Discover China

Lanterns light up the night sky across China tonight

Bruce Boyes — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:00:23 +0000

Tonight, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month and the last day of the Spring Festival, is China’s traditional Lantern Festival. And the festive atmosphere is building right now, with lanterns and firecrackers lighting up the night skies in an incredible spectacle. The CNTV story Lanterns light up the night across China introduces the different ways in which the Lantern Festival is celebrated in different parts of the country.

Exploring the country of the dragon in the Year of the Dragon

Bruce Boyes — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:48:00 +0000

China is the “country of the dragon”, with the dragon featuring prominently in Chinese mythology and folklore. The Shenzhen Daily article Country of the dragon introduces some fascinating places where you can learn about this aspect of Chinese history in the Year of the Dragon – Longmen Grottoes in Henan, Longji Terrace, Guangxi and Huanglong, Sichuan. I visited the amazing Longmen Grottoes during my trip to Luoyang in Henan Province in 2008 (see the story and pictures).

Journeys in Time six-part Series: Songshan

Bruce Boyes — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:46:37 +0000

Songshan is considered to be the central sacred mountain of China. At the foot of this 1500 metre high mountain, close to the city of Dengfeng in Henan province and spread over a 40 square-kilometre circle, stand eight clusters of buildings and sites. These buildings are reflections of different ways of perceiving the centre of heaven and earth and the power of the mountain as a centre for religious devotion. Find out more about this amazing World Heritage listed location by watching the online videos of the CNTV Journeys in Time six-part Series: Mount Songshan.

I enjoyed a visit to the Songshan Shaolin Temple and its ancient pagoda forest as part of my travels through Anhui, Henan and Zhejiang provinces in 2009 (see story and pictures).

Experience World Heritage natural beauty in East China’s Jiangxi province

Bruce Boyes — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:27:26 +0000

Surrounded by mountains that reach into the heavens and rivers that flow through mist-shrouded valleys, ancient Chinese artists’ efforts to capture the beauty of their homeland culminated in the masterpieces that many today know as Chinese landscape painting. For fans of these works of art who also want to experience the beauty of nature for themselves, East China’s Jiangxi province offers a range of mountains, rivers and waterways that bring an important part of the Chinese aesthetic to life.

The China Daily article On high ground profiles three of Jiangxi’s natural attractions that have been given UNESCO World Heritage listing for their natural beauty and cultural significance – Lushan National Park, Mount Sanqingshan National Park and Mount Longhu.

Temples of Putuo Mountain and Ningbo

Bruce Boyes — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:25:46 +0000

Putuo Mountain is an island in Zhoushan prefecture of Zhejiang Province, and is one of the four sacred mountains in Chinese Buddhism. It can be reached by boat from the major cities of Ningbo, also located in Zhejiang Province, and Shanghai. James Baquet continues his excellent series of Shenzhen Daily articles on Chinese temples with stories of his visits to temples and other sites on Putuo Mountain and a temple near Ningbo:

For previous articles in James Baquet’s series of articles on Chinese temples see Hangzhou’s Jingci Temple and Exploring Shenzhen’s Temples.

2012 Spring Festival – watch the Festival Gala online

Bruce Boyes — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:26:03 +0000

The oldest and most important festival in China is the Spring Festival, which marks the start of a new year on the lunar calendar. This year the Lunar New Year day was 23 January, and introduced the Year of the Dragon. Find out more in the CNTV Special Feature 2012 Spring Festival which includes online videos of the spectacular Spring Festival Gala.

Happy New Year from discoverchina.info!

Ningbo’s ancient street restored

Bruce Boyes — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:42:58 +0000

After three years of renovation, an ancient street in Ningbo city in eastern China has opened to welcome visitors from home and around for an authentic experience of traditional local culture. Find out more in the CNTV Culture Express story Taste old flavor of Ningbo.

White Horse Temple expands into cultural park

Bruce Boyes — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:41:42 +0000

In 2008 I had the pleasure of visiting the White Horse Temple in Luoyang in central China’s Henan Province (see story and pictures). With over 1900 years of history, White Horse Temple is described as the cradle of Buddhism in China.

Over the next eight years, the temple will be expanded into an 87 hectare cultural park, the largest in China, with an International Temples Zone showcasing 10 exotic shrines from foreign countries. One can already be visited – an Indian shrine opened in May 2010. Two more will open shortly – a Thai shrine built in the 1990s is being expanded and will open in April, and a Myanmar Buddhist garden will be created in April.

Find out more in the China Daily article ‘Cradle of Chinese Buddhism’ embraces world.

Captive-bred Pandas Return to the Wild

Bruce Boyes — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:26:06 +0000

108 pandas bred in captivity are being released into natural habitat in southwest China´s Sichuan Province. It is a major step toward returning the endangered animals into the wild. The pandas, ages two to four, are being released into the “Panda Valley”, 134 hectares of enclosed forest and part of the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Release Research Center. Find out more in the CNTV Special Feature Captive-bred Pandas Return to the Wild.

World Heritage Mogao Grottoes receives record visitors

Bruce Boyes — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:24:54 +0000

The renowned world heritage site Mogao Grottoes in northwest China’s Gansu province has reported record high visitor numbers for 2011. One of the country’s three major Buddhist art treasures, the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang received 680,000 tourists in 2011, up 23.6 percent from 550,000 in 2010. The 1,600-year-old Mogao Grottoes, or the Ancient Caves of 1,000 Buddhas, became China’s first UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. It has more than 2,000 colored sculptures and 45,000 square meters of frescoes in over 700 caves spread across about 1,600 meters along a hill. Find out more in the CNTV Travel story World heritage Mogao Grottoes receives record visitors in 2011.