Discover China

China is globally famous for its tea culture. Chaozhou Kongfu tea, from Guangdong Province, is just one of the many different varieties produced and taken in China. To get the very best from a good cup of tea, everything must be right – the water, the heating, the tea leaves, the tea sets, the brewing, and even the way of drinking. The elegant Chaozhou tea ceremony is listed as a national intangible cultural heritage and reflects Chaozhou culture. To find out how you can taste this culture see the CNTV Culture Express story Chaozhou festival displays tea culture.

Jiuzhaigou, or “the Valley of Nine Villages,” in Sichuan Province has been a National Park for three decades. Tourists celebrate Jiuzhaigou for its dazzling lakes and mountains of stunning multi-colored foliage, but the heavenly expanse of wilderness is not deserted throughout the winter season. A new attraction has opened – the “Ice Waterfall Tourism Festival”. Waterfalls turn into elaborate ice sculptures as the mercury falls, and stunning trails wind into thickly forested hills. A photography exhibition and forum on tourism are also being held. Find out more in the CNTV Culture Express story Ice Waterfall Tourism Festival hails Jiuzhaigou.

China’s long and complex history has given rise to a range of different architectural styles. They not only fuse cultures’ structural and decorative forms, but are also influenced by Chinese concepts such as feng shui and yin and yang. The Shenzhen Daily presents the ten best examples of Chinese architecture in this series of articles:

• Ten best examples of Chinese architecture (I) – Kaiping diaolou and Wang Family Compound
• Ten best examples of Chinese architecture (II) – Imperial Prime Minister’s Palace, Fujian tulou and Qiao Family Compound
• Ten best examples of Chinese architecture (III) – Dayi Liu Manor, Hongcun Village and Xidi Village
• Ten best examples of Chinese architecture (IV) – Kang Baiwan Manor and Yulin Manor of Jiang Yaozu

I had the pleasure of visiting the Hongcun and Xidi ancient villages on my trip to Henan, Anhui and Zhejiang in 2009.

Tai’er Zhuang, a city in Shandong Province, is renowned for a successful campaign against the Japanese invaders in 1938. Now the city has a new tourism attraction – an Ancient Town. The Town has so far created 80,000 jobs and has helped raise the city from the least economically-active to the second most active one in the Province. Step inside and find out more in the CNTV Culture Express story Historic town reinvented in Shandong Province.

The capital of Heilongjiang province is located in Northeast China near the border of Russia and its neighbor’s influence is clearly seen in the city’s charming European architecture. Harbin’s biggest tourist attraction is the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival each year – find out more in the China Daily article Ice to see you.