Chinese Panorama

Xi'an is a historic city in the Shaanxi Province of China. It has an incredible 6,000 year history, and has been capital for 13 dynasties, and a total of 73 emperors ruled here. With so much history within the ground the city lies upon, Xi'an is filled to bursting point with historical ruins and cultural relics. And, as the eastern terminus of the Silk Road, traders from far and wide brought goods and ideas to Xi'an, constantly infusing it with a bubbling vitality that is still visible. A large Muslim influence is also apparent, with mosques and cuisines interspersed in the city.

Weather:
Spring: March to May 10-20C
Summer: June to August 21-31C
Autumn: September to November 10-19C
Winter: December to February -2-7C

Shopping:
Souvenirs in China don't get any better than in Xi'an. Be prepared to put on some muscle (or lose weight if you aren't eating enough protein) with the heavy lifting that will follow your forays into Xi'an's shopping areas. Terracotta Warriors, Wood-carved Buddhas and Dragons, Tang Tri-coloured Pottery, silks, paper fans, folk style block prints and antiques; you will be inundated with them. The best place to buy souvenirs in the city centre is the bazaar area behind the Drum Tower, which is in the Muslim Quarter around the Great Mosque. Xi'an is also amazingly cheap for clothes, and try East Street, and South Street next to the Bell Tower. Also try Baihuo Market, and Kangfu Lu.

Must Do:
With enough history to give you a PhD, Xi'an educates you. Visit the City Wall of Xi'an - One of only two cities with intact surrounding walls in China. The landscaped park around the base of the exterior walls and moat also makes for a pleasant stroll and gives a different perspective on the battlements and towers. Another must visit is Shaanxi Provincial Museum, where many artefacts dating back to the Bronze Age are on display. The Forest of Steles is situated in the Shaanxi Provincial Museum, and has a collection of over 2,300 stone tablets and epitaphs. Ci'en Temple and Jianfu Temple with their pagodas are also must sees. Visit the imposing Drum Tower that's located in the exact centre of the city and impressive Bell Tower. The Grand Mosque is another must visit, and it is built in a perfect mixture of Islamic and Chinese architecture styles with seating for about 1,000 worshippers. Just outside the city, you find the famous Army of Terracotta Warriors and Horses, near the Qinshihuang Mausoleum. This army is on a floor space of 20,000 square meters and displays 8,000 life-like terracotta warriors, 100 or so chariots, and 30,000 weapons. Another must visit outside the city is Qinshihuang's Mausoleum - the mausoleum of the First Emperor of China. The Xi'an History Museum has artifacts discovered near Xi'an dating from pre-history and Neolithic eras right through all of the dynasties.
Some of the signature dishes of the Shaanxi province are Yang Rou Pao Muo (a piece of bread and a kettle of lamb soup), Rou Jia Mo (beef burger, also available in lamb or pork) Xiao Long Bao-Zi (basket-steamed dumplings), and Guan Tang bao-zi, steamed buns served with sauces inside. The Muslim Quarter is located close to the Drum tower, and has some of the best street food of the area. Most of the clubs are along the Nandajie.

Travel Tools
ISD Code: +86
Currency: Yuan Renminbi (CNY) 1 CNY is approximately 6 Indian Rupees (INR)
Time Zone: GMT + 8 hours. IST +2:30 hours

One of the best-known tourist destinations in China, Guilin is the archetype of what a scenic town should be. There are many, many sightseeing places within and outside the city, easily accessible. The town centre is surrounded by two rivers and four lakes, and studded with shear sided mountains. Many Chinese tourists also flock to Guilin for these attributes, as well as the picturesque limestone mountains and formations that surround it. Guilin is a must visit for any visitor to China.

Weather:
Spring: March to May 16-22C
Summer: June to August 25-32C
Autumn: September to November 18-25C
Winter: December to February 7-13C

Shopping:
Although Guilin does not have any special department stores, it is a great place to pick up souvenirs such as: bamboo/wooden carvings, painted fans, Guilin Stones, embroidered balls, hand-woven handicrafts, marble/jade wares, and paper umbrellas. Areas such as Mopanshan Dock are the best places to go about souvenir shopping.

Must Do:
There are many things to do within and around Guilin, and sightseeing is the most apparent and fruitful. Visit the Reed Flute Cave, a limestone cave with impressive stalagmite / stalactites. Go to Elephant Trunk Hill, a park that contains a hill with a large natural arch cut into it, which resembles a trunk of an elephant. Also visit Fubo Hill, a park in the North East of the city, which contains historical stone carvings and Buddhist inscriptions. Yaoshan Hill Park is another must visit, and it encompasses the highest peak in the area. Jing Jiang Princes City Park is not be missed, a small forbidden city that was once home to the Princes of the area. The palace buildings are now a museum and park. Also visit the Ocean Aquarium in Guilin, which is one of the largest aquariums in Asia. This modern facility has a wide range of fish and other aquatic animals. To truly enjoy the city's scenery, take a Dreams on Water boat tour, that takes you around the four lakes and two rivers of Guilin. Slightly out of town is Guilin Shangri-la Park, an ethnic theme park which tries to introduce visitors to the wide range of local nationalities and their cultures.
The local delicacy is Guilin Rice Noodles also available as stir-fried. Traditionally the noodle and the topping are eaten first without soup, and once the topping has run out there is usually a pot of soup to add flavour to the rest of your noodles. There are also various pickles and condiments that you can add to your noodles. Another local snack is Horse Hoof Cake, a crumbly cake stuffed with red beans filling. Another delicious breakfast item is sweet tofu infused with a certain flower. Look for roadside vendors adding orange-coloured liquid to a steaming hot bag of tofu, which you then drink with a straw.

Travel Tools
ISD Code: +86
Currency: Yuan Renminbi (CNY) 1 CNY is approximately 6 Indian Rupees (INR)
Time Zone: GMT + 8 hours. IST +2:30 hours

Swirling with rapid cultural change, Shanghai city teems with life and lights. Embracing the forces of business, this hotspot of activity is the centre for innovation and modernization of China. Colourful history mixed with the blazing contemporary, Shanghai is a non-stop buzz, an implacable presence in the lifestyle revolution. Expect a cosmopolitan city showcasing architectural temples of art, fine dining and contemporary urban living.

Weather:
Spring: March to May 12-19C
Summer: June to August 25-30C
Autumn: September to November 17-22C
Winter: December to February 4-9C

Shopping:
Shop at stores, shop at malls, shop at shacks, shop at street corners. Shop! If any city in the world deserves the accolade of shop till you drop, then it is Shanghai. From the cream of the crop to the best of the rest, Shanghai offers you all that you ever could have possibly wanted. Watches, clothes, antiques, electronics, silks, jade, pearls, souvenirs, cellular phones, bags, and purses are all available, whatever your budget range. Some of the best areas to shop are: Nanjing Xi Lu, Jing'an, Old Town, The Bund, Changning, French Concession, Nanjing Road, Yuyuan Bazaar, Huaihai Road, New XinYang Market, Qipu Lu clothing market, Pearl Plaza, and Dongtai Road Street Market.

Must Do:
Shanghai offers everyone something, more than just the plethora of sights and abundance of shops. Shanghai's entertainment scene is flourishing, and is constantly nurtured by the large amounts of disposable capital in the area. The city is up early, and sleeps late, offering you a varied and colourful nightlife and food scene. Areas such as the Bund, Nanjing Dong Lu, and French Concession are must visits for this reason. Shanghai is split in two by the Huangpu River, with the older town on the west bank known as Puxi and the brash new development on the east side being Pudong. Wake up early, and see hordes of Tai-chi practitioners on the Bund, quietly and gracefully flowing. Then observe the many temples, gardens, and the striking architecture of new Shanghai, and visit Yuyuan Gardens, Longhua Temple, Jade Buddha Temple, and Fuxing Road. Take the elevator to the top of Oriental Pearl TV Tower, which the tallest TV tower in Asia, with a height of 468 meters. The view is truly spectacular.
Shanghai offers a dazzling array of food and provides an exciting opportunity for cuisine exploration. Shanghainese cuisine is one of the lesser-known types of Chinese food, and is generally characterized as sweet and oily. Seafood predominates, and the usual style of preparation is steaming. Some Shanghainese dishes to look out for are: Xiao Long Baozi (small steamed dumplings full of tasty broth and a dab of meat), Dazha Xie (hairy crabs), Xiefen Shizitou (pork meatballs containing crab meat), and Zui Ji (drunken chicken). Vegetarians should not miss Vegetarian Life Style the restaurant, on Fengxian Road and Songshan Road, where you can experience affordable and organic vegetarian food.

Travel Tools
ISD Code: +86
Currency: Yuan Renminbi (CNY) 1 CNY is approximately 6 Indian Rupees (INR)
Time Zone: GMT + 8 hours. IST +2:30 hours

Tricycle rickshaws, stone lions, and monolithic bustling masses; Beijing is a stunner when beheld. It is city that lives, breathes, and is completely steeped in history; yet blazes with a forward looking furious development that sets an example for the rest of China. Filled with throngs of people - millions of locals, tourists and expatriates - Beijing is also truly cosmopolitan, and has long shed its closed borders for a global future. It instead thrives with humanity, and invites you to buzz with it, and take in the sights of course.

Weather:
Spring: March to May 8-19C
Summer: June to August 21-30C
Autumn: September to November 8-18C
Winter: December to February -6-4C

Shopping:
From night markets to malls, stalls to districts, much of Beijing is dedicated to shopping. This pro-retail therapy attitude permeates through the city, and offers such you a variety that youÂ’ll spend days recovering from the overdose. Haggling is recommended, while therapeutically scavenging for silks, handicrafts, clothing, antiques, electronics, jade, pearls, scarves, purses, brushes, inks, paper lanterns and memorabilia of bygone eras. Major areas for shopping are the Dong'anmen Night Market, Chaoyang, Wangfujing, Pan Jia Yuan, Liulichang, Hong Qiao, Chongwen, Xizhi Men, Xidan, Dongcheng, Xuanwu, and the areas around Tiananmen Square. In Beijing it is very encouraging to go on, and shop till you drop.

Must Do:
There's always much to do in Beijing, and residents abide by the philosophy of work hard and play harder, not forgetting to practice Tai chi. This in turn has set the leisure and entertainment industries thriving, giving you the opportunity to let loose. Whether it is sampling the amazing snacks at Dong'anmen Night Market, sipping drinks on Lotus Lane, or chilling out on quiet shores of Kunming Lake, Beijing will not let you get bored. The monolithic scale of the monuments and buildings cannot be ignored however, and taking in Beijing's sights is a must. However, pace yourselves well, as the list of these is long. Start with the Gate of Heavenly Peace, and move on to Tiananmen Square. There find the Great Hall of the People, the Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of the Chinese Revolution. Move on to check out the Zhengyang Men, Chairman Mao's Mausoleum and the formidable Arrow Tower, all of which together are known as the Front Gate. Other must see sights are the Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven Park, and Legation Street. If you have time, also try to visit the Underground City, a huge warren of bombproof tunnels now used as place for hotels, restaurants and warehouses. You can also take an hour long bus ride to the Great Wall of China at Badaling, and see one of man's seven wonders.
Chinese food is of course unforgettable, and the variety and types of the not easily procured elsewhere authentic cuisines that are available in Beijing are mind-numbing and palate titillating. Don't forget to try specialities like Beijing Roast Duck (served with thin pancakes, plum sauce, and slivers of scallions and cucumbers), and Lamb or Vegetarian Hotpot, where raw ingredients are purchased by the plate, and dipped into steaming, savoury soup until cooked. So, cycling might help lose a few pounds after over-indulgence, but you can always take the numerous and efficient taxis and tricycle rickshaws if you want a paunch as a souvenir.

Travel Tools
ISD Code: +86
Currency: Yuan Renminbi (CNY) 1 CNY is approximately 6 Indian Rupees (INR)
Time Zone: GMT + 8 hours. IST +2:30 hours