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Gongbao Chicken
Gongbao Chicken is a famous dish with chicken breast and peanuts as the main ingredients. Because it was invented by a Qing Dynasty official called Ding Baozhen, people named it after the Ding’s emeritus official title, which is “Gongbao”....
Gongbao Chicken is a famous dish with chicken breast and peanuts as the main ingredients. Because it was invented by a Qing Dynasty official called Ding Baozhen, people named it after the Ding’s emeritus official title, which is “Gongbao”. Legend has it that Ding was an incorruptible official. He cared about the people and had few material pursuits except his love for good food. When he was off duty, he would go out on a tour in common clothes in search of great food. During his office in Shandong Province, one day, Ding took an excursion to Daming Lake in Shandong Province with his servants. After enjoying the beautiful scenery there, he felt a bit hungry and walked into a peasant’s courtyard where an old woman was feeding her chicken. The people in that village were known for their hospitality. The woman immediately offered Ding some tea and had someone get her son back from a restaurant where he worked as a cook. The son could judge from Ding’s imposing appearance and his different accent that he was an important guest. So went into the kitchen and started cooking right away. A moment later, he came out carrying a tray with a few dishes. Ding tried every dish and was particularly fascinated with the chicken and peanut one. The chicken was very tender and tasty and the peanut was crispy. He asked Ding how it was made and wrote down the recipe. Soon afterwards Ding employed this young man as his private cook. He brought the cook later when he was transferred to work in Sichuan Province. Sichuan has a humid climate so people there enjoy eating very spicy food to help them feel less damp inside. The dish was slightly modified and was categorized into Sichuan cuisine. After Ding died, an official in Sichuan presented the recipe of this dish to the emperor, so later it was placed on the list of famous imperial dishes.
Mapo Tofu
Mapo Tofu is a famous dish in Sichuan cuisine. Its history dates back to around 1860 in the Qing Dynasty. At that time, there was a market at Wanfu Bridge outside the northern city gate of Chengdu. Near the market lived a couple running a small inn....
Mapo Tofu is a famous dish in Sichuan cuisine. Its history dates back to around 1860 in the Qing Dynasty. At that time, there was a market at Wanfu Bridge outside the northern city gate of Chengdu. Near the market lived a couple running a small inn. The wife, known as Chen Mapo, was a skillful cook, especially good at cooking tofu. She was so called because she had a pockmarked face as a result of smallpox in her childhood. Mapo literally refers to a lady with a pockmarked face. Every day many oil peddlers and other small businessmen passed by the inn. They would often stop for a quick meal there. They gave Mapo some beef and leftover oil to be braised together with tofu. The other ingredients Mapo added included: fermented soybeans, bean paste sauce, and dry hot pepper. When the dish was done, Mapo would sprinkle some numb pepper powder on it to make it smell good and taste numb and spicy. Gradually the inn’s business flourished because of Mapo’s tofu and many other guests did the same as the oil peddlers by bringing ingredients here. Later Mapo tofu was recorded in a book called The Overall View of Chengdu, which made it famous. Up till the 1920s the inn continued with its tradition of cooking Mapo Tofu upon provided oil, beef and tofu. During the anti-Japanese War in the 1930s, many immigrants came to Chengdu and the growing population led to the emergence of many restaurants. The inn began to offer a larger variety of food choice to attract more customers while Mapo Tofu remained its main dish. In the 1940s, the inn put on a signboard “Chen Style Mapo Tofu” as it began to focus on catering, and later moved this restaurant to downtown Chengdu. After the end of war, many immigrants returned home and spread the Chen Style Mapo Tofu throughout the country. In the following few decades it spread to other countries like Japan and Singapore and in the 1990s it was awarded the title of “China’s time-honored brand”. Now there are restaurants selling packaged sauce for cooking Mapo Tofu in many cities all over China.
Caterpillar fungus (Chong Cao)
Caterpillar fungus, whose Chinese name being “winter worm; summer grass”, is a precious Chinese medicinal herb. It mainly grows in mountain or grassland at an elevation of between 3000-5000 meters on Tibetan Plateau. It is the combination of mummified caterpillar and fungus....
Caterpillar fungus, whose Chinese name being “winter worm; summer grass”, is a precious Chinese medicinal herb. It mainly grows in mountain or grassland at an elevation of between 3000-5000 meters on Tibetan Plateau. It is the combination of mummified caterpillar and fungus. In winter, the caterpillar is born and before it pupates in spring, it is killed by this special fungus and its length grows to 5-10 cm, which looks like a grass. Caterpillar fungus is rich in fatty acid, protein and amino acids. It can be used to treat a variety of ailments from fatigue to cancer.
Top China Tours
$150 Per Day
Guangzhou
Day 1 Arrive in Guangzhou
Arrive in Guangzhou in the morning, you will be met and transferred to hotel, then visit Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. The Memorial Hall is a very famous historical scenic spot. It is in memory of Sun Yat-sen, the great revolutionary forerunner. After that proceed to visit the Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family. It is a unique site for offering up sacrifices to worship ancestors of 72 Chen families in Guangdong. This ancestral temple is also the largest, best preserved and best decorated ancient architecture existing in Guangdong province.
...Read moreDay 1 Arrive in Guangzhou
Arrive in Guangzhou in the morning, you will be met and transferred to hotel, then visit Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. The Memorial Hall is a very famous historical scenic spot. It is in memory of Sun Yat-sen, the great revolutionary forerunner. After that proceed to visit the Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family. It is a unique site for offering up sacrifices to worship ancestors of 72 Chen families in Guangdong. This ancestral temple is also the largest, best preserved and best decorated ancient architecture existing in Guangdong province.
Day 2 Guanzhou Tour
After breakfast, you will go to Yuexiu Park first, the largest and the most famous park in downtown Guangzhou. There are three artificial lakes and seven hills of Yuexiu Mountain. Then you will visit Temple of Six Banyan Trees, which is one of the four best Buddhist temples in Guangzhou and located on the Liurong Road (meaning the Six Banyan Trees Road). The Nanyue King Tomb Museum is a must-see Guangzhou attraction, which dates back to 2,000 years ago, is the earliest large scale painted stone chamber tomb ever found south of the Five Ridges. Buried with the tomb owner in a jade shroud are a gold seal and a lot of exquisite jade adornments. It has become a world famous museum. After the day tour you will be transferred to airport for your next destination.
$53 Per Day
Pingyao Highlights Walking Tour
Pingyao Highlights Walking Day Tour
With our guide to know the Ancient Pingyao better!
Our guide will meet you at your hotel lobby at 08:00 or 08:30, then show you the ticket office to get the ticket for the museums we will visit later.
...Read morePingyao Highlights Walking Day Tour
With our guide to know the Ancient Pingyao better!
Our guide will meet you at your hotel lobby at 08:00 or 08:30, then show you the ticket office to get the ticket for the museums we will visit later.
First we will visit the 700 years old City wall, We will climb up from south gate and have a walk on the wall. We are not sure how many km we can walk, because of the renovating of the wall. Normally we will walk from south gate to the Yunlu Exit.
Then visit the Confucius temple, there is a old building named Dacheng Hall which is over 840 years old. From outside, we can see the big wood joints to lift the big roof around the building which is named Dougong. Due to this design, there are less columns inside the hall for giving the big space for the statues and the prayer. We have chance to see the Confucius statue and learn the philosophy of Confucius. If you like, you can pray for you and your children to get better study.
There is the Paper Cutting master named Wentao nearby the exit of Confucius temple. She is very smart and create the new style paper cutting with much more details and good wishes on it. Her products are made by hanks. It is worth to visit and buy as a souvenir from Pingyao. From the table standing and wall hangings. Please remember, take the red one because of red is the traditional and happy color. But the white one is the best. It is really difficult to choose, because of all of them are really nice.
Then you can have coffee break or tea break if you need at Chummy coffee, after this, visit the City god temple (ChenghuangMiao) which is most beautiful temple inside the wall. Because of the roof is covered by the colorful glazed tiles. There is not only city god and also the three money gods, Now you know why pingyao was the financial center.
Next we will visit the Ancient government building, to see the pingyao politics center in the ancient time. It is the complete building with officials bed room, kitchen and private garden. Follow the guide to look the official’s life from the 250km far away from the hometown.
Have a stroll in the alley to the Rishengchang exchange bank, which is the first bank all of china.You can not miss it.
After lunch, walk to the Ming and Qing street, this is the shopping street full of the stores on the both side of street. You can find alot things here , from post card to lacquered boxes, and wall panels. One more place to see, it is the Armed escort agency also named security and transport service for the business man before the bank founded.
Inlcusions
1.private english speaking tour guide servcie
2.bottle water for the tour
$310 Per Day
3- Day Popular Tour In Zhangjiajie
Day 1 Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
Full day trip to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park,take Bailong Elevator up Yuanjiajie,Bailong Elevator is the said to be the worlds tallest full-exposure outdoor lift,double-deck sightseeing elevator.Yuanjiajie is the inspiration for Hallelujah Mountain in AVATAR , Where you will also find the aptly named First Bridge under Heaven, Lover Peaks and so on.
...Read more
Day 1 Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
Full day trip to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park,take Bailong Elevator up Yuanjiajie,Bailong Elevator is the said to be the worlds tallest full-exposure outdoor lift,double-deck sightseeing elevator.Yuanjiajie is the inspiration for Hallelujah Mountain in AVATAR , Where you will also find the aptly named First Bridge under Heaven, Lover Peaks and so on.
Continuing to Tianzi Mountain, it takes you 40 minuts from Yuanjiajie to Tianzi Mountain by public bus, after arriving in Tianzi Mountain, you will have a bird’s-eye view of all the mountains and valleys of the Wuling Mountains. Visit Western Sea, Helong Park, Viewing Terrace etc.Take Tianzi cablecar down and check in hotel for a rest.
Accommodation: Wulingyuan Downtown
Day 2 Baofeng Lake & Glass Bridge
After breaking in the hotel, we head to Baofeng Lake where is the masterpiece of nature and human beings’wisdom. Baofeng Lake is pure just like a big crystal among Bao feng mountain Range.When you cruise, you can hear authentic song from Tujia minority people,you can fully understand the harmony and peace between human beings and nature.
Transfer to Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, have a walking on the Glass Bridge, Glass Bridge is the highlight of Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, located in Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge is the highest and longest transparent glass bridge with a length 430 meters and a width 6 meters. It is 300 meters above the ground level and it can bear 800 persons standing on it at the same time. (need to book the tickets in advance)
Accommodation: Wulingyuan Downtown
Day 3 Tianmen Mountain
Full day to explore Tianmen Mountain,take the longest cablecar in the world up Tianmen Mountain,have a walk on the mountain plank road built along the face of cliffs. You will feel like walking in a fairy land when the mist is still heavy.The must-visit scenic spots are: Tianmen Cave, Glass Road, Tianme Temple.
See you off in the airport and looking forward to seeing you again in Zhangjiajie.