Winter cuisine

Ginger gets its spicy flavor and thermogenic quality from its combination of two pungent compounds: gingerol and shogaol. Many swear by it for relief from headaches and digestive troubles, but the gnarled ginger root is also great for warming the body up on a cold day. For extra warmth, try a cup of ginger tea or treat yourself to a handful of crystallized ginger, nature’s candy with a kick.

Coconut oil definitely isn’t a low-fat food (one tablespoon contains 117 calories and 13.6 grams of fat), but its “medium chain” fatty acids are touted for a long list of health benefits, including increased immunity, speedier healing and—remarkably—weight loss. Add thermogenic properties to coconut oil’sperks and you’ve got yourself one powerful salad topper.

Thanks to its high level of caffeine, a steamy mug of green tea will pick you up as it warms you up. Along with the antioxidant flavonoids called “catechins,” it’s the caffeine that also gives it thermogenic properties. To give your body temperature a boost at mealtime, try recipes that feature green tea in the ingredients.

BY MENGBING QIU

how to make beijing duck

1. Trim the legs and wings of your duck back to the first joint. Remove any fat from the cavity and check for any remaining feather stubs. Slide your fingers under the skin and loosen all over

2.String your duck onto whatever hanging device you prefer and then bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add 150g white venegar then take off the boil and plunge the duck in for 10 seconds. Hang the duck back up and allow it to cool for a minute or two. Repeat this process five times

3.Grind 5g each of salt, star anise, orange peel, ginger, cinnamon, szechuan pepper and a couple of cloves and use to powder the cavity of the duck

4.Either hang the duck in the blast from a fan or leave it uncovered overnight on a rack in the fridge. This will dry the skin

5. This is maltose, the secret ingredient available from Chinese groceries. It's about a quarter as sweet as sugar syrup but has the consistency and adhering power of epoxy glue and caramelises beautifully .Melt 200g of maltose in a pan with a little boiling water and stir in 50g each of rice vinegar and dark soy sauce Photograph: Tim Hayward/Guardian

6. Paint a layer of the glaze onto the duck's skin and allow to dry in the air from the fan. Repeat the process until you've built up a substantial, toffee-like coating 

 7. Put some boiling water in the bottom of the roasting tin and place the duck in a 200C oven, immediately turning the temperature down to 160C. Avoid the temptation to peek for at least the first 10 minutes 

8. After an hour and a half the duck should be perfect. Allow to cool for a little to settle the juices and let the glaze harder. If you want to shred your duck meat, restaurant style, allow it to cool completely, refrigerate overnight and then reheat in a slow oven before shredding with forks 

BY MENGBING QIU

G.I. Joe retaliates with sequel

No one could call the first G.I. Joe film — 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra — a masterpiece, but it had moments of spectacular action and a sense of silly fun.

Now, after much waiting, the sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation is finally here, with a new director Jon Chu (Step Up), and a handful of new cast members such as Bruce Willis and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Of course, the original stars, Channing Tatum, Ray Park, and Lee Byung-hun are still there, too.

Does the new creative shake-up work? Read on for the five things you should know about G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Because knowing is half the battle.G.I. Joe: Retaliation spends much of the first half untangling itself from the mythology established by the original movie.This includes tying up some loose ends, killing off a bunch of characters and introducing a few new ones.The good news is that it mostly succeeds; the bad news is that if you haven’t seen the original, you’ll probably have a tough time keeping up with what’s going on.More silly fun
Compared with the first movie’s half-hearted attempts at humor, G.I. Joe: Retaliation embraces its comedy elements, with its tongue placed firmly in its cheek and jokes that actually connect.
The tone is set early on when Roadblock (Johnson) begins an inspirational speech with, “In the immortal words of Jay-Z…” Surprisingly, the humor never detracts from the intensity of the action.More exciting action sequences.There are several memorable action sequences in G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Watching a small army of Ninjas rappelling and bungee jumping as they fight across a mountain range, you remember why such movies exist in the first place.Chu might have started his career with dance films, but he uses those musical rhythms and a keen understanding of choreography to make coherent, exciting set pieces.Tatum is the best.

Although given less screen time in this sequel, Tatum still steals the limelight. That man is a steam-powered charm machine and you cannot help but love him, no matter the size (or depth) of his role as Duke.
Watch it in 3-D.Yes, it costs more, but there’s really something to be said about seeing G.I. Joe: Retaliation in 3-D.
The picture looks unbelievable, greatly enhancing the action, such as in the aforementioned fight sequence. There’s nothing small about the film. So treat yourself.

 BY WANYANG SHI

The republic of iceland.

Icelandic Prime Minister's visit to China with his wife paid an official visit to China



Johanna Sigurdardottir, the prime minister of Iceland, and her wife, Jonina Leosdottir, will go on a public visit to China from April 15th - 18th. The invitation was brought to Johanna by Wen Jiabao, ex prime minister of China, when he was visiting Iceland in April last year. Johanna Sigurdardottir will meet with the prime minister of Chine, Li Keqiang, and the president of China, Xi Jinping, but they assumed office last March. Johanna will also meet with the ex prime minister, Wen Jiabao.

Jonina Leosdottir

During the visit Johanna will sign a free trade agreement between Iceland and China. That agreement has been in the making for the past six years, but the prime ministers of Iceland and China agreed in April 2012 to speed up the process so that the negotiations could be finished within a year.

The agreement will be signed by the Chinese and Icelandic ministers of foreign affairs. 

Didi Kirsten Tatlow wrote about this visit on her blog at the New York times website today.

She for example wrote:

"Will China’s state media show Jonina Leosdottir, the wife of the prime minister of Iceland, Johanna Sigurdardottir, during an official visit to China in mid-April? If so, how will she be portrayed, with China’s apparent conversion to First Ladyism on display in the recent high profile given to the wife of President Xi Jinping, the singer Peng Liyuan?"

Gay marriage is not legal in China, and proponents of gay marriage will be watching closely. The Chinese authorities however are believed to tolerate, or ignore, homosexual behaviour in private. But being openly gay is still a taboo in China.

Didi wrote:

"Reflecting that situation, quite some interest in the question of the Icelandic leader’s visit has sprung up in Chinese social media since Sunday, as news spread that she would be accompanied by her wife of 13 years, according to an announcement by the prime minister’s office in Reykjavik on Saturday: “The Prime Minister of Iceland, Johanna Sigurdardottir, and her wife, Jonina Leosdottir, will be on an official visit to China on 15-18 April.” Ms. Sigurdardottir is the world’s first openly gay prime minister."

“And her wife… that sentence sounds really, really good,” wrote a person with the online name Little Poet_Miara on Sina Weibo, China’s biggest microblog site, one of about 125 comments posted by noon Monday. A post announcing the two-woman official state visit, had already been forwarded more than 1,000 times.
BY WENJIA ZHANG

 

bird flu

The health authority in Jiangsu province said four people living in different cities are in critical condition after they developed fever, coughing and other symptoms around March 20. They tested positive for H7N9 on Tuesday afternoon.
Two men from Shanghai, aged 27 and 87, were confirmed dead on Sunday from H7N9 infection, with a woman from Anhui province in critical condition.
Hundreds of people who have had close contact with the patients have not, as yet, developed fever or respiratory symptoms.
Feng Zijian, director of emergency response at the Chinese Center for Disease Prevention andControl, said the country has launched a nationwide program to screen for H7N9 among patients with pneumonia, where the cause is unknown.
The program, supported by surveillance systems at public health institutions including hospitals, is aimed at timely detection of new cases.
To determine the source of the virus, the identities, background and living conditions of existing patients will be investigated, Feng said. “It’s unclear if the virus originated in pigs or other animals,” he added.
Sixteen top-level hospitals in Jiangsu have been designated as treatment sites for patients confirmed to have the virus, and all levels of hospitals are required to strengthen the screening of pneumonia patients against H7N9.
Other cities, including Shanghai and Beijing, have put forward plans to deal with emergencies or large-scale outbreaks caused by the relatively unknown strain of bird flu.
Shanghai authorities on Tuesday launched a yellow warning third-level emergency in response to the new strain.
Experts say the manufacture of a vaccine will take some time, as researchers will need athorough understanding of the virus.
Officials said poultry and pork for sale at local markets are safe, but people are urged not to eat wild poultry.
On Tuesday, Shanghai authorities reiterated that no bird flu virus had been found in dead pig samples from a river providing drinking water to residents.
In Beijing and Guangdong province, public health authorities said they are keeping a close eye on the H7N9 virus.
It is the first time the H7N9 bird flu virus has been found in humans, although three other strainsin the H7 family — H7N2, H7N3 and H7N7 — have previously been found in humans, but therewere no casualties.

BY WANYANG SHI

why the "tight dragnet" failed to prevent a terrorist attack

after the "9.11" the United States has never happened with successful terrorist attacks. But the peace was broken yesterday. Serial explosion happened in the Boston marathon, by early April 17, there at least 3 people were died and 180 injured. A Chinese citizens are also among the victims.








Two bombs struck near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, turning a celebration into a bloody scene of destruction.Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said Monday night that the death toll had risen to three. Scores were injured at the scene.One of the dead was an 8-year-old boy, according to a state law enforcement source.Hospitals reported at least 144 people are being treated, with at least 17 of them in critical condition and 25 in serious condition. At least eight of the patients are children.At least 10 people injured had limbs amputated, according to a terrorism expert briefed on the investigation.Several of the patients treated at Massachusetts General Hospital suffered injuries to lower limbs that will require "serial operations" in the coming days, trauma surgeon Peter Fagenholz said Monday night. Some injuries were so severe amputations were necessary, Fagenholz added.








PHOTOS: TWO EXPLOSIONS ROCK BOSTON MARATHON FINISH LINE

May 1, 2010 — A car bomb ignites in New York's Times Square, but fails to explode after two street vendors foil the alleged terrorist attack. Pakistan-born Faisal Shahzad, 30, receives a life sentence in prison.

Dec. 25, 2009 — The so-called "underwear bomber," Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, is subdued by passengers and crew after trying to blow up an airliner heading from Paris to Detroit using explosives hidden in his undergarments. He's sentenced to life in prison.

Sept. 11, 2001 — Al-Qaeda hijackers crash planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pa. Nearly 3,000 people die.

RELATED: BOSTON MARATHON TERROR BLAST KILLS 3, INJURES OVER 144 INCLUDING 8 KIDS

Jan 22, 1998 — Theodore Kaczynski pleads guilty in Sacramento, Calif., to being the Unabomber in return for a sentence of life in prison without parole. His 1978-1995 spree killed three people and injured 23.

Jan. 20, 1998 — A bombing at an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Ala., kills one guard and injures a nurse. Eric Robert Rudolph is suspected in the case.

July 27, 1996 — A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta during the Summer Games, killing two people and injuring more than 100. Eric Robert Rudolph is arrested in 2003. He pleads guilty and is sentenced to life in prison.



BY WANYANG SHI

PRAY FOR YAAN CHINA

 

The first 72 hours after the earthquake are the golden time for victims to b

e rescued. The surviving chances for quake victims decrease sharply as time goes by. If rescued within 30 minutes, 95 percent of the victims would survive; within 24 hours, 81 percent. For people who are rescued in the second or third day, their survival rate would be 53% and 36.7%.

 

Jiang Haikun from the China Earthquake Network Center said that the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Ya’an is not an aftershock of the 8.0-magnitude earthquake in Wenchuan in 2008. The distance between Ya’an and Wenchuan is more than 60 kilometers. The energy released by the two earthquakes is highly different, said the expert.

Hundreds may have been killed or injured, according to Chinese state media, after an earthquake struck rural Sichuan Province at 8:02 am Beijing time.

The 6.9 magnitude earthquake was centered west of the town of Linqiong, but was felt in bigger cities like Chengdu, 115 kilometers away. Kelsey Broderick, an English Teacher in Chengdu, told Shanghaiist:

"I woke up this morning in Chengdu to my apartment building shaking, but it only lasted for two minutes- nothing too violent, and outside the window life went on as usual afterwards."

For many in Sichuan, the quake brings up memories of the Wenchuan earthquake of 2008, which killed nearly 90,000 people and left many more without homes.

Information is still spotty at the moment, with 12 definitely confirmed dead by Xinhua (4.20 11am). Meanwhile, CCTV confirms that the quake has killed 30 and inured at least 400. Other sources paint a different, still developing picture. The Sichuan Earthquake Bureau put out an official statement saying that "The earthquake in Ya'an, Lushan, has injured or killed hundreds of people."

Update 13:24 CST
Xinhua reports that death toll from quake has risen to 46.

Additionally, CCTV reports that at least one kindergarten has collapsed in Lushan. Kindergarten collapses were a major source of controversy in the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake.

Lastly, NPR's Louisa Lim reports that Premier Li Keqiang will be flying to the Ya'an region of Sichuan to survey the damage, following a pattern of Chinese-Premiers-looking-at-things set by Web Jiabao's 2008 disaster tour.

Update 14:19 CST
Xinhua confirms that Premier Li Keqiang is headed to Sichuan and that the death count is now at 56. They also tweeted the following aerial photo of the destruction:

Update 16:49 CST
Death toll at 76. This week sucks.

Update 17:42 CST
The death toll has risen to 113, according to China News Agency. More than 6,000 men from the People's Liberation Army and the military police have already been deployed to the frontlines. This includes 2,600 men from the Chengdu PLA and 3,500 from the military police, An additional 10,000 soldiers and military policemen are on standby, ready to be deployed whenever the need arises. Train services around Huaian have already resumed operations.

Update 00:17 CST
Death toll has risen to 157, with 5,700 injured, according to Reuters. The agency reports that most deaths are concentrated in the Lushan area. Li Keqiang has arrived at the disaster zone and said, "Under the strong leadership of the party and the government, as long as we unite as one, and conduct the rescue in a scientific way, then there will be the conditions and the ability to minimize the losses to the greatest degree and to overcome the disaster."

If you use this time to spout pro-party lines and "scientific development theory" rhetoric, you should not be given a microphone.

Update 10:00 CST
Xinhua reports that the death toll has risen to 164 over night, and that there have been 1,097 aftershocks that have plagued the region since the official quake. The rise in the death toll seems smaller than it could have been, giving some hope that we will see fewer dramatic increases over the next twenty four hours.

Update 19:07 CST
186 dead.
LET'S PRAY FOR YAAN. Please Be STRONG AND HOPEFUL.





POSTED BY WENJIA ZHANG

Chengdu Panda Base

Educational Tourism Center – Visitor Education

As a demonstration project of giant panda ex-situ conservation, the Chengdu Panda Base has not only dedicated itself to giant panda conservation, but has also made great efforts to combine natural scenery and man-made landscapes to create wonderful and humane living areas for giant pandas, red pandas, and other Chinese endangered animals. With the efforts of all the staff at the Panda Base, we have made great strides in the name of environmental protection to share with the world.

Our Giant Panda Museum, along with satellite museums in our Research Center and Panda Hospital provides 7,000m 2 of educational space to foreign and domestic visitors. We worked with design companies from the United States to create modern, interactive learning experiences. Through these learning areas, visitors will come to understand the depth of research and commitment it takes to help endangered species to survive in our world that is dangerously dominated by human influence. People the world over need to understand that this amount of research cannot be done for all the plants and animals that are in danger, and that conservation depends on all of us. Our Base is a unique facility and network for some very fortunate species.

As a famous sightseeing destination and a window to the wild, we improved our service facilities for tourists. Our efforts have made the Panda Base attractive to foreign and domestic audiences. We will fully use the resource of our endangered animals to strengthen conservation education to the public, and develop the Panda Base to be a unique educational tourism destination.

Scientific Research ：

Zoos, scientific research centers, breeding centers, or semi-protected areas work together to maintain a self-sustaining ex situ population of a given species. This population may serve as a hedge against extinction of the species, as well as a reservoir for improved understanding of its natural history. The Chengdu Panda Base is an example of a scientific institute engaged in ex situ research towards in situ conservation. Our goal is not only to provide technical support for scientific research on wild pandas, but also to increase the wild population through improved management and, ultimately reintroduction of individuals into areas from which the in situ populations have declined.

Research at the Chengdu Panda Base focuses on the advancement of wildlife conservation in China. The giant panda is the principle species of interest; others include the South China tiger, the red panda, the golden monkey and others. Researchareas include reproduction, nutrition, veterinary medicine, behavior and more. Advances in these fields enable us to provide optimal care for the captive populations. Furthermore, findings from ex situ and in situ research are reciprocally applied to the improved management of both wild and captive populations.



As of 2005, the Chengdu Panda Base received 59 awards for scientific achievements from the Chinese State Government, Sichuan Provincial Government, and Chengdu Municipal Government. More than 200 articles have been published in Chinese and international journals. We are the first to achieve breakthroughs in captive breeding such as artificial insemination and helping twins to survive. We have made advances in frozen semen technology to help overcome mating difficulties in captive giant pandas. This technology allows us to perform artificial insemination of females. Additionally, it allows the exchange of semen from males among breeding centers to improve the genetic diversity of the captive population. Perfection of cryopreservation of semen could allow this technology to be used in the field. We have also set up the largest semen bank and the only cell bank for giant pandas in the world. We assisted in setting up a giant panda studbook to optimize management of the captive population.

To enhance both in situ and exsitu conservation of the giant panda, the Chinese Committee of Breeding Techniques for Giant Pandas was formed in Chengdu in 1989.The project received support from many institutions, including the Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens, Chinese and international zoos, nature reserves, and research institutions. The committee has dramatically benefited giant panda conservation through annual meetings, international symposia, personnel and academic exchanges, and domestic and foreign captive breeding coordination. Through its long-term productive and collaborative efforts, the Committee serves a pivotal function in international giant panda conservation.

Our research capacity continues to grow and strengthen every year. Our Research Center has three floors dedicated to modern laboratories, as well as one floor dedicated to educating the public on the research we conduct to promote the survival of Chinese endangered species. We have highly trained research staff and collaborate with researchers from 8 different countries, as well as scientists from all over China. Our Research Center and international network of scientists provides a platform for systematic research.

POSTED BY XU JI

Beijing Duck - Peking Duck - The best-known dish in Beijing

Beijing Duck (Peking Duck, Chinese: 北京烤鸭, Pinyin:Běijīng kǎoyā ), or Peking
Roast Duck is a famous duck dish from Beijing that has been prepared since the
Yuan Dynasty, now considered one of China's national foods.

The dish is prized for the thin, crispy skin with authentic versions of the dish
serving mostly the skin and little meat, sliced in front of the diners by the cook.
Ducks are bred specially for the dish, which after 65 days are slaughtered and
seasoned before it is roasted in a closed oven or a hung oven. When eating
Peking roast duck, one wraps the duck skin and meat along with slivers of spring
onions (scallions) and cucumber - dabbed with sweet sauce (tian mian jiang) - with
a slice of thin pancake. This is the most authentic way to savor the rich flavor of
Peking roast duck. More than two million roast ducks are sold on average annually.

The two most notable restaurants in Beijing which serve this delicacy are Quanjude and Bianyifang, two centuries old establishments which have become
household names. Beijing Da Dong is a swanky chain that does duck to a tee but
is not so hot on the rest of the menu, considering the bill. The Hyatt's Made In
China does a modern twist to the roast meat and is sometimes voted the best
place to eat roast duck in Beijing. Li Qun, now a staple on the tourist trail, does a -
usually - great chaotic duck in a courtyard setting. While the service at Li Qun has
had a few complaints, diners get to witness the roasting process.

 Peking Duck Recipe
INGREDIENTS:Pancakes: 1 cup flour, 2 ounces lard, 16 ounces hot water

Peking Duck: 1 (5 to 7 pound) duck, preferably fresh, 3 teaspoons salt, 1/4
teaspoon white pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoons hoisin sauce,  1/4 teaspoon five spice
powder, 1 gallon boiling water, 1 teaspoon light corn syrup, 1 teaspoon maltose
1 teaspoon vinegar, Shredded carrots, Sliced scallionsPREPARATION:To make the mandarin pancakes: Mix the flour, lard, and hot water together and
kneed it into dough. Roll it out making the pancakes about 2 millimeters thick, cut
out the pancakes in circles 5-inches in diameter. Then slightly pan-fry both sides in
a hot pan without oil.

To make the Peking duck: Rinse and pluck the duck and then hang to dry for
about 15 minutes. Put the salt, pepper, hoisin sauce, and five-spice powder inside
the duck to marinate it. Then put the duck into the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.

Hold the duck upright and pour the hot boiling water onto its body until it is puffed.
Combine the corn syrup, maltose, and vinegar. Paint the duck with a thin layer of
the corn syrup mixture. Hang the duck for 4 to 5 hours in a dry area while using a
fan to help blow dry it. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F oven and roast the duck
for 40 minutes.
Let meat rest for 15 minutes after cooking. Remove the skin and fat layer from the
duck. Scrape the fat from the skin and cut the skin into thin strips. Cut the meat
into thin slices. Paint a pancake with hoisin sauce. Put the skin and meat slices
onto the hoisin, top with shredded carrots and scallion slices, and then roll the
pancake up. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

POSTED BY XU JI

Yunnan the pearl of China.

Yunnan, also named as Dian for short, is situated in the Southwest frontier of China. Stretching about 865 kilometers from east to west and 990 kilometers from north to south, it covers an area of 394,000 square kilometers. Accounting for 4.1 percent of the total land area of China, it is the 8th largest province in China; with Kunming being its capital city; Yunnan has 8 municipalities and 8 minority autonomous prefectures under jurisdiction altogether. Yunnan is also situated in the southwestern part of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. It borders on Guizhou Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the southeast, Sichuan Province in the northeast and Tibet Autonomous Region in the northwest. In its west and south Yunnan shares a common border with Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam along a total boundary of 4,060 kilometers. In the bordering area, there are 12 national border ports, 8 provincial border ports, and over 90 routes leading into the neighboring countries. In addition, Yunnan is geographically proximate to Thailand, Cambodia, Bangladesh and India. Since ancient times, Yunnan has been serving as China's gateway to Southeast Asia and South Asia and is a convergence for oriental and western cultures. The Southern Silk Road which existed 2,000 years ago started its journey from Sichuan to Yunnan, and extended from Yunnan further down to Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Arabia region, and the West.  

                     

Yunnan's climate turns out to be the subtropical plateau monsoon type. Thanks to its unique geographic location, highly complex topography, and big variations in elevation, Yunnan exhibits diversified climates. The major characteristics include: slight temperature variation year round but sharp between day and night; distinct dry and rainy seasons and an obvious altitudinal variation in climate. Generally speaking, the temperature drops by 0.5 ℃ with every altitudinal 100-meter rise. The diversity of Yunnan's climatic types could be better described with a local saying, "One can experience all four seasons in the same mountain and each season is just a few miles away from each other".

Rainfall in this province is abundant but distributes unevenly; and in most areas, the annual rainfall is more than 1,000 mm with about 85 percent concentrating in the months from May to October; dry season falls between November and April during which the precipitation accounts for only 15 percent. Throughout the province, the frost-free period is long; the southern border area of the province is free from frost all year round while the frost-free period a bit further north ranges from 300 to 330 days; in the central part, the frost-free period is about 250 days and even in the comparatively colder northwestern and northeastern parts, 210 to 220 days are immune from frost.

Kunming: 

Kunming is the capital of Yunnan Province. It is not only the political, economic, cultural, technological and communication center of the province but also a historical and cultural city with rich tourism resources. Here Spring is hovering over all year round, flowers are everywhere and greens in every season with an average temperature of 15.3℃, hence the other name Spring City.

Dali: 

Located northwest of the Yunnan, Dali City is the economic and cultural center of the Bai Autonomous Prefecture. The name of Dali is originated from that of a local regime in history called Kingdom Dali, meaning a state of great order. Many of the architectures of the city were built of marble from the ore nearby, and that is why it is also called a city of Dali Stone (marble). Both Chinese writing and pronunciation of 'great order' and 'marble' are the same. Marble buildings, marble streets, marble wall foundations and marble wells make the city so bright and limpid as if it is a tranquil fairyland. Each family loves door carving and wall-decoration; every household has a flower garden. While it is freezing season in the north, hundreds of flowers are in blossom here. Among them, camellia, azaleas and orchids are the most fascinating and enchanting ones.

Lijiang:

Lijiang City is located in the northwestern portion of Yunnan and borders Sichuan. It is in a region where the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau converge.

Lijiang includes the heritage site of Lijiang Ancient Town as well as picturesque nearby surroundings. In 1998, Lijiang Ancient Town was inscribed into the World Heritage List by the World Heritage Commission of the UNESCO. The Commission called it an exceptional ancient town set in a dramatic landscape which represents the harmonious fusion of different cultural traditions to produce an urban landscape of outstanding quality.

Lijiang is located within the northwest part of Yunnan Province, in the southeastern part of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the northwestern part of Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. Owing to its low latitude and high elevation, the city centre of Lijiang enjoys a subtropical highland climate. Winters are normally mild, dry, and the sunniest time of the year, with a highs of 13.7 to 14.8 °C (56.7 to 58.6 °F), but due to the aridity this time of year, lows often fall to around the freezing mark. Spring lasts from March to early June and begins relatively dry and sunny, but conditions progressively get moister and more overcast. Summers are warm and damp, with June and July means of 19 °C (66.2 °F), much cooler than lowland areas. Autumn lasts from late September to early December, progressively drying out. Annual precipitation is around 970 millimeters (38.2 in), almost all of it falling from May to October.

POSTED BY XU JI