Built in 652 during the Tang Dynasty, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is well preserved and has become one of the emblems of Xi’an.

Tibet Train Travel The Train to Tibet is one of the tremendous achievements in the industry of train transportation as well as tourism in China.

Between Xining and Golmud the tracks pass by Qinghai Lake – China’s largest. But it’s the Golmud-to-Lhasa sector which offers the most breath-taking scenery.

That segment also offers the record-breakers: the world’s highest passenger railroad (at Tanggula Pass – elevation: 16,640 ft.; 5072m) and the world’s highest railroad tunnel (Fenghuoshan – elevation: 16,093 ft.; 4905m).

Over 80% of the journey is at altitudes above 13,000 feet. The train is equipped with 2 Oxygen sources. One is released throughout the cabins when reaching Golmund and heading into Tibet. Another is the personal oxygen canisters in case you feel light headed and only available from Tibet to Golmund or from Golmund to Tibet.

ChinaTravelDepot.com offers you a good 8 Days Tibet Train Travel Experience Tour.

It starts from Xining, from where you will take the train all the way to Lhasa. In Lhasa, you climb up to Potala Palace, the former political and religious center of Tibet as well as the landmark of Tibet Train Travel Experience.

You visit Tibetan temples and get in touch with mysterious and exotic religious culture. You enjoy the purified scenery at Yamdrok, one of the Holy Lakes of Tibet……

Right on the outskirts of Beijing is a hidden valley where flowers are a way of life and have been for generations. Li Jing smells the roses on Miaofeng Mountain.

The term “rose valley?conjures up a secluded ravine festooned with countless blooms exuding a lingering floral perfume. Bearing this picturesque image in mind, we headed for Rose Valley at the foot of Miaofeng Mountain in Mengtougou district. As we wound our way into the valley, terraced fields of roses appeared on the towering slopes on both sides.

“The road will be packed with cars in a few days when the roses are in full bloom,” said our taxi driver. Although the unseasonal drought and cold had pushed the flowering period later than usual, it is still a soothing ride up the mountainous road, with birdsong in the background, and interesting trees and outcrops dotting the way.

After an hour’s drive from Pingguoyuan metro station, we finally arrived at Jiangou county, the only village at the foot of the Miaofeng Mountain and nestled inside the valley of roses. It may be a favorite destination for flower lovers, but to the residents, the roses here are part of their daily lives. The scent of roses permeates every little detail of life here.

When we asked for water, we were promptly served a cup of rose tea – which the locals consider as common as drinking water.

Villager Wu Fenglin has managed a farmhouse hostel, Dasiheyuan or The Big Courtyard, since 2003. When the roses bloom in June, that’s when his business peaks. He says reservations must be made at least two days in advance to get a room, and the same applies for the dozens of little hostels in the village.

Visitors stop for the roses, but they also come to savor the special cuisine -featuring a floral banquet – that uses rose petals.

There is rose pancake and stir-fried egg with roses. The signature dish is rose-petal fritters, where the rose petals are dipped into an egg and flour batter and then deep-fried till golden brown.

“We make this with fresh-picked rose petals taken from a flowers that have just blossomed,” Wu said. When he was a little boy, Wu’s mother also made rose jam by cooking the rose petals with sugar, “only for special festivals”. These days, rose jam is on sale at every stall lining the valley.

I bought a few bottles at the top of the rose forest reserve at a shop run by 69-year-old florist Wang Shurui.

He assured me the jam is pure and natural and a “green” food without any additives.

“It is made according to our local tradition by brewing fresh rose petals and sugar in a ratio of 1:3. The longer it is kept, the more fragrant it becomes.”

Wang also said we should come again when the purple roses are in bloom.

“The roses will be all over the mountains. It is really intoxicating.”

He said the roses are big and fragrant, with intense color, thick velvety petals and high oil content.

“If you take a few in your hand, the fragrance will stay for as long as three days.”

Miaofeng Mountain is known for its reputation as the “land of roses” in China, and the flowers here are recognized as “a wonder in North China.”

The yearly yield amounts to tens of thousands of kilograms, and local farmers have to bring in migrant workers to harvest the roses in June.

The Sacred Golden Summit on Miaofeng Mountain is just next to the rose park, and it has a different appeal. It is popular among pilgrims who come in the thousands from all over China to worship some really ancient deities in its shrines. A century ago, the Empress Dowager Cixi was among them.

The faithful come to pray for good luck, prosperity and to the maternal goddesses who reside on the summit.

Travelers can now either follow a century-old pilgrim’s trail to reach the summit or take the easy way up on a shuttle bus.

There had been no more monks at the temple since it was rebuilt in the 1980s, but the annual temple fair is among the largest in the northern part of the country, a tradition preserved since the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). It is held on the first to 15th day of the fourth lunar month.

During the temple fairs, tea stalls sprout like spring grass along the pathways up the mountain, and at nightfall, their lamps shine like a string of fairy lights.

The main shrine at the summit houses Bixiayuanjun, also known as niangniang, or Royal Lady. She was the daughter of the god of Tai Shan and her many miracles on the sacred mountain have cemented her reputation.

Apart from the ancient rituals at the temple, some young people also go to Miaofeng Mountain for a very modern pursuit. We met 25-year-old Yang Tao, who had ridden his motorcycle from downtown Beijing with three friends. They were about to race up to the top.

“There are few people or trucks on the paved road. It is a great place for speed amid all the natural beauty.”

The Chongwen branch of the Lady Book Saloon is nestled into a corner of the second floor in the New World Lady’s Mall. The Chongwen branch of the Lady Book Saloon has plenty of plush lavender chairs where visitors can curl up with a book on a lazy afternoon or relax during one of the store’s movie screenings. Books, including domestic and international titles, are arranged according to their relationship to women at the Lady Book Saloon. A children’s play area is equipped and ready to distract playful tots that come with their mothers to the Chonwen branch of the Lady Book Saloon. Access to the extensive DVD rental library is one of many benefits Lady Book Saloon members enjoy.The Lady Book Saloon also houses a café where readers can enjoy a cup of tea or a bite to eat

An old adage says “a woman’s work is never done.” The phrase is just as true, if not more so, today as it was over 300 years ago when the phrase first came about. In addition to traditional roles as wives, mothers, and daughters, today’s women are also under pressure to achieve professional success.

As women take on all these roles, it’s not surprising that a retreat that allows women to escape their busy lives and focus on personal development would be in demand. While women’s bookstores have long been established, they’re a rarity in China.

The Lady Book Saloon in Beijing is working to fill that void. While shying away from the word “feminist,” planning director Sun Tingting says the bookstore, now expanded to three branches, fills a special need that women have. “Reading is an effective method for spiritual growth,” she explains. “Through reading and communicating, women obtain an inner strength to be better employees, better wives, better daughters, and better mothers.”

The first branch, on Chengfu Road near Tsinghua University, opened in 2007, and the concept has been wildly successful. The bookstore’s membership numbers over 1,600 and about a million women have signed up to receive the store’s newsletter.

Members pay an annual fee, but in return get access to free books and a DVD library, food and beverage discounts and event discounts. They can even join in planning some of the store’s events and classes.

On a normal day, women can curl up with a book in the store’s reading area, relax in the house café, or surf the internet using the store’s Wi-Fi network. There is even a play area for women who bring along their tots. Events and educational classes are popular, focusing on subjects from art to food and even relationships. One recently-held class taught women how to use essential oils in home beauty treatments.

The Chongwen branch is tucked into a corner on the second floor of the New World Lady’s Mall. A free shuttle car runs between the subway exit and the entrance to the mall. With a soft lavender-themed interior and feminine decorations such as tea sets and scented candles for sale, there’s no mistake about the target audience. The books here are divided into sections, “Books written by women,” “Books written for women” and “Books women should read.” They include both domestic and international titles. The Lady Book Saloon is most popular with women aged between 20 and 45. Sun explains that women in this age group are experiencing changes in family and professional relationships, but still need to focus on inner growth.

Bookstores are facing increasing pressure from online book outlets, but Sun is confident that the Lady Book Saloon’s niche market and unique service will continue to allow the company to grow. “We don’t have a price advantage, so we take a more personal approach with warmer service and a more intimate experience,” she says. “Technology makes life more convenient, but the need for personal communication can not be replaced.”

Keeping with the idea of a personal experience, the Lady Book Saloon holds monthly meetings to get feedback and suggestions from customers to better expand services in the future. Sun envisions future bookstores as being cultural landmarks. “We will develop into a women’s club, where like-minded women can make friends and improve themselves through reading and communication,” she says of her plans for the bookstore chain.

The formula seems to be working. A new branch is set to open this fall in Beijing’s Xinjiekou neighborhood.

Yaoli’s natural beauty makes it a famous tourist attraction in Jingdezhen. It is also the place of the age-old ceramic civilization of Jingdezhen