Discover China

After three years of renovation, an ancient street in Ningbo city in eastern China has opened to welcome visitors from home and around for an authentic experience of traditional local culture. Find out more in the CNTV Culture Express story Taste old flavor of Ningbo.

In 2008 I had the pleasure of visiting the White Horse Temple in Luoyang in central China’s Henan Province (see story and pictures). With over 1900 years of history, White Horse Temple is described as the cradle of Buddhism in China.

Over the next eight years, the temple will be expanded into an 87 hectare cultural park, the largest in China, with an International Temples Zone showcasing 10 exotic shrines from foreign countries. One can already be visited – an Indian shrine opened in May 2010. Two more will open shortly – a Thai shrine built in the 1990s is being expanded and will open in April, and a Myanmar Buddhist garden will be created in April.

Find out more in the China Daily article ‘Cradle of Chinese Buddhism’ embraces world.

108 pandas bred in captivity are being released into natural habitat in southwest China´s Sichuan Province. It is a major step toward returning the endangered animals into the wild. The pandas, ages two to four, are being released into the “Panda Valley”, 134 hectares of enclosed forest and part of the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Release Research Center. Find out more in the CNTV Special Feature Captive-bred Pandas Return to the Wild.

The renowned world heritage site Mogao Grottoes in northwest China’s Gansu province has reported record high visitor numbers for 2011. One of the country’s three major Buddhist art treasures, the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang received 680,000 tourists in 2011, up 23.6 percent from 550,000 in 2010. The 1,600-year-old Mogao Grottoes, or the Ancient Caves of 1,000 Buddhas, became China’s first UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. It has more than 2,000 colored sculptures and 45,000 square meters of frescoes in over 700 caves spread across about 1,600 meters along a hill. Find out more in the CNTV Travel story World heritage Mogao Grottoes receives record visitors in 2011.

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.