Discover China

The China Tourism Association has announced the 2011 list of top 10 leisure cities in China – find out more in the China Daily article China’s top 10 leisure cities announced.

The Xi’an Horticultural Expo opens on 28 April and concludes on 22 October 2011. A large number of cities and organisations from China and abroad will participate in this major event which is expected to attract 12 million visitors. The expo’s theme is “Eternal peace & harmony between nature & mankind, nurturing the future earth – a city for nature, co-existing in peace”.

The expo is located on Guangyun Lake and covers a total area of 418 hectares, and is based on a pattern of “two circles, two axes, and five groups”. “Five groups” includes Chang’an Park, Creativity Park, Five-Continent Park, Sci-tech Park and Experience Park. The main buildings include Chang’an Tower, Greenhouse, Theme Pavilion and the Guangyun Entrance. The Five Major Horticultural Scenic Spots are the Chang’an Flower Valley, Colorful Plants from Qinling Mountains, Flowers along the Silk Road, Overseas Collections and Flower Rainbow over the Ba River. The Three Characteristic Zones refers to Romance by the Ba River, Southeast Asian Street and European Avenue.

Archeologists in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province are about to open an ancient tomb in a southern suburb of Xi’an that dates back some 2,000 years. Find out more in the CNTV story 2000-Year-Old West Han Tomb Opened.

An exhibition has opened in Sydney Australia, presenting over 120 ancient artifacts from China. Included in the display are 10 of the world-renowned terracotta warriors and horses, and other significant recent finds from the First Emperor Qin Shihuang’s mausoleum located in Shaanxi province of northwest China. To read more or view the video visit CNTV Culture Express story China’s Terracotta Warriors march on Sydney.

Daming Palace, located in the center of Xi’an, Shaanxi province, was once the center of politics, economics and culture during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) and has witnessed ups and downs for centuries. Its replica, Daming Palace Pavilion, is standing at the Urban Best Practices Area at the Shanghai World Expo. The renovation of Daming Palace National Heritage Park was listed among the key projects of the Eleventh Five Year Plan. Daming Palace National Heritage Park, once reconstructed, will cover 19.16 square kilometers. The construction of Xi’an Daming Palace National Heritage Site Park will be completed and open to the public on National Day 1 October 2010. Read more in this China Daily Feature.