The Travel Guide

Situated in the very heart of Beijing is one of China’s largest and best preserved complex of ancient buildings – The Forbidden City. It is appropriately named so, because for 500 long years it was off limits to commoners. The Forbidden city (considered an otherworldly palace) was a reclusive home to two dynasties of imperial rule until the Republic demoted the last Emperor of China from the Qing Dynasty, Pui Yi, in 1912.
Under Emperor YongLe’s reign, the construction of the Forbidden City began in 1406. The construction took about 14 years to complete and it is estimated that roughly 1 million workers and 100,000 artisans were involved in its construction.
The Forbidden city was constructed in accordance with ancient rules of spatial design. There were rules which specified that the main buildings should be aligned along a straight axis from the South to the North, flanked by symmetrical arrangement of minor structures on parallel axes. Most of the buildings inside the Forbidden City face south because the North was generally associated with evil because most invasions of China had originated from over there.

—-

If you want to know more about the culture of China, I think visiting this place is a great way to start.

Tips+ interesting facts:

- Wear comfortable walking shoes (no high heels!) because the palace is 960m long aand 750m wide. It has 9999 rooms in total. You will be very exhausted at the end of the trip.
- The well guarded palace is surrounded by a moat. Any Intruders or uninvited guests will be instantly executed. Don’t worry, nowadays 40RMB will suffice for entry.
- Walk through the wide open courtyards along its central axis.
-The side offers some museum exhibits. You’ll get to see some very cool ancient artefacts from the Ming and Qing Dynasty.

- Average time for this activity is 1.5h
- The Forbidden City opens from 8:30am – 5:00pm. Last admission is at 4:00pm.
- Look out for some fancy little ceramic guardians perched on the rooftops of the buildings. They’re easy to spot, but you could easily miss them. (related to chinese mythology, if you’re interested in that)
-There are audio tours available in english and chinese.
-Restaurants, toilets and a police station can be found within the palace grounds.
-Wheelchairs and strollers are free to use but you may need to pay a deposit.
- The Clock Exhibition Hall is one of the highlights of the Forbidden City – make sure to check it out! The exhibition contains a fascinating array of elaborate timepieces which were given as gifts to the Qing emperors from overseas.

Roof top “Guardians”

Introduction:

The place which brings you back your childhood.

The Teddy Bear Museum is amazing ; it showcases an impressive variety of teddy bears. The gallery is grouped into 3 main sections – the History Hall, the Art Hall and the Project Exhibition Hall. In the History Hall, you can witness the 100-year history of teddy bears including famous scenes, popular teddy bears in different eras, and even antique teddy bears. If you’re an artist , then the Mona Lisa teddy bear and the teddy bears reenacting ”the last supper” scene will especially catch your attention. The Art Hall showcases the latest artworks of several world-famous designers. A section not to be missed is the world’s smallest teddy bear at the size of 4.5mm. (You might need to get a magnifying glass for this one). In the project exhibition hall, there will be teddy bears grouped to suit the theme of each exhibition.

After walking through this museum and having fun, you can settle down at the museum cafe or bar, while appreciating the beautiful landscape of the Jeju Island or the gigantic teddy bear sculptures.

Information:

This is the official page for the museum.

Spread over an area of 100 sq. km, The Kilim Nature Park features a beautiful mix of well-protected green mangrove forests, isolated white beaches and blue lagoons. Along the trail, passing through calm winding river, you will be exposed to the wonders of the park’s marine ecosystem, flora and fauna and its natural habitats. This place is heaven for those who enjoy adventure, but at the same time want to admire nature at its best.

At the Kilim Nature Park, you will be able to see all types of fascinating geological wonders, ranging from the the overhanging “Bogak Tree”, Tree crabs, Iguanas, and Macaques. In addition, Kilim River is also a great place for some bird-watching during the migratory seasons in September and March.

The best way to explore this amazing park is to take a local tour. You would be picked up from your hotel and taken to the Sungai Kilim mangrove reserve, where you would rent a boat a long with a tour guide.

Attractions:

Along with the amazing view, visitors will be able to visit the Gua Kelawar or Bat Cave. In order to get there, you’ll have to disembark from the boat and walk a short distance to the cave entrance. Gua Kelawar consists of two caves, a smaller western cave with a low roof extending northeast by southwest, and a larger one further in. The second cave has a 10m high roof, and contains both fruit and insectivorous bats. Don’t worry, the bats won’t attack you, because they’re probably all sleeping. A wooden platform runs right through the cave, which allows the visitor an easy and safe access. The tour guides will usually have a flashlight of some sort with them, which will reveal the cave’s breathtaking stalactites and stalagmites.

As the boat ventures out towards the open sea, there will be various types of widlife indigenous to the area such as the white belly sea eagles, brahminy kites, kingfishers, monitor lizards, small clawed otters and on very rare occasions, even dolphins!

The Eagle feeding area is about 3.2km away from Kilim River Jetty. At this point, the boatman will take out a package of raw chicken, consisting of intestine, meat and skins. Eagles have impressive eyesights. They will be able to spot an object from about 2-3km. Roughly 50-60 eagles will then appear the tour guide tosses the scraps of chicken meat for them to take.

At the end of the tour, you will arrive at the Fish Farm. This place will provide an insight into Langkawi’s rich aquatic life. The Farm adopts a very hands-on approach; you will be able to feed a variety of fish. Lunch/Dinner is also available here.

Sources:

http://go2travelmalaysia.com/tour_malaysia/lkw_egl_fdg.htm

No trip to Qingdao is complete without visiting the Qingdao Beer Museum. In Aug 1903, China’s first beer factory was built with the help of European technology. Tsingtao Brewery thus was born and developed into a world-famous manufacturing enterprise special in Qingdao Beer production.

At present, the company owns 55 beer factories and malt factories in over 18 cities and provinces in China.

The Qindao Beer Museum is situated at No. 56 Dengzhou Road and has become the pride of local people.

The Museum is a two-storey red building, and is one of the few typical Gothic constructions within the city. In the museum, there are old photographs which showcase the samples of Qingdao beer from different eras. There are also four huge copper brewing vessels that were manufactured in Germany and were in use until their decommissioning in 1995.

Historical artifacts donated by the descendants of both German and Japanese staff can also be seen in this museum.

The first floor of this multi-functional space can accommodate up to 100 visitors, providing both wine-tasting and shopping opportunities. Visitors an also sample the various freshly brewed beers and buy a great variety of souvenirs.

WHEN: Jan 5th – Feb 5th of every year

WHERE: Harbin, Heilongjiang, China

The City of Harbin (The capital of Heilongjiang province of China) makes the most of its freezing winters with the incredible Harbin Ice Lantern Festival. The city is located in N.E China near Siberia, which is why during winter, the average temperature can drop between -16.8 to -38.1 Celsius degree.

Every year from January to February, Huge blocks of ice are carved in sculptures and buildings to create a glittering Ice and Snow World. As night falls, these gigantic sculptures are illuminated up in a spectrum of colors.

Ice lanterns were a winter-time tradition in N.E China during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The local peasants and fishermen would often create ice lanterns to help them see during the winter months. To make them, water were poured into a bucket, and when it froze, they chiseled a hole to create a hollow vessel. That way, candles can be placed and lit inside them without blowing out. Over the years, the ice lanterns began to develop into more elaborate constructions.

—

Information to the three main attractions associated with the festival.

Sun Island Park (Snow Sculpture Art Exposition)
- Admission Fee: 240RMB

Ice and Snow World
-Admission Fee: 150RMB

Zhaolin Park (Ice Lantern Garden Party)
-Admission Fee: 200 RMB