High Tea at Beijing's Maliandao

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Tea has been a profound element of China’s history and culture that spans thousands of years with the earliest record of tea trading dating back to over 1,000 years. Tea trading was already prevalent during the Silk Road trading era and tea back in those days was considered a delicacy. The ranges of Chinese teas are fascinating with different regions producing a different variety of tea and distinctive tastes.




Beijing’s Maliandao Tea Street is the largest tea center in the north of China and is home to over 1,000 tea shops! Here you can find some of the best quality tea from all over China and you can experience the art of tea. As Beijing’s largest tea centers it is the place to go especially amongst tea lovers. Here you can taste all types of tea from different regions of China, to experience tea at its finest and learn more about Chinese culture you can’t go wrong with a visit to Maliandao. Enjoy a tea break watching a tea ceremony from start to finish.







Apart from purchasing tea there is also a selection of tea related souvenirs and tea brewing apparatus that can be bought. There is beautiful calligraphy and art for sale which you can admire whilst you sit and relax enjoying your tea. Hand crafted teapots and articulately crafted tea accessories are the perfect souvenir or reminder of your tea adventure.





The Maliandao Tea Street covers an estimated area of 64,000 square meters and consists of 8 malls. There are thousands of tea types to choose from and prices from cheap to the expensive precious rare types of tea. Some of the most famous and popular teas to keep an eye out for at Maliandao is the West Lake Long Jing tea, Anxi Iron Buddha tea, Huangshan Maofeng tea, Dongting Biluochun tea and Yunnan’s Puer tea .




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Shanghai's Russian Orthodox Mission Cathedral

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The distinctive architecture of the Russian Orthodox Mission Cathedral in Shanghai on Xinle Road sure does stand out to visitors. The cathedral which was constructed in 1934 for the Russian refugee community remains a symbolic site with its blue domes that distinguishes itself from other buildings on the street. The church was completely in 1937 and can capacitate 2,500 people, the design of the church followed that of Kremlin and its interior is primarily white. The cathedral has not hosted any religious ceremonies since 1962 and it was not till 15th May 2013 the cathedral had its first religious ceremony after 51 years.  




  

During the Cultural Revolution the cathedral was damaged and many of the traditional relics of the cathedral were destroyed. The once beautiful stained glass windows of the cathedral were damaged during the revolution and the great pieces of artwork within the cathedral have now been made into a gallery with many of the frescoes having gone under restoration in 1988. The cathedral has a peaceful and serene atmosphere providing visitors with a calm restful spirit.





 The cathedral underwent a major renovation in 2007 and major restoration of the original interior dome artwork has been successful taking it back to its best form. However, even after restoration the cathedral still remained closed off to the public. In 2009 the cathedral doors were set to open once more to the public when an arts and cultural company transformed the cathedral into an art gallery providing a platform for Chinese arts and culture. One of the most memorable art exhibitions had to be the Xiaoping Shi ceramics exhibition, Shi is famed for his articulate ceramic sculpting.    



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Dancing Life of Xinjiang

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Xinjiang, the center of Eurasia, is an important location of China’s ancient “ Silk Road”. As one of province of China, Xinjaing borders India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and other countries.

There are dozens of nationalities such as Wei, Han, Hui, Tajik, Kirgiz, etc. living together in the southern border. After the long term of multi-ethnic blend life, the locals have formed unique cultural and living habits with the characteristic of southern border. Uighurs are the largest ethnic in southern region. They are now settled farming nation evolved from the earliest nomadic, but still retains some of the oldest and essence of the nation customs.

Xinjiang Uighur is China's ethnic group who are good at singing and dancing, and the folk dance of Kashgar is a treasure of Chinese dance art, so Kashgar in Xinjiang is also known as “the home of song and dance”. In Kashgar, both young and old, they will spontaneously dance with the music. The beautiful dance with the pace of light, particularly the pliable and flexible wrists and neck increases the beauty of dance. Uygur dance has a strong sense of rhythm, sometimes fast while sometimes slow. All the dance movements reflect the daily life of Uighur.



Xinjiang's cultural heritage, as well as her colorful ethnic customs and natural ecological civilization, make it one of China's leading tourist destinations, and the song and dance of Xinjiang people is the highlights.


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