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China Attractions

Huang Cheng Ba Niu Rou: Hui (Chinese Muslim) Minority Cuisine

If you enjoy eating beef, that is, absolutely any part of a cow, then make time for this traditional Hui Minority restaurant. The Hui look like regular Han Chinese people, but they are Islamic. "Niu Rou" (牛肉) means beef, and I don’t think any dish in this restaurant doesn’t ...

If you enjoy eating beef, that is, absolutely any part of a cow, then make time for this traditional Hui Minority restaurant. The Hui look like regular Han Chinese people, but they are Islamic. "Niu Rou" (牛肉) means beef, and I don’t think any dish in this restaurant doesn’t use at least some part of a cow.

This kind of restaurant is representative of true Chinese dining. The walls are completely bare and somewhat grimy. Chinese customers gorge themselves at round tables, chugging beer and baijiu (Chinese firewater), and conversing in the loudest possible voices. Waitresses listen to your order and immediately shout the order to the front desk, using as loud a voice as necessary to be heard over the din of the restaurant. Dishes are very affordable. A recent meal with four people and seven dishes cost Y77 and there was more than enough to eat. 

Here are some dishes well worth trying, especially if you can’t read the Chinese menu:

Fan Qie Niu Wei Tang - Tomato soup with tomato chunks and cow tail (a solid appetizer)   

Jiang Bao Niu She - Beef tongue                                                                                                  

Hui Guo Rou - Fried beef with red and green peppers (excellent)                                                   

Fen Zhen Niu Rou -  A mixture of rice with some spicy ground beef                                              

Hong Shao Niu Ji Sui - Spinal cord in a spicy red sauce (it’s China, be a little courageous)

Directions: From Tianfu Square head east on Renmin Donglu or Dongyu Jie which run parallel to each other. Then turn left on Shuncheng Jie. Turn right on Tidu Jie (Cell Phone Street) after the Dynasty Hotel. Make the next left onto Sangui Qianjie. The restaurant is on the left side.

 

 

HaYa's Mediterranean Cuisine

Owned and operated by an Israeli family, Ha Ya’s is far and away the tastiest and most authentic Israeli cuisine in Shanghai.  Israeli food incorporates Mediterranean and European flavors to create a deliciously fresh menu full of unique veggie and meat dishes. Following kosher pract...
Owned and operated by an Israeli family, Ha Ya’s is far and away the tastiest and most authentic Israeli cuisine in Shanghai.  Israeli food incorporates Mediterranean and European flavors to create a deliciously fresh menu full of unique veggie and meat dishes. Following kosher practices, this restaurant is perfect for vegetarians, as meat and veggie dishes are carefully labeled on the menu and cooked separately.
 
The décor is simple, open and clean with bright Mediterranean colors tastefully placed throughout the restaurant.  It is the food here, however, that makes the restaurant worth a visit.  Do not miss the homemade hummus and pita (simply delicious, and also for sale at the international grocery store, City Market), and the tzatziki for starters.  We also loved the Israeli and Greek salads as a compliment to our main courses, which were amazing.  I recommend the falafel, chicken shawarma and the schnitzel – all healthy servings that ensure customers will not leave hungry!
 
Check out HaYa’s website.
 
How to get there: Take Metro Line 1 to Huangpi Lu  Station. Head north on Huangpi Lu and pass by Yan’an Zhonglu.  Take a left on Dagu Lu., Ha Ya’s will be on your left. It’s a 15 minute walk from the subway station. (Edited by Xiaoqing)

Tapas Bar

Tapas Bar is a well liked restaurant on the somewhat depressing Maoming Lu. Better days for the once popular bar and restaurant alley have long since past. There are a few great spots on the street (House of Jazz and Blues, Blue Frog), so do not just wholly pass it by. Still, don’t be surprised by the clearly run-down bars that endured extreme popularity three years ago when neon lights and drunk partiers spilled out onto the now dark and lonely street. 
 
Tapas Bar is a two story bar and restaurant that offers great specials (cheap tapas and drinks during happy hour), but keeps customers coming all night for its inexpensive and tasty food. For tapas, we particularly liked the calamari, bruschetta, and Gambas, which were all priced around 30 – 40RMB.  The selection of main courses is smaller than the tapas style menu items, but we loved the veggie penne, with fresh, not over-cooked, veggies and pesto (45RMB).  Drinks cost around 45RMB; I recommend trying the Sangria.
 
Tapas Bar is a cheaper, but not quite as good an option for tapas than Azul and Viva, a great choice for a swankier evening.
 
Take Metro Line 1 to Shanxi Road Station. Head south on Shanxi Lu. Take a left on Fuxing Lu, and then a right on Maoming Lu. Tapas Bar will be on the left side.

 

Tatami Bar & Gallery

Maoming Road creates a T with Yongjia Road, a quiet tree lined street that offers bars with a different flavor than that of Maoming Road.  Tatami Bar & Gallery is a low key, ’Japanese-cool’ , bar that offers a quiet and nearby alternative to Judy’s or Windows.  E...
Maoming Road creates a T with Yongjia Road, a quiet tree lined street that offers bars with a different flavor than that of Maoming Road.  Tatami Bar & Gallery is a low key, ’Japanese-cool’ , bar that offers a quiet and nearby alternative to Judy’s or Windows.  Easily recognizable from the exterior, the bar’s door is lined with bamboo and hardly inviting.  The door is generally closed and there are no windows on the façade, making the interior something of a mystery. Still, the name of the bar tells a lot about what is going on inside.
 
The décor is “Japanese garden” with an outdoor feel due to the terraced ceiling and foot massaging stone floor. Flanking the stone floor are about 10 Japanese tatami rooms (no shoes allowed). The separated spaces are perfect for groups of 2 to 8 people to relax and enjoy a space that provides a seemingly faraway refuge from the pace of busy Shanghai. Drinks are around 45-50RMB and average. I suggest choosing drinks that do not take a lot of work, such as beer.  The ambiance here is definitely the draw.
 
How to get there: Take Metro Line 1 to Shanxi Rd. station. Head south on Shanxi Road for three blocks. Then take a right on Yongjia Road. Tatami Bar & Gallery is on the right side of the street before Yongjia Road ends at Ruijin Road.

Qing Shi Qiao Art, Flower, and Pet Market

Close to the city center, Qing Shi Qiao market offers an unusual mixture of goods. The middle of Xinkai Jie is home to a two-story art market featuring a variety of wood, stone, and porcelain crafts and sculpture, calligraphy and landscape paintings, jade stamps, and Buddha figures...

Close to the city center, Qing Shi Qiao market offers an unusual mixture of goods. The middle of Xinkai Jie is home to a two-story art market featuring a variety of wood, stone, and porcelain crafts and sculpture, calligraphy and landscape paintings, jade stamps, and Buddha figures. There are a number of flower shops along Xinkai Jie, including some which sell cacti. Once you turn left onto Nanfu Jie you will reach another row of small tree, lawnmower, and garden shops followed by a jampacked, flower market at the end of the street. Take a stroll through the winding alleys of the flower market for a breathe of fresh air and momentary escape from the urban landscape. 

The pet and pet supply shops are easily the most curious part of the street. Five or ten years ago these pets were likely purchased to be...well...eaten. But times have changed in China, and having a pet is one of China's newest and most popular trends. Puppies, kittens, hamsters, rabbits, gerbils, turtles, and a wide assortment of fish are available. However, the condition of the pet shops will probably not remind you of home. Visitors to the street will probably never see so many home aquarium shops in one confined place in their entire life. One shop even sells purebred huskies, but they aren't cheap.

In a nutshell, the Qing Shi Qiao market exudes a rather strange vibe when compared with other Chengdu locales. If you have an hour to spare, give it a shot, and you might end up with a souvenir or photo opportunity you had not expected.

Directions: With Mao's statue and Tianfu Square at your back, head south on Renmin Lu. You will soon turn left onto Xinguanghua Jie and then bear right onto Jinxing Lu. Xinkai Jie will soon appear on your right side. The walk should be less than 15 minutes from Tianfu Square.

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.

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.

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.

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.