Chiang Kai-Shek Shilin Residence

Chiang Kai-Shek Shilin Residence

The Chiang Kai-Shek Shilin Residence has long been shrouded in an aura of mystery. This veil was finally lifted in 1996, when the estate was opened to the public.On the tree-lined path leading to the residence the first thing, what one sees is Madame Chiang’s former Cadillac. A bit further is her beloved rose garden, which comes into fragrant bloom every March to May. The white plum trees that Chiang Kai-Shek was fond of keep company with Madame Chiang’s roses.Xinlanting (“New Orchid Pavilion”) offers a good vantage of the many different orchid species grown on the estate. Because the former president visited this chapel every year during his lifetime, it is called the “Chapel of Life.” To have a place to pray, Chiang Kai-Shek and his wife built “Victory Chapel.” The interior is quite simple and dignified; thus this site has been used in the past for weddings of descendants of the Chiang family. And today, its picturesque setting has made the residence one of Taipei’s most popular sites for taking wedding photographs.

Khao San Road,Bangkok

Khao San Road

For people watching of an entirely different kind, head to backpacker central, Khao San Road. Here you’ll discover another world, a cornucopia of free-spirited culture, commercialism and young traveller’s hedonism. Almost anything is available here, from fake university degree certificates to cheap clothing and pirate DVDs. It’s a lively place by day or night and offers plenty of places to eat, party, meet people or simply find a tour agent and internet caf?.

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Yokohama Travel Guide

Yogohama Japan :

Only 32 kilometers from Tokyo, Yokohama is Japan's second-largest city. A cosmopolitan port city with an interesting history, it easily merits a visit from the capital. It was in Yokohama that Commodore Matthew Perry landed with his 'black ships' in 1853 to force Japan to open up to foreign trade. A mere village at the time, Yokohama soon grew into one of Asia's major ports, with an atmosphere not unlike that of a frontier town in the American "Wild West." Today Yokohama remains a very international city. Many of the sights in Yokohama are close to the waterfront, Minato Mirai is the futuristic heart of the area. The ever-changing area features many shops, restaurants, a maritime museum (partially housed in a historic ship) and a museum of modern art. Within easy walking distance are the Akarenga - a pair of early 20th-century, red-brick warehouses recently converted into boutiques and dining places. Unquestionably the biggest draw for Japanese tourists is the much-hyped Chukagai (Chinatown) south of the old center. Although mostly a modern district now, it has retained a picturesque, Chinese-style temple and offers a myriad of popular - if pricey - restaurants.

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Kyoto Travel Guide

Kyoto Travel Guide

Kyoto Japan : Kyoto, Japan’s most historically important town, is the country’s sightseeing capital, packed with 1,700 Buddhist temples, 300 Shinto shrines, imperial palaces, gardens and traditional wooden homes, all well preserved and presenting a picture of traditional Japanese culture. The city lies in the mid-western Kansai district on the island of Honshu, surrounded by plains full of rice paddies.Visitors arriving from the Kansai International Airport or on board the famous Shinkansen bullet train at Kyoto’s modern central station may be disenchanted to initially discover a thriving, overcrowded industrial city with a straight grid of uniform streets presided over by the futuristic Kyoto Tower.

Kyoto Japan : The city may present a modern face, but explore behind the scenes in the outer districts or off the beaten track in the old merchants' quarters and you will glimpse cameos and images of traditional Japan, from cherry blossom to geishas, and bonsai trees to shoji screens.Apart from the architectural legacy, which was fortunately spared the heavy bombings inflicted on other Japanese cities during World War II, Kyoto also boasts some of Japan’s most significant art works, a culturally traditional way of life, and superior cuisine. No visit to Japan is complete without devoting time to experience Kyoto.

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Shenzhen travel guide

Shenzhen travel guide

Location:situated in the southern coastal area of Guangdong province; between north latitude 2227' - 2252', east longitude, 11346' - 11437', 160 kilometers away from Guangzhou, 35 kilometers from Hongkong and Jiulong; Dapeng Gulf to the east, the influx of the Pearl River west, Hongkong south, Dongguan and Huizhou cities north Neighboring Areas: Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian, and Hainan provinces; Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Hong Kong and MacaoPhysical Features: facing the sea and surrounded by mountains; higher in southeast, lower in northwest; mainly covered by hills with plains in its western areaPopulation: 1.09 millionArea: 20,20 sq kmNationalities: Han, Hui, and ManchuHistory: a history of 6,000 years; used to be a stationed place when Baiyue Tribe going to sea in ancient times; an important hub of water and land trade in Southern China; also a salt origin and famous for its perfumeClimatic Features: subtropical maritime climate; annual average sunshine of 2120 hoursAverage Temperature: annual average temperature of 22.4C; bwith the highest temperature of 36.6C and the lowest of 1.4C Rainfall: annual average of 1948.6mmMountains: Wutong Hill, Yangtai Hill, Nanshan HillRivers: Dasha River, Guanlan River, Pingdi River, Buji River; Xili Lake, Yinhu Lake, Xiangmi LakeLocal Highlights: Longgang Sanhuang Chicken, Nantou Lichee, Nanshan Peach, Shiyan Pear, Jingui Orange, Longhua Square Persimmon, dragon-dances, lion-dances and steed-dances

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Nanjing travel guide

Nanjing travel guide

Lies on the south bank of the Yangtze River, Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu Province, is one of the most delightful of Chinese cities. Known as the Capital City of Six or Ten Dynasties in China's history, it has a brilliant cultural heritage. HistoryYuecheng, the first recorded military defense constructed in early 472 B.C., opened the long history of Nanjing. In the following years, the city reached its height of splendor at various times. In 229, Sun Quan, one of the three heroes in China's Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280), to strengthen his influence in the middle valley of the Yangtze River, moved the capital of his kingdom to Jianye - present Nanjing. From that time on, the city served as the capital for several dynasties in China's history. In 1356, in a peasant rebellion, Zhu Yuanzhang, later the Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), conquered the city and renamed it Yingtian Fu. In 1368, Zhu established the Ming Dynasty - the last feudal dynasty ruled by the native Han people - and gave Yingtian Fu the new name of Nanjing. Ten years later, the emperor made Nanjing the capital of the country. The mausoleum of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang is perching on the southern slope of the Mount Zijinshan in the northeastern part of the city. Following officials' advice of "building walls and producing grain to consolidate the rule", the emperor ordered the construction of city walls. Today's majestic walls in Nanjing, the longest of its kind in the world, are the result of that phase of construction. Zhonghua Gate , simply meaning 'Chinese Gate', is a noted attraction for tourists in the present city center.In spite of its glorious times, the city also witnessed the hardest moment of this nation. In 1839, the Opium War burst out after Lin Zexu, an assiduous official, burnt twenty thousand boxes of opium in Humen. On a battleship in Nanjing's Xiaguan, the corrupt Qing government, under threat by Britain troops, signed the notorious Nanjing Treaty, the first of the 'Unequal Treaties' which ceded Hong Kong away from China for more than hundred years. Following this treaty, invasions and colonial rule of the western countries intensified and China sank into a harder and darker time.Peasant groups of Taiping rebelled against the Qing government in 1853 and established the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in Jinling, Nanjing's name at that time, and formed an army. Unfortunately, the peasant regime was short-lived and in 1864, troops of Qing government won the city back. Nowadays, in Xuyuan Garden , one can still see part of the palace of Heavenly King of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.It was the Revolution of 1911, the Chinese bourgeois democratic revolution led by Dr.Sun Yat-Sen that overthrew the Qing Dynasty. On the first day of 1912, Dr. Sun Yet-sen gave his simple but sublime address on the inauguration held of the new Republic of China. Today, a memorial hall in the Mausoleum of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen , houses a statue of Dr. Sun sculpted out of white marble.There are two further negative memories of the city. On April 18th, 1927, Chiang Kaishek launched the counter-revolutionary 4.12 Coup and established his power in Nanjing. Also, in 1937, the inhuman Nanjing Massacre happened. In six weeks, more than 300,000 Chinese people were killed including women and children.No atrocity can go unpunished. After eight years of resistance, in 1945 the brave Chinese people eventually drove the barbarous Japanese invaders out of China's homeland and the war criminals got what they deserved. However Chinese people will never forget the history. Pictures of the atrocities of Japanese soldiers taken by Japanese army photographers are exhibited in the Memorial Hall to the Victims in the Nanjing Massacre.Finally, on April 23rd, 1949, Nanjing was liberated by the People's Liberation Army and Kuomintang's power in China was ended.

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Guilin travel guide

Guilin

Guilin is regarded in China as the country's most picturesque city. Two crystal-clear rivers meander through the city, which is encircled by mountains with unusual & bizarre rock formations and caves. Two crustal movements of the earth took place about 200 and 180 million years ago thrusting the limestone sediments out of the sea bottom. They were forced upwards more than 200 meters to the surface. This karst formation was moulded through many years of erosion by the wind and rain to became the hills and rocks with unusual shapes . There are many complete karst (Limestone sites), which are of high scientific value and tourist value. Guilin is in subtropical and monsoon zone with warm and moist climate.The altitude is 140-160 meters. All this makes Guilin a unique natural experience for the visitor. Guilin is named after the fragrance of osmanthus tree and saw its first inhabitants in Qin Dynasty over 2,000 years ago. Guilin prospered and flourished in Tang, Song, Ming and Qing under patronage from succeeding Emperors. It is currently home to ethnic 12 nationalities with a total population of 1,260,000 in the city and surrounding area. Guilin 's reputation as one of the worlds most a beautiful places has become established over hundreds of years and ranks second on China list of the 10 best tourist destinations. Location Guilin is located 109?E longitude and 24? N latitude in the northeast of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The Guilin Government area covers an area of 4,195 square kilometers. It is in a basin surrounded by the Yuecheng Range , Ocean Hill, Jiaqiao Range and Tianping Hill. Guilin is located almost due west of Hong Kong and about 1 hour by air. The Li River meanders through Guilin from north to south. Most of Guilin city lies on the western bank of the Li River. The main artery is Zhongshan Lu, which runs roughly parallel to the river on its western side. At the southern end of this street is Guilin Railway Station. Zhoangshan Lu is a rapidly developing stretch of tourist class hotels and retail shops. The city center is dominated by the central square which is surrounded by a number of good hotels, shopping precincts and commercial buildings. Guilin is built around its two rivers and 4 lakes that are inter-connected. Many distinctive bridges crisscross the waterways. Those who enjoy walking can spend many hours wandering the beautiful river and lakes make Guilin what it is.

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