Chinese flowering crabs or crab apples, as their name suggests, are the unique specie of crabapple trees growing in China. The crab-flowers are borne in corymbs with five petals which are white, pink or red and stamens that produce copious pollen. Chinese flowering crabapple trees blossom in spring and fruit in autumn. The crab-flowers in…
Beijing’s spring comes at least half a month later than that in my hometown – Hangzhou, a garden city two-hour’s drive south of the mega city of Shanghai. Early April is the best time to see apricot blossoms in Beijing and generally the boom peak falls on the mid-April which may change due to the…
Among the dozen of the notable Great Wall sections around Beijing, Jinshanling Great Wall has always been one of my favorites. It is less crowded than Badaling Great Wall and more original than Mutianyu Great Wall. I’m crazy about Mutianyu Great Wall too, especially hiking from the broken and overgrown Jiankou Great Wall, a mecca…
Jiankou Great Wall is one of the most ruined and treacherous sections of the Great Wall built in Ming Dynasty ( 1368 – 1644). It meanders along the mountain ridges at the sea-level of 1141 meters in Badaohe Township. Xizhazi Village is located below the massive Jiankou Great Wall, about 38km northwest of Huairou District…
If you have three full days for sightseeing in Beijing, here is the quick guide to your tour arrangement. The First Day in Beijing For the first day tour plan, please check out my previous article “How to Visit Beijing in One Day ” for detailed travel information. The Second Day in Beijing For the…
A city’s tall building provides an opportunity to shoot stunning pictures of its cityscape, during sun rise, sunset and especially during nighttime when artificial lights create dream-like neon wonderland. Cityscape photography from a tall building allows us to see the spine-tingling part of a city with which we may have already been quite familiar. The…
Temple of Heaven was once the imperial place where the worship for the god of heaven was held by emperors in Ming and Qing dynasties. Today Temple of Heaven has been expanded into a huge leisure park, a great place to relax and do all kinds of exercises ( dancing )and activities (playing chess). But…
Visiting Beijing for the first time? Spare some time for the sightseeing in Beijing at night. You have multiple places to choose from for your Beijing night tour – find a pleasant stroll in an elegant, romantic, tranquil site. The time-honored former imperial winter palace – Beihai Park is a nice place to stretch your legs…