The Dragon Boat Festival falls on June 23 this year (2012). Most people in China will enjoy a three-day holiday, lasting from June 22 to June 24. Check out how Chinese people celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival.

Holiday Arrangement

There is an adjustment in the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. June 23 (Dragon Boat Festival) is a statutory holiday, but this falls on a Saturday, so the Saturday is transferred to Friday (June 22). In 2012, three days of public holiday is allowed, consisting of a statutory holiday (June 23), a Sunday (June 24) and an adjusted Saturday (June 22).

Holiday Activities

Many places in China will hold dragon boat races on the day of Dragon Boat Festival. There are also several dragon boat races in Beijing during the festival period, especially on June 23. You can go to Xiadu Park (夏都公园) in Yanqing (延庆, a suburban district of Beijing) to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival with the locals, by watching the dragon boat races, appreciating lanterns, and learning how to make zongzi (粽子, glutinous rice dumpling, a kind of traditional Chinese food especially eaten in the festival).

Related Links

• China Public Holiday Schedule 2012
• China Festival Tours: China is a country with many ethnic groups and a rich cultural heritage.

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Recently my friends and I visited Huixian wet land park which is located in the southwest of Lingui town. It is about 30 km from the city center. The road is not too wide and it is smooth. It’s said that Huixian wet land is the kidney of Li river. It means its importance. In recent years, the government has started to protect it and develop it for traveling.

Huixian wet land is near Maojia village which is simple and quiet. To visit the wet land, the main transportation is a boat. The boat is not big, it can accommodate 5 persons at least, including four passengers and a boatman. It costs about CNY20 per person. You can bargain with the boatman if there are many persons in your group.

As we arrived there so late, there are many tourists near the bank. We thought we would wait for a long time, thus we decided to have lunch firstly and then have a tour. There is only one restaurant in Maojia village. It can guest some persons at the same time, so that we waited for 1.5 hours and then had lunch finally. I thought because of our starvation, the food was very delicious.

After lunch, we were energetic and went to the bank for visit. Luckily the boats were available. We could have a tour immediately. Alll of us were excited on the boads, enjoying the fresh air, the peace and the breeze. What a nice place! The boatman told us we could see the lotus flowers in summer and reed, egrets and some migrant birds in autumn. And now we can see many multiflora roses. He also said the most crayfish in Guilin city came from there. When we arrived at Gragon’s Head Hill, we were on shore. Because a large stone on the hill looks like a head of Gragon, so the hill was named Gragon’s head. Gragon’s Head Hill is not very high and we climbed it up to the top. It took about 10 minutes. There are not steps on the hill, just a pathway made by the former tourist. It is a bit cliffy. On the top of the hill, we could get a full view of the wet land. How beautiful it was!

Let's set out!



A beautiful scenery

You can see many multiflora roses everywhere.



An ancient bridge is covered by lots of plants, which name is Qianlong Bridge.

A full view

Take a photo as a memento.

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The irrigation of Longji Rice Terraces begins today, which means that Longji Rice Terraces comes into its most beautiful period: early summer, lasting from middle May to middle June. Check out the list of China's most beautiful rice terraces. Early summer is the time for planting rice, so the entire Longji Rice Terraces are full irrigated with water, which makes terraces like mirrors when the sun is shining. Photographers get up early in the morning and wait for the sunrise, so as to capture the image of the terraces reflecting the light and being shadowed by the mist. Since the weather is great, being warm, but not at its hottest, hiking in the Longji Rice Terraces Scenic Area is highly recommended. Some China highlights’ staff members will go hiking in the terraces this weekend. Touring to China in early summer, you can travel with the great weather (warm but not as its hottest), avoiding the peak season crowns, enjoying cost-efficient travel, and the best natural scenery of the year. Check out the list of China's best places to visit in early summer. Leave a reply

The Secret Garden is a newly built hotel in Yangshuo, based on a courtyard house built in the Qing Dynasty. The hotel has 2 buildings of typical Qing style: the main house and the front building, which are separated by a beautiful courtyard.

The hotel is not large, only having 6 rooms, 2 suites (each one consists of a living room, a bed room, a dressing room, and a bathroom) and 4 standard rooms (each one has its private bathroom).

All the rooms are decorated to retain and tastefully enhance the original feature of the house. Fengshui principals, local artworks or antiques, and furniture of original design made by local carpenters are all used on the decoration of the rooms.

Where the hotel is: The Secret Garden is in a graceful village: Jiuxian Village, which is at the western bank of Yulong River (Yangshuo's Yulong River is a great tour deestination in early summer, check out the brief introduction in Best Places to Travel in Early Summer). The village has about 40 ancient buildings with more than 100 years of history. It is about 7.5 kilometers from Yangshuo Town. Bike hire is available in the village.

Prices: 493 yuan for a standard room, 608 yuan for a suite, and 133 yuan for an extra bed.

If you are plan to visit Yangshuo, and to lead a peaceful life during your tour, you can have us tailor-make a tour for you. We at China Highlights will take your requirements seriously, and aim to ensure that every customer has a memorable experience in China. Check out more Yangshuo hotels.

Related Links

• Yangshuo Weather
• Yangshuo's Attractions
• Yangshuo Tours

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