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Beijing View Map Beijing served as the primary residence for three major dynasties starting from the rule of Kublai Khan in the 13th century known as Khanbaliq - the City of the Khan. Climatic Features: Warm-temperate, semi-humid monsoon climate; hot, and rainy in summer. Average Temperature: 75 F in June with a annual rainfall of 23 inches of which 75 percent is during the summer months. Beijing Traditional Arts: Peking Opera, Quyi, Acrobatics, Puppet show, Symphony, Ballet Local Cuisine: Beijing Roast Duck, Bingtanghulu Sweet. Chengdu View Map This is the capital of Sichuan Province and the powerhouse of South west China. Chengdu is mainly known for the fascinating Giant Panda Research and Breeding base located in Wolong – just outside of Chengdu. Here you can learn more about the Panda, an amazing endangered animal. Take a trip to visit the Big Buddha of Leshan set at the confluence of two rivers or visit a local Tibetan Village and end your day with a traditional Szechuan Hot Pot dinner. Chongqing View Map Chongqing is situated at the upper reaches of the Yangtse River, at the confluence of Yangtse River and Jialing. You would either end or commence your Yangtse Cruise from this town. History: It came into being three thousand years ago, and was once also known as Jiangzhou, Bazhou and Yuzhou, The name Chongqing was got 800 years ago in A. D. 1189 and this city was also the cradle of the Changjiang Civilization & the Bayu culture. Climatic Features: Has a sub-tropical humid monsoon climate with little frost and snow but with much fog all the year round. Average Temperature: The average lowest temperature in winter is 42 50 F - and the average highest temperature in summer is 80 – 84 F. Rainfall: It has a long rainy season with plenty of rainfall, about 55 inches a year with plenty of rain in the evenings and night. Local Highlights: Sichuan Cuisine, Chaffy Dish, Qianjiang Baked Tobacco and handcraft made from bamboo. Chongqing features convenient water, land, and air transport facilities. There are more than 50 airlines flying to Nagoya, Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Lhasa, and other places. It is the meeting place of the Chengyu (Chengdu-Chongqing), the Xiangyu Xianfan-Chongqing and Yuhuai (Chongqing-Huaihua) railroads. The renowned Three Gorges - one of the natural wonders of the world - are just 20 hours sailing away, so Chongqing is the start or end point for most Yangtze River cruises. There are more than 100 houseboats suitable for both foreign and home tourists and over 80 star-class hotels. Guilin View Map Guilin is known for its stunning landscape with mountains , waterfalls and caves and formed an important cultural city with a history of more than 2000 years. ( The city has been the political, economic and cultural center of Guangxi since the Northern Song Dynasty). The many ethnic minorities represented here include the Zhuang, Yao, Hui, Miao, Mulao, Maonan and Dong enrich the cultural life of the city. Each minority has its own unique customs and festivals and this means that they are much more abundant here than in many other places elsewhere in China. Travelers can enjoy these pageants at the Li River Folk Customs Center . The Li River cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo is the centerpiece of any trip to northeastern Guangxi Province. Gorgeous Karst peaks give you surprises at each bend of the limpid river under the blue sky. Water buffalo patrol the fields, peasants reap rice paddies, school kids and fisherman float by on bamboo rafts. With its breathtaking scenery and taste of a life far removed from the concrete metropolis, the scenery along the Li River become one of China's recommended tourist destinations. Gyantse View Map This small agricultural town is at 13, 050 ft above sea level and is famous for its wool carpets and palkhor choide chorten. At the lamasery it is the unique structure built in 1414 of five stories representing the five steps to enlightenment, topped by the thirteen rings which symbolize the stages of achieving. There are 108 halls inside, 'buddhahood' each with frescoes and Buddhist shrines. Kunming View Map Kunming the capital of Yunnan Province has a history dating back to 2400 years. It was an important town since this city was the gateway to the celebrated Silk Road that facilitated trade with Tibet, Sichuan, Myanmar and India. Kunming enjoys a pleasant climate and is thus also known as "the City of Eternal Spring". It is the center of Yunnan’s minority culture, with over 26 ethnic minorities such as Han, Yi, Bai, Miao, Dai, Hani etc. Each of the ethnic group’s have their own featured festivals such as the Torch festival of Yi people, the Golden Temple Fair and so on. The very successful international Horticultural Fair in 1999 certainly enhanced Kunming’s image whereby attracting many visitors to Kunming. Lanzhou View Map This is the capital of the vast province of Gansu strategically located in a narrow valley. This was once a major transportation hub and garrison on the silk road. Today it is a sprawling fascinating Chinese city with a large Muslim (Hui) population. You can explore the action on the banks of the yellow River visit White Pagoda Hill and Five Springs Park where you may take a chairlift over 6,500 feet to the Santai Pavilion where you can experience great views. Lhasa View Map Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, covers an area of 544 square kilometers and is The Land of Gods in Tibetan, sits on the north bank of River Lhasa, a tributary of the Yarlung Tsangbo River, at an altitude of 12137 feet above sea level. It has a history of over 13 centuries. With more than 3,000 hours of sunshine annually, Lhasa is famed as the City of Sunshine. It is the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region and the center of Tibet's political, economic, cultural and religious activities. There are many historic sites and famous relics in the city proper and its suburbs, among which the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Drepung Monastery, Sera Monastery and Gandan Monastery are world famous. Lijiang View Map Lijiang is an enchanting well-preserved old city of ethnic minorities, rich in culture and a town which is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing since 1997. The residents of this ancient charming town are mainly from the Naxi minority culture where they have been making a living by herding yaks. The town is a maze of winding cobbled streets and just outside of the town one can visit a classical Chinese village and also see a Tibetan Yufeng Monastery. Shanghai View Map Shanghai was a small town supported by the fishing and weaving industry before the first Opium War. Late in 1990 when the central government starting developing the area, the city's economy boomed and today it is a scintillating city boiling with rapid cultural change. Since market restrictions were lifted, Shanghai has embraced the forces of business and design and rewritten its rule book shaping a fresh, new city that is sophisticated, innovative and living a life it has never lived before. While it can't match the epic history of Beijing or Xi'an's grander sights, Shanghai is the hotspot of modern China; a cosmopolitan city buzzing with the concept of 'lifestyle revolution', showcased in the architectural temples of art, fine dining and contemporary urban living on The Bund. Average Temperature: Average temperature in June is 74 F with an annual average rainfall of approximately 47 inches. Tsetang View Map Tsetang (Zetang), the birthplace of earliest Tibetans, sits on the south bank in the middle section of the Yarlung Tsangbo River with a moderate climate at an altitude of11811feet. The nearby Yarlung River scenic area is a national scenic park with Samye Monastery, Yumbu Lhakang Palace, and burial site for Tsampos and Traduk Monastery spotting the region. Wuhan View Map Wuhan is located In the central part of China; almost wholly located in the Jianghan Plain; sitting at the confluence of the world's third longest river, namely the Yangtze River and its longest branch Hansui River; at 2958' - 3122' north latitude, 11341' - 11505' east longitude,a city with a long history and glorious revolutionary tradition, where the first shot of the Revolution of 1911 overthrew the rule of 2000 years of feudalism in China. It has been an important ancient town since the Shang and Zhou dynasties and considered to be one of the famous towns in China during the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties being the political, military and cultural center of China. Climatic Features: The four seasons are clearly demarcated; with cold and dry winters, hot and humid summers with plenty of sunshine. The summers are very hot and thus its also referred to as “The Stove” Local Foods:: Wuchang Fish, Laotongcheng Doupi, Cailinji hot dry noodle, Xiaotaoyuan Weitang Soup & the Tanyanji Dumpling. Xeger View Map 13,800 ft. above sea level, this is a new Chinese commune built 4 miles of the highway at the foot of the ruins of Xegar Dzong. With population of 3000, it is the center of a large and remote country and also the base for the expeditions to mt. Everest and other peaks. Xian View Map Xian is one of China’s six historic capital cities. From 1027 BC onwards eleven dynasties chose it as their seat of government. It probably possesses more items of archaeological interest than any other town or city in China, the most important, of course being the world famous Terracotta Warriors. Climatic Features: Hot in summer with rains in July, August and September. Average temperatures in summer are 88 F with an annual rainfall of 23 inches. Xigaze View Map Most famous for its Tashilhunpo Monastery - the seat of the Panchen Lama, is 12,600 ft. above sea level. Places of interest include the relics sakyamuni, the hall of maitreya and the mind-boggling collection of thankas, etc., built in 1447 by the first Dalai Lama. There is also a bustling "free" market at the foot of the ruins of the Xigaze fortress and one can buy local handicrafts embedded with coral and turquoise, Chinese porcelain and yak butter etc. Yangtze River Cruise View Map There are 3 options to cruise the Yangtze River. 3-4 days cruise between Chongqing & Yichang, 4-5 days Yangtze Cruise between Chongqing & Wuhan or the longest Cruise (7-9 days) between Chongqing and Shanghai. No trip to China is complete without an adventure to the world-famous, spellbinding Yangtze River and its Three Gorges. Zhangmu View Map This town is 7, 000 feet above sea level and is known by its Tibetan name Khasa and is a major trading town en-route to Tibet from Nepal. The hills around Zhangmu are heavily wooded with innumerable waterfalls in the summer and frozen icicles during the winter. Zhujiajiao View Map One can take an interesting excursion to the ancient canal town of Zhujiajiao- a lovely town 900 years old and located in close proximity to Shanghai. An interesting city to stroll the backstreets, cruise the canals in small boats and absorb the charming old world atmosphere. Zhujiajiao also known as "water town" because of the use of canals ad waterways to transport people and goods in the traditional way.