China Cultural Chronicles September 30, 2012
- Corporate Responsibility
- Ah, you meant peace, Tibet 2012 reurinkjan has added a photo to the pool:
Like to see the pictures as LARGE as your screen? Just click on this Slideshow : www.flickr.com/photos/reurinkjan/sets/72157630983897338/s... - How will taste the Baodzi today?
- Riverscene in Guanxi province
- Getting into hot water: Hailougou, Sichuan 视频播放位置
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Hailuogou scenic area in Sichuan province boasts many natural springs, with water temperatures ranging from boiling hot to icy cold. The water is of excellent quality here, and tourist can drink from springs, free from pollution and impurities, generously scattered along the main entrance road and the other accessible paths in the park.Minya Konka Hot Spring lies in the scenic Hailuogou area.
But to soak in the springs, you may want to head for the Minya Konka Hot Spring, which has a big swimming pool and several smaller hot-spring pools. Minya Konka is only 7 km from the park entrance.
Another excellent hot spring is near the park's Campsite No 1, halfway between the Minya Konka Hot Spring and Campsite No 2.
Hosts of monkeys are often seen along the main drive in the park, and you can enjoy a dramatic change of scenery as the road climbs, especially when you go in winter.
The hot spring at Campsite No 2, where the renowned Heavenly Pool is located, is the most famous in Hailuogou. Here, there are many wooden cabins, restaurants and bars, all of which seem to blend into the surrounding scenery. Nearly every cabin has its own little hot spring pool.
If you prefer company, there is a series of hot springs as well as a swimming pool just next to the accommodation cluster. It's worth a visit even in the chill of winter.
Spring water here is rich in calcium, and a favorite pastime among visitors is to try to cook soft-boiled eggs here.
Monkeys also provide free entertainment, gathering around the cabins in the hope of food and play. In fact, they have become an attraction in themselves. - Hangzhou to host star surfers on national holidays 视频播放位置The Qiantang River will host a surfing gala during the national holidays.
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Sixteen surfers from four teams - GoPro Hawaii and Wabsono California from the United States, OE Great Barrier Reef from Australia and Brazil's Roxy Amazon - will compete in the Red Bull Qiantang Surfing Shootout in Hangzhou from Oct 1-3.
The event is the only river-surfing competition in the world and is expected to attract more than 200,000 spectators along the banks as the tidal bore, more dramatically known as the "Silver Dragon", reaches its annual peak.
According to Glenn Brumage, vice-president of the International Association of Skateboard Companies, the Qiantang event, started in 2009 as an exhibition event, has changed into a legitimate surfing competition under the sponsorship of energy drink Red Bull this year, and the participating teams have increased from two to four.
"It's an incredible experience to be here in China and to surf this tidal bore - there is nothing like it that I've ever experienced," said American surfer Mary Osborne. "(The tidal bore) is always changing, you are not quite sure what's going to happen with the river and I think it makes things so exciting and it's definitely one of the most adventurous things I get to do."
Different from the larger but shorter duration waves of the sea, Qiantang River enables surfers to ride continuously for almost two hours.
"When surfing big waves, obviously, there is a lot more water, the waves are a lot taller, you go a lot faster on big waves. But the river is a combination of river and ocean water, and the river waves go much farther than ocean waves. It will push you for two hours, and I caught the longest waves of my life in the river," said American big-wave surfer Jamie Sterling, who first surfed the Qiantang River in 2009, and is taking part in his third challenge.
Regarding safety issues, Zhao Rongfu, the head of Hangzhou Municipal Sports Bureau, said every surfer would have two jet skis, a speedboat and another vessel ahead of him or her. Three aid stations are set along the banks, and the surfers are not allowed to get within 150m of each bank.
Zhao also said the government is aiming to attract the public, especially youngsters, to the sport.
Bao Xuping, CEO of organizer Surfing China, and a surfing enthusiast as well, echoed Zhao's sentiments.
"I am able to surf on some sections of the Qiantang River and, as we acquire more knowledge about the river, we are expecting to start to bring up some Chinese surfers next year - the process will be scientific and systematic," Bao said.
"For example, we might choose some safer sections and let local surfers take a try in the river when the tide is small. I really hope we will have Chinese surfers participating in the competition next year." - Primary school in Nei Mongol province
- Chishui - ancient landforms produce great spirit 视频播放位置
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Good liquor is brewed where there is good water, and China's most famous white spirit Moutai is helped by the water of the Chishui River. The name means "red water" and the river runs through the north of Guizhou province.Red sandstones stand out among verdant vegetation and are carved by gushing cataracts.
The particular geographical form that gives rise to the river and its name is known as the danxia landform, characterized by red riverbeds fringed by steep cliffs and formed more than 200 million years ago. It looks like stacked pancakes and evokes memories of the stark landscapes in the Star Wars series.
Red earth and green vegetable blend in harmony. Trees grow out of crevices in the rocks, and falling cataracts of water carve out gullies in the red rocky slopes. There are plenty of pretty pictures so it is little wonder that Chishui was chosen by the China Photographers Association as one of their bases in 2007.
The flora is especially noteworthy, and there are many ancient plants deep in the primeval forests. It is easy to find Asophila, a kind of fern, which has populated the region since the Jurassic age. Chishui, once an inner land lake, used to be a hub for dinosaurs.
If you go
Beijing and Guangzhou have direct flights to Zunyi, Guizhou province. It will take about 5 hours on the bus from Zunyi to Chishui with a ticket at about 80 yuan ($12). There are some chain hotels in the town where a double room will cost about 200 yuan a day.
- Rescheduling holidays can ease tensions 视频播放位置The "Golden Week" holidays have become peak traveling seasons and a time for traffic jams, huge crowds and numerous complaints. Perhaps traffic snarls, and the mad rush for flight, railway and bus tickets could be reduced if more holidays are declared, as some Internet users suggest.
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A survey of 30,000 people, conducted by the Institute of Social Science Survey of Peking University, showed on average people work 8.66 hours a day. Some workaholics end up working more than 77 hours a week, almost twice the legal limit of 40 hours. But they get a mere 21 days of paid leave. In terms of paid leave, China is believed to be the third from the bottom in the list of countries.
Therefore, many netizens have suggested that more paid leave could ease the pressure on buses, trains and flights, because people will travel at different times instead of just once or twice a year.
Especially for this longest-ever eight-day Golden Week holiday from Sept 30 to Oct 7, as there will be some 362 million travelers on the move during the holiday, according to an estimate by the China Tourism Academy.
And the foreseeable travel peak can also be attributed to the government's new policy that exempts passenger cars with seven seats or less from highway tolls during the leisure period.
As the prospect has raised calls online for more holidays, but there are different opinions.
Dai Xuefeng, deputy director of and research fellow at the Tourism Research Center, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, says people in China do not get fewer days' leave. The only change the authorities should make is to reschedule the existing holidays rather than introducing more.
Citing the Regulation on Public Holidays for National Annual Festivals and Memorial Days, he says Chinese people are entitled to 115 days off a year from weekends and statutory holidays. So they don't work for one-third of a year.
The problem, he argues, is that the paid leave system is not well implemented by employers in the Chinese mainland, and law enforcement officers are not powerful enough to ensure they do.
There is a big difference in practice in China and other countries, Dai says. People in other countries, especially in advanced economies, exercise their rights to go on leave and are supported by a strong legal and cultural environment. In China, people will think twice asking for paid leave as it is viewed as akin to seeking extra benefits, while employers deny such requests when they want the employees to keep working.
Hence, the related authorities should supervise employers to follow the regulations more strictly and grant the employees their legal rights.
There's a mad travel rush during the "Golden Week" holidays because people do not take long journeys during shorter holidays. The government shortened the May Day "Golden Week" holiday to three days in 2009 and added two other short vacations to the list. This has prompted many Chinese to spend more time at home, as opposed to traveling and spending abroad, and boosted the domestic market.
Besides, considering people won't make long journeys during other short vacations, the only long vacation of the Golden Week has concentrated too many long trip plans and thus has a "crowding out effect" that is partly attributable to the feeling of fewer holidays.
To help boost domestic consumption, the authorities can reschedule the holidays and grant people more longer holidays.
Moreover, while domestic tourism can help boost the national economy, traveling abroad is of equal importance to broaden people's horizons and expand their minds, and it's a major step for Chinese people to accommodate themselves into globalization, Dai adds. - Climb, play and pray: Nedong County, Tibet 视频播放位置
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Nedong County in Shannan prefecture, in Tibet autonomous region, is an oasis of tranquility. It's home to the region's first palace as well as Tibet's first formal Buddhist monastery. The place is also known as the cradle of Tibetan history and culture.Nedong County in Shannan prefecture, in Tibet autonomous region, is an oasis of tranquility.
The Samye Monastery built in the eighth century is Tibet's oldest and was the site of the "the Great Debate" (AD 792-794) between the Indian Mahayanists and Chinese Zen Buddhists. Founded during the reign of King Trisong Detsen, with the help of the Indian Buddhist masters Padmasambhava and Shantarakshita, it is widely believed to be Tibet's first formal Buddhist monastery.
All four major sects of Tibetan Buddhism share presence in Samye.
Another must-see in the region is Yambulakang, the first Tibetan palace. The palace perched precariously on the top of Mount Tashitseri, overlooking the Yarlung Zangbo River valley, which is considered the place of origin of Tibetan civilization. The palace was built more than 2,000 years ago by Nyatri Tsenpo, the first Tibetan king.
If you go: Nedong county is no more than 200 km from Lhasa. You can take a bus or rent a car. To visit the Samye Monastery, about 50 km from Lhasa airport, there are two routes. There is a bumpy two-hour drive from Zedang town along a mountain path. Or visitors can take an hour-long ferry ride across the mighty Yarlung Zangbo River as an alternative.
There are dozens of guesthouses and hotels in Nedong county. But if you're visiting Samye Monastery, it's also possible to stay in nearby monasteries as long as you pay for the beds (15 to 40 yuan, $2.36-6.30).
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