Linggu Temple

Linggu Temple, located in 1.5 kilometers east of the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing city, is also called Jiang Shan Temple and it is now in Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum.

Linggu Temple once was one of the Jinling 48 scenes featuring winding path leading to a secluded spot, and pine forest. In its east area, there is the plum blossom dock with green plum which is blossom in the early spring whose flowers are numerous as snow and also flowery. However, all of beautiful scenery have been destroyed by the warfare in Qing Dynasty and what have been maintained is only the stele titled “Ling Gu Shen Song” by the Qianlong in Qing Dynasty. Linggu Temple nowadays, most of them are rebuilt in the Tongzhi Emperor period, though the scale is not so large than the before one, it is also one of the famous attractions in Nanjing with wonderful scenery and it has been renamed as the “Linggu Park” since the foundation of the country.

Linggu Temple

Covering an area of 500 hectares, the Linggu Temple is mainly composed of Red Mountain Gate, soldier’s arches, Wuliang Palace, Songfeng Pavilion, Linggu Tower, Baogong Tower, Pipa Street and other buildings.

Walking along the Linggu Temple, you can see the red walls, yellow tiles, green pines, luxuriant forests, and you can also sense birds singing and the sweet smell of the flowers in the quiet environment as it is the wonderful scenery of the Linggu Temple in deep autumn. Temple courtyard now sets into a total of three layers, among which the west is the Mahavira Hall with the Buddha statue in the middle of hall and the Goddess of Mercy and ksitigahba Buddhisattva in its both left side and right side and also 18 Lohans arranged on both sides of the hall; east once was Guanjian Hall but has changed into the memorial hall of the Xuan Zang mage. Go for a visit there to discover more interesting and wonderful scenery.

Purple Mountain, also called BELL MOUNTAIN, is located in the Xuanwu area in Nanjing city.The main peak ‘s elevation is of 448.9 meters with about 30 kilometers. It is national key scenic spot. The national 5 a-class scenic area of Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum scenic spot is located at its foothill. BELL MOUNTAIN’s three peaks are connected with each other with whose shapes look like megalosaurus. Its mountain, water and city are integrated mass together to make it magnificent and great and momentous. The mountain is steep and winding just as a dragon. Purple Mountain has many scenic spots and historical sites nearby: Zixia Cave in its south, Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in its front, Meihua Mountain, Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum and He xiangning Tomb in its west, Linggu Park in its east and some mausoleums of the Ming dynasty in its north.

Purple Mountain

Zhong shan is located in the north temperate zone and subtropical zone, as the plant introduction transition zone, plant variety is rich, trees are lush . It stretches 7 km long in its east-west direction and about 3 km wide in its north-south side.

Purple Mountain

Nanjing is a subtropical humid climate with its annual average temperature 16 ℃, annual rainfall 1106.5 mm, and the middle of June to the beginning of July are the plum rain season. Nanjing is used to called the stovepipe, July and August sometimes extreme maximum temperature is as high as 40 ℃ and usually is at about 35 ℃, but in recent years it has become the national advanced city landscaping with its greening rate more than 30%; therefore, more and more tourists come to visit Nanjing in summer time. It usually snows in January and February, and it will fire your imagination if you are fortunate to meet the heavy snow in Nanjing as it is so charming and moving. Just go to visit the Purple Mountain by taking the tour buses no.3, 20, 315, 48, 308 and 125 to the Purple Mountain cableway station.

Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, located in the northwest of Nanjing Yangtze River, connecting the Nanjing downtown and Pukou, is the first self-design bridge for double type railway and highway over the Yangtze River, which is of great significance in the history of the Chinese bridge. Upper level of the highway bridge is 4589 meters long, roadway width of 15 meters, which can hold 4 large cars parallel, and it also has 2 meters wide sidewalks on both sides; below the railway bridge is 6772 meters long and 14 m wide, covered by dual track, making two trains can be split at the same time. Among them the right bridge on the river is 1577 meters long, the rest are for the bridge approach, which makes it our country No.1 Bridge. Column on the right bridge road, the highway bridge approaches with rich Chinese characteristics form of double orifice hyperbolic arch bridge. The railings on both sides of the right bridge on the road are embedded with 200 cast iron reliefs, and there are 150 white magnolia flower shaped lamp on the sidewalk. It has been listed as one of the Nanjing Jinling 40 landscapes and also the “World’s Longest Male Iron Bridge” to the “Guinness Book of World Records” in the 1960s.

Under the north and south on both sides of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, there are about 20 hectares of Bridge Park, which plants with all kinds of trees and flowers, and there is direct-elevator to the depth of the bridge deck on the bridgehead. Nanjing Yangtze river bridge Nanpu Park on the on the south bank of the bridge also sets exhibition hall to introduce the history of the Yangtze River Bridge, which makes the Yangtze River Bridge much more magnificent.

Travel information: 1) Ticket price: free. 2) Opening time: all day around. 3) Time duration: half an hour. 4) Best time to visit: all the year round. 5) Ways to go there: take the city buses no. 12, 15, 38, 67, 69, 117,149,307 and 809.

Confucius Temple

Confucius temple is a set of large-scale ancient architectural complexes, and through the vicissitudes of life, a few times and waste, it is a place to worship and sacrifice to Kongzi, a famous thinker and educator in ancient China. As one of China’s four big temple, it is horned as famous scenic spot along the Qinhuai River and characteristic landscape areas in ancient capital Nanjing and also a famous attraction at home and abroad. Confucius Temple is not only a cultural and educational center in Nanjing since Ming and Qing dynasties, it is also the top one culture and education buildings among the southeast provinces. Nanjing Confucius Temple has now become a famous attraction on the Qinhui River scenic belt characterized by Ming and Qing architectural style. It sets the Dacheng Palace as its center with a north-south axis around construction symmetry. Covering an area of about 26,300 square meters, the Confucius Temple has been Municipality Protected Historic Site .

Confucius temple area is the birthplace of the Nanjing snacks and it has been the city’s hawker centers early the six dynasties. There are 20 snack bars in total. Nanjing Confucius Temple lantern show, also called Qinhuai Lantern Fair, is a kind of characteristics of folk culture activities spreading in Nanjing area which is mainly held during the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival in a year. As an important folk cultural activities, it has become an important part of culture. anjing Confucius Temple lantern show attracts many tourists from home and abroad every year, and they appreciate the lantern show and experience the Jinling folk culture and meanwhile promote the region’s economic development.

Confucius Temple

The Confucius Temple lantern show has great influence not only on historical significance, humanistic value, economic value but also social impact. As Nanjing area characteristic cultural space, it will further carry forward and inherit. If you want to have a visit there, you can take the city public buses no.4, 7, 44, 49, 62, 304 or take the tour buses No.2, 1, 15 to the Confucius Temple station (north).

Ming Xiao Mausoleum is located in a beautiful environment, surrounding is the ups and downs around to the mountain, and the mountain along the water there, which makes the humanities and the natural landscape like nature itself. Ming Xiao Mausoleum features cemetery scale and rigorous pattern. From the Xiama fang to the Boseong, the Ming Xiao Mausoleum is 2.62 kms deep, whose main architectures are surrounded by red walls with the total length of 2.25 kilometers. Extant ruins can be divided into two parts.

Ming Xiao Mausoleum

As China’s first of Ming tombs, the magnificent Ming Xiao Mausoleum represents the Ming building and stone carving art of the highest achievements, and has direct impact on the Ming and qing dynasties imperial mausoleum of shape for more than 500 years. Other mausoleums spread over Beijing, Hubei, Liaoning, Hebei in accordance with the historical process are built according to nanjing MingXiaoLing regulation and model construction. It has been listed as the World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2003.

Ming Xiao Mausoleum

Ming Xiao Mausoleum the product of human change nature embodying the traditional architecture and decoration ideas and illustrating the world outlook and conception of feudal China continues for more than five hundred years. Mausoleums of the Ming and Qing royal spreading in Beijing, Hebei, Liaoning, Anhui, Jiangsu are the Ming and Qing dynasties emperor mausoleum buildings according to the strict rank construction of rules and regulations owing complete ground and underground building system with rigorous layout, grand scale, beautiful buildings and sophisticated technology that shows the highest in China’s feudal society of the funeral system. It is a famous mausoleum in China which worthy your visit.

Travel information: 1) Opening time: 7:00 a.m.-18:00 p.m. 2) Ticket Price: 70 RMB/adult. 3) Best time to visit: Spring time and Autumn time. 4) Duration: 2-3 hours. 5) How to get there:take the tour buses no.2, 3 and 20 or take the metro line 1.

President Palace

President Palace is located in the Changjiang Road in Nanjing and now it has become China’s largest museum of modern history . The President Palace in Nanjing has a history of more than 600 years, more than 100 years from First Opium War in 1840 to the Nanjing liberation in 1949, it has witnessed a series of major events in China and has close relationship with that, moreover, some important characters also appeared here. The buildings, has become an important site in modern Chinese history.

President Palace was built on June 1 of the first year of the republic of China and completed on
March of the eighth years of the republic of China. The whole building is based on positive gate entrance building, one layer is closely linked another with the rigorous structure, symmetric shape and fine design. Towering columns, refined carve, deep corridors, delicate arch can be seen everywhere in the President Palace, which fully shows the Baroque-style architecture character during the European Renaissance.

President Palace

Covering an area of 90,000 square meters with 3 visiting zones, the President Palace has been China’s political and military center and the birthplace of a major event for many times. It also witnesses China’s prosperity and decline during the Republic of China era, and it also a witness to the replacement of the Nanjing modern history. It is a good choice to have a visit during your tour in Nanjing.

Travel tips:1) Ticket price: 40 Yuan/adult; 2) Opening time: 07:00 a.m. – 18:00 p.m. During 1st March to 31st October; 07:30 a.m. – 17:00 p.m. During 1st November to 30th November and 08:00 a.m. – 17:00 p.m. During 1st December to 28th February. 3) Best time to visit: Spring and Autumn time. 4) Playing time suggestion: 2-3 hours. 4) Ways to go there: take the public buses no.29, 304, 44, 65, 95 and city tour buses line1 and line 2 to the President Palace station, or you can also take the subway line 2.

Three Gorges Dam is situated in the Sandouping Town, Yichang city. Surrounded by the Xiling Gorge, the Three Gorges Dam is about 38 kilometers away from the Gezhou Dam. Not only this is the high level tourist spot in China, but also the biggest Hydropower station in the world.

The outstanding scenery of Three Gorges Dam is a mixture of its natural beauty and the advanced structure of the dam. The dam is divided into 5 main parts. The whole area of Three gorges Dam covers a total of 15,28 square kilometers. Those include the Exhibition Hall of Three Gorges Project, Tanzi Ridge, 185 platform, Dam viewing point, and Memorial Garden. Most visited by tourists are the Exhibition hall and the Tanzi Ridge. The main show-stopper that never fails to amaze whoever comes to see is its Three Gorges Dam project.

First opening of the Exhibition hall of the Three Gorges Project was in 1^st October, 1992. The ceremonies’ commencement was by the state council vice premier, Zhoujiahua. The exhibition hall is 6,600 square meters wide. It consists of several subject exhibitions including immigration, environment protection, technology process, photography, and electronic production. The architectural style of the exhibition was designed as per the international standard. Therefore, the hall was also equipped with film show room and VIP room. To add the virtue, the exhibition hall of the Three Gorges project posses the longest colorful picture that shows the Three Gorges with a beautiful bird’s eye view.

Another main attraction in the Three Gorges Dam is the Tanzi Ridge. The name is inspired by its shape, which is like a crock. It is located 262.5 meters above the sea level. It is the main surveying point of the Three Gorges Dam project. The Tanzi Ridge is a three storey building. In the Tanzi Ridge, there is an 800 million year old ancient stone that was found in the bottom of the Yangtze River. The project has successfully delivered China into possessing the biggest hydropower station in the world.

In the north bank of the famous Yangtze River is located the attractive Fengdu Ghost city. The Fengdu County of the Chongqing city is a great tourist place for its unique culture and scenery. Another name of Fengdu is ‘the Amazing County for Chinese Songs’ and ‘the Sequestered City’. However, it is more known as the Ghost city for its mysterious architectures of the buildings in the city. The architectures reflect the netherworld, that’s how it is named as the Ghost city.  Some of them are the Ancestral temple, the Naihe Bridge, the Tianzi hall, the Huangquan road, the hall of Queen Yao, and the Wangxiang platform.
Fengdu ghost city gives a strong historical background to its unique architectural style of the city. Though it is popular for its horror but attractive environment, some parts of the Yangtze River area provide great scenery. The famous mountains near the Yangtze River, some cultural heritage of ancient ghosts in China, the Shuangqui Mountain (national forest Park), great tombs, and great visualization of Chinese ghost are provided in this city. Not only that, the city also allows the visitors to experience a challenge of adventurous driving in Yangtze River. Some other attractions in Fengdu Ghost city are the Sidou Ping forest that gives unforgettable charming scenery. All the attractions are special and thus create an enjoyable travel.
The ticket price to enter the ghost city is more expensive during the peak season from 1^st March to October 31st, which is 80 RMB per person. However, from 1^st November to 31^st February, the ticket will cost only 55 RMB per person. They allow visitors from 7 am till 5.20 pm. A visit to the ghost city during the summer, especially the hottest days, is not advised. Since the city has temperate climate. The best time to visit is during the Ghost town temple fair. It holds at March, 3^rd, as per the lunar calendar. The festival consists of custom parade shows. It is an excitement that shall never fade.

Nagqu, Tibet is well known for its amazing natural tourist attractions. One destination worth a visit is Rongma Murals and the hot springs. It is situated in the mountains close by Rongma and this place posse a huge number of murals. The most famous one is Murals of Mount Galin. What is surprising is that the picture on the stone keeps changing with every season. It is lively attractive. Even more, a bath in hot spring will not only give relaxation, but also can cure skin diseases. A natural panorama plus a natural steam bath creates a great combination.

Rongma Murals and Hot Spring

A wonderful natural rock art probably the proper way to explain and appreciate the beauty of Rongma Murals. They are indeed exquisite, ancient, detailed pictures etched in stone. Most of the murals, especially the murals on Jialin Mountain, change shapes and colors as the time and season change. It is surprisingly amazing. Magical, I would say.

The hot springs consists of natural warm springs that expand in the area of more than hundred kilometers. The warm ground water in the spring is naturally produced by geothermal heat of Earth’s crust. Circulation of steamy air that covers the hot spring makes up the experience of natural spa. Visiting the springs, one shall not miss the enjoyable steamy bath. It is an ultimate relaxation.

Rongma Murals and Hot Spring

Not only the spring is a perfect place for relaxation, the hot water is said to be the cure for arthritis and some skin diseases. Tibetan people consider it as the healing waters. They believe that the hot spring has natural healing powers. Its warm, bubbled water can clean the disease away from your body. Just take a deep breath and enjoy the natural steamed bath experience. you will be taken away from the hustle bustle of daily life.

Rongma Murals and hot spring are a must see place in Nagqu, Tibet. It is a loss, missing the extravagant collection of stunning ancient murals in Rongma County.

Located in Nagqu, the Changtang grassland is a beautiful desert. This wide highlands expand from Eastern Ladakh to West Tibet, covering 1,600 kilometer area. This charming grassland is surrounded by four mountains and is irrigated by Black and Nujiang rivers.

A significant feature on Changtang Grassland is ‘The Changpa’, a name for the nomads of Changtang. Since the typical land of Changtang  is  not suitable for plantation or farming, these nomads depend their living on livestock. However, land in Changtang is famous for its great pasture land that is covered with a special kind of grass called Naza. It contains high protein. Therefore, many shepherds as sheep and yak consuming this Naza are relatively stronger. During summer when the grass is not green, the Changpa processes milk into butter and cheese. This is done to fulfill their expenses. Also, they barter salt, animals, meat, and wool for the things they need. Striking characteristics of Changtang grassland’s people are their colorful clothing, jewelry, tents, and vibrant apparel of women. Even more, they sing along the way from one camp to another one.

Changtang Grassland

Best time to visit Changtang grassland is in August, during the festival of Nagqu Horse Racing. At this time, local women wear traditional apparel and accessories. Dancing and singing are two main activities in the festival to celebrate the prosperity. There are some art performances such as local epic narration and Chantang costumes’ fashion show. The festival is celebrated in such a way for people to enjoy not only sports but also trade and art.

Two main lakes in Changtang grassland are Tsomoriri and Pangong Tso. The Tsomoriri is included in one of the world’s highest lakes. The visitors are allowed only during summer. The salty Pangong Tso lake completely freezes during the winter. This lake has no fish but a site for migratory birds.

Changtang Grassland

The northern part of Changtang grassland consists of marshes occupied by grey wolves, snow leopard, water birds, and few mammals. Some rare birds as well live in the area along with rare animals like white-lipped deer, wild yaks, and bharals.