February27
The Tour We Join: Xian Private Day Tour: Ancient City Wall & Provincial History Museum
Xian is the capital of Shaanxi Province, one of the oldest cities in China with more than 3,000 years of history. After a tour to Terracotta Warriors which was breathtaking, we had some spare time to explore more. So this is another day discover history of Xian that you could see by pictures below.
Our first visit this day was to Provincial History Museum. It is a pretty, modern building with lots of local artifacts in terracotta and bronze, and the first celadon glazes.
Shaanxi was the imperial capital of China with more than 13 dynasties history found. Exhibit of terracotta warriors is also exhibited here.
Then visit the second destination called Xian Ancient City Wall, a wall to protect the city from enemy. It is also known as one best preserved ancient classical Chinese wall.
A total length of Xian City Wall is nearly 14 km. So, we cannot walk explore the whole area since time we had was limited, additionally the weather was cold.
After lunch, we headed to the next destination, Forest of Stone Steles Museum. This museum holds a large collection of stone steles from the Han to the Qing Dynasty. The museum mainly consists of works of literature and philosophy, historical records, calligraphy and pictorial stones.
Then before transfer us back hotel, we had a short visit to Bell Tower, one of old Ming dynasty building in Xian. Overall, I was happy for having this experience, one day covers 4 remarkable sites in Xian.
February21
The Tour We Join: Beijing Badaling Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square Day Tour by Bus
Last vacation was my first opportunity to visit Beijing, the capital of China. I felt very grateful because of this chance. Together with family, it was like we start to know history of the country from Beijing historical sites. Here some pictures that will tell the story of our 1 day tour.
First time to Beijing, then everyone should not miss Tiananmen Square, a center of political and government in China. The square is so big and surrounded with impressive historical site, such as Chairman Mao Memorial Hall and Forbidden City.
Above is the main gate from Tiananmen Square to Forbidden City. You can see huge photo of Mao Zedong hanging in front of it. Lots of people took the photos with it as background including me.
Then after Tiananmen Square, we headed to ancient classical royal palace called Forbidden City. Behind of its huge grand building, there are lots of histories we could know from our guide. Above is the grand building of the palace, most important hall of all.
At the end of our Forbidden City tour, we did visit Imperial Garden, last part of the palace. Here was used as the place for emperor to relax, was a private retreat for the imperial family.
Next after lunch, head to Badaling Great Wall which located outside Beijing. Hike up the Great Wall of China brought us some feeling like heading back to the old China. It is a nice experience that we can see a huge defensive military system of China.
February20
The Tour We Join: 2 Days Guilin Bus Tour Packages
This 2 days trip took us to some iconic attractions near Guilin including Reed Flute Cave, Fubo Hill, Elephant Trunk Hill and Yangshuo. Here several pictures that can tell our story in Guilin.
First in our first day we visited Reed Flute Cave, Fubo Hill and Elephant Trunk Hill, but for me I love more Reed Flute Cave view. It is a nature cave filled with stalagmites and stalactites with different shapes and sizes. The picture of Reed Flute Cave can be seen above.
On our second day in Guilin, we did visit Yangshuo. A boat trip along the Li River to nearby Yangshuo, it is a pretty touristy town, famous for the stunning landscapes surrounding the town.
The boat took around 4 hours to reach Yangshuo, and we were swept up in the mass stampede of tourists heading towards town. Above is photo with my 2 boys right after step the town.
Tour guide took us explore the town including to interesting shopping street and small river nearby. Our time in the beautiful surrounds of Yangshuo was short, but China is a very big country, there are more that we could explore. I am looking forward for next China trip!