Li River cruise in China

Li River cruise, one of the best place to see china's impressive landscapes

Li River cruise is one of the most famous journeys in the world. Choosing this cruise would highlight your trip to China by showing you the impressive landscapes that the region boasts. The river journey is supposed to be 5 hours and is more than 52 miles long. A reverse cruise upstream from Yangshou to Yangdi was introduced this year. Choosing this new option would enable you to shorten the time of the cruise by approximately 2 hours.

This journey would allow you to see peaks and villages with interesting names along the river while listening to the tour guides narrating stories about various famous places. The most spectacular part of the journey is between Yangdi and Xingping providing you with beautiful memories that can be cherished forever.

It is essential that you enquire about the boat thoroughly and ask for photos prior to paying for the boat. There are plenty of options to pick from so you would want to be sure about whether or not your expectations are being met. The boats vary from luxury cruises to Bamboo Boats with none of them being allowed to carry passengers on their way back to Guilin. You could be sitting in the comfort of your cabin or alternatively enjoying the outdoors depending on your budget and preferences. Be sure to bring a camera along because the sceneries are said to be photographers’ dream. When the cruise ends in Yangshou, you should be prepared to walk to the famous Wall Street since the wonderful hotels, cafes and restaurants there would allow you to explore the life in China. This little county of Yangshou is also a good place for hiking, cycling or walking.

Singapore Zoo

Orangutans at the Singapore Zoo

Recently awarded with the ‘Best Leisure Attraction Experience Award’ in the 20th Singapore Tourism Awards, Singapore Zoo is undoubtedly one of the prime tourist attractions of Singapore. One of the most beautiful zoos in the world, Singapore Zoo was formerly known as Singapore Zoological Gardens. Spread over an area of 28 hectares, Singapore Zoo is a one-stop platform where you can observe the great wildlife of Singapore.

Singapore Zoo is not just about watching different animals and birds. With a variety of interactive shows giving all the details about the animals of the zoo, a visit to the Singapore Zoo is an altogether educational experience. These shows are held in the amphitheaters of Singapore Zoo and serve as an effective way to spread the message of wildlife conservation. The “Wonders of the Wild” show is the latest addition to the series of shows that are conducted in Singapore Zoo.

Singapore Zoo is an abode to a variety of monkeys and apes. You are sure to have a rendezvous with some of the rarest monkeys in the world at the well-maintained Singapore Zoo. Peacocks, Spider Monkeys, Langurs, Lemurs and Guinea Fowl are some of the free-ranging animals and birds that you will get to see in Singapore Zoo. Singapore Zoo is a great place for kids as it allows them to touch and feed different farm animals.

For the convenience of tourists from Japan and China, there are different languages like Japanese and Chinese incorporated on the signboards at the zoo. The facility of having breakfast and a cup of tea sitting next to an Orang Utan makes a trip to the Singapore Zoo an experience of a lifetime! Not only this, you can even take snaps with the grinning chimps at the zoo. Feel free to capture those Kodak moments in your camera during your tour to Singapore Zoo.

Entry fee for an adult is $20, for a child is $13, and for senior citizens is $11. Children below 3 years of age are freely admitted. Boat and tram rides cost extra.

Jurong Bird Park

Macaws at Jurong Bird Park, Singapore

Dr. Goh Keng Swee, the then Minister for Defence of Singapore, was the first one to conceive the idea of what is now known as the Jurong Bird Park. After a series of efforts and plannings, the Jurong Bird Show was finally inaugurated on 3rd January 1971. Owing to the fact that the Jurong Bird Show houses more than 380 bird species, it is considered as the world’s largest bird park. Have the pleasure of watching birds like Flamingos, Hornbills, Cocktails, Hawks, Macaws and Parrots under the guidance of well-trained guides at the Jurong Bird Show.

The main highlights of the Jurong Bird Show includes Penguin Chitchat, All Star Birdshow, World of Darkness, Bee-Eater & Starling Chitchat, Pelican Chitchat, Birds of Prey Show, Lunch with the Birds, Lory Loft, Parrot Paradise, Jungle Jewels, Southeast Asia Bird Aviary, the Riverine and so on.

The Penguin chitchat houses more than 200 penguins, Penguin Parade allows you to watch 5 species of Penguins, namely Macaroni, Fairy, King Penguin, Humboldt and Rockhopper.

Showcasing a large number of performing birds in a single act, the All Star Birdshow is one of the hit birdshows of Jurong Bird Park. Flamingos, Hornbills and Pelicans are the star attractions of this birdshow.

The Birds of Prey Show, as the name suggests, offers you to watch birds of prey like eagles, vultures, hawks and falcons. All those frightening birds can be seen here without any risk.

Performed at the Waterfall Aviary, Bee-Eater & Starling Chitchat show is another major hit among tourists visiting the Jurong Bird Park. Having the world’s only monorail running on an aviary, waterfall aviary offers you to see about 1,500 free-flying birds.

The specialty of Pelican Chitchat, on the other hand, is that it takes place at the world’s first underwater viewing gallery. Have fun watching some of the endangered species of pelicans at Pelican Chitchat Birdshow.

Lastly, don’t miss the golden opportunity of having a lunch while watching the beautiful Flamingos Lake at the Jurong Bird Park during your tours to Singapore.

The entry ticket for an adult costs SGD 20, whereas, it costs only SGD 13 for children between 3 to 12 years.

Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia

Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 

The Petronas Twin Towers are dual skyscrapers with a postmodern design, located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The design of Cesar Pelli is inspired by the Islamic symbol, Rub el Hizb – two overlapping squares, rotated to create an eight-pointed star. The Petronas Towers were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998-2004 (when they were surpassed by Taipei 101). There are 88 floors in each of the towers. The two towers are connected at the 41st and 42nd floors by the sky bridge – the highest two-story bridge in the world, which is 170 meters (558 feet) high, and 58 meters (190 feet) long.

The towers have a total of 78 elevators. The 29 main elevators are all double-decker – the bottom deck stops at odd-numbered floors, and the upper deck serves even-numbered floors. To reach an even numbered floor from the ground, passengers must take an escalator up one level from the ground floor.

Eastern Qing Tombs in China

Eastern Qing Tombs – Sacred burial ground of Qing Dynasty in China

The Eastern Qing Tombs make up an imperial mausoleum complex from the last feudal empire in China, the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). This sacred burial ground is located near Beijing in Zunhua, Hebei Province. Most of the tombs at Eastern Qing are open to the public.

The Eastern Qing Tombs are the final resting place of 5 emperors: Shunzhi, Kangxi, Qianlong, Xianfeng, and Tongzhi. In addition, there are also empresses, imperial concubines, princes, and princesses, all from the Qing Dynasty buried in the tombs. Their positioning within the tombs shows their relationships and the hierarchy of rulers and heirs, laid out in a branch-like system.

The largest and most elaborate tomb, and the focal point of the whole site is called Xiaoling, which houses the remains of the Emperor Shunzhi. He was the first Qing ruler, and his position in the mausoleum shows his exalted status. The Emperor Qianlong has a tomb that covers half a square kilometer, and is decorated with Tibetan and Sanskrit sutras, and bas-relief art.

The Empress Dowager Cixi has a tomb called Dingdongling, which was completed long before her death. The tomb features a depiction of a phoenix above a dragon – symbols representing the Empress and Emperor respectively.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan

Cenotaph through which the Atomic Dome can be seen at Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima, Japan.

On August 6, 1945, during World War II, military forces dropped the first atomic bomb in world history over the Japanese city of Hiroshima, killing a total of about 140,000 people. About half were killed instantly, and the other half died later from the bomb’s effects. The only building left in the wide area destroyed by the bomb was the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, now called the Genbaku (A-Bomb) Dome, which stood directly below the point of explosion. The structure has been preserved to remain exactly the way the bomb left it.

The area surrounding the dome has since been transformed into the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, which includes the dome, monuments to the victims, and a museum. Notable monuments in the park include a concrete arch protecting a cenotaph (or empty tomb) that contains the names of the bomb victims. Through the arch, the Peace Flame and the A-Bomb Dome are visible, in perfect alignment. The Peace Flame burns continuously, and will continue until the world is free from nuclear warfare. There is also the Children’s Peace Monument, dedicated the children who lost their lives in the bombing. Children from around the world send thousands of paper cranes to Hiroshima, which are displayed around the monument. The Children’s Peace Monument contains one of three peace bells that visitors can ring for world peace.

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is also situated within the park, and offers a history of the war and the decision to bomb Hiroshima, as well as many personal stories, memorabilia, and photos from the bombing. The museum also works to promote the message of world peace and end nuclear warfare.

Historic Centre of Macau in China

Visitors at the Historic Centre of Macau in China

Macau is a port city with an unique history and modern mix of cultures. Once a Portuguese colony, Macau was under Portuguese administration from the mid-sixteenth century until 1999, when it fell under Chinese rule. Macau had been inhabited by Chinese fishermen and seafaring merchants, who established fishing villages. Portuguese traders arrived and settled in the port as part of its trade route, making Macau a prosperous port town. A population influx in 1949 brought many Chinese refugees, and Macau then became a Chinese territory administered by Portugal. Today, the city of Macau is considered a Special Administrative Region of China, and displays a fusion of cultures coexisting and connecting.

The port of Macau is an important and long-lasting point of international trade – the trade of goods as well as culture. The Macau Historic Centre exhibits the merging of East and West, with architecture, technology, and culture influenced by both the Portuguese and Chinese inhabitants. Its streets are European, yet Asian, a development of something entirely unique to Macau.

Two zones in the Historic Centre, with about 25 historical buildings with architecture influenced by both Portuguese and Chinese styles were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005. Visitors to the Historic Centre of Macau can take the Macau Heritage Walk circuit to view examples of some of the earliest Western architecture in Asia, including styles from the Renaissance, Baroque, and neoclassical periods. Though these are in Western style, they incorporate characteristics from Chinese culture, including Chinese murals. Temples and homes in the Chinese style are also found in the historical city center.

The Guia Fortress, which includes a fort, a chapel, and a cemetery, were built around 1622 to 1638. The lighthouse on site is the oldest lighthouse in South China.

Other notable historical sites include several churches, including the ruins of Saint Paul’s church, though the façade is all that remains. The A-Ma Temple, situated in Barra Square, is a Taoist temple that may have contributed to the name of the city Macau. Dom Pedro V Theater was the first Western theater in China, constructed in the neoclassical style. The Moorish Barracks are also neoclassical design, featuring verandas and granite work. Macau Historic Centre includes several town squares, a library, many churches, and historical homes.