China Photo Expeditions 2010

16-Day Spring and Fall Expeditions

Spring Expedition:

            Yunnan Province –   Photograph interesting Chinese farmlands, minority villages and ancient Lijiang, a colorful large outdoor performance, the mighty Yangtze River , landscapes of wildflowers on the remote Tibetan Plateau and a quiet Tibetan Buddhist temple.  Take the cable car to Jade Dragon Snow Mountain and Yak Meadow.  Stroll the streets of exotic Dukezong and Shuhe.  Meet minority villagers.  Photograph exotic birds on Sashihai Lake .

            Guangxi Province – Capture sunset and sunrise against the brilliant shining limestone along the Li River.  Take sweeping aerials from a balloon ride over Guangxi’s jagged karst landscape.  Watch fishermen working with their cormorants and oil lamps on bamboo rafts.  Attend a riotous performance on the Li River.  Take home pictures of Guangxi’s famously colorful rice terraces.

            Shanghai – Shop at the famous Bund, stroll the Yu Gardens and the traditional bazaar.

            Hong Kong (2-day side trip) – Stay at a four-star hotel overlooking fascinating Victoria Bay, see a Chinese lazer show and photograph thousands of unusual Asian  birds at Hong Kong’s unforgettable Ocean Park.

Price: $3950/person

Single room supplement: $500

Departure will be on May 21, 2010

Side Trip Price: $400/person

Single room supplement for side trip $150

Fall Expedition:

            Sichuan Province – Get face to face with panda cubs at Sichuan ’s Giant Panda Breeding Center.  Stroll the narrow streets of ancient Hutong.  Enjoy an evening at the Sichuan Opera.  Fly to huge Juizhaigou National Park and Huanglong National Park , national treasures Westerners would be astonished to find in China .  Photograph overpowering waterfalls, colorful lakes and grandiose mountains scenery.  Meet Tibetan and Qiang villagers in their remote hamlets.  Visit a valley studded terraced with colored ponds and waterfalls beneath mountains peaks and ridges. 

            Heilongjiang Province – Fly to Harbin .  Visit the Church of St. Sofia , an example of Byzantine architecture reflecting its Russian past.   See the ice sculpture exhibit showing the best of Harbin ’s famous annual fairyland of ice sculptures.  Take up-close photos from a Land Rover where tigers roam free at Harbin ’s unique Siberian Tiger Park .  Photograph the rare red-crowned crane and exotic waterfowl at China ’s Zhalong Nature Reserve.  Fly to Beijing .

            Beijing – Visit Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Beijing ’s Yuanmingyuan Gardens and the new Yonghe Monastery.  Take photos at The Great Wall by special arrangement at sunset when the daytime horde of visitors has departed. Set aside some time for shopping.  Enjoy an evening dinner of Peking Duck, one of China ’s famous dishes.  At the Olympic Games Park, visit the 90,000-seat “bird’s nest” amphitheater and the nearby Cubic Natatorium. 

Price: $3950/person

Single Room Supplement: $500

Departure will be on Oct. 8, 2010

Tour package features for Spring and Fall:

• Round-trip international airfare from Portland , Oregon , plus all airfares in China .
• Visa fee.
• Sightseeing tours by air-conditioned motor coach.
• Fine meals during the whole trip.
• Four-star and five-star hotels or best hotel at local site.
• English-speaking guides at each city to show local sights.
• Medical insurance in China .
• Itinerary can be adjusted if photo opportunities appear.
• Spring tour deadline for registration is Jan. 01, 2010, Fall tour is May 01, 2010.
• Call Rozan at K.C. Holiday Tours at 650-345-0383 or Sue Zhou at 503-639-8396, e-mail: zhousu@zhousu.us
• Tour web site: http://www.zhousu.us and click on Tour 2010.

• Tips not included. We collect tips in advance, to be announced later.

Reservation 

16-DAY  PHOTO  EXPEDITION TO CHINA

2010

Spring Tour                          Fall Tour

Name___________________Date______

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Contact Address__________________________________________________

City_________________________State___________Zip_________________

Home Phone(_________)___________________________________________

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E-mail Address____________________________________________________

Terms and Conditions: 

·         The spring trip will depart on May 21 and return on June 5.  Price: $3,950

·          The fall trip will depart on October 8 and return on October 23.  Price: $3,950

·         A $100 deposit will be required upon registration for the Spring or Fall trip.

·          Full payment for the spring trip will be due when we purchase air travel tickets and lodging, which may occur early in 2010 and as early as June for the fall trip. We will notify you in advance and in no case later than 45 days befor departure.

·         We will have a visa for you, but you must be sure that your passport is current and its expiration date is no sooner than six months after the return date of the trip. (You may get a passport application from at any post office.)

·         Group size will be limited to 10 to 16 people for each trip.

·         Trip costs are based on estimated 2010 expenses for a group of at least 10 people, including airfares, airline surcharges, land charges and exchange rates in effect on the date of the trip.  We reserve the right to increase the price of the trip due to unexpected increases in any of these estimated costs or in the event of a devaluation in US currency.  Participants have the right to withdraw if any increase is announced and their deposits will be returned.  We further reserve the right to cancel the trip if there are less than 10 participants.

·         For written cancellations, all deposits and payments will be forfeited per person if airline tickets and lodging have already been purchased. Otherwise, full repayment of all deposits and payments per person will be made.

·         The trip price includes air transportation to and from China and within China; visa fee; all hotel accommodations; all meals; private motor coaches; English-speaking guides; all transfers between airports and hotels; health insurance in China; baggage handling; entrance fees; service charges and taxes at hotels.   (Tips will be collected separately)

·         We suggest that you purchase trip cancellation, interruption and lost baggage insurance.

·         Please make checks payable to Su Zhou and send to: 

China Photo Expeditions,   

11263 SW  91^st Court ,

Tigard, OR 97223.

·

Last revised:  12/22/2009      

Yunnan Province

Located along China ’s southwest frontier, Yunnan offers an unmatched diversity of landscapes, climate, and people.  The Tibetan highland frames its northwestern fringes; tropical rainforests and volcanic plains lie to its south.  In the center are plains and hills, crisscrossed by some of Asia’s great rivers – the Yangzi, Salween, and Mekong .

The seat of the pastoral Dian Kingdom founded in the 3^rd century BC, Yunnan was for centuries an isolated frontier region that resisted Han influences and upheld local identities.  Even today, the province is home to a third of China ’s ethnic minorities and has much in common with neighboring Myanmar , Laos , and Vietnam .

The province’s capital, Kunming , is one of the more relaxed cities in China .  Farther north is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lijiang, capital of the Naxi Kingdom , with cobbled streets and ancient architecture.  Tiger Leaping Gorge, an impressive, steep-sided ravine, offers superb, accessible two-day hikes.

Su’s Note:  We will arrive Kunming in the afternoon, rest or attend a show titled “Dynamic Yunnan,” directed by China ’s reportedly number one dancer Yang Liping in the evening.  Next morning, we will drive to Dongchuan (160km) to see the gogeously colorful fields.  Farmers here rotationally grow different crops like potato, buckwheat and wheat and, because of the acid in soil, the farmlands without crops turn to red..  Hence, under the blue sky, you can view land alternated by different colors such as green, white, red, and some other colors depending on the types of crops and the time of visit.  This feature attracts many photo-lovers.  We will stay overnight, and we will keep taking pictures the next morning.  We will stop by some interesting villages on the way back to Kunming in the afternoon and fly to Lijiang (40 minutes) in the evening.

Lijiang:  Set in a picturesque valley with a stunning mountain backdrop, Lijiang’s ancient town, Dayan, is a labyrinth of cobbled alleys lined with wooden houses, cafes and the workshops of traditional craftsmen.  Home to the Naxi people, Dayan is one of the most pleasant urban scenes in China .  Lijiang came to international attention in 1996 when an earthquake killed over 300 people and devastated the city.  Money poured into Dayan’s relatively sensitive reconstruction, and numerous hotels as well as an airport were built.  In 1999, Lijiang was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Su’s Note: We will stay at Lijiang for two days.  First, we will visit Jade Dragon Snow Mountain , whose the main peak is 18,360 feet high.  We will take a cable car to Yak Meadow where we will enjoy a sweeping view of the meadow.  Yaks roam in the meadow, and fields of flowers present a picture of early summer. At 1 pm, we will enjoy the outdoor performance of “Lijiang Impression,” directed by China ’s famous film director, Zhang Yimou, who also directed the Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing in 2008.   Afterward, we will visit Dongbagu, where we will meet some Li, Pumi and other minority people.  Before dinner, the ancient town of Lijiang is a worthy place to visit.  Lijiang has been classified as a “National Town of History and Culture.”  Its ancient architecture is well preserved and even the original water-supply system for the town still functions effectively even today, reflecting the wisdom of the ancient Naxi people.  We will stay overnight to see more of this ancient town--a cobweb of narrow cobbled alleyways, crisscrossed with canals, and free of traffic.  It’s extremely pretty and very popular. To sample the native life, head off into the alleys where the local people live.

Next day in Lijiang, we will take pictures at Black Dragon Pool Park in the morning.  There is a perfect spot to take pictures of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain .  The mountain is so high that is always covered by cloud, but if we are in luck we may see the peak.. Then we will visit Lashihai Lake (15km from Lijiang), a paradise for birds.  We might see some bar-headed geese, cormorants, brown-headed gulls, egrets and cranes.  In the afternoon, we will stroll at Shuhe Town , the earliest inhabited place of the ancestors of the Naxi..

Zhongdian:  Touted as the true Shangri-la (the city’s name was officially changed to Xianggelila in 2002), Zhongdian is the capital of Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Region and worth visiting if you’re not able to visit Tibet .  The ramshackle town filled with blocky architecture does not quite live up to the paradise billing, but there is an interesting section of traditional Tibetan buildings to the south of town.  Just north is the largest Tibetan monastery in the Southwest, Ganden Sumtseling Gompa (Songzanlin Si), home to over 600 monks.  It was built by the fifth Dalai Lama almost 400 years ago, destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, and re-opened in 1981.  Head to the roof for stunning views over Zhongdian.

Su’ note: A four-hour drive to Zhongdian (Shangri-La).  Stop at Shigu Town on the way.  The Yangtze River (in fact, this section of the river is called Jinsha) turns into a big bend here.  In history, Shigu was ruled by the Naxi local government while the area across the river was ruled by the Tibetan government.  Thus it made Shigu a garrison town as well as an important business center in ancient time.  Another stop on the way is “Tiger Leaping Gorge,” with a depth of 3,000 meters believed to be one of the world’s deepest canyons.  It was thus named because legend has it that a hunted tiger made his escape to the other side of the gorge in a single leap via a big rock in the river.  After arriving in Shangri-La, we will visit an ancient town of  Dukezong , regarded as a key position on ancient Tea-house Road for Yunnan , Sichuan and Tibet .

Next morning,  we’ll visit Songzanlin Lamasery , Yunnan ’s largest Tibetan Buddhist temple.  Occupying an area of 33.3 hectares, it accommodated over 800 Lamas here during its most prosperous time.  Songzanlin Lamasery was built in the style of Potala Palace in Tibet , so it is also called “Small Potala.”  In the afternoon, we will take a minbus to visit the Shika Snow Mountain by cable car.  The fields of flowers, cattle and yaks at Yala Qingbo Meadow celebrate the coming of spring and you will see in the distant background Snow Mountain and Three Sister Snow Mountains at Yading , Sichuan Province, on a clear day.

We’ll fly to Kunming the next day, fly to Guilin from Kunming the same day, take the bus to Yangshuo and finish our marvelous Yunnan tour.

Guangxi Province

            Guangxi and Guizhou share a dramatic mountainous landscape of weathered limestone (Karst) pinnacles, which hide some of China ’s largest cave systems.  Despite the abundant rainfall, the region possesses poor soil, which discouraged Han settlement until the late Ming period.  As a result, the area saw little development, and many indigenous groups, especially the Miao and Dong, have retained their traditional customs, including several festivals.  Guangxi is also home to the Zhuang, China ’s largest ethnic minority, and became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 1958.          

Yangshuo: A small highway town at the end of the Li River Cruise, Yangshuo is surrounded by some spectacular karst hills interspersed with green paddy fields.  It was nothing more than a rural marketplace until the late 1980s when it became popular with visitors taking the cruise from Guilin .  Not as tranquil as it used to be, Yangshuo remains a good base from which to explore the surrounding peaks and river as well as a few caves and outlying villages.

West Street :  An 820-ft long cobbled street running between the highway and the Li River, West Street is lined with restored rural architecture dating from the Qing dynasty.  Today, it has a glut of friendly restaurants, cafes, guesthouses and souvenir shops aimed at foreign visitors.  Restaurants serve western cuisine such as wood-fire pizzas and steak as well as local specialties. including a variety of fresh fish dishes.  Shops sell a range of inexpensive Chinese souvenirs, from Mao memorabilia and wooden theater masks to antique wooden panels, batiks, silk t-shirts, scroll paintings, modern and traditional clothes and pirated Western music CDs.  A few shops also sell factory-reject designer wear at bargain prices.

Su’s Note:  We will arrive at Yangshuo in the evening for a two-and-a-half day stay. Yangshuo is a paradise for photographers and, if weather allows, we will take home praise-winning pictures.  Because of this, we will need to change our normal sight-seeing schedule to take advantage of Yangshuo’s morning and evening light.  We will get up early each day and be out to take sunrise photos and be back to the hotel to rest in the daytime.  We will be out again in the late afternoon to take sunset pictures. (Our schedule  depends on the weather--please have your fingers crossed.) 

One the first day, we will drive to Yangshuo Bridge to take sunrise pictures on the Li River, then return to the hotel for breakfast.  We will also visit bustling West Street (five minutes’ walk from our hotel) in the afternoon.  That evening, we will enjoy another outdoor performance, this one “Impression Liu Sanjie,” directed by the same film director Zhang Yimou.  This night-time show uses the Li River as its stage, the lights coming from the hills behind in the bend in the river.

On our second day, we’ll get up early again, heading to the town of Xingping .  Chinese say “ Guilin scenery is the best in the world,” but Guilin people say “Yangshuo scenery is better than Gulin’s.”  and the local photographers say “Xingping scenery is better than Yangshuo’s.”  We will take a boat ride to the spot to wait for the sunrise,then go back to the hotel to eat and relax.  We will go to Xingping again in the late afternoon, take an another boat ride to a place where we can get pictures of cormorants catching fish for fishermen who work with the cormorants in the light of oil lamps on their bamboo rafts after sunset.

If some would like to take pictures of the Li River area from the sky, there is an option to take a one-hour balloon trip in the morning.  It costs RMB700yuan per person.  We will then take a three-hour bus trip to Longsheng, where the fabled rice terraces are located.

Longsheng:  The high ridges of the Rongshui River Valley surround the township of Longsheng , which serves as a good base for exploring the adjoining countryside dotted with Zhuang and Yao villages.  To the southwest is a steep range of 3,280-foot-high hills known as Longji Titian (Dragon Backbone Terraces), whose lower and middle reaches have been covered in rice terraces by the Zhuang people.  The Zhuang, who form the majority of Longsheng’s population, live in traditional wooden houses.  One the hilltops holds a few villages inhabited by the Yao, an ethnic community that consists of numerous sub-groups, some of whom still depend on hunting rather than farming.  They are also especially skilled in embroidery, weaving, and dyeing.  The Zhuang village of Ping An sits near the top of a ridge in the heart of Longji Titian.  It offer basic accommodations in traditional wooden buildings, as well as walking trails leading to other settlements in the area.

Su’s Note: Some walking is required here.  My group visited Longsheng six years ago, when conditions were even worse.  We stayed at a small hotel, took a long time driving and climbed more than one hour to get to the top of hill to take pictures.  We could not get good lighting that time.  Now the situation is changed and getting better. We can stay at Ping An Village which is close to the rice terraces overnight and take less time walking to the hilltop.

Shanghai

          Lying on the banks of the Huangpu River , close to the mouth of the mighty Yangzi on China ’s eastern seaboard, Shanghai is the nation’s largest and most dynamic city, with a population of more than 13 million people.  It is an autonomous municipality, and the recent explosion of economic and industrial development has made it one of the fastest growing cities in the world.

The Bund: Some places are forever associated with a single landmark, and in the case of Shanghai it is surely the Bund.  Also known as Zhongshan Lu, the Bund was at the heart of colonial Shanghai , flanked on one side by the Huangpu River and on the other by the hotels, banks, offices and clubs that were the grandiose symbols of Western commercial power.  Most of the old buildings are still in place and a walk here can easily absorb a couple of pleasant hours.

Yu Gardens and Bazaar:  The old-style buildings of the Yu Gardens bazaar are not really old, but the fanciful roofs are nevertheless very appealing.  The shops here peddle everything from tourist souvenirs to traditional medicines and , despite inflated prices, the area is incredibly popular.  It is best to arrive early and go straight to the beautiful and relatively peaceful Ming-Dynasty Yu Gardens (Yu Yuan).  A dumpling lunch, before the restaurants get too busy, will set you up for an afternoon of shopping and haggling, followed by a cup of tea in the quaint Huxingting Teahouse.

Su’s Note:  We will visit the Yu Gardens and shop in the Bazaar in the afternoon when we arrive Shanghai .  We will stay by the Bund.  It will be easier for us to take pictures of the Bund in the morning and at night.  And it is also convenient for shopping on Nanjing Road .

Hong Kong

            Although tiny and relatively recently developed, Hong Kong is rich with fascinating oddities.  It owes its unique identity as an administrative region separate from China to the trade that flourished between East and West from the 16^th century onwards and to the British power that annexed and held it until 1999..

            The bustling heart of Hong Kong is broken in two and divided by Victoria Harbor .  Its key sights, cultural attractions, shopping, and eating spots are found along the northern shore of Hong Kong Island and at or close to Kowloon’s southern tip.  Between Kowloon and the border with the rest of China lie the New Territories , with their rugged mountains and most of Hong Kong ’s modern, high-rise dormitory towns.

Victoria Peak has long been the most expensive and exclusive residential area of Hong Kong .  Before the arrival of the Peak tram in 1888, the wealthy were carried up the mountain in sedan chairs. In colonial times, too, this was the city's most prestigious district. Many governors and businessmen bought exorbitantly priced houses here to be away from the smog and heat below.  As we shall see, nothing much has changed, and when you reach the top it is not hard to see why this area is so popular.  The views from Peak Tower are truly spectacular and this is also a great place from which to get your bearings on Hong Kong and Kowloon .  Peak Tower where the tram terminates stands 400 meters above sea level and was built to withstand typhoons. (Check out the prices in the estate agent’s window in the tower for property on the Peak if you fancy a pad up here!) 

Ocean Park : Hong Kong ’s first amusement park has added  new attractions.  The Lowland Gardens area is one of the most enjoyable sections with a butterfly house, and the theme park’s pride, two giant pandas, An An and Jia Jia.  A scenic cable car skirts the edge of Deepwater Bay , dropping passengers in Marine Land .  Here a large and impressive aquarium captivates visitors with close-up views of schools of fish and an amazing underwater tunnel through a tank of sharks.  Bird Paradise has over 1,000 birds in its aviaries, including flocks of flamingos.

Su’s Note:   One the way back to the U.S.A, we will transfer planes in Hong Kong .  If some one hasn’t been to Hong Kong , I suggest taking the side trip.  Two days is not enough to see all of the Hong Kong , but we will visit the most popular viewpoints.  We will stay at a hotel overlooking Victoria Bay , one of the world’s most dramatic harbors, where you can also take some excellent pictures of the city at night.  We will be staying in the heart of the city’s incredible shopping district and a few steps from Hollywood Avenue where a lazer show is projected against a skyscraper each night.  We will visit Victoria Peak in the late afternoon in the first day after we arrive Hong Kong, visit the Ocean Park in the next day.  We will have free time the morning of the third day, and return to the USA in the afternoon.

Sichuan Province

Chengdu :  The capital of Sichuan , Chengdu is a modern city with a relaxed culture, typified by its pleasant gardens and teahouses.  A distinct part of city life, teahouses are found in parks and other spaces and are often no more than a collection of rickety chairs and tables.  By Chinese standards, Chengdu is a fairly compact city, stretching four miles across with most sights within its central area.

Bifengxia Panda Base is arguably the best place to see pandas in the natural scenery they inhabit. Extending to about 60 square kilometers, Bifengxia has been long famous for its forest cover, waterfalls, river and breathtaking landscapes. Now that it has been selected as China 's latest giant panda protection base, Bifengxia has a new role to play in altering the destiny of the endangered species. Pandas will be returned to nature after they have been given relevant training in simulated wild environments. At up to 1,200 meters above sea level, Bifengxia is under the jurisdiction of Ya'an City. In the dense broadleaf forest with song birds and murmuring streams stands a big gate with the image of a lovely giant panda carved on it, marking the entrance to Bifengxia Giant Panda Base. Walking through the gate and along the meandering mountain slope for a while, visitors can see several European-style cabins made of bricks and tiles. These are the pandas' homes. Camphor trees and oaks add mystery to the unusual environment. More than 20 spots have been set aside for panda-related activities and scientific experiments. There are dedicated grazing grounds, "kindergartens" for young pandas and even a panda hospital and research institute. Several different varieties of bamboo have been planted in the base either by the water or on the slopes. The new home for giant pandas appears like a park with a natural environment.

The 28 giant pandas here will be raised through an outdoor method so as to encourage them to develop abilities better fitted to the natural environment. The base will lead the world in raising pandas in this fashion. Upon completion of the whole project, the base will have four functional areas for grazing, offices and living quarters. This new base is a branch of the China Giant Panda Research and Conservation Center in Wolong. With vegetation coverage of 80 per cent, it is the world's largest giant panda eco-park. It is planned that in five to seven years, the base will have 40 resident giant pandas.

Su’s Note: We will arrive Chengdu 11 pm and everyone might be tired.  But we will have an easy day the next morning, visiting famous old streets and strolling the narrow lands of Hutong in the afternoon.  In the evening, we will enjoy the splendid Sichuan Opera which is world known for its opera, “Changing  Face.”.  We will also take a two hours drive to the Bifengxia Panda Base (150 km) the next morning and visit the panda base for the rest of the day.  

Jiuzhaigou:  One of China ’s most scenic reserves, Jiuzhaigou (Nine Stockades Gully) covers 240 sq miles of mountain valleys dotted with Tibetan villages.  Beneath the snow-capped mountains, the valley floors are strung with almost 100 extraordinarily blue lakes said to be the broken slivers of the Tibetan goddess Semo’s mirror.  Broad waterfalls, heavily encrusted with lime deposits, connect many of the lakes.  Aside from herds of yaks, birds are the most evident wildlife--including rare mandarin ducks.

The Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area was listed in the Chronology of Recognition of World Heritages in China .

Su’s Note: The best time to visit Jiuzhaigou is Oct. 15-17 each year, we don’t want to miss the colorful view. There will be some walking involved, but a bus is available.   On our second day here, if we are able, we will use a chartered bus so that we can stop wherever we wish for pictures.  We will also plan to take pictures of the mountain reflected in Mirror Lake that morning.

Thousands of tourists visit Jiuzhaigou in this season every year, coming not only from other cities in China but from other countries in Asia as well.  When we visited Jiuzhaigou in 2004, we were the first Western tour group ever to have been there, and a surprised local TV station covered our visit as a historic moment.

Huanglong (Yellow Dragon) Valley: In the northeast corner of Sichuan Province lies a unique tiny limestone corridor hardly more than four miles long and less than 1,000 feet wide. It is a hidden fairyland almost bare of soil, its walls and floor shining in solid marbled limestone. To walk the length of this little-known valley, the ground beneath one’s feet seemingly paved with golden-colored calcium carbonate deposits, is to encounter five waterfalls, four stalactite caves, three ancient temples and some 3,400 multi-colored ponds sparkling among the scattered dragon spruce trees.

The valley was added to the World Natural Legacy List in 1991. Spectacular mountain peaks tower over the valley, waterfalls spilling down their sides. The region is largely isolated and it is seldom visited by outsiders.

Su’s Note: The trip in Yellow Dragon Valley will require about an hour and a half. The valley lies at a high elevation (10,170 to 11,483 feet), so expect to walk more slowly than usual. (You can buy an oxygen bag there if you decide you need it).

Heilongjiang Province  

The northernmost province of China is literally " Black Dragon River .”  The province, with its border on Russian Siberia, has long been one of China 's main gateways to Russia and Europe . The region was once part of erstwhile Manchuria . The capital city, Harbin , has heavy Russian overtones, clearly evident in its buildings and restraurants, while strong Korean influences color the town of Dandong situated along the North Korean border.  Heilongjiang ’s volcanic lakes include Wu Da Lian Chi and Jingpo Hu and the huge bird sanctuary at Zhalong Nature Reserve whose marshy expanse supports hundreds of different species of birds during the summer breeding season. 

Harbin : Situated in the far north of China close to the vast sub-Siberian plains, Harbin is the pleasant capital of Heilongjiang Province .  It was a simple fishing hamlet on the Songhua River until the Russians linked it to both Vladivostok and Dalian by rail at the close of the 19^th century.  The railway and the Bolshevik Revolution brought large numbers of Russians to the city, prompting a change in Harbin ’s fortunes.  Once called “Little Moscow” for its charming pockets of Russian architecture, Harbin still vaguely resembles an outpost of Imperial Russia.  While the city’s summer is quite pleasant, its winter temperatures dip below minus-22F--perfect weather for its spectacular Ice Festival.

Su’s Note: In Harbin , we will visit St. Sofia Church, Siberian Tiger Park , Sun Island Park and the ice sculptures indoor exhibit, which keeps a mins-22C  temperature all the time. (You can rent a heavy jacket and boots for RMB15Yuan to keep yourself warm).

Siberian Tiger Park is a unique sanctuary. Located on the north shore of the Songhua River and nearby Sun Island , it covers a huge expanse where various-aged tigers roam free. Siberian Tiger Park currently has segregated fields for different cats--an adult tiger zone, domestically bred tiger zone, a tiger baby zone, a “liger" zone, African lion zone, the king tiger zone and a walking path to two viewpoints. The park offers opportunities to photograph Siberian tigers, white tigers, snow tigers, white lions, lynx, ligers, cheetahs, silver wraiths, African lions, Bangladesh tigers, a black jaguar and other very rare animals. Our bus will drive through each of the zones. Besides the walking area and viewpoints, we have the option to board special vehicles that go among the tigers at mealtime—and we may even help feed the big cats.

Su’s Note: There are quite a few tigers and lions in fenced-off area, and when you drive by there are opportunities to get good pictures of these big cats--especially when you try to feed them by live chickens which you can buy for the purpose.  At the view point, you will see a pond below, and several tigers are often playing in the water (You are likely to kill a lot of film here.)

St. Sofia Orthodox Church is one of the most imposing architectural edifices of Harbin . In 1903, with the completion of the Sino-Russia railway connecting Vladivostok to Northeast China , the Russian No.4 Army Division arrived in this region. After Russia 's failure against the Japanese in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), a plan to restore the confidence of the army by building an imposing spiritual symbol was proposed. The church was completed in 1907.  Expansion and renovation started in 1923, being finally completed to what it is today. 

The 53m tall church is a perfect example of Byzantine architecture: The main structure is laid out as a Latin Cross, the main hall topped with a huge green-tipped roof. Under the bright sun, the church, together with the square around it, reminds one of the Red Square in Moscow . 

Although there are still several hundred Orthodox believers in Harbin , religious activities are usually conducted in other smaller churches. St. Sofia Church is nowadays used as the Municipal Architecture and Art Museum offering exhibitions of the architectural history of the city.

Zhalong Nature Reserves: Zhalong is a famous reserve established for the protection of rare birds. Situated 30 kilometers away southeast of Qigihar, it is China ’s largest wetland reserve. The 518,700-acre Zhalong Nature Reserve lies in the Songhuanen River plain along a major bird migratory route from the Arctic to Southeast Asia .  Zhalong’s reedbeds, ponds and marshlands provide an ideal home to almost 300 species of birds, including swans, storks, ducks, geese, egrets, white ibis and other waterfowl. Created in 1979, the reserve is one of the few breeding grounds in the Far East for the marsh grassbird.  Six of the world’s 15 varieties of crane are also found here.  The most famous are the endangered red-crowned crane (Grus japonensis), a tall bird with black-and-white plumage and a red crest that is the symbol of longevity in China, and the white-naped crane (Grus vipio), both of which are bred at a research center here.  Other rare bird species that visit Zhalong include the swan goose and the Siberian crane. 

Su’s note: When I visited Zhalong at the end of May  uring the birds’ breeding time, I hardly saw any wild birds in this area.   I had to use binoculars to find birds hatching their eggs far away.  But I still got some good close-up pictures of  the red-crowned crane, because Chinese scientists have hand raised a few..  They let the birds out at the certain time each day, a few fly away but most of them prefer to go back to their cages after a while. I have a special contact with the reserve’s people, so my group will be able to visit the place twice a day--once before it opens and again after it closes, so that we can avoid other tourists and take pictures in the best light of the day.

Beijing

The capital of the People’s Republic of China is one of the world’s largest cities with a population of over 14 million.  Beijing first became an imperial capital during the Mongol Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), and both the Ming and Qing emperors ruled from the Forbidden City at its heart.  Today, an all-pervading spirit of change has added an exciting new dimension to the city.

Expanding in concentric rings from the Forbidden City at its core, the grid-like layout of modern-day Beijing still echoes its Ming dynasty blueprint.  Old Beijing survives in its temples, palaces, and old alleyways (hutong) that crisscross the city outside the second ring road, which itself charts the loop of the demolished old city wall.  Within this ancient outline are huge avenues, vaulting flyovers, towering skyscrapers, shopping malls and the vast expanse of Tian’an Men Square .  The city that the 13^th-century Mongol warlord Genghis Khan once put to the torch is undergoing a new, dramatic facelift as a result of the culmination of a quarter-century of reform, the pressures of a growing population and the 2008 Olympics.  Beijing is a microcosm of modern China and all its contradictions, a bustling mix of affluent shoppers, trendy youths, beggars and plain-clothes police.  Bars and cafes proliferate, and entertainment options range from traditional Beijing opera and spectacular acrobatics to modern jazz and even raucous punk clubs.  And in the capital’s many restaurants, China ’s diverse cuisine can be sampled across its range – from the fierce spices of Sichuan to the dainty morsels of Cantonese dim sum.  On the roads, the city’s army of bicycles may be under pressure from the huge influx of new cars, but for the time being pedal power is still one of the best ways to get around Beijing .

Forbidden City:  Forming the very heart of Beijing , the Forbidden City, officially known as the Palace Museum (Gugong), is China ’s most magnificent architectural complex and was completed in 1420.  The huge palace is a compendium of imperial architecture and a lasting monument of dynastic China from which 24 emperors ruled for nearly 500 years.  The symbolic center of the Chinese universe, the palace was the exclusive domain of the imperial court and dignitaries until the 1920s.  It was fully opened to the public in 1949.