Geography & Climate
China is a vast country, stretching more than 3,000 miles across the face of Asia and more than 1,500 miles from north to south. Its border touches many countries, including Korea, Russia, Mongolia, India, Myanmar (Burma), and Vietnam. Its extensive coastline passes through the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, Bohai Sea, and South China Sea. Look at a map of Asia and China will be the biggest thing you see. The country's sheer size can overwhelm the first-time China traveler who's trying to determine where and when to go, and how much time to spend.
To get a grasp of the destination, it helps to compare China to the United States. The two countries are quite similar in size, shape, and relative positions on the world map. In fact, you can trace your finger along a latitude line from just about any Chinese city and find a counterpart here. In the eastern part of the country, Beijing lies at about the same latitude as Philadelphia, PA. Shanghai, on the east coast, compares to Savannah, GA. Guangzhou in the very south part of China , lies in the same relative vicinity as the Florida Keys. These comparisons will give you some sense of relative distances and air travel times. Flying from Beijing to Urumqi to Xian to Guilin would be like covering half the United States—from Philadelphia to Rapid City, SD to Knoxville, TN to Miami, FL – all in one trip.
This map analogy is useful in planning an itinerary, but not in scheduling or packing for a trip. China's terrain and prevailing weather patterns differ from those of the United States, particularly in the north and west. Beijing's proximity to the Gobi Desert, for instance, subjects it to far drier, dustier conditions than you would find in Philadelphia, while the climate of Northwest China bears as little resemblance to the Dakota plains as southwestern Texas does to Tibet. Therefore, it is necessary to look at China's climate region-by-region before scheduling a trip. Keep in mind, as you plan an itinerary, that China is not one destination but literally hundreds. Nearly 1000 cities and tourist areas are open to foreign tourists.

North China
Native Chinese consider North China to be the area in and around Beijing, Hebei Province, Tianjin. Shanxi Province, and Inner Mongolia. In winter, dry, cold, dusty winds blow in from the Gobi Desert, subjecting Beijing to below-freezing temperatures but also protecting it from heavy snowfall. Tour prices drop along with the mercury from December through March—so much so that Beijing has become a popular wintertime destination. March, the transitional month to spring, often comes in like a dirty lion, bringing with it dust storms. Though July-August is hot and humid in Beijing and Tianjin, the summer weather is quite pleasant in the higher elevations of Chengde and Inner Mongolia.

Northeast China
China's northeast territory corresponds roughly to the Northeast U.S. This area includes the three provinces that formerly comprised Manchuria: Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang Provinces. Winters north of the Great Wall are harsh. Cold Siberian winds whip across Inner Mongolia and up into Heilongjiang, forcing temperatures well below the freezing mark from December through March. Only die-hard business travelers or people wanting to visit the International Ice Sculpture Festival in Harbin would venture into Northeast China past November.

Central China
The Yangtze River is the physical and psychological dividing line between North and South China—much like America's Mason-Dixon line. Deciding what comprises Central China is a somewhat arbitrary decision. For discussion purposes, we'll include the “heartland” provinces of Shaanxi, Henan, and Hubei. Central China has almost as many climates as tourist attractions. Xian, in north-central China, shares some of the worst weather traits from the north and south: very cold winters and hot sultry summers. With heavy rainfall in July-August, Wuhan, along the Yangtze River, is so uncomfortably hot in the summer that the Chinese have dubbed it a “furnace city.” Central China is best explored in spring, fall, and (in the south-central areas) the early part of winter.

East China
The waters hugging China's east coast keep cities like Dalian, Shanghai, and Ningbo fairly comfortable most of the year (except, as any Shanghai resident will tell you, during that city's infernal summer months). Winter-time temperatures in Hangzhou and along the Grand Canal may drop to the mid-30s F.

South China
The region running south of the Yangtze River to the South China Sea is a low-lying, subtropical greenhouse given to rainy, humid summers and mild winters.

Southwest China
Southwest China's subtropical terrain creates steamy summers, pleasantly mild winters, and picture-perfect falls. There is really no bad time to visit places like Kunming (the city of spring), Dali, and Guizhou Province (although summer monsoons could put a damper on things). Summers are best avoided in low-lying river towns like Chongqing, which shares Wuhan's sobriquet as a “furnace city.” The wintertime water level in Guilin may be too low for the spectacular Li River cruise.

Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
The unique topography of far-west China warrants its own geographic section. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is literally the Roof of the World. The elevations of the cities and towns jump to 12,000 ft. (3,650 meters) and above. The altitudes make for bitingly cold winters and moderate springs and falls. Summer temperatures on the high plateau hover in the 80s degree F.

Northwest China
The Silk Road region, from Lanzhou to the Afghan-Russian border, is best traveled from spring through fall. Xinjiang Province endures wintertime temperature that only a penguin could love. 0—down to 25 degree F in Urumqi in January and February, March weather swings wildly from warm days to bitterly cold nights. Summers are chancy. While June-August temperatures average in the 70s F, they sometimes shoot up to 104 degree F. The peak travel months of May, September, and October are ideal.

History
China's long and complex history isn't easily summed up in a few paragraphs; but a brief rundown will help explain the important of certain stops on a China itinerary.
A thousand years before the Greeks and Romans built their civilizations, a collection of tribal kingdoms comprised the area that would someday become the Chinese Empire. These kingdoms evolved into full-fledged states around 2200 B.C., with written records, laws, and the tradition of hereditary rulers taking shape. The best known of these feudal states were the Xia (founded in 2205 B.C.), the Shang (1766 B.C.), and the Western and Eastern Zhou Dynasties, which conquered their many rivals between 1122 and 249 B.C. The famous ancient philosophers Confucius and Lao Zi were born during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.
The beginnings of imperial China came in the later days of the Zhou period, as the kingdom of Qin gained dominance. Qin Shihuangdi, the first Qin Emperor, is credited with creating a single nation out of the warring kingdoms, imposing central control over most of China from his seat of government near present-day Xian, and starting construction of the Great Wall. He also built for himself the world's most impressive mausoleum. The massive terra-cotta army that was excavated at Xian in 1974 guards his still-buried tomb.
The Qin Dynasty was succeeded by the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.—220 A.D.), which gives its name to the ethnic group that comprises the majority of China's population today (the Han Chinese). During this period, Buddhism arrived from India and the first contacts with the West were made.
The Han Dynasty was followed by what is now called the Three Kingdoms Period, when three rival kingdoms (the Wei, Shu, and Wu) battled one another for supremacy. After centuries of factionalism, China was reunited under the Sui (581-618 A. D.) and Tang (618-907) Dynasties. Fifty years of confusion followed the end of the Tang, until the emergence of the Song Dynasty in the 10 th century. The Song lasted until Mongol warriors under Ghengis Khan conquered all of China in the 13 th century. The Great Khan's grandson, Kubai Khan, established the Yuan Dynasty in the year 1271. Marco Polo visited China during the reign of Kublai Khan.
This Mongol Dynasty lasted less than a hundred years. Han Chinese regained control of the country in the Ming Dynasty, which held power from 1368-1644. The first serious contacts with the West came during the Ming period, as Portuguese, Spanish, English, and Dutch explorers made their way to the Middle Kingdom. The Ming Empire, weakened by corruption and a line of ineffectual rulers, fell before another foreign invasion, this time from the Manchus of the far northeast. The Manchus established China's last dynasty---the Qing Dynasty in 1644. This came to be the country's most inglorious period, a time of foreign imperialism, the Qpium Wars, the forced opening of China's treaty ports, and a growing antagonism toward the West. The infamous Empress Dowager Ci Xi later realized that the corrupt and weakened Qing must take drastic measures to gain the support of her increasingly antagonistic subjects. After her death, the child emperor Pu Yi was stripped of his authority and a republican government was established in 1911 by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, under the name of the Guomindang or the Nationalist Party.
The ending of China's last dynasty set the stage for another three decades of power struggles, civil wars, and political strife as China fought its way toward a new form of government. Barely a year after its establishment, the Republican government disintegrated and China came under the nominal control of a serried of warlords. China joined the Allies during World War I under a revived Nationalist government, but the country's brief alliance with the West ended when Germany's “rights” in China were handed over to the Japanese at the close of the war. Internal strife then reached a new high and gave impetus to the rise of the Chinese Communist Party. Mao Zedong emerged as the leader of the Communist Party, whose principal goal was the overthrow of the dominant Nationalist Party.
World War II, however, threw the communists and the Guomindang together in an uneasy alliance against the Japanese. The truce lasted only as long as the war. With the defeat of the Axis, the rival parties turned on one another and fought a life-or-death battle for control of China—the Communists under Mao Zedong, and the Guomindang under Chiang Kai-shek. The communist triumph in 1949 forced the Nationalists to flee to the island of Taiwan, where Chiang established the Republic of China.
The Communist government of China built a new society and industrial structure in the 1950s according to the former Soviet model. But by 1958, Mao had decided to create a more Chinese brand of Communism and to make his country totally self-sufficient by launching the agrarian Great Leap Forward. It was a period of turmoil, economic upheaval, natural disasters, and famine, made worse by a serious political disputes with the Soviets over the very nature of Communism. The two countries split, and the Soviet engineers who had helped build China's industrial base returned to Moscow.
Mao again tried to steer his country toward his vision of an egalitarian, revolutionary society by launching the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in 1966. What began as an effort to remark Chinese society turned into the moral equivalent of civil war waged by several ruthless factions, each claiming to represent the will of Mao Zedong. Toward the end of this 10-year period, an aging Mao agreed to open a dialogue with the United States. President Richard Nixon made his historic visit to Beijing in 1972.
The deaths of Premier Zhou Enlai and Chairman Mao Zedong in 1976 led to a brief power struggle and the rapid rise of Deng Xiaoping to the position of supreme leader. Deng embarked quickly on an aggressive drive to redevelop China under the Four Modernizations Campaign. Business delegations poured in from the West, major construction contracts were signed, and the first American tour groups arrived in China in 1978. Ten years later, in 1988, the annual number of American visitors reached a record 300,000.
The past decades have seen tremendous economic and social changes in China. Most Chinese have more money, better living conditions, and more opportunities than what they could have dreamed of before 1979. Nowadays, new roads, hotels, airports, apartment buildings, office towers, and restaurants have sprouted almost overnight. China is becoming one of the best tour destinations in the world as far as low cost, safety and high quality are concerned. China is going to host the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, and Beijing is believed to be second to none as a great tourist city in the years ahead.

Life in China
Every school child knows that China has more than 1.4 billion people—over a quarter of the world's population—and that it represents the earth's second largest land mass, covering some 3.7 million square miles. What surprises most people is the fact that only 15% of the land is arable. China takes considerable pride in its ability to feed 1.4 billion people from an area smaller than Alaska. China practices one-child policy for the Han Chinese (minority groups are exempt from this policy). In a country that prizes children as highly as China does, this one –child policy is a painful but necessary measure.
China's population consists of 55 minority nationalities plus the dominant Han Chinese. These cultural minorities represent a broad sweep of ethnic groups, each with its own distinctive customs, dress, language, and physical traits. They include the Moslem Uygur, Khazakn, and Hui people of China's far northwest, who resemble the sturdy tribesmen of Russia or Central Asia far more than their Han compatriots. In southwest China, there are the Dai, Yi, and Zhuang nationalities, close cousins of their Southeast Asian neighbors. Tibet has its saffron-robed monks and Inner Mongolia has its fur-hated horsemen galloping across the grasslands. Traveling through China is like visiting a dozen different countries with a constantly changing landscape, climate, and social milieu. China encourages the cultural diversity of its minorities, so visiting these ethnic homelands can be a colorfully rewarding experience.

China's People
Travelers will find all the people of China to be friendly, warm, and helpful, even when communication is limited. Most Chinese people are proud to meet foreigners and make friends with them. The American and Chinese people have formed a natural, genuine friendship that defies explanation, for certainly no two peoples have greater differences in their manners and lifestyles. Yet both share certain values meaning beautiful country. Many Chinese feel the same way about visiting the United States as Americans do about China: It's a dream come true.

Language
China's official language is Mandarin, though everyone outside Beijing seems to speak a different dialect. Cantonese dominates the south, residents of Shanghai speak Shanghai dialect, southeast coastal residents speak Fujian dialect, and so on. The minority nationalities of Tibet, Inner Mongolia, and northwestern and southwestern China have their own written and spoken languages.

Religion
China has no official religion. However, the government does give wide latitude to practitioners of Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and other schools of religious or philosophical thought. Chinese and foreigners can worship openly in churches, temples, and mosques. China, in fact, is a very popular site for international religious congresses.

Family life
Like many Asian societies, Chinese society is very group-oriented. The whole country is organized into a series of professional, political, and social groups, starting with the most basic and most important: the family.
Chinese families are more tightly knit than most Westerners can imagine. Several generations often squeeze together under one roof—grandparents, their married children, and their children's children. The elderly are a valued and highly respected part of Chinese society. Family connections extend far beyond the immediate household. Having a relative in a key position can affect where a Chinese citizen lives and works, as well as how far he advances in his career.

Work Place
On the socio-political ladder, the next step up from the family is the work place. Chinese people may work for a government bureau, a factory, or a foreign company. The human resources office oversees the employees' behavior, decides the salary amount, and determines such things as job promotions, bonuses, and transfers.
In the countryside, the villages and townships are the basic form of local government. Each village has a head official elected by the villagers. Farmers now work under a “responsibility contract” whereby each household is allotted a piece of land by the government and assigned a certain production quota. Many farmers have become rich by exceeding their quotas or raising different kinds of livestock or crops, and selling the extra on the free market.

Government & Politics
The people's Repubic of China consists of 22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions (Tibet, Xinjiang, Ningxia, Guangxi, and Inner Mongolia, all minority border areas), and 4 municipalities: Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chongqing. The Provincial and municipal governments are akin to the state level in the United States. Cities or districts report to the province or municipality (the state government in the US).
The Chinese Communist Party is the supreme authority in China. A general secretary heads the Party. The primary policy-making body is the Central Committee. The politburo is run by a Standing Committee, which currently consists of seven top Party members, including the general secretary.
The government of China is an instrument of the party. Its job is to carry out the Party's policies and deal with foreign governments. At the top of the government's organizational chart is the National People's Congress (NPC), China's version of the U.S. Congress. The NPC is a legislative body consisting of elected deputies from China's provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions. According to China's Constitution, the NPC takes its direction from the Communist Party.
The standing committee of the NPC is the permanent working body of the National People's Congress. The standing Committee can receive foreign envoys, appoint ambassadors to other countries, and ratify treaties.
The State Council is the government's highest administrative body, similar in many respects to the U.S. executive branch. It sets China's economic agenda and national budget. China's premier, who is nominated by the Communist Party, is the highest official of the council. The rest of the council is made up of vice premiers (each responsible for a different part of the government), ministers, and other top government officials. Members are selected by the National People's Congress in consultation with the Chinese Communist Party.
China's courts are primarily local bodies, although the 1978 constitution gave expanded authority to a supreme People's Court, members of which are selected by the National People's Congress.
The people's Liberation Army (PLA), which technically stands outside the government hierarchy, is China's armed force. The Chinese Communist Party's Central Military Commission heads the PLA. Over two million soldiers and officers make up its ranks.
The PLA, while nominally outside the government, is a potent political force. Its top leaders, by virtue of their high Party positions and the loyalty of their troops, wield power that is well beyond their official titles. It is fair to say that no political leader in China can exercise true authority without the support of the PLA.
Similarly, the separation between Party and government is not as clear-cut as it might appear on paper. Not all top government officials are Party members, but top Party official usually occupy the most important posts. In many government ministries and agencies, Party members often hold the real power without taking the attendant job titles.
China takes considerable, and justifiable pride in its status as a nuclear power and self-sufficient provider for its people. Nonetheless, China remains a developing nation that suffers from an outmoded industrial base. Tourism is China's important source of foreign exchange.

Beijing at a glance
By far China's most important city, Beijing figures prominently in almost every itinerary. As the birthplace and capital of the People's Republic of China, it is the country's political, historical, and spiritual center. Beijing has more of what most visitors come to China to see than any other single place: the Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, the late Chairman Mao Zedong's Mausoleum, the Great Hall of the people, the Ming Tombs, and the Great Wall.
Beijing also has much to offer those travelers who prefer a less touristy, more intimate experience of the city. Its many parks, side streets, and open-air markets provide plenty of chances to encounter the people of Beijing.
Increasingly, Beijing is taking its place as a world capital and center of commerce. The city now boasts dozens of truly deluxe hotels and several important business and retail complexes. While certainly not on a par with New York, Paris, or London, Beijing offers more Western-style dining, entertainment, and shopping opportunities than most first-visitors would expect. Frankly speaking, Beijing is becoming the best tourist city in the whole world, not only because it has countless historical attractions, but also because the city is filled with brand-new facilities and state-of-the-art equipments.

Beijing's History
There is evidence that the area now comprising Beijing has been inhabited for more than 500,000 years, but the first documented settlement dates to about 3,000 years ago. At that time Beijing was known as Ji, the city of Reeds. After a few name changes, Beijing became the capital of the Mongol empire under the name Dadu. When the Ming Dynasty overthrew the Mongols in 1368, the name changed to Beiping and the city served as the imperial capital until the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 and the birth of the Chinese republic. For a short time thereafter, Nanjing and later Chongqing became China's capital. But in 1949, when Mr. Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China from the Tiananmen Square, Beijing again became China's capital and political focal point.

Beijing's Geography & Climate
Beijing sits on a broad dry plain in North China, about 115 miles (185 km) inland from the Bohai Bay. It lies on the same latitude as Philadelphia and Madrid, but prevailing weather patterns give it a far more extreme climate. Spring is brief (generally mid-April through May). Summers are very warm, with temperatures in the 90s F and high humidity in July and August. Beijing's rainy season runs from June to August; as much as 10-12 inches. Moderate temperatures and clear, dry air make autumn the most popular tourist season. Winters can be quite cold and windy storms blowing in from the Gobi Desert sometimes blast the city during late winter and early spring.

Getting to Beijing
Beijing has a modern airport, Capital International, located about 20 miles (32km) from the city center. Many of the world's major international airlines serve the capital, including Northwest, United, Air Canada, Korean Airlines, Aisana Airlines, Japan Airlines, British Airways, Swissair, Lufthansa, Finair, Air France, Malaysian Airlines, and of course China's flagship carrier, Air China International. Beijing also can be reached with ease from Hong Kong, Tokyo, and other Asian cities. Direct flights from most Chinese cities are available through China's regional airlines.
By air, Beijing is 4 hours west of Tokyo, 2 hours north of Shanghai, and 3 hours north of Hong Kong or Guangzhou. Beijing can be reached by rail from virtually every point in China, but the time involved can be daunting. The train trip from Shanghai, for instance, takes 13 hours, and from Guangzhou 30 hours.

Touring Beijing
Beijing's best-known attractions are located downtown within the boundaries of the old city walls, which were razed to make way for modern wide streets. On the northwest edge of Beijing is the Summer Palace, a nice afternoon trip from downtown. The Great Wall and Ming Tombs are only 1-hour drive on express way.

Shanghai at a glance
China's largest, most cosmopolitan city offers much more to the Western visitors than most itineraries suggest. While Shanghai seldom rates more than a two-night stay on a packaged tour, a traveler could easily spend three or four days shopping along the Nanjing Road, poking through the neighborhood flea markets, and just talking to the people who gather everyday along the Bund (Shanghai's waterfront), hoping to make an English-speaking friend.
Why do so many tours and guidebooks short-change Shanghai? Partly because it's lacking in famous attractions or magnificent natural scenery, and partly because China's travel services had turn tourists away back in the early 1980s due to the city's severe shortage of decent hotels. Now all of a sudden, Shanghai, like Beijing, has far too many fabulous properties for the number of visitors it attracts. The city's many attractions include the Shanghai Museum of Art & History, one of China's finest; the Jade Buddha Temple; the Yu Yuan Garden, adjacent to Shanghai's Old Town; the Longhua Temple & Pagoda; the lively Bund; and several Children's Palaces, where the talents of China's most gifted youngsters are nurtured.
Even if shanghai lacked vivid attractions, just looking around the city would be enough to warrant a visit. Shanghai's aging art-deco fa?ade recalls a time of romance and intrigue in the 1920s and 30s, when the world called Shanghai the Paris of the East.

Shanghai's History
Shanghai started life as a fishing village and small silk-weaving center, remaining in the economic backwaters until the 17 th century when it became a seaport. Trade in silk, tea, and opium boomed. In 1842, the Treaty of Nanjing forced the city to open itself to large-scale foreign trade and settlement. This resulted in the carving-up of Shanghai into British, French, and Japanese spheres of influence, called “concessions”. Those settlements became cities unto themselves, each with its own tax system, police, courts, transportation, electrical system, and distinctive architecture. The divisiveness between foreign and Chinese society was summed up in the now-infamous sign posted at the entrance to the British Public Garden: “No dogs or Chinese allowed.” Shanghai's jaded modern history had begun.

Shanghai's Geography & Climate
Shanghai is located on the north bank of the Huangpu River on China's east coast, 17 miles upstream from the Yangtze River. It stands on roughly the same latitude line as Savannah, GA. The Wusong River forms a natural boundary between the city proper and the old Japanese concession to the north. To the south are the former British and French concessions, their elegant Tudor-style houses and courtyards recalling turn-of-the-century Europe. The city covers some 2,355 square miles in area. More than half of Shanghai's 14 million people crowd into the urban core until the new city of Pu Dong was built. Pu Dong is a special economic zone of Shanghai, situated in the east side of the Huangpu River. Pu Dong is a newest city in the world with all modernized buildings. Shanghai's new international airport is located in Pu Dong.
Shanghai has a fairly mild climate, except for its infernally hot and humid summers. Ten years ago, when temperatures climbed into the 90s degree as they frequently did, much of Shanghai's population camped out in the streets to escape their cramped hot apartments.
However nowadays it seems that every one is rich, every household has more than one air conditioners, people no longer sit outside of their homes in the summer. Spring time is short-lived (mid-April through May) while fall extends from September through most of November. Shanghai's winters are akin to London's, drizzly and cool. Smog in this overcrowded industrial city is acute.

Getting to Shanghai
Shanghai is a major international and domestic hub. Flights from North America, Australia, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, and many cities of the world land at Pu Dong International Airport (PVG) as do most Chinese regional flights. The city lies midway between Beijing and Guangzhou, a 2-hour flight from each. It sits at the junction of the Shanghai-Beijing and Beijing-Hangzhou rail lines, making it reachable by train from most parts of China.

Touring Shanghai
Despite the city's size, central Shanghai is surprisingly compact. Tourists staying downtown can do much of their shopping and sightseeing on foot. Starting at the Bund, a walking tour could include the shops at the eastern edge of the Nanjing Road---Shanghai's so-called Fifth Avenue; the Shanghai Museum of Art & History; the People's Park and People's Square, the Yu Yuan Garden, and the Old Town. Day 2 could include the Jade Buddha Temple; Longhua Pagoda; the main Children's Palace; and a cruise on the Huangpu River.

Suzhou at a glance
Considered by many to be the highlight of a Grand Canal tour, Suzhou lies in the Yangtze Basin of southern Jiangsu Province, about 53 miles west of Shanghai. Poets have compared Suzhou to the Heaven and called it the Venice of the East. Suzhou's classical gardens attract visitors from all over the world.

Suzhou's History
First inhabited some 3,000 years ago, Suzhou became a capital city in the 5 th century B.C. under the reign of Emperor Wu. It came by its present name during the Sui Dynasty around 589 A.D. Suzhou prospered with the growth of the Grand Canal, distinguishing itself throughout China and the world by the production of the finest silk. Marco Polo once visited Suzhou during the Yuan Dynasty and believed Suzhou the most beautiful place.. During the Song Dynasty, hundreds of carefully sculpted private gardens were commissioned by the city's wealthy residents. More than 150 gardens still exist today. Visitors can step through the courtyard gates and leave the rest of the world far behind.

Getting to Suzhou
Suzhou is easily accessible by rail or coach from Shanghai for 45 minutes. It's also possible to take a local passenger boat on the Grand Canal from Hangzhou, but the 94-mile boat trip requires a good 14 hours. Suzhou has no air service.

Touring Suzhou
Cold Mountain Temple (Han Shan Si) The scenery surrounding this Buddhist temple will inspire present-day visitors just as it inspired the Tang Dynasty poet for whom it was named. Located just outside town, Han San Si is reached by crossing a small canal over the hump-back Maple Bridge. The saffron-colored temple walls are draped in many places with rich green foliage. The original temple, built in 502 A.D was burned to the ground during the Taiping Rebullion. The current temple dates from the late Qing Dynastry.

Tiger Hill Suzhou's most prominent lookout point is said to be the burial place of King Wu, who made this his capital 1,500 years ago. A legend has it that a giant tiger protects the rich treasures of this unexcavated tomb. The park's entrance gate resembles the mouth of a tiger and the hilltop pagoda its tail. Tiger Pagoda (Yun Yan Si ), one of the oldest in China, is the only surviving structure from the original compound. Built in 961 AD, the octagonal pagoda rises 250 feet above the hill and can be seen from all over Suzhou. Its leaning tower is constructed entirely of brick and stone.

Hangzhou at a glance
Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang Provice, about 129 miles southwest of Shanghai, or 712 miles from Beijing, at roughly the latitude of northern Florida. It sits on the northern bank of the Qiantang River, at the edge of the famous West Lake. Though it has become a cliché, the phrase that every Chinese tour guide uses to introduce the city seems apt: “Above there is Heaven. Below there are Hangzhou and Suzhou.” Indeed, Hangzhou is one of the most beautiful places in China.
Hangzhou has direct air links with Shanghai ( 45 min.), Beijing ( 2hrs.), Guangzhou ( 100 min. ), Guilin (2 hrs.), and Hong Kong ( 2hrs. via Air China or Dragon Air). Tourists often take the 5-hour train ride from Shanghai.

Hangzhou's History
The history of Hangzhou is linked to the development of the Grand Canal. Hangzhou was a small fishing village prior to the canal's extension here in the 6 th century. But soon the village turned into a busy commercial center and eventually became the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty. When the Grand Canal finally connected Hangzhou to Beijing during the Yuan Dynasty, the city's population quickly approached a million. Marco polo visited Hangzhou at this time and found it to be the finest and most splendid city in the world. Though many of Hangzhou's graceful buildings were destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion in the mid-1800s, the city is still quite splendid.

The West Lake Hangzhou's immortal West Lake, called Xihu in Chinese, has graced the landscape of this lovely city for 2,000 years. Xihu reveals its full beauty at sunrise and again at sunset, when mists rise magically from its surface. Fanciful pagodas and classical gardens dot the countryside around Hangzhou. Peach, acacia, and plum trees bloom at varying times of the year, forming a colorful border around the two dikes that divide the West Lake. These ancient dikes or causeways, which bear the names of two famous classical poets Su Dong Po and Bai Ju Yi, who were Hangzhou's Governor in the 8 th century. Three islands lie within Xihu; the largest, Gushan (Solitary Hill) Island, may be reached by the causeway.

The Grand Canal at a glance
About the Grand Canal The Grand Canal is the longest, and also the oldest, manmade waterway in the world. Built over many centuries to connect China's northern cities to this bountiful agricultural region, the Grand Canal changed the whole personality of eastern China. Dozens of picturesque towns popped up along its banks—Suzou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Zhenjiang Yangzhou – towns that still retain much of their age-old charm. A visitor to this region provides a unique insight into the tremendous social and economic changes brought about by the carving of this magnificent waterway.
Here, canal life will be witnessed and experienced first-hand. Visitors can travel by boat. Highlights of the Grand Canal tour include the scenic West Lake in Hangzhou, the world-renowned gardens of Suzhou, Wuxi's tranquil Lake Tai, and the Imperial Tombs of Nanjing.
Most visitors begin their Grand Canal journey in Shanghai, which is well connected by plane, bus or train to the entire Grand Canal route. By train, Shanghai is just 45 minutes from Suzhou or slightly over an hour from Wuxi; both cities are popular day trips or overnight excursions for tourists who are short on time. Passengers on longer Grand Canal tours often go from Shanghai to Hangzhou (45 mins. by air, or 5 hrs. by rail), then hop a train to Suzhou, travel by boat to Wuxi, and continue on to Nanjing by train. Any of these four cities can be reached by rail from Shanghai.

History of the Grand Canal The initial parts of the canal were constructed around 400 B.C., purportedly to aid the movement of military troops. The majority of the Grand Canal, as we know it today, was built during the Sui Dynasty in the early 7 th century. At that time the previous sections were extended and connected to form a comprehensive waterway system that promoted trade and transportation throughout the region. Running on a north-sough axis, the Grand Canal joined the prosperous areas of South China with the less fertile areas of the north, and connected the country's natural east-west waterways: the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, and the Haihe River, Huaihe river, and Qiantang River. The Grand Canal became inextricably linked to the country's vitality. During the early Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), Kublai Khan ordered that the canal be straighted and extended to Beijing. The town along the canal's path flourished.
The Grand Canal stretched for some 1,114 miles during its peak period of use. Gradually, the development of more efficient transportation systems brought about its decline. Only about 599 miles of the canal are in use today. The most navigated portion stretches from Zhenjiang to Hangzhou, with an especially high volume of traffic between Hangzhou and Suzhou. This is also the most interesting part of the Grand Canal, where travelers can meander along by boat or on land and see the China of ancient times.
The Grand Canal cities of Suzhou , Wuxi, and Nanjing lie in the eastern part of Jiangsu, Province, a long, narrow region that faces the East China Sea. Zhejiang Province, with summers can be uncomfortably hot. Nanjing is considered one of the “furnace cities” of China, with July-August temperatures reaching and sometimes exceeding 105 degree F. Most Nanjing streets are heavily lined with tall, leafy trees to shade residents from the blistering sun. Spring and autumn are by far the best times to visit the Grand Canal region.

The city of Shi Jia Zhuang
Shi Jia Zhuang is the capital city of Hebei Province, about 173 miles ( 278 km ) southwest of Beijing, about 2 and half hours by bus, and 3 hours by train from Beijing. Shi Jia Zhuang is a major railway junction on the Beijing-Guangzhou Line, and an important cotton-growing region. The city holds a special interest for Canadian visitors since Dr. Norman Bethune, a Canadian surgeon who served China selflessly during the Anti-Japanese War in the 1930s, is buried here. A hospital and numerous statues are dedicated to his memory.
The major tourist attractions include The Norman Bethune International Hospital of the People Liberation Army and Dr. Norman Bethune Memorial Hall, and The giant Buddha Temple, 30 miles ( 48 km ) norhtwest of Shi Jia Zhuang, houses an 82-ft. high statue of the Goddess of Mercy, Guan Yin, which dates back to 971 A.D.
Shi Jia Zhuang is warmer on average than the more northern parts of the province. The telephone area code is 311.