TRAVEL | Hua shan

Hua Shan (華山) is located in the Shaanxi Province, about 100 km east of the city of Xi'an, near the city Huayin in China. The mountain is one of China's Five Sacred Taoist Mountains, as known as 'The Number One Precipitous Mountain under Heaven', and has a long history of religious significance. The mountain has five main peaks, of which the tallest is the South Peak at 2160 m.

Cable Car up to the north peak
Those who don't want to hike up the mountain can take a scenic cable car ride up to the north peak, the lowest of the mountain's five peaks.

West Peak
Mount Huashan, being famous for its breath-taking cliffs since the ancient times, is formed by gigantic granite rocks, weathered by time, making the mountain look just like a vast square column towering toward sky

TRAVEL | Hiking from Jinshanling to Simatai

If you are looking for breathtaking views in relative isolation combined with some exercise on the Great Wall, then the hike between Jinshanling(金山嶺) and Simatai(司馬台) is perfect for you, giving you a truly "authentic" wall experience. This section of the wall is further away from Beijing than other more popular parts such as Badaling(八達嶺) and Juyongguan(居庸關) , making it considerably less crowded with tourists.

Located about 125 km northeast of Beijing, the JinShanling section of the Great Wall wonders through fantastic natural scenery and connects to the Simatai Great Wall to the east.

The hike from the east Jinshanling Great Wall to the west Simatai Great Wall takes about 4 hours with a total length of 12 km. The route will span over 30 towers (15 towers in East Jinshanling and 15 on west Simatai). It's a perfect day trip outside of Beijing with some of the best scenery of the Great Wall.

Jinshanling Section

Jinshanling Section

Jinshanling Section

Some of the terrain we will need to be covering

TRAVEL | Z Trains in China

'Z' category trains (Z stands for Zhida, or 直达特快列车, meaning direct) are the fastest and most modern long distance trains in China, running on routes such as Beijing-Shanghai and Beijing Xian. They are composed of the very latest air-conditioned sleeper carriages, as well as bar and restaurant carriages.

Most Z-series train routes do not have any intermediary stops, and are generally overnight, all-sleeper trains that have travel time of around 10–14 hours.

Distance between Beijing and Xian is 1,200 km (750 miles), taking around 11 hours on this overnight train. Trip cost is around RMB420 (82NZD) per person. Save on a night's accommodation. A lot of Big 2 time!

The label of the sleepers. Each sleeper is numbered with a unique number. This is a picture of the sleeper train with 4 beds in each room.

Each train has about 10 "rooms"

TRAVEL | Mount Huang (黃山)

Located in the Anhui province of eastern China, Mount Huang is one of China's major tourist attractions, well known for its scenery, sunsets, peculiarly-shaped granite peaks, Huangshan Pine trees, and views of the clouds from above. Mount Huang has been voted as one of China's top ten scenic spots, the only mountain range on the list.

There are four major attractions (黄山四绝) that are found in Mount Huang:

1. Pine trees 奇松

The pine trees found here are famous for its peculiar shapes and many are more than a hundred years old. Due to the shapes, many pine trees have been given their own names. The most famous is the Welcoming-Guests Pine, thought to be over 1500 years old. The trees here take roots on rocks, instead of soil.

2. Strange Rocks 怪石

The mountains here are a body of granite, often with vertical joints and are known for the lofty peaks and deep ravines caused by constant erosion and fractures. Within an area of 154 square kilometers there is a crowd of peaks, 72 of which have names indicating the shapes they resemble. Lotus, Brightness Apex, and Celestial Capital Peaks are the three major ones, all rising above 1,800 meters. When it is cloudy the pinnacles loom in mists as if they were illusionary, and while the sun is shining they unfold all their majesty and splendor.

3. Sea of Clouds 云海

Most famous mountain peaks offer the view of clouds as seen from above. In Huangshan, the peculiarly-shaped granite peaks and pine trees shrouded in the clouds make the scene particularly surreal. Here, clouds and fog cover the peaks of Huangshan 250 days of the year, producing imagery that change in the blink of an eye.

4. Hot springs 温泉

Huangshan has multiple hot springs, most of them located at the foot of the Purple Cloud Peak (紫云峰). The water stays at 42 °C all year and has a high concentration of carbonates, and is said to help prevent skin, joint, and nerve illness.


In addition, Huangshan has moist climate all year round, facilitating the growing of tea leaves, making it one of China's premier green tea-growing mountains. Mao feng cha ("Fur Peak Tea"), a well-known local variety of green tea, takes its name from the downy tips of tea leaves found in the Mount Huang area.

"Thousands of feet high towers the Yellow Mountains With its thirty-two magnificent peaks, Blooming like golden lotus flowers, Amidst red crags and rock columns." - Li Bai

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TRAVEL | Jiuzhaigou Valley (九寨溝)

Situated in the north of the Sichuan province of China, Jiuzhaigou valley is a nature reserve known for its many multi-level waterfalls and colorful lakes. A UNESCO world heritage site, Jiuzhaigou's best-known feature is its dozens of blue, green and turquoise-colored lakes caused by different residues formed in processes of Carbonate deposition.

Legend has it; that long, long ago the deity of mountain named Dago had a crush on the goddess Semo, and he gave a mirror that was made from wind and cloud to the goddess. However, the devil appeared and made trouble to Semo. Inadvertently, Semo broke the mirror into 108 pieces, which fell down to the earth and then turned to 108 colorful lakes in the area.

Jiuzhaigou Valley is a great masterpiece of nature, having dreamlike scenery and abundant natural resources. It combines crystal clear lakes, waterfalls, verdant forests, snow-covered mountains, and the folk customs of the Tibetan and Qiang peoples.






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