Go Southern Provinces
Southern Provinces
Guangzhou(Canton)
Known as "the City of Flowers", the subtropical city of Guangzhou is a modern metropolis on the south seaboard, capital of Guangdong Province. It is a Special Economic Zone which is having a great fast development due to its proximity to Hong Kong (182km - 113 miles).
But Guangzhou also has a rich past counting its Chinese cultural heritage and remains of the huge European influence. The city has beautiful parks, temples, museums, hot springs and colonial architecture – principally on Shamian Island –.
Important attractions are The Chenhai Tower, an observation tower next to the Pearl River; the Huaisheng Mosque constructed by Arab merchants; and the Tomb of the King Yue, the ruler of a brief southern kingdom.
In the south of Guangzhou is Shenzhen, a famous city for its World of Splendid China and the China Folk Culture Villages. Hong Kong and Macau are also located inside Guangdong Province.
The capital of the Fujian Province - coast opposite Taiwan -, is an attractive city located above the Min River. The city conserves many ruins of the Tang dynasty, visible at parks and temples, like the White Pagoda and Black Pagoda. The city also preserves nautical reminders of its past as a dominated Treaty Port. Fuzhou has a lot of hot springs in the whole city. In the south is the Mount Wuyi, a dazzling place of natural splendor and the home of neo-Confucianist thought.
The capital of Hunan Province is near to Shaoshan, the birthplace of the Mao Zedong. For this reason there are many museums and schools dedicated to Mao in the city. Another significant attraction of Changsha is a traditional Han Tomb which was moved to the Hunan Provincial Museum.
Situated on the banks of the Li River at the northwest of Guangzhou, the city of Guilin is well-known for its fabulous scenery of peculiar limestone formations.
Abrupt colossal picks rise from a flat scene of meandering rivers and paddy fields. Tourists are allowed to climb the hills, take river excursions and visit the lakes, parks and caves.
In the north of Guilin at Zhangjiajie, is the impressive Wulingyuan basin. Dense primal forest and a lot of huge peaks including Yellow Dragon Cave - a bizarre gnarled stalactites formation - are located at Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.
Lushan Mountain
In the southeast of Wuhan (150km) is situated this spectacular scenic area, which has been a traditional summer resort with beautiful landscapes and a comfortable atmosphere. For centuries, the mountain has sheltered bards, hermits and proscribed people. In recent years, world leaders such as Chiang Kaishek, Mao Zedong and Harry Truman has traveled to Lushan in order to take a rest outside the stressing world. The most important city on this mountainous region is Guling Town.
Known as "the City of Eternal Spring", the capital of Yunnan Province is a city placed close to the borders with Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos, which has created an original distinctiveness on the city.
Kunming has some temples and lovely lakeside parks. It has an agreeable alpine weather, which is why is also called as "the Geneva of the Orient".
Other attractions of Yunnan are the sacred mountain of Xi Shan; Shilin, a petrified limestone forest (120km - 75 miles to the southeast of Kunming); and the former city of Lijiang, the home of the Naxi ethnic group.
The "Hawaii of China" is a tropical island at the south seaboard of Guangdong, which has some beautiful beaches, clean air, palm groves, appetizing seafood and coconuts.
Hainan is one of China's Special Economic Zones. The island is not heavily industrialized as other Chinese places, but has a good tourist infrastructure. In recent years Hainan is trying to become the greatest holiday area of China.