Huanglong is a scenic and historic interest area in the northwest part of Sichuan, China. It is located in the southern part of the Minshan mountain range, 150 kilometres north-northwest of the capital Chengdu. This area is known for its colorful pools formed by calcite deposits, especially in Huanglonggou (Yellow Dragon Gully), as well as diverse forest ecosystems, snow-capped peaks, waterfalls and hot springs. Huanglong is also home to many endangered species including the Giant Panda and the Sichuan Golden Snub-nosed Monkey. Huanglong was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1992.
The Yangtze River known in China as the Chang Jiang or Yangzi, is the longest river in Asia and the third-longest in the world. It flows for 6,300 kilometers from the glaciers on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the biggest rivers by discharge volume in the world. The Yangtze drains one-fifth of the land area of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and its river basin is home to one-third of the PRC’s population.
An endless chain of stone stairs called „The Heavenly Stairs” go up Mt. Hua Shan, inviting those not fearing hights. Eventually you’ll get to the world’s most dangerous trail, the Hua Shan plank path, safety gear is highly recommended.Today there’s 2 cable cars – one north, one west – going up but it still takes thousands of stairs connecting the different peaks. According to reviews on tripadvisor it’s definitely worth doing and you’ll be rewarded with many beaufiful sights & views from the top.
Tianmen Mountain is a mountain located within Tianmen Mountain National Park, Zhangjiajie, in northwestern Hunan Province, China.A cablecar was constructed by the French company Poma from nearby Zhangjiajie railway station to the top of the mountain. Tianmen Mountain Cableway is claimed in tourist publications as the „longest passenger cableway of high mountains in the world”, with 98 cars and a total length of 7,455 metres and ascent of 1,279 metres. The highest gradient is an unusual 37 degrees. Tourists can walk on kilometres of paths built onto the cliff face at the top of the mountain, including sections with glass floors. An 11 kilometres road with 99 bends also reaches the top of the mountain and takes visitors to Tianmen cave, a natural hole in the mountain of a height of 131.5 metres.A large temple is also located on the summit with chairlift or footpath access. The original temple here was built in the Tang Dynasty. Today a more recent construction with Tang dynasty architecture occupies the site and includes a vegetarian restaurant in the 10000 sq mi of setting.
Songjiang Shimao Hotel is currently under construction in Songjang, China. Only very recently, Atkins, a British engineering firm, propounded erection of a handsome building extending far downward into a 100-meter pit situated near the base of Tianmashan Mountain. The Shimao Wonderful Intercontinental Hotel which consists of 19 floors and 380 rooms is unique in its design as it is being built on the site of an abandoned and otherwise neglected open-pit mine.The design of this luxury hotel encompasses underwater lounges and guestrooms. The water of the quarry will be utilized to flood some portion of the hotel; giving it a look of submerged edifice in a beautiful lake. The images exhibit an artificial waterfall cascading down into the rock near the front part of the hotel. The main lounge, wreathed in green vegetation and natural rock, would be illuminated through sunlight. Moreover the hotel would have sports facilities; some of its additional features include rock climbing and bungee jumping and also an aquarium almost ten meters deep.One very interesting characteristic which deserves a special mention here is that the five-star hotel uses geothermal energy to fulfill its electrical and heating requirements. The surrounding rock provides good protection from heat and environment.Around 555 million US dollar have already been invested in the project by The Shanghai Shimao Property Group and the hotel is expected to start functioning between late 2014 and early 2015.
Zhejiang , formerly romanized as Chekiang, is an eastern coastal province of the People’s Republic of China. The word Zhejiang means zigzagging river and was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital. The name of the province is often abbreviated to its first character. Zhejiang borders Jiangsu province and Shanghai municipality to the north, Anhui province to the northwest, Jiangxi province to the west, and Fujian province to the south; to the east is the East China Sea, beyond which lie the Ryukyu Islands of Japan.The area of modern Zhejiang was outside the major sphere of influence of early Chinese civilization during the Shang Dynasty (16th to 11th century BC). Instead, this area was populated by peoples collectively known as the Yue, such as the Dongyue and the Ouyue. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the state of Yue emerged in northern Zhejiang. The Yue state was heavily influenced by the Chinese civilization further north. Under King Goujian of Yue, Yue reached its zenith and was able to wipe out the powerful state of Wu to its immediate north, in 473 BC. Then, in 333 BC, Yue was in turn conquered by the state of Chu, which was to the west. In 221 BC, the state of Qin completed the conquest of the last of the formerly independent states of China, including the state of Chu. This conquest made what is now Zhejiang part of a unified Chinese empire.
