We start up with a look at the city of Pingyao, one of the best preserved examples of a traditional Han Chinese town in the world. The city was originally founded back in the 14th century and its layout tells the fascinating story of town planning in Imperial China over five centuries. Most of this layout dates back to the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the tell tale sign being the conformity to a Bagua pattern. You can get a lot from the city by just taking a walk around as the streets and storefronts still largely retain their historical appearance.

Luoyang and its World Heritage listed Longmen Grottoes are next on our list of destinations. The city of Luoyang is located in the western reaches of Henan Province. The city was founded in an important location in the middle reaches of the Yellow River surrounded by protective mountains. The city is one of China’s truly ancient locations, with a history dating back to 2100BC; a history that spans 13 of China’s Dynasties. The Longmen Grottoes are a series of caves packed with over 100,000 Buddhist statues, which makes it a site of incredible religious importance.

The final destination on our list is another famous Buddhist shrine. Located near the city of Datong in Shanxi Province are the beautiful Yungang Caves. The cave complex is carved into the side of the Wuzhou Mountain and contains 50,000 Buddhist statues and frescoes. It contains less statuary than the Longmen Grottoes, but the main reason many choose to visit this location is the impressive frescoes and beautiful silks on display.

This is just a small taste of the ancient towns and sites that are open to visitors to the country, and there is so much more to explore. So next time you’re looking for a history and culture packed holiday, why not take a look at China?

We start with one of the most famous monuments in Beijing: the Forbidden City. This enormous palace played home to the Chinese Emperors and their families for almost 500 years, a tradition that only ended in 1911. The name comes from the fact that the entry to the city was forbidden to everyone apart from the imperial family and those on official imperial business. Some of the most impressive buildings in the complex include monuments such as the Golden Water Bridges and the Gate of Supreme Harmony. It’s the large, traditional pavilions that draw the biggest crowds though.

Just beyond the Forbidden City is our next site, Tiananmen Square. This expansive open square is the third largest in the world and has been centre stage for many important events in China. Most will know the square from its role in modern history. You can experience much of this past in the two museums just off the square: the Museum of the Chinese Revolution and the Museum of Chinese History. It’s worth taking a moment to just stand in the middle of the square too, to just absorb the feel of one of the most significant, historical locations in China.

Our final site is perhaps the city’s most famous: The Great Wall. It’s been a major draw to the city for millions of visitors due to its unique status. The wall was constructed over the course of almost 2,000 years and is made up of over 3,700 miles of stone walls. Access to the wall from Beijing city is a short trip to the northwest of the city centre. The monument is an impressive structure up close, although it can get crowded so it’s worth visiting early in the morning.

Red Fort, Delhi

Taking a trip to India is an increasingly popular choice for a holiday and it’s no wonder with so many amazing tours to India available. However, for many people it’s their first time in this beautiful country; this blog takes a look at some of the countries most famous sites, to give the first timers out there a taste of what they can expect in this culturally rich destination.

The first of our three sights is the impressive Red Fort, set in the bustling city of Delhi. The site, also know by its more popular Indian name Lal Quila, is one of the biggest draws in the city. The massive fort sits on the bank of the river Yamuna; with its thick red sandstone walls, stout bastions and fantastic turrets it has a real sense of presence. The site is also one of the oldest and largest monuments in the country; its outer wall covers just over 2 kilometres. The citadel was constructed in the 17^th century by Shahjahan and serves as a link to Delhi’s imperial past.

Next we have the magical Hawa Mahal Palace, located in the city of Jaipur. This prominent building is one of the most impressive in the region, mainly due to its unique architecture and bright terracotta red colouring. The Hawa Mahal was constructed by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh in 1799 and draws its design influences from both Rajputana and Mughal architecture. The building is comprised of five main stories, which taper towards the top of the building. Each of the stories features hundreds of tiny windows, cut out to form a lattice work. The building really is a must see if you’re visiting the city and is best viewed as the early morning sun catches the building.

Finally, no list of famous sights in India would be complete without a mention of the Taj Mahal. This beautiful, and iconic, monument is synonymous with love and romance. Standing proudly on the banks of the River Yamuna in Agra, the monument makes for a breathtaking sight. With its pearly white walls, exquisite carvings and murals formed of gemstones; the building itself is a mausoleum that was constructed by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, in 1653, in memory of one of his wives, Mumtaz Mahal. Today the site is widely recognised as one of the masterpieces of the world’s heritage.

Experience all these fantastic attrations and more on a Wendy Wu tour.

Request a free copy of our brand new India brochure here.

Taj Mahal

Rajasthan is one of the largest and most populous regions in India. Its name translates to “the land of kings” and it’s well named, as the region features some of the best cultural sights in India. In this blog we take a look at three of the great destinations that you can discover on a trip to this magical location.

Udaipur – City of Lakes

Udaipur is, like many Indian cities, well known for its brilliant history, culture and scenery. It’s the lakes, as the city’s nickname would suggest, that draw in the biggest crowds though and with good reason. The five large lakes that surround the city, Lake Pichola, Dudh Talai Lake, Udai Sagar, Fateh Sagar Lake and Swaroop Sagar are said to be some of the most beautiful lakes in the whole region. That’s not the only thing the city is famous for though. The architecture of Udaipur is also spectacular; the city features some of the best Rajput-era palaces in India along with a great mix of traditional temples and memorials.

Jaisalmer – The Golden City

Jaisalmer, also know as the Golden City because of the region’s yellow sand that reflects the sunlight, is one of the oldest towns in the region. The town has a long and fascinating history, including being one of the last states to sign a treaty with the British and surviving several Medieval sieges. As with many of the region’s towns and cities the beautiful buildings are a big attraction here. One of the main features of Jaisalmer is the impressive fort that sits on a ridge above the town; the fort also contains the palace and some excellent examples of ornate Jain temples.

Delhi – Gateway to the Gangetic Plain

No blog about the cities of Rajasthan would be complete without a mention of the region’s largest city, Delhi; India’s capital city. Modern Delhi is formed of two main areas and a scattering of smaller towns; New and Old Delhi – a remnant of British rule – are the two largest. The city area has been continuously inhabited since the 6th century BC and because of this has a rich cultural and historical past. Some of the regions most famous sites are located within the city’s bounds, including the Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb and Qutab Minar, all of which are recognised as World Heritage Sites.

This is just a small taste of what you can experience on one of the holidays to India that feature Rajasthan as a destination. It truly is an experience you won’t forget.

Request a free copy of Wendy Wu Tours newly launched India brochure here.

Yangtze River

The Yangtze River cruise is becoming an increasingly popular holiday choice. Many though are unsure just what there is to see in this beautiful series of gorges. We’re going to take a look at a couple of the fantastic shore excursions day you can take along the length of the mighty Yangtze River, to give you an idea of what there is to see and do on a cruise here.

Fengdu
Situated on the north bank of the river is the ancient city of Fengdu. The city has a long history and is often referred to as the “Ghost City”, a name and reputation that it received from the Eastern Han Dynasty. The name comes from a story about two Chinese officials, Wang Fangping and Yin Changsheng, who came to the city to practice their Taoist teachings. The story goes on to tell of their journey to eventual immortality through self-cultivation. It’s this story combined with the a strange twist that the surnames of the pair Yin and Wang combine into what sounds like “King of Hell” in Chinese, hence Fengdu becoming known as the “Ghost City”.

Since the period of the Eastern Han Dynasty forty eight temples have been constructed on the site, with fantastical names such as “Hall of the Jade Emperor”, “Boundary Between the Living and the Dead”, ” the “Ridge of Helplessness” and the “Balcony of Nostalgia”. These all make for a fascinating trip and are excellent examples of Chinese architecture.

Shennong Stream
The beautiful Shennong Stream is another great trip out for those who want to see a little more of the natural wonders of this region. The stream is one of the tributaries that flow into the Yangtze River. It runs for over 60km from its head in the southern part of Shennongjia Natural Reserve, all the way down to where it connects with the Yangtze at Xirangkou. Shennong is well known for its natural beauty, often rated as better than that of the neighboring Lesser Three Gorges in Wushan County, and its calm, crystal clear waters and sheer gorge walls really do make for a spectacular sight.

The stream can be enjoyed from a peapod boat, and skimming along the stream on one of these really is the best way to see the river. A day trip out here feels a lot more intimate than the larger, and busier, Yangtze, so if you get the chance it’s well worth it.

A selection of local Chinese dishes

Beijing, a city of many wonders; so many in fact that it can seem a little overwhelming at first. The best way to see the city is on one of our many Beijing tours. This blog post takes a look at just a few of the restaurants you can sample on a Private Tour of Beijing.

Han Cang
This fantastic restaurant serves some of the best hakka cuisine in the city. Hakka is easy to recognize with its earthy, wholesome and tasty dishes.

Some of Han Cang’s specialties include three-cup duck, braised in rice wine and soy sauce; salt-baked shrimp and a range of oven-baked fish choices. The restaurant has a cosy, rustic feel to it; the walls are covered in rice paper, you sit around large wooden tables and service has a homely personal feel to it. If you’re lucky enough to get one; the tables on the top floor also offer beautiful views over the lakes outside.

Three Guizhou Men
Something slightly more ‘trendy’ for the next choice, the dazzling ‘Three Guizhou Men’. Often considered as a haunt of Beijing’s rich and beautiful; this fantastic restaurant has suitable food and atmosphere for its clientele. The spicy lamb rack served here is one of the best menu choices. If you’re slightly less adventurous then the ‘Beef on Fire’, comprising of strips of beef hung and cooked over chives and hot coals, is also a popular choice for foreign diners.

Jiumen Xiaochi
If you have slightly more adventurous taste buds then a look round Jiumen Xiaochi is a great idea. This courtyard restaurant complex is a throw back to the pre-Communist times of the city, when the city was full of laozihaos; what we would recognise as brand-name restaurants except these have been around for centuries. The complex offers a more traditional range of foods too, everything from traditional rice dishes to the more unusual offerings like flash-fried tripe and lamb’s head.

This is just a small selection of the restaurants available in this diverse city, and a little exploring can go a long way. There really is something for everyone in the beautiful city of Beijing.

Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is one of the country’s best known historical sites. This has meant that over the years the renovated sections of the wall such as Badaling, Simatai and Jinshanling have become popular tourist destinations, especially as those sections are easy to reach from Beijing which is close by. Our group tours visit the Juyongguan Pass, which is a quieter section of the wall.

If you take a Prviate Tour, for a more personal Great Wall experience,  you can reach lengths of the wall that are not mentioned in the English guidebooks and so attract very few tourists. One of these sections, that’s still fairly easy to reach from Beijing, is located in the Huairou region. This fantastic wall section was built back in the Ming Dynasty, around 1368, and is located just 73km from Beijing and if you follow its length it connects up with the Mutianyu Great Wall just 10km to the east.

The region is well known for its beautiful terrain and the wall has sites that really let you take advantage of this. One such site is the enemy observation tower known as, “The Eagle Flies Facing Upward”. Although the tower isn’t in great shape, so climbing the tower is inadvisable, the rocky peak it sits upon gives an impressive view of the landscape around. The climb up to the tower is not for the faint hearted though as it sits on the highest section of the wall in this region.

So if you fancy experiencing the Great Wall then why not consider one of our Great Wall of China tours with a difference.

Majestic Yangtze

The famous Yangtze River attracts thousands of tourists every year to see the beautiful scenery and experience fantastic Yangtze River Cruise holidays. The landscape is usually the main draw for many but the river has other breathtaking sites to see as well. One of these is the modern marvel that is the Three Gorges Dam.

The dam is one of the largest power generating structures in the world, and with a total of 26 turbines produces a massive 22,500 MW, to put that in perspective that’s enough electricity to power 20 million homes.

The colossal structure makes for an incredible sight. Spanning the width of the valley, at just over 2.3km, its construction took over 27 million cubic metres of concrete, a massive half a million tonnes of steel and involved some of the largest earthworks of any modern engineering project, with over 100 million cubic metres of earth shifted. A trip to the dam also provides an impressive and unique view up and down the valley and the sense of scale while standing next to the dam is incredible.

Although the construction of the dam was highly controversial, it provided a strong sign of the drive to move power generation away from the traditional fossil fuel based systems. The dam also has the added benefits of giving tighter control, and some protection, over river flooding. In addition to this, the flooding of the upper valley lead to an increase of the transport capacity and the safety levels of the river. The Yangtze was notorious for its strong currents during the flooding seasons, a problem that’s been at least partially abated by the dam.

Finally, a trip to the dam wouldn’t be complete without going to see the incredible lock and lift system. The traditional locks see an amazing amount of through traffic on a daily basis and seeing the ship lift in action, capable of lifting ships of up to 3,000 tonnes, is a breathtaking sight.

So if you’re thinking of taking a trip out to see the Yangtze and its stunning scenery, make sure you also get to enjoy a tour of the Three Gorges Dam!

If you’re on a Private Tour visiting Beijing, there are some sights in the city that should be high on your list of must see attractions if you get the chance. Be sure to wander the Beijing Botanical Garden on your Beijing tour. It’s very much like Kew Gardens in the UK – it’s not only a site of scientific research, but also a great way for visitors to the city to see a wide range of wonderful, exotic plants.

Beijing Botanical Garden

The Botanical Garden is one of the key botanical gardens in the whole of China, it covers an area of around 135 acres and sits between Fragrance Hill and Yu Quan Mountain. Situated in the Gardens is a whole range of plant exhibits, set out into areas or districts based on climate and species. It’s not just plants though, there’s also a famous relic site located in the Gardens and a natural reserve for a more natural plant and animal habitat.

Plant-wise there are over 10,000 different species, including over 1,400 hot house plants and over 2000 different types of trees and bush. These plants are mainly located throughout the site, set up in various greenhouses, groves and gardens. There are rose gardens, cherry and peach gardens, a perennial bulb garden and ginkgo, pine, and cypress sections to name but a few.

If you’re more interested in the hot-house plants then you should take a trip to one of the centrepieces of the site, the Beijing Exhibition Greenhouse, which occupies an area of just under 10,000 square metres and is one of the largest greenhouses in the world. This fantastic greenhouse is sub-divided into climates, from the hot and dry desert plants room to the humid rainforest room, there’s a bewildering range of plants on show here. If you’re looking for something a little different there’s also a carnivorous plants section, showing a fascinating range of theses incredible plants.

Finally, if you fancy taking a break from all the flora, you can take a trip to the relic site, which contains the Reclining Buddha Temple, the Relic of Long Jiao Temple, the Cherry Furrow, the Memorial Hall, the Memorial Hall of Huang Yecun, and the Grave of Liang Qichao.

Chinese Noodles

One of the most common comments we get on our tours is about the differences between authentic Chinese food and that of the Chinese restaurants back in the west. Western Chinese restaurant food is a very different experience to food in China, it tends to be based on Cantonese style food, heavy in meat and fried in oil, with a twist of the west in that it’s quite sweet, can often contain MSG additives and usually only has vegetables as a side option.

The real thing is a far more interesting experience! On the holidays in China that Wendy Wu offers, you get to experience a good mix of Chinese food. Breakfast is a mix of western and Chinese options but for lunch and dinner you get treated to traditional, local cuisine. All meals are included in our fully inclusive Group Tours, which can include a sampling of Peking Duck in Beijing or a delicious dumpling meal in Xian.

Although you get a good mix on the tour banquets, it’s worth keeping in mind that the dishes will vary depending on where you are in the country, though if you are thinking of eating out, the common saying goes “Northerners eat noodles, Southerners eat rice.” There’s also a difference in the spicing of the food depending on where in the country you are, the Sichuan region for example is well know for its spicy dishes. Our Private Tours include several free evenings to give you the option of exploring local restaurants.

So if you’re looking for a real authentic Chinese taste experience, then you can’t beat taking a trip to the country itself.