Discover China

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.

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.

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.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the 1911 Revolution, which began with the Wuchang Uprising on 10 October 1911. The great revolution led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen led to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and brought an end to the imperial rule in China. Learn more in the CNTV Special Feature 100th Anniversary of 1911 Revolution.