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Hebei

Emperors' Summer Resort

A famed historical and cultural city 163 km from Beijing and 210km from Tianjin, Chengde was, for a time, the second political and cultural center for the Qing. Today it is better known for its Mountain Summer Resort, the world's largest classical imperial garden resort, and the Eight Outer Temples, the leading imperial religious establishment in China. The formidable Jinshanling section of the Great Wall is in Chengde, which also has such bio-tourist resources as the Royal Mulan Hunting Ground and large expanses of forests and grassland. The grassland at Fengning is billed as the best of its kind north of Beijing. It took 87 years (1703-1790) for the 5.64 million-square-metre Mountain Summer Resort north of Chengde to be completed as the exclusive summering place for Qing emperors. The Mountain Summer Resort, and the Eight Outer Temples that are scattered around it, were designated as world cultural heritage sites in 1994. Every year visitors go in droves to the resort and the temples. The Chengde Tourist Festival and the Forest and Grassland Holidaymaking Festival are held there on an annual basis.

East and West Qing Tombs

The remains of Qing emperors Kangxi and Qianlong, and the Empress Dowager Cixi were buried in the 2,5000square-km East Tombs in Zunhua. The underground palaces of the tombs of Qianlong and Cixi are open to tourists. Emperor Yongzheng and Pu Yi, China's last emperor, were buried at the 100-square-km West Tombs of the Qing in Yixian County.

Baoding Health-Care Tour

Health-care is an old tradition in Baoding, a famed historical and cultural city where the average life expectancy is 6.4 years higher than the national average. Visitors to the city may learn something about the martial arts, qigong, taiji boxing, shuttlecock kicking, tonic diet, hot spring bathing, traditional massage, and the varied old-age life. They may also visit such hostrcal sites as the mansion of the governor of Zhili, the Ancient Lotus Pond, and the Temple of the King of Medicine.

Zhuozhou Three-Kingdom Cultural Tour

Zhuozhou is fabled in the Three-Kingdom history. The Peach Garden, where Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei became sworn brothers, Sanjy Palace in memory of their brotherhood in Liu Bei's birthplace, and the temple of Zhang Fei and the well in which he fetched water, are still there. Zhuozhou is the largest site of Asia's film-making center run by China Central Television.

Wuqiao Acrobatics Tour

Wuqiao is a land of acrobatics. Everybody in this county, senior citizens and toddlers alike, plays one acrobatic stunt or another. Acrobatics troupes are a dime a dozen there. The Wuqiao International Acrobatic Festival is an annual event.

Martial Arts Tour

Hebei is a cradle of Chinese martial arts. Practicing marital arts is a local obsession for both Cangzhou city, a famous land of martial arts, and Yongnian County in Handan, where the yang and Wu styles of taijie boxing were originated. And Baoding is famed for its wrestling. Large numbers of martial arts studios and classes in these places have attracted numerous visitors and marital arts fans from around the world.

Qinhuangdao Beach Holiday Tour

Lying by the Bohai Sea and 270km east of Beijing, Qinhuangdao was the oldest beach resort in China. Major attractions: Laolongtou, Shanhaiguan ("No.1 Pass Under Heaven"), Great Wall Museum, Wildlife Zoo, Marine world, Wanbo Cultural city. Among the beach resorts are Beidaihe, Nandaihe, and Changli Golden Coast International Sand-Sliding Centre. Beidaihe, where top Chinese leaders run state affairs in summer, is also ideal for bio-tourism and bird watching. Seventy percent of the beach is covered with forests, which are home to 405 kinds of birds, including 68 world-or national-class species under state protection. In summer Beidaihe is the venue of Great Wall Cultural festival, the Sea Tour Carnival, and Seaside Bird Watching Festival.

Buddhist Pilgrimage Tour

Linji Monastery in Zhengding County was the cradle of the Linji Sect, one of the five Ch'an schools of Buddhism, which has achieved wide popularity in China, Japan, South Korea, and south east Asia since its inception by the Tang monk Yixuan. Pilgrims always throng Longxing Monastery in Zhengding.

Ancient Culture Tour of Handan

The famous historical and cultural city of Handan, 420km from Beijing, has a lot to offer its visitors. These include Congtai Terrace in Wuling, capital of Zhao during the Warring States Period; ruins of the imperial city of the state of Zhao; grottoes at Xiangtang Mountain; the palace of Nuwa, the legendary creator-goddess, and where she patched up the sky with stone blocks; and ruins of the Cizhou Porcelain Kilns of the Song. Handan is also where 1,000 or so Chinese idioms were originated. Yongnian County is where the Yang and Wu schools of taiji boxing rose, and a cultural center in association with taiji boxing. Yongnian International Taiji Boxers' Gathering is a popular event for fans from around the world to compete and swap experience.

Chanxi

There are a number of tourist zones in Shanxi Provinces. These include Datong, Mount Wutai, Taiyuan, Jinzhong, Linfen, Yuncheng, Changzhi, Jincheng and Yangquan.

Yungang Grottoes

With some 51,000 sculptures of varying sizes in 53 rock caves, the 1, 500-uear-old Yungang Grottoes in west Datong is the largest cluster of grottoes in China and a world-famous treasure house of art.

Overhanging Monastery

The precipitous and picturesque Mount Hengshan is one of the five holy mountains in China. Midway up its slope is the Xuankong (Overhanging) Monastery, a rare alpine complex built in the late Northern Wei, with 40 or so halls and chambers hanging on the rock face of a sheer cliff.

Wooden Pagoda

At a height of 67.3 metres, the Wooden Pagoda in Yingxian County is China's tallest and oldest multiple-floored Buddhist pagoda constructed entirely of wood. It is also extolled as an outstanding example of Chinese architecture, interior decoration and sculpture.

Mount Wutai

With a vast assemblage of natural scenery, historical and cultural heritage, classic architecture, Buddhism, and peculiar folkways, Mount Wutai Tourist Zone in the county of the same name in northeast Shanxi is a welcome resort for those who come for sightseeing, holidaymaking and recuperation purposes. The center of the zone, Taihuai Town, is nestled in the mountains. Buddhism is thriving at Mount Wutai, which is the domain of Bodhisattva Manjusri. Construction of Buddhist temples began during the Eastern Han, and today 48 of them are still there, with several hundred monks and nuns. Mount Wutai is a showcase of classical Chinese architecture, sculpture and painting. Mount Wutai International Tourist Month is a major tourist event, which takes place annually from July 25 to August 25.

Taiyuan Tourist Zone

The zone consists of Taiyuan, Jiaocheng, Qixian and Pingyao and 5 other counties and cities. Major attractions: Jinci Temple, Tianlong Mountain, Twin Pagoda Temple, Xuanzhong Monastery, the ancient city wall of Pingyao, Shuanglin Temple, Zhenguo Temple, Folklore Museum at Qiaojiabao, and the liquor distilling center, Xinghua (Apricot Blossom) Village. Taiyuan, known in earlier days as Jinyang, is a famous historical city. With 2.7 million residents, it is the capital of Shanxi Province.

Jinci Temple

Built prior to the Northern Wei, Jinci Temple in the southwest of Datong is noted for its "three wonders": two trees (a cypress dating back to the Zhou and a scholar tree planted in the Sui), an ever gurgling spring, and Song-dynasty statues of seven serving maids. The 42 painted female figure sculptures enshrined in the temple, looking lifelike in image and graphic in expression, are acclaimed as paragons of classical Chinese realism.

Ancient City of Pingyao

Pingyao is one of four Chinese ancient cities that have remained largely intact to this day along with Xi'an, Jingzhou and Xingcheng in Liaoning Province.

Qiao Family's Courtyard House

The house, which belonged to a rich and famous Shanxi merchant family, is billed as an emblem of the Shanxi culture that thrived as a result of Burgeoning local commerce.

Linfen Tourist Zone

Linfen is a city with a long history and rich natural resources by the Fenhe River. The Linfen Tourist Zone embraces such tourist destinations as the temple in honour of the legendary king Yao in Linfen; the temple dedicated to the East Holy Mountain in Puxian County; Guangsheng Temple, a giant scholar tree, and the prison where Su Shan, a famed opera heroine, was jailed in Hongdong County; and Folklore Museum at Dingcun Village in Xiangfen. Hukou Waterfall in Jixian County is the most spectacular sight on the Yellow River. The International Yellow River Hukou Rafting Month, an annual event which takes place September 19-October 18 in Jixian County, draws many tourists from around the world.

Yuncheng Tourist Zone

Situated in the southernmost part of Shanxi and known in old days as Hedong (meaning "east of the Yellow River"), Yuncheng is part of a "tourist golden delta" which also includes Xi'an and Luoyang. Attractions: the temple dedicated to Lord Guan and the family temple of Changping in Xiezhou Town, hometown of the legendary General Guanyu, and the Yuan-dynasty murals in Yongle Palace in Ruicheng. The Lord Guan Cultural Festival is an annual event which takes place on October 18 in Lord Guan's Temple in Xiezhou Town. Lord Guan Worship is a salient feature of tourist festivals in Shanxi.

Inner Mongolia

The Great Mosque

Built in 1693 (32nd year of the Kangxi Reign of the Qing), the mosque is Hohhot's oldest and largest Moslem establishment, which features a typical Arabian dome and elaborate carvings. During Ramandan (fasting month). Local Muslims are allowed to mount the building to marvel at the moon.

Five-Pagoda Temple

Also known as Sarira Pagoda of Diamond Throne, Five-Pagoda Temple was built in 1732, the 10th year of Yongzheng Reign of the Qing, a 16-metre-high structure consisting of five tiny pagodas that are elevated atop a Diamond Throne. It is also known as "Thousand Buddha Pagoda" for the 1,560 relief sculptures of Buddhas carved into the pagoda walls.

Tomb of Princess Zhaojun

The tumulus buried with the remains of Princess Zhaojun takes the shape of a 33-metre-high earth mound. Zhaojun, a Western Han stunning beauty, was married voluntarily to a Xiongnu chieftain to foster fraternity between the Hans and the nomads and win peace for northern borders. Her moving deeds have attracted many tourists to her tomb, 9 km from downtown Hohhot.

Inner Mongolia Museum

The Museum of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region, covering a total floor space of 5,000 square meters in downtown Hohhot, features four galleries on nature and history in the region, and development of local civilization.

Baotou:Baotou is a major industrial and tourist city in eastern Inner Mongolia.

Bod Ger (Wudang) Lamasery

The Bad Ger Lamasery is the largest and best-preserved Tibetan-style lamasery in the entire autonomous region. Built during the Kangxi reign of the Qing, it is patterned after the Tashilhunpo Monastery of Tibet, consisting of six main halls, three Living Buddha mansions, a memorial hall and 2,500 rooms.

Mausoleum of Genghis Khan

The mausoleum of Genghis Khan (1162-1227), a pre-eminent 12th-century Mongolian monarch, is found in Ejan Horo Banner. The coffins containing the remains of the Khan and his wife are enshrined in the bedroom palace behind the memorial hall in the center of three interconnected halls in the design of Mongolian yurts. The entire complex is splendidly ornamented and forever enshrouded in the smoke of burning incense sticks offered by pilgrims from around the world. Four grand sacrificial ceremonies are held there every year.

Resonant Sand Bay

The Resonant Sand Bay 45km from Baotou emits a sound like the purring of a car or an aircraft engine whenever someone is sliding down the top of its 90-metre-high slope with a 45-degree gradient. Visitors may also go horseback or camelback riding or enjoy local folk singing and dancing.

Scenic Grasslands

Xilamuren and gegentala, 87km and 145km north of Hohhot respectively, are two major idyllic pasturelands in Inner Mongolia. Similar grasslands are also available in the suburbs of Baotou, Erenhot, Ulanhot, and Hailar, where visitors may go in for horseback or camelback riding, attend folk singing and dancing, and taste roast whole lamb.

Desert Exploration

Kubuqi, Badain Jaran, Tenggeli, Ulanbuh and Maowusu are famous deserts of Inner Mongolia, whose landscape is mystified by a combination of sand dunes, basins, lake, rolling country, and flatlands, a landscape suitable for desert expeditions.

Nadam Festival

Wrestling, horse racing and archery are the three traditional items for Nadam (meaning entertainment or frolicking) the foremost traditional festival for Mongol nomads taking place in July or August. The festival today also includes equestrian polo, horsemanship, track-and-field events, and folk singing and dancing.

Mongolian Folklore Tour

The Mongols are brave and industrious and hospitable. Visitors to a local family are invariably treated to bowls of buttered tea and other dairy products. They live in yurts, a kind or round enclosure with a skylight opened into its domed top. They use a kind of cart fashioned out of birch and elm wood; each weighs 50kg and is enough for a load of several hundred kg. Traditional festivals include "Lesser New Year" (23rd of 12th lunar month), when sacrifices are offered to God of Fire, and "Greater New Year" (Spring Festival), when each family gets together for dinner and pays homage to ancestors.

Liaoning

Shenyang

Shenyang, capital of Liaoning Province, and a major industrial city. In 1625, Nurhaci, founder of the Jin, moved his capital to Shenyang, which later became the capital of the Manchus before they took control of central China. Much of Shenyang's rich historical heritage is attributed to the Qing's formative years.

Former Imperial Palace

First built in 1625 for Nurhachi, and inherited by his son Abahai Huang Taiji), the Former Imperial Palace of Shenyang is one of two royal complexes extant in China today. The splendid and distinctly ethnic architectural style of the palace, which includes Dazheng (Grand Politics) Hall, the Ten Princes' Pavilion, Chongzhen (Golden Chimes), Phoenix Chamber, and Qingning (Pure Tranquility) Pavilion, are still in perfect shape. On Saturday afternoons during the May October period, the Former Imperial Palace is the venue for the show of the parade of a grand royal procession.

Zhaoling & Fuling Mausoleums

The Zhaoling, also known as Northern Mausoleum as it is in the northern suburbs of Shenyang, was the tomb of the second Qing emperor, Huang Taji, and his consorts. Buried under the Fuling of Eastern Mausoleum were the remains of Nurhachi and his wife, Empress Xiaoci.

Sept. 18 Incident Museum

The museum, housed inside the Monument to the September 18 Incident at the Marco Polo Bridge, recaptures the incident launched by Japanese militarists and exposes Japanese atrocities in the war that ensued.

Weird Slope of Shenyang

The 100-metre-long Weird Slope is found near Qingshuitai Town in the northern suburbs of Shenyang and the Shenyang-Changchun Expressway, and 35km from downtown Shenyang. The weirdness about it is that auto drivers and bicyclists can effortlessly slide up the slope but have to go down the distance by stepping on the accelerator or pedaling real hard. The slope is part of a scenic zone that also includes the Xiangshan Mountain, the Chain Bridge and the Peng'en Temple.

Summer Palace-on-the-Water

This is China's largest indoor recreational center-on-the-water, and the largest amusement park-on-the-water in Asia.

Dalian

The beautiful seaside city of Dalian on the southern tip of Liaodong Peninsula is a nice sightseeing, recuperating and holidaymaking destination. It is particularly suitable for convention or awarded tours. Dalian is skirted on three sides by the sea, and its long coast opens onto a myriad of islands. The landscape is fabulous, the weather pleasant, and the urban environment neat and tidy. When night falls the city takes on an enchanting look. Dalian is the venue of a series of annual large-scale events, including Dalian International Fashion Festival, the festival to greet New Year with firework displays, International Marathon competition, and International Locust Watching Festival.

Dalian Beach

The beach, lying in southern Dalian, is a celebrated summering place in north China and a national scenic resort. Major scenic spots: Wooden-Club Isle, Hutan (Tiger's Beach) Amusement Park, Beida (Grand North) Bridge, Yanwo (Swallow Nestle) Peak, Fojiazhuang Park, Forest Zoo, Xinghai (Star Sea) Bay, Xinghai Park, Shenya Marine World, and Heishi (Black Rock) Reefs. A seaside highway runs by all these attractions.

Xinghai Park

Xinghai is the largest seaside park of Dalian which consists of a seashore park and a bathing ground.

Lushunkou Scenic Resort

Lushunkou is a national scenic resort and a famed military harbour which in the westernmost part of Dalian and the southernmost tip of Liaodong Peninsula. The largest of its kind in Dalian, the Lushukou Scenic Resort comprises 8 scenic zones, including reefs, islands, mountains, Snake Isle and Bird Isle. Russian and Japanese occupation, and the Japanese-Russian War of 1894-1895, has bequeathed Lushun with quite a few landmarks, including Wanzhong Cemetery, Baiyushan Pagoda, Lushun Prison, and Russian pillboxes at Eastern Jiguan Mountain.

Jinshitan Beach National Tourist & Holiday Resort

It has a flat 7.5km-long bathing ground covered with fine sand, a modern golf club, and a hunting club.

Shenya Marine world

An aquarium of world caliber close by the Xinghai Park, the Shenya Marine World's 118-metre-long undersea tunnel enables visitors to observe this world of 10,000 fish and sea creatures in 200 species at close proximity.

Bingyu Holiday Resort

Holidaymaking and sightseeing are perfectly combined in the Provincial Bingyu Holiday Resort in north Zhuanghe City, which is suggestive of the quaint peculiarities of the Stone forest of Yunnan and the graceful allure of the landscape of Guilin. In winter, the sports facilities of Bingyu attract a constant stream of winter sports buffs.

Dalian Fashion Festival

Dalian International Fashion Festival, which takes place in September every year, sets the stage for a keenly contested competition among fashion designers from all over the world and word-famous fashion models. Among the other activities held during the festival are full-length variety shows in City Square, a world fashion exhibition, garment export negotiations, and parades of fashion models.

Anshan

Nicknamed "Capital of Chinese Steel Industry", Anshan in central Liaoning is a major iron and steel industrial base. In recent years, it has also been rising as a new tourist destination.

Qianshan Mountain

A famous mountain 18km to the southeast of Anshan in northeast China, the 708. 3-metre-high Qianshan Mountain is densely wooded, and abounds in flora and fauna. Among its scenic spots is a new discovery-a nature ought statue of the Buddha, which stands meters tall. The place has since become the venue of Qianshan Great uddha estival, which takes place in June every year.

River in Cave

A river 3,000 meters long, 2 meters deep and wide enough for 20 to 30 boats, is found flowing through a giant 5 million-year cave 35km from downtown Benxi. The cave is also filled with countless stalagmites and stone flowers, pillars and curtains. Access to the cave is by regular tourist buses running between Shenyang and Benxi during weekends and holidays.

Fengguo Temple

The Fengguo Temple possesses the largest single-floor ancient wooden hall in China. When it was completed in 1020, it was known as the Temple of the Great Buddha, or Temple of Seven Buddhas. Enshrined in the Mahavira Hall are 7 Liao-dynasty statues of Buddhas sitting cross-legged on lotus thrones. Each statue is more than 9 meters in height.

Ancient City of Xingcheng

One of the four well-preserved Ming dynasty cities, Xincheng was a major defense fortress in the late Ming. Its city wall and many buildings are in Ming and Qing architectural styles.

Yalu River

As the boundary between China and Korea, the Yalu River flows across the city of Dandong for approximately 300km. From the city's Yalu Bridge and Yalu Park one can feast his eyes on the fascinating landscape on both sides of the river.

Ice-and-Snow Tour

Winter sightseeing is a hot tourist program in northeast China. From December to February, the land of Liaoning Province teems with winter sports lovers. This is particularly the case with Qipan Mountain of Shenyang, and Bingyu of Dalian, where visitors can go skating, skiing, winter swimming, and sleighing, and discover local folklore by attending ice lantern shows, folk singing and dancing (including walking on stilts, model boat dance, and yangge dance).

Jilin

Changchun

Changchun, capital of Jilin Province, is lauded variously as "Forest City", "City of Spring North of the Great Wall", "Auto City" "Motion-picture City", where transportation is convenient, auto making has become a full-fledged industry, commerce is thriving, and tourism is making big strides.

Puppet State's Imperial Palace

Changchun used to be the capital of the puppet "Manchukuo State" rigged up by Japanese invaders. During his 1932-1945 tenure as the bogus emperor, Aisin Gioro Pu Yi had left a legacy there, including his imperial palace, the puppet state council, and many other large buildings each with a style.

Jingyue (Clear Moon)

The local people extol Jingyue (Clear Moon) Pool in Changchun as "Sparkling Emerald Pearl" and regard it as a "sister" to Taiwan's Riyue (Sun and Moon) Pool. The 4.3-square-km pool is in a national forest park where the ecological system is well protected. The place has become a national forest park and a scenic resort where holidaymakers go for sightseeing, recuperating, recreation, and other purposes. Facilities, including a world-class skiing ground, have been built to wow sightseers and winter sports fans.

Motion Picture City

The well-known Changchun Film Studio, where many outstanding movies have been made, lures visitors with a series of tourist and recreational programmers related to the motion picture industry. Asia's largest indoor film studio is in this motion picture center.

Jilin:The waterfront city of Jilin is a major tourist city by Songhua River.

Rimed Trees in Jilin

The rimed trees of Jilin are extolled as one of tour major natural wonders of China along with Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, the landscape of Jilin, and the Stone Forest of Yunnan. In winter the Songhua River keeps flowing through Jilin despite the subfreezing temperature, and the vapor rising from the surface of the river freezes when it meets the pines and willows ashore. Thus encrusted with layers upon layer of ice, the tree branches and twigs look transparent and form a spectacular crystal world that never fails to attract visitors.

Songhua Lake

The 550-square-km Songhua Lake in southeast Jilin City is part of a national scenic resort with limpid water and elegant mountains. Like Songhua River, the lake looks exceptionally attractive in winter with rimed trees.

Beidahu Skiing Ground

Beidahu Skiiing Ground is in Songhua Lake Scenic Resort, 56km from downtown Jilin and 141km from Changchun. With an ideal terrain, a long and prodigious snowing season, relatively mild temperature, and equipped with world-calibre facilities, it is a renowned skiing ground in China.

Yanji City

Yanji, capital of Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, provides vital access to the Changbai Mountains and the Tianchi Lake. Transportation is made convenient by regular flights that link the city with major cities all over the country. The local Koreans, living in compact communities, are born singers and dancers.

Tianchi Lake

The volcanic Tianchi (Heavenly) Lake, 10 square km in area and 204 meters in average depth (373 meters at the deepest), marks the boundary of China and Korea on the top of Baitou Mountain, the main peak of Changbei Mountains. Skirted on all sides by mountains, the lake is known for its sublime natural beauty.

Changbai Mountains Nature Reserve

Covering a total area of 2,000 square km, Changbai Mountains Nature Reserve is, as a mammoth natural zoo and botanical garden, part of the UNESCO'S Man and Biosphere Program. The Tianchi Lake, Vertical Scenery, Aerial Park, hot springs, and waterfalls are among the six local natural wonders. The mountains, covered with primitive forests, make an excellent bio-tour destination.

Ji'an City

Ji'an a city on the Yalu River, was the capital of Koguryo in ancient times. Among its many sites of historical interest are the General's Tomb, a stone table dedicated to a local king, and nearly 10,000 ancient tombs.

Xianghai Nature Reserve

On the edge of the Songliao Plain, and in Tongyu County in eastern Horqin Grassland, Xianghai nature Reserve is the natural habitat for 293 kinds of precious birds, including six breeds of cranes. The idyllic prairie and the local Mongol folklore combine to make this bird watching place a very fascinating place.

Ice-and-Snow Tours

Skiing tours to Jilin are one of a series of New Millennium China tourist programs. Songhua Lake, Changbai Mountains, Jingyue Pool in Changchun and Beidahu near the city of Jilin are major destinations for such tours.

Major Festivals

Changchun International Film

Festival:
Venue: Changchun; Time: August 23-28.
Rimed Tree Festival:
Time: January 18-23;
What's no: winter sports, ice lantern and bonfire parties, and Manchu and Korean folklore celebrations.
Yanbian Korean Folklore Festival:
Venue: Yanji; Time: August 31-September 3;
What's on: authentic Korean folkways and performances, and tours of Changbai Mountains.

Hunan

Changsha

Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, is a famous historical and cultural city whose tourist resources are predicated on its historical heritage. Among the city's 20 or so major attractions are Yuelu Academy, Han tombs at Mawangdui, King of Wu Sun Quan's government archives on bamboo slips found at Zhoumalou, and Hunan Embroidery Institute.

Yuelu Academy

Yuelu Academy at the foot of Yuelu Mountain in west Changsha, was the most important of all the four academies of the Song as well as China's earliest government-funded institution of higher learning. The buildings extant on the premises are mostly a Qing legacy. Since the Song many famous scholars had lectured and studied in this academy.

Han Tombs at Mawangdui

It seemed Manwangdui, a place in the eastern suburb of Changsha, achieved world fame overnight in the 1970s with the discovery of precious cultural relics from three large Han tombs. Most eye-catching of these finds was a woman's corpse so well preserved that some of its bone joints could still be flexed, and some of its soft tissues were still elastic, despite the passage of 2,100 years. Among the other invaluable finds were 3,000 exquisite pieces of lacquer ware and paintings on silk. The corpse and the other artifacts are on display in Hunan Museum.

Archives on Bamboo Slips

A total of 170,000 bamboo slips were excavated from Zhoumalou, Changsha, in December 1996. Inscribed on these slips were official documents of Changsha Prefecture during the reign of Sun Quan of the Kingdom of Wu. These files have furnished valuable material for research into the history of the Three Kingdoms Period (196-265).

Tianxin Pavilion

Poised atop Changsha's 30-metre-high ancient city wall, Tianxinge Pavilion provides an overview of the entire city.

Mao's Residence in Shaoshan

Shaoshan, 104 km west of Changsha, was the birthplace of Mao Zedong, founder of the People's Republic of China. Mao's former residence is furnished the way it was during his childhood and teenage years.

Yueyang

Yueyang, situated where the Yangtze flows past Dongting Lake in north Hunan, was known as Baling or Yuezhou in old times. Today, it is a famous historical and cultural city and a key tourist center whose major scenic spots include Yueyang Tower, Junshan Mountain, Qu Yuan's Temple and Tuanhu Lake. Yueyang is also the venue of a world-famous international dragon boat competition that takes place during the Dragon Boat Festival every June.

Dongting Lake

Covering an area of 2,820 square km, Dongting is the second largest freshwater lake which is connected with the mighty Yangtze. The lake's Junshan Island, looking magnificent with 72 peaks, is known for a kind of local tea.

Qu Yuan's Temple

The temple, situated on Yusi Mountain by Miluo River in Yueyang, was dedicated to Qu Yuan, a celebrated patriotic poet of ancient China.

Tuanhu Lake

The Tuanhu (Circular) Lake in Junshan District and some 20 km from downtown Yueyang, covers an area of 200 hectares. In summer, lotus flowers protruding from the midst of green leaves in a riot of colours, and it is the best season for boating and picking lotus seeds.

Yueyang Tower

The Yueyang Tower, poised atop the western city gate of Yueyang, is one of the three major towers in south China. Construction of this tower began in 716, or the 4th year of Kaiyuan reign of the Tang. The fame of this tower stems largely from the essay "On Yueyang Tower" by Fan Zhongyan, a famed Song writer.

Hengyang

The south Hunan city of Hengyang is 45km south of Hengshan Mountain, the southern holy mountain of China and a famed national tourist resort. Most visitors choose to stop over at Hengyang before proceeding to Hengshan Mountain.

Hengshan Mountain

The southern holy mountain in China, Hengshan looks at once old, graceful, mysterious, breathtaking and exotic. Its 72 peaks form a range that serpentines for as far as 400km. Atop Zhurong, the major peak 1,290 metres above sea level, are Zhurong Hall, Southern Heavenly Gate and Moon Gazing Terrace. Nanyue Temple on Zhenbei Street at the entrance to the mountain is a giant 9,800-square-metre complex laid out in roughly the same way as the Former Imperial Palace of Beijing. Eight Taoist temples on the eastern side are arranged symmetrically with eight Buddhist temples on the western side to indicate equality between Buddhism and Taoism. This largest group of ancient structures in south China is the site of a grand temple fair every August.

Emperor Yan's Mausoleum

Fifteen km to the southwest of Yanling County is the mausoleum of Emperor Yan, the legendary Divine Peasant who is regarded as a father of China. The buildings at the mausoleum were reconstructed in 1988, forming a five-part complex in the style of a majestic imperial palace. A grand ceremony is held every October to pay tribute to this legendary forefather.

Zhangjiajie

Zhangjiajie, a northwest Hunan city 400 km from Changsha, is the site of the national Wulingyuan scenic resort, the first in China to be endorsed by UNESCO as a world natural heritage. The resort covers more than 500 square km and consists of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and two nature reserves-Suoxi Gully and Tianzi Mountain. With an unmatched sandy quartzie and karst landform, the resort is a sublime configuration of mountains, rivers, wood and caves. Major sights: Yellowstone Village, Golden Whip Stream, Tianzhi Mountain, Yellow Dragon Cave, Baofeng Lake and Maoyan River. Zhangjiajie International Forest Protection Festival is an annual event which takes place every September.

Jishou

Located on the eastern side of Wuling Mountain in northwest Hunan, Jishou is the seat of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. Visitors are attracted by the distinct folkways of ethnic Tujia and Miao peoples.

Mengdong River

There is something serene and mystic about Mengdong River as it twists and turns across the karst terrain of Yongshun County 90 km west of Zhangjiajie. Narrow and swift, and strewn with dangerous shoals and rapids, the river is cut out for daredevils. Rubber dinghies are provided for those who come to raft the river.

Ancient Phoenix City

Ming and Qing architecture remains large intact in the ancient city of Fenghuang (Phoenix) 53 km to the south of Jishou City. The streets are paved with slate, and most dwellings sit on stilts, looking classically elegant with flying eaves and curving roof corners. The former residence of Shen Congwen, a modern Chinese author, is in the city.

Wangcun, an Ancient Town

For the most part of its 2,000-year history, Wangchun Town was the capital of local ethnical tribal kings. Situated on the confluence of Mengdong and Yuanshui rivers, the town features a bluestone-flagged 2.5-km-long main street, an ancient town wall also built of bluestone, and ethnic Tujia residents' stilted dwellings.

Taohuayuan Tourist Zone

Taohuayuan, the Shangri-la described in the famous Jin writer Tao Yuanming's "Accounts of Taohuayuan", is in Taoyuan County under the jurisdiction of Changde. The place is actually a world of peach orchards, which look unusually beautiful when peach flowers are in full bloom. The peach flower=watching festival takes place at Taohuayuan every March and April.