volleyball has become a regular event to China Highlights staff, and China Highlights has finished two rounds of balloon volleyball match in 2010, which make the harvest come true in the 6th Balloon Volleyball Tournament of CITS Guilin on last Saturday. Besides balloon volleyball matches, China Highlights also organizes some other sports activities for its staff members, including badminton, pin pong, basketball and swimming. Recently, China Highlights' first sports meeting has been successfully held, which brought all the staff members a great enjoyment and made China Highlights a more cohesive team.

Following are some spectacular moments of the tournament last Saturday.

 

 

叶 兰-285 3531

MSN: naley5199@hotmail.com 

 

The Schedule of Public Holidays 2011

The General Office of the State Council has released the schedule of public holidays in 2011. There will be two seven-day holidays in 2011, which are the Spring Festival from February 2, 2011 and the National holiday from October 1, 2011. In order to compensate for extended holidays, some Saturdays and Sundays will be changed into workdays, they are: January 30, February 12, April 2 and October 8 and 9.

Among these 7 public holidays, 4 are calculated basing on the lunar calendar, hence the dates will be different basing on the Gregorian calendar. Following are the exact schedule for the public holidays in 2011 and the expected schedule for the public holidays in 2012. May they are useful for travelers intending to visit China in the next two years.

2011 / 2012 Major Public Holiday Schedule
Festival	Date	Duration	Holidays of 2011	Holidays of 2012
New Year's Day	Jan. 1	3 days	Jan. 1�3	Jan. 1�3
Spring Festival	The 1st day of the 1st lunar month	7 days	Feb. 3. The holiday is Feb. 2�8.	Jan. 23. The holiday is Jan. 22�28.
Qingming Festival	Apr.  5	3 days	Apr. 5. The holiday is Apr. 3�5.	Apr. 5. The holiday is Apr. 5�7.
May Day	May 1	3 days	Apr. 30�May 2	May 1�3
Dragon Boat Festival	The 5th day of the 5th lunar month	3 day	Jun. 6. The holiday is Jun. 4�6.	Jun. 23. The holiday is Jun. 22� 24.
Mid-Autumn Day	The 15th day of the 8th  lunar month	3 day	Sep. 12. The holiday is Sep. 10� 12.	Sep. 30. The holiday is Sep. 30.
National Day	Oct. 1	7 days (Oct. 1�3)	Oct. 1�7	Oct. 1�7

 

 

Making Your Own Chinese Name

More and more international friends seek for their own Chinese names when learning Chinese becomes a fashion trend. One of my customers said that he would like to name himself 'Emperor John' and it took me quite a while to figure out its Chinese version. Emperor is Huangshang in Chinese, and I made Huang (Yellow) your last name, it is one of the most common last names in China, you should also know that Yellow is the special color for the emperors. So Huang is the last name, Shang is uniquely used as one part of your given name (we can have one character or two as the given name), it means aspirations literally. Han is from your name John, John is translated into Yuehan, I take Han so the whole name sounds more beautiful. When people say the whole name (黄尚翰), Huang and Shang come together and give an impression of saying Emperor. Isn't it cute?

 

Try here to make your own Chinese name, http://www.mandarintools.com/chinesename.html

 

 

The Schedule of Public Holidays 2011

The General Office of the State Council has released the schedule of China public holidays 2011. According to the announcement, there will be two seven-day holidays in 2011, which are the Spring Festival from February 2, 2011 and the National holiday from October 1, 2011. In order to compensate for extended holidays, some Saturdays and Sundays will be changed into workdays, they are: January 30, February 12, April 2 and October 8 and 9.

Among these 7 public holidays, 4 are calculated basing on the lunar calendar, hence the dates will be different basing on the Gregorian calendar. Following are the exact schedule for China public holidays 2011 and the expected schedule for China public holidays 2012. May they are useful for travelers intending to visit China in the next two years.

Weekend TV "Blind Date" Program

At the weekend, I watched a TV program about "Blind Date" (such TV programs are very popular in China now as more and more singles have limited social circle under the pressure of work). A guy (profession, a company for Chinese group to Europe), young, health, humorous and high-paid was rejected by 19 girls, and the main reason is that he is still living in the apartment which was decorated by his ex-girlfriend. Would this be a problem? I do not think the past should be the main topic between lovers.

One more thing, I was surprised that this guy has been working for more than 200 days this year, double for 2009. How great increase and a big market Chinese traveling aboard is.

Karen

 

China Highlights Games to Commence

With the coming of China Highlights Games, some staff members are busy practicing in their spare time. The photos show us skipping rope on the open ground in front of our company by the Li River.

China Highlights Suggests 8 Ways to Save for China Tour

China Highlights provides eight options to make you China holiday cheaper or even earn some money. After your successful China trip why not refer us to your friends or colleagues and earn $100 per person. Alternatively take advantage of great low season prices to save $100 to $250 on your tour. Check out all the ways to save below.

1.       Refer us to your friends and earn USD100 Per Person

2.       Travel in a group and save $700 or more

3.       Book a Low season China Tour and save $100 to $250

4.       Tailor make your China tour and save

5.       Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to find the best deals

6.       Be a Mystery Shopper and receive a free dinner or night show

7.       Guinea Pigs Wanted! Try our new products for free save

8.       Book a China tour and get free Cell Phone Rental value at least $55

View more details of these ways to save at http://www.chinahighlights.com/deals/ways-to-save.asp

West Sea Grand Canyon of the Yellow Mountains Closed in Winter

From December 1 till April 1 of the next year, West Sea Grand Canyon of the Yellow Mountains Scenic Area will be closed to tourists due to snow and maintenance.

As a world heritage site, some spots of the Yellow Mountains (Huangshan), such as West Sea Grand Canyon and Heavenly Capital Peak are closed at some time of the year (usually off season), due to weather conditions and maintenance work.

The Yellow Mountains has seasonal beauties all year round. Winter is cold up on the mountain but the snowscape is great. Because it is the off season, it is less crowded and it is cheaper to travel. Check out our Huangshan tour packages at http://www.chinahighlights.com/huangshan/tours.htm

Ginger decoction or Go to see a western doctor?

Everything in China is getting more and more expensive except our salary,
price of rice noodle which is our daily food has risen by 20% this year
(2.5yuan to 3yuan), here is a conversation between a couple.

Husband: I got a litter cold, can you please get me some ginger decoction,
it works great for me and will save us a lot of money from seeing doctor?
Wife: The price of ginger is too high now; it will be more cost effective to
see the western doctor.

China Highlights Implemented McAfee to Ensure Website Security

China Highlights has successfully purchased and implemented a website certification service whose name is McAfee SECURE last week. Hence, China Highlights' website becomes more reliable, and customers' e-commerce businesses on China Highlights' website are strongly armed and safer without threat to personal privacy from computer virus.

 

Customers can find the McAfee SECURE™ trust mark on the left bottom of China Highlights' website, only when the website has passed McAfee's intensive, daily security scan, the McAfee SECURE™ trust mark can appear on the website. Up to now, China Highlights is the only one tourist website with the services of McAfee SECUR in China. Based on the business model of 'honesty, integrity and flexibility', China Highlights aims to provide customers with faster, more convenient and higher quality services. Over the last 12 years, tens of thousands of customers have spent their unforgettable experiences with China Highlights in China, and have happily recommended China Highlights to their family and friends who plan to visit China.

 

On July 20, 2010, China Highlights' trademark has successfully registered in the USA, which marked that, the brand 'China Highlights' is a name of a reliable company. With these great developments, China Highlights' team is more confident to offer our customers with more satisfactory services. For more information about China Highlights, visit http://www.chinahighlights.com/aboutus/.

Manmade Waterfall in Guilin

One of the most attractive evening scenes in Guilin is the manmade waterfall on the exterior wall of Guilin Lijiang Waterfall Hotel, which is a 5-star hotel. The big manmade waterfall, with the height of 45 meters, top width of 72 meters and bottom width of 75 meters, falls from the top of the exterior wall of the hotel, creating a magnificent view. Through the water you can still vaguely see the rooms, lobby and restaurant inside the hotel. This manmade waterfall has been recorded into the World Guinness Book.

 

It is on every night at 20:30, and lasts 10 to 15 minutes. Guilin Lijiang Waterfall Hotel is located beside the city central square. Come to see the waterfall if you visit Guilin. Guilin City is a famous tourist city in China with beautiful natural landscape, karst topography and ethnic customs. See introduction of Guilin City at http://www.chinahighlights.com/guilin/

Can Two Foreigners Get Married in China?

Two German lovers asked us whether they could get married in China or not.

After quite a few phone calls, we were told "not possible" by officials from
Dept of marriage of a Chinese with foreigner, Bureau of Civil Affairs in
Beijing. Because none of them are Chinese citizens.

We can arrange typical Chinese wedding ceremony, but we can't get you
marriage certificate.

Large crowds force Forbidden City to rethink ticketing policy

Overwhelmed by a huge number of visitors who flocked to the capital's
Forbidden City during the National Day holiday, authorities at the
590-year-old palace said an e-ticketing system will be introduced next year
to cap entries in a bid to protect the monument. One of China's biggest
tourist attractions, the Palace Museum, as it is also known, received far
more visitors during the seven-day Golden Week holiday than its daily
capacity of 60,000. On Oct 2 alone, some 122,000 people entered through the
gate of the Forbidden City, the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming
Dynasty (1368-1644) to the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Currently,
all tickets to the walled enclosure, located in central Beijing, are sold
manually, which fails to accurately monitor the flow of visitors. "Once the
e-ticketing system is operational, the computer will stop selling tickets if
the number of visitors has reached the museum's maximum capacity," Feng
Nai'en, the museum's assistant director, told China Daily on Wednesday.
(October 7, 2010, China Daily)

Concrete Jungle in Beijing

Beijing, home of 17.5 million people, is now becoming a concrete jungle.

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China looks great in summer gree in September.

Very big portion of food in Yichang

Local restaurant tend to provide you with a looooot of food in BIG
plates. Please tell them to use small plate before ordering.

Yangtze River Dam

The Yangtze River Dam site, 1000 meters long and 15- 40 meters wide.

Walk way on the sheer cliff

There used to be a walkway on the sheer cliff for locals lived by the
Yangtze. Due to the Dam and water level raised, the walk pass is under
the water now, but, they are building a new one using modern skills.

Yangtze looks greater than that of before the Dam

I cruised the Yangtze before the Dam was made, I crused again after
the Dam was made, personally, I think the Yangtze looks wider and
greater than before.

Cruise ship Yangtze 1 has a swiming pool

This is the only ship on the Yangtze has a little pool on the deck.

Why We Stopped Blogging?

Do you wonder why we stopped blogging? We were having a lot of fun sharing our stories on this blog until we could not access to Blogger from China. We will blog again when possible.