Oriental Pearl TV Tower I was really blessed the day I went to the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. The weather was beautiful and sunny, and the sky was blue with a few white puffy clouds. It gave me fantastic views of Shanghai. Living in China, I often see the tower on advertising and on TV. I never really gave it a thought. When I planned my itinerary, I added it to my itinerary because it is a common stop for our customers, so I wanted to experience it for myself. I was actually quite impressed by it. It is a very [View Full Entry]

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Shanghai Museum I was very excited to visit the Shanghai Museum. Located on the People's Square across from the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, the museum is one of the best museums in China. The museum's architecture is a cool blend of ancient and traditional styles. It is shaped like an ancient Ding, a bronze cooking vessel. The museum has four storeys and each has three or four exhibition halls. It has 10 permanent exhibit halls and 3 temporary exhibit halls. The layout and display of the artifacts are in par with any museum in the west. They are beautifully designed [View Full Entry]

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Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall The first city on my tour was Shanghai and the first site I visited in the city was the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall. I have to admit I wasn't too thrilled about visiting it, but I have since changed my mind. I think it is the perfect beginning of any tour to Shanghai. The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall showcases Shanghai's past, present, and history. It gave me a better understanding of the city and its people that I would neve [View Full Entry]

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Eastern China Travelogue I just went on a inspection tour for China Odyssey Tours. I visited Shanghai, Huangshan, Hangzhou, Hongcun, Xidi, Zhouzhuang, and Suzhou. The trip took two weeks and was absolutely fantastic! I had a blast. Day1: Tuesday, September 09, 2008 Shanghai This morning I got up at 7:30 and went down to have breakfast in the hotel. I’m staying at the Central Star Hotel. I’m very happy with it. The room is very nice and even has a cute stuffed rat sitting on the rooms table. This year is the year of the rat. That is why the rat [View Full Entry]

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Guilin's Xingan County A couple of weeks ago, friends of ours asked my wife and I if we wanted to go to Xingan and get some grapes. Xingan is a county of Guilin and about a 45 minute drive away. We said sure, why not. Our friends picked us up and drove us to Xingan. I am always shocked at how beautiful Guilin's countryside is. I know that Guilin is famous for its landscapes, but it is the countryside that forms the perfect setting for Guilin's magnificent landscape. As we drove past acre upon acre of rice paddys with the mountains [View Full Entry]

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Beijing's Forbidden City I simply adore Beijing's Forbidden City. I have been to Beijing four times but have been to the Forbidden City over fifty times. I love it more than I could possibly describe. A lot of people who come to the Forbidden City take the four hour tour and find it boring. They think it is building followed by a courtyard followed by another building and another courtyard, and in a way it is, but it is the history of these buildings and courtyards and their functions that are truly amazing. Sadly, most guides are not knowledgeable enough to [View Full Entry]

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Beijing's Temple of Heaven Another of my many favorite places to visit in Beijing is the Temple of Heaven. It is very different from some of Beijing’s other imperial sites, because it feels like a large public park with amazing architectural wonders sporadically placed throughout. It covers a huge area and most of it is covered with forests of ancient cypresses. I like wandering amongst them. I got to travel there earlier this summer with China Odyssey Tours, the company I work for on an inspection tour. The Temple of Heaven was where the Emperors of the Mi [View Full Entry]

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Guilin's Diecai Hill Park After visiting Fubo Hill, my Mother and I headed to Diecai Hill Park. This park is also located on the banks of the Li River and is just a bit south of Fubo Hill, within easy walking distance. About fifteen minutes. I like this park, not only for its natural beauty, but for its bird aviary. Diecai Hill is quite a long sprawling hill. It covers a large area and luckily because I work for China Odyssey Tours, I get in free. Like so many of Guilin's hills it is filled with caves. The main cave is [View Full Entry]

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Guilin's West Hill I took my Mother to visit West Hill Park last month when she came to visit me. Of all of the park's in Guilin, I felt this was the one I absolutely had to take her to. There are many things that make West Hill Park special. First, it is located outside of the downtown area and so it not as visited. Climbing the hills in West Park you often feel like you are the only person there. Another thing that makes this park special is the hills themselves. They are covered with jagged and bizarrely shaped rocks. [View Full Entry]

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Guilin's Chuanshan Park Chuanshan Park located in Guilin is one of many parks showcasing Guilin's fabulous karst landscapes. The hill is very long and has a large cave going all the way through one side of the hill. The hill is not located on the Li River, but a smaller less known River. Chuanshan Park is visible from Guilin's other famous hills and the Li River. There are two hills next to each other. Chuanshan is the larger and has been made into a park. Located across the river from Chuanshan hill is a much smaller hill that has a Ming [View Full Entry]

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