Yunnan Province China in the Springtime
Destinations
Yunnan, China, “the land of eternal spring,” offers unique travel experiences. Special Discovery Tour Guilin to Shangrila or Discovery Tour Guilin to Vietnam Border.
Surprise, AZ. Tropical Sails Corp and China Panorama Tours are offering two unique tours to China in time to coincide with the spring time firework Festival of Dong people in fascinating Yunnan, China.
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unique tours to China[/caption]
Yunnan is an old Chinese word which means south of the clouds. The area is one of the most ethnically diverse provinces in China. The Northwest, Shangri-La area of the province is heavily influenced by Tibet, with whom it shares a border. Shangri-La is named after James Hilton’s book "Lost in Shangri-La Shangri-La." The South is influenced by its proximity to Burma and Laos. Of China's fifty-five officially recognized ethnic minorities, twenty-five can be found in Yunnan.
Both tours offered by Tropical Sails Corp and China Panorama Travel begin in Guilin with a Li River tour.
The 12 day option Guilin – Yangshuo – Sanjiang – Zhaoxing – Kaili – Kunming – Jianshui – Yuanyang – Hekou – Vietnam or Kunming.
The Shangri-la tour Guilin – Yangshuo – Sanjiang – Zhaoxing – Kaili – Kunming – Dali – Shangri-la – Lijiang – Kunming.
Guilin, is a well-known destination Guangxi Province, known for its rock formations that one enjoys on a bamboo raft on the Li River. One may stroll or bicycle in Xingping Ancient Town. cormorant fishing on Li River is a quiet evening diversion.
Yangshuo is popular for Chinese cooking class which begins in the market and ends with lunch. Locals offer classes in Chinese Calligraphy and Yangshuo The Liusanjie Show of Impression is a popular evening event.
Sanjiang in Guangxi province is a county inhabited by the South Dong, one of the two subgroups of the Dong ethnic minority. A short drive away from Sanjiang is Chengyang, a quaint little village with one of the largest Fengyuqiao (Wind and Rain Bridges) in the region.
Zhaoxing is one of the largest Dong villages in Guizhou Province, with more than 800 households and a population of 4000. There are five drum towers and five roofed bridges belonging to five big families living in the village. In Fulu Tow, the Firework Festival is one of the most important traditional festivals of Dong people which has a history of more than one hundred years. Yintan is another, a lovely quaint Dong village hidden in the mountains.
In the Kaili area the beautiful Bala River with the Jidao Miao Village which represents the long-skirt subgroup and Datang, a Miao village with an aquatic granary and the women’s “Mini skirt”. The Paika Village, the Lusheng—the Miao people’s most important musical instrument are made. The Miao’s rice storage area is by the water at Datang Village. Miao style wooden houses are comfortable but dangerous, too. Once there is one house on fire, the whole village will be burnt down. Local villagers in Datang build small houses above water for rice storage. The acquatic granary will protect their rice away from fire, rats and other insects.
The Matang Village, a quiet village inhabited by the Gejia minority. The typical costumes, houses, embroidery and batik making continue to amaze westerners.
From Guiyang, the provincial capital of Guizhou, the night train to Kunming is just one of the many night trains one can take in China. There are four bunks to a compartment and you are assigned one just like an airline seat.
The Stone Forest ( Shilin in Chinese ) near Kunming is an 80 hectare site of fantastic limestone formations created during the Permian Era when the sea covered this area. Shilin is on the World Heritage List. Yiliang Roast Duck is famous here. Yiliang from Yi people) Tourists may watch ducks being slaughtered then smoked with pine needles.
To the south toward Burma and Laos, is Jianshui and a 400 years old Chaoyang Tower. Nearby is the second largest Confucian-temple in China. The small city became very rich due to the natural deposits of tin. The Zhu Family Garden consists of 250 rooms and 42 courtyards. Stroll around in the old part of Jianshui Town and see ancient water wells that have been used by local residents for centuries. The wells also have different names, such as Daban Well nearby the West Gate (Ximen) and water quality is fresh and pure. Thanks to the water, a lot of tofu (bean curd) workshops make the particularly tasty tofu, where it can be found out how this popular food is produced in traditional way.
Most people in Tuanshan Village are surnamed Zhang is known for its vivid wood carvings. Tuanshan Village exists as the only intact cultural village of the Qing Dynasty that was previously a habitat of the Yi ethnic minority. There are also residential complexes built 600 years ago that have preserved the characteristics and social and humanistic environment of the southern Yunnan villages.
In Yuanyang the Endless Hani Terrace Rice Fields on the mountains at Laohuzui & Duoyishu are popular destinations with photographers due to the vast areas of nearby mountains which have been cultivated into terraced rice paddies for at least the past 1300 years by the Hani people. At Hekou, is the China-Vietnam Border port.
From Kunming many visitors choose to go north to Shangrila.
Dali Old Town can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (about 1000 years ago) when Dali was the capital of the Nanzhao Kingdom which is the home to Bai minority. The town, whose format is like a chess board with four gates guarding in the directions of east , south, west and north stands between Cangshan Mountains and Erhai Lake, a natural configuration that seems specially designed for a good bountiful life.
The morning market in Xizhou Bai village & Tie Dying Batik Workshop in Zhoucheng Bai Village is not to be missed. The people take such pride in their vegetables, and quality of the meat.
Shangri-la/Zhongdian has an “old town” with Tibetan old streets and houses, at the same time, you can watch the local Tibetan people dancing in the old town to enjoy themselves.
The Songzanlin Tibetan Buddhism Monastery sits perched up against a mountain. Construction began in 1679 and was completed in 1681. It is said that the Fifth Dalai Lama chose the site of the monastery through divination and named it "Gedan Songzanlin Monastery.
Visiting a Tibetan family one may have a Tibetan lunch complete with Yak butter tea.
Between Shangri-La and Lijiang is Tiger Leaping Gorge. which is believed to be the deepest gorge in the world. From the top of the gorge you look down the steeply angled (70-90 degrees) mountain sides to the rushing Golden Sands (Jingsha) River with its 18 frothing rapids more than 200 meters (about 700 feet) below. If you don’t like steps, sherpas will take you down and up or just up for a reasonable fee. Two sherpas and a chair will set you back about $25.
Lijiang Old Town, a lovely traditional town with beautiful wooden houses and crisscrossed with streams of mountain water. Lijiang is one of the best preserved ancient towns in China and is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The Black Dragon Pool whose name comes from the waters which sparkle like jade and are as clear as spring water. The entire park is green with grass and shaded by swaying willow trees. Under the Suocui Bridge, a waterfall creates a constant roar as it cascades downstream.
The Baisha Naxi Village is named this because of the large amount of white sand on the earth’s surface there. According to history Baisha is the earliest place for the settlement of Naxi nationality after they entered Lijiang basin. Shuhe Ancient Town, part of the Horse and Tea Road, means "the village at the foot of the high hill". In the past, there behind the village was a high hill named Jubao Hill, so people named the village after the hill. Generation after generation, the village gets its present name.
Shuanglang is a beautiful little fishing town beside Erhai Lake of Dali. The lake covers an area of 250 square kilometers and is located about two kilometers east of Dali.
Discovery Tour Guilin to Vietnam Border
Guilin – Yangshuo – Sanjiang – Zhaoxing – Kaili – Kunming – Jianshui –Yuanyang – Hekou – Vietnam or Kunming 12D 11N
• Experience at least 6 various ethnic cultures in Southwest China
• Explore at least 5 kinds of ethnic villages in the 3 provinces of Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan
• Visit the famed rivers: Li River in Guilin
• Enjoy the quaint scenery in villages of Yangshuo by bicycle and Chinese cooking class
• Amazed by the wonder of the world: the No.1 Terraced Fields by Hani people in Yuanyang
• Discover one of the most splendid wonders of the world: Stone Forest in Kunming
• Search the Old Town of Jianshui, Zhu Family Garden and Tuanshan Village
• 12 Days 11 Nights
• Special Price $1889 pp do
• Arrive Guilin March 28th, ends April 8/9 (Full Itinerary Below)
Discovery Tour Guilin to Shangrila
Guilin – Yangshuo – Sanjiang – Zhaoxing – Kaili – Kunming – Dali– Shangri-la – Lijiang – Kunming 15D 14N
Highlights
• Experience at least 8 various ethnic cultures in Southwest China
• Explore at least 6 kinds of ethnic villages in the 3 provinces of Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan
• Visit the famed rivers: Li River in Guilin & Upper Yangtze in Shangri-la
• Enjoy the quaint scenery in villages of Yangshuo by bicycle and Chinese cooking class
• Amazed by one of the deepest gorges in the world: Tiger Leaping Gorge on the upper Yangtze River
• Stroll in ancient towns of Lijiang on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
• Discover one of the most splendid wonders of the world: Stone Forest in Kunming
• $1958 pp special price double occupancy
• 15 Days, 14 Nights
• Begins March 28th, Ends April 11th
For a detailed itinerary visit: http://tropicalsails.com/spring-2014-yunnan-china-ethnic-discovery-tours/
The tour is being organized by Tropical Sails Corp, 800-595-1003, 623-444-8195
[caption id="attachment_4138" align="aligncenter" width="655"]
unique tours to China[/caption]Yunnan is an old Chinese word which means south of the clouds. The area is one of the most ethnically diverse provinces in China. The Northwest, Shangri-La area of the province is heavily influenced by Tibet, with whom it shares a border. Shangri-La is named after James Hilton’s book "Lost in Shangri-La Shangri-La." The South is influenced by its proximity to Burma and Laos. Of China's fifty-five officially recognized ethnic minorities, twenty-five can be found in Yunnan.
Both tours offered by Tropical Sails Corp and China Panorama Travel begin in Guilin with a Li River tour.
The 12 day option Guilin – Yangshuo – Sanjiang – Zhaoxing – Kaili – Kunming – Jianshui – Yuanyang – Hekou – Vietnam or Kunming.
The Shangri-la tour Guilin – Yangshuo – Sanjiang – Zhaoxing – Kaili – Kunming – Dali – Shangri-la – Lijiang – Kunming.
Guilin, is a well-known destination Guangxi Province, known for its rock formations that one enjoys on a bamboo raft on the Li River. One may stroll or bicycle in Xingping Ancient Town. cormorant fishing on Li River is a quiet evening diversion.
Yangshuo is popular for Chinese cooking class which begins in the market and ends with lunch. Locals offer classes in Chinese Calligraphy and Yangshuo The Liusanjie Show of Impression is a popular evening event.
Sanjiang in Guangxi province is a county inhabited by the South Dong, one of the two subgroups of the Dong ethnic minority. A short drive away from Sanjiang is Chengyang, a quaint little village with one of the largest Fengyuqiao (Wind and Rain Bridges) in the region.
Zhaoxing is one of the largest Dong villages in Guizhou Province, with more than 800 households and a population of 4000. There are five drum towers and five roofed bridges belonging to five big families living in the village. In Fulu Tow, the Firework Festival is one of the most important traditional festivals of Dong people which has a history of more than one hundred years. Yintan is another, a lovely quaint Dong village hidden in the mountains.
In the Kaili area the beautiful Bala River with the Jidao Miao Village which represents the long-skirt subgroup and Datang, a Miao village with an aquatic granary and the women’s “Mini skirt”. The Paika Village, the Lusheng—the Miao people’s most important musical instrument are made. The Miao’s rice storage area is by the water at Datang Village. Miao style wooden houses are comfortable but dangerous, too. Once there is one house on fire, the whole village will be burnt down. Local villagers in Datang build small houses above water for rice storage. The acquatic granary will protect their rice away from fire, rats and other insects.
The Matang Village, a quiet village inhabited by the Gejia minority. The typical costumes, houses, embroidery and batik making continue to amaze westerners.
From Guiyang, the provincial capital of Guizhou, the night train to Kunming is just one of the many night trains one can take in China. There are four bunks to a compartment and you are assigned one just like an airline seat.
The Stone Forest ( Shilin in Chinese ) near Kunming is an 80 hectare site of fantastic limestone formations created during the Permian Era when the sea covered this area. Shilin is on the World Heritage List. Yiliang Roast Duck is famous here. Yiliang from Yi people) Tourists may watch ducks being slaughtered then smoked with pine needles.
To the south toward Burma and Laos, is Jianshui and a 400 years old Chaoyang Tower. Nearby is the second largest Confucian-temple in China. The small city became very rich due to the natural deposits of tin. The Zhu Family Garden consists of 250 rooms and 42 courtyards. Stroll around in the old part of Jianshui Town and see ancient water wells that have been used by local residents for centuries. The wells also have different names, such as Daban Well nearby the West Gate (Ximen) and water quality is fresh and pure. Thanks to the water, a lot of tofu (bean curd) workshops make the particularly tasty tofu, where it can be found out how this popular food is produced in traditional way.
Most people in Tuanshan Village are surnamed Zhang is known for its vivid wood carvings. Tuanshan Village exists as the only intact cultural village of the Qing Dynasty that was previously a habitat of the Yi ethnic minority. There are also residential complexes built 600 years ago that have preserved the characteristics and social and humanistic environment of the southern Yunnan villages.
In Yuanyang the Endless Hani Terrace Rice Fields on the mountains at Laohuzui & Duoyishu are popular destinations with photographers due to the vast areas of nearby mountains which have been cultivated into terraced rice paddies for at least the past 1300 years by the Hani people. At Hekou, is the China-Vietnam Border port.
From Kunming many visitors choose to go north to Shangrila.
Dali Old Town can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (about 1000 years ago) when Dali was the capital of the Nanzhao Kingdom which is the home to Bai minority. The town, whose format is like a chess board with four gates guarding in the directions of east , south, west and north stands between Cangshan Mountains and Erhai Lake, a natural configuration that seems specially designed for a good bountiful life.
The morning market in Xizhou Bai village & Tie Dying Batik Workshop in Zhoucheng Bai Village is not to be missed. The people take such pride in their vegetables, and quality of the meat.
Shangri-la/Zhongdian has an “old town” with Tibetan old streets and houses, at the same time, you can watch the local Tibetan people dancing in the old town to enjoy themselves.
The Songzanlin Tibetan Buddhism Monastery sits perched up against a mountain. Construction began in 1679 and was completed in 1681. It is said that the Fifth Dalai Lama chose the site of the monastery through divination and named it "Gedan Songzanlin Monastery.
Visiting a Tibetan family one may have a Tibetan lunch complete with Yak butter tea.
Between Shangri-La and Lijiang is Tiger Leaping Gorge. which is believed to be the deepest gorge in the world. From the top of the gorge you look down the steeply angled (70-90 degrees) mountain sides to the rushing Golden Sands (Jingsha) River with its 18 frothing rapids more than 200 meters (about 700 feet) below. If you don’t like steps, sherpas will take you down and up or just up for a reasonable fee. Two sherpas and a chair will set you back about $25.
Lijiang Old Town, a lovely traditional town with beautiful wooden houses and crisscrossed with streams of mountain water. Lijiang is one of the best preserved ancient towns in China and is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The Black Dragon Pool whose name comes from the waters which sparkle like jade and are as clear as spring water. The entire park is green with grass and shaded by swaying willow trees. Under the Suocui Bridge, a waterfall creates a constant roar as it cascades downstream.
The Baisha Naxi Village is named this because of the large amount of white sand on the earth’s surface there. According to history Baisha is the earliest place for the settlement of Naxi nationality after they entered Lijiang basin. Shuhe Ancient Town, part of the Horse and Tea Road, means "the village at the foot of the high hill". In the past, there behind the village was a high hill named Jubao Hill, so people named the village after the hill. Generation after generation, the village gets its present name.
Shuanglang is a beautiful little fishing town beside Erhai Lake of Dali. The lake covers an area of 250 square kilometers and is located about two kilometers east of Dali.
Discovery Tour Guilin to Vietnam Border
Guilin – Yangshuo – Sanjiang – Zhaoxing – Kaili – Kunming – Jianshui –Yuanyang – Hekou – Vietnam or Kunming 12D 11N
• Experience at least 6 various ethnic cultures in Southwest China
• Explore at least 5 kinds of ethnic villages in the 3 provinces of Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan
• Visit the famed rivers: Li River in Guilin
• Enjoy the quaint scenery in villages of Yangshuo by bicycle and Chinese cooking class
• Amazed by the wonder of the world: the No.1 Terraced Fields by Hani people in Yuanyang
• Discover one of the most splendid wonders of the world: Stone Forest in Kunming
• Search the Old Town of Jianshui, Zhu Family Garden and Tuanshan Village
• 12 Days 11 Nights
• Special Price $1889 pp do
• Arrive Guilin March 28th, ends April 8/9 (Full Itinerary Below)
Discovery Tour Guilin to Shangrila
Guilin – Yangshuo – Sanjiang – Zhaoxing – Kaili – Kunming – Dali– Shangri-la – Lijiang – Kunming 15D 14N
Highlights
• Experience at least 8 various ethnic cultures in Southwest China
• Explore at least 6 kinds of ethnic villages in the 3 provinces of Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan
• Visit the famed rivers: Li River in Guilin & Upper Yangtze in Shangri-la
• Enjoy the quaint scenery in villages of Yangshuo by bicycle and Chinese cooking class
• Amazed by one of the deepest gorges in the world: Tiger Leaping Gorge on the upper Yangtze River
• Stroll in ancient towns of Lijiang on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
• Discover one of the most splendid wonders of the world: Stone Forest in Kunming
• $1958 pp special price double occupancy
• 15 Days, 14 Nights
• Begins March 28th, Ends April 11th
For a detailed itinerary visit: http://tropicalsails.com/spring-2014-yunnan-china-ethnic-discovery-tours/
The tour is being organized by Tropical Sails Corp, 800-595-1003, 623-444-8195
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