Discover China

A weekend trip to Liangzhu, in suburban Hangzhou’s Yuhang district, will not only take you to blooming orchids and green countryside, but also 5,000 years back to China’s primitive civilization. On 8 March the Liangzhu National Heritage Park officially opened to the public. Visitors can see ancient stone walls, archeological sites and the Liangzhu Museum, where scenes of daily life have been reconstructed. Read more in the China Daily article 50 Centuries Later.

In Shenzhen Chiwan you’ll find the remains of a gun emplacement from the days of the Opium Wars in the 19th century. This was when British and American merchants were illegally importing opium into China. Read more in James Baquet’s Shenzhen Daily article Chiwan Left Fort.

At 2,155 meters above sea level, the peak of the rugged Huashan range is the highest of the five sacred mountain groups in China. But it is not just the altitude that makes the mountains in Huayin, Shaanxi province stand out, it is more about the Huashan’s importance in human history stretching back thousands of years. Read more in the China Daily article Haunting beauty of the Huashan.

Fuzhou, capital of East China’s Fujian province, is carrying out an ambitious plan to renovate its 163-kilometer-long urban canal system. The project is expected to re-establish the city’s waterway transport in the next few years, and in the long term its charm as the “Oriental Venice”. Read more in the China Daily article Fuzhou plans to restore the romance of its waterways.

A foundation laying ceremony for the construction of a miniature Ancient Tea Road, or southern Silk Road, has been held at Splendid China-China Folk Culture Villages theme park in OCT, Nanshan District, Shenzhen. Read more in the Shenzhen Daily article Replica of the past.