Images of China

So, why's it called Tiger Leaping Gorge? Well, Chinese legend speaks of a tiger using the large rock at the bottom of the gorge as a stepping stone, pictured above, to escape certain death at the hands of a hunter. How much of that is true, who knows, but it's a nice little anecdote to accompany the place, which is a World Heritage site and one of the deepest canyons on the world.

The Yangtze River runs through the gorge, which is situated north of Lijiang City in one of the most beautiful provinces, Yunnan, in south west China. The river itself is locally known as the "Golden Sands River" because of all the sand that gets churned up along the river bed. I wouldn't actually call it "golden" myself though....more like a dirty, muddy brown colour, but I guess the "Dirty Muddy Brown Sands River" doesn't have quite the same ring to it! Anyway, golden or muddy, the place is spectacular and a "must-see" for anyone visiting Yunnan.

Going back up the gorge, you can return the same way you came or you can take a different route. It's more hazardous and not recommended for vertigo sufferers, but it is a really beautiful trek. You start off nice and easy, walking through meadows with waterfalls cascading down the side of the mountain beside you, but then the climb starts! Going down is tiring enough, but the climb back up is a killer!

Up steep mountain pathways, which are bad enough in themselves, but then every so often you'll be bombarded with water droplets that seem to come out of nowhere. They can be refreshing, but torturous when you're trying to navigate a particularly scary part of the trek. Usually the parts with a sheer drop on one side and a rickety old chain that's been hammered into the mountain for you to hold on to on the other.

See more photos and read more about Tiger Leaping Gorge, and about other places at My China Travelogues

Cloud Bridge Mousepad
Like a scene from 'Lord of the Rings", this mouse pad features a photo of the spectacular "cloud bridge" that connects two mountains high up in the clouds at Yellow Mountain in Huangshan.
$15.15

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Images of China on Gift Items

Tiananmen Postage
Postage featuring a photograph of Tiananmen Gate, which is the entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing.
$23.00 (sheet of 20 x 42c - large)

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Large size: The very best way to show off images and designs with your mail. This size has the largest image area available on custom postage anywhere! It's so large that it's recommended only for standard letter envelopes (#10) or bigger. Makes a great gift!
Images of China on Gift Items

Night time view of Hong Kong from Victoria Peak
A mouse pad featuring a night cityscape view over the skyscrapers of Hong Kong from Victoria Peak.
$15.15

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The building to the left is the new Shanghai World Financial Center aka SWFC. The building on the right is the Jin Mao Tower, which was China's tallest building until the SWFC was completed. Work began on the SWFC in 1997, suspended mid-way due to the Asian financial crisis and then completed in 2008 making it the tallest building in China, including Hong Kong, and the 3rd tallest building in the world.

The Jin Mao currently houses the world's tallest hotel, the Grand Hyatt Shanghai situated on the 53rd to the 87th floors, however this will become the world's 2nd tallest once the new Park Hyatt Shanghai hotel in the SWFC opens.

At the very top of the SWFC is an observation deck, which opened to the public on August 30th 2008. The observation deck is on 3 levels with the highest view being at a height of 474 meters (1,555ft) above sea level.

The most striking feature on this modern, new building is the opening at the top of the building between the top 2 observation decks, designed to reduce the stress of wind pressure. This opening was originally designed to be circular because in Chinese mythology the earth is represented by a square and the sky by a circle, and the circular shape is very common in Chinese moon gates, which can often be seen in Chinese gardens. The circular design for this building however met protest from Chinese people because it too closely resembled the rising sun design on the Japanese flag, so the design was changed to make it more rectangular.

See views from the Shanghai World Financial Center and read about other places at My China Travelogues

Panda Postage
A Chinese giant panda eating bamboo in its habitat at Ocean Park in Hong Kong.
$27.25 (sheet of 20 x 59c - large)

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Large size: The very best way to show off images and designs with your mail. This size has the largest image area available on custom postage anywhere! It's so large that it's recommended only for standard letter envelopes (#10) or bigger. Makes a great gift!
Images of China on Gift Items

Sunshine Valley Poster & Prints
Sunlight pours down the mountain and into the valley, lighting up Yubeng Village at the base of Meili Snow Mountain. Yubeng Village is in Shangri La, Yunnan Province, south west China.
from $13.80

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I think autumn has to be my favourite season. When I lived in the UK it was summer, probably because it never seemed to last long, so you would just have to cherish every day that it did last. I've lived in three different places in China, one in the south and two in the east. The summers in all three places have been scorching, so the arrival of autumn has always been a blessed relief for me!

This photo was taken in a small village called Sankou, which is in the Huangshan area in east China. It's a beautiful place! Quiet and peaceful, pure countryside. It couldn't be further removed from the hustle and bustle of the major cities like Shanghai and Beijing! It's a strange little pagoda. It always reminds me of a deep sea drilling platform because of the long pipe running down the center. I guess in the old days they used it for pumping water.

Cloud Mountain Mousepad
This mouse pad features a photo of Yellow Mountain in Huangshan, east China. Tourist from all around the world visit Yellow Mountain to see the "sea of clouds" that float around the mountain peaks.
$15.15

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Highest Quality Mousepads
* No minimum order - save when you buy in bulk
* Durable cloth cover is dust and stain resistant
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* 9.25"x7.75" - Perfect size for home or office
Images of China on Gift Items

Hugging Monkeys Postage
Two Chinese macaque monkeys hugging each other on Monkey Island in Sanya in the South China Sea.
$32.85 (sheet of 20 x 76c - large)

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Large size: The very best way to show off images and designs with your mail. This size has the largest image area available on custom postage anywhere! It's so large that it's recommended only for standard letter envelopes (#10) or bigger. Makes a great gift!
Images of China on Gift Items

In the most southern part of China, in the South China Sea, lies Hainan Island, the smallest province in the People's Republic of China. On Hainan Island is the tropical paradise resort of Sanya, and near Sanya you will find Monkey Island. It's not actually an island though, it's a peninsula because part of it is connected to Sanya, so it's not totally surrounded by water.

There is a legend about Monkey Island that goes something like this:

During the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), there lived a village of Li fishermen in Lingshui County, (40 min from Sanya). One year, the village was hit by a mysterious pestilence, causing great numbers of the villagers to go blind and forcing many families to flee for their lives. Among the villagers was a young man named Yanan, known for his great fishing skills. One day, he heard a tale that told of black pearls which could cure the villagers. He immediately ventured out in his boat to search for the pearls, but soon encountered a ferocious storm which capsized his craft and endangered his life. To his great fortune, a group of mystical monkeys, following the instructions of the Monkey King, Sunwukong, were passing by on a raft, heading for an enchanted island marked by a stone likeness of a monkey.

Today, the "island" is a state-protected sanctuary for around 2,500 Rhesus Macaque monkeys and a place where they can live safely and play safely without any restrictions or cages. As soon as you step out of the cable car you can see monkeys walking around everywhere and playing in the trees, and it's so great to be able to walk around in their environment and being so close to them that you can reach out and touch them....although that wouldn't be wise! The only negative part of the island is the touristy commercial side, which is to be expected anywhere like this. Shows are put on throughout the day where the monkeys are dressed up in tutus and ride round on bicycles etc., although some may find it entertaining, personally, I don't, but that said, it is still a really great place to get up close and personal with monkeys and I would love to go back there and take more photographs.

See more photos and read more about Monkey Island, and about other places at My China Travelogues

I grew up on an island and lived just a few short steps from the beach. I would go to bed and wake up listening to the sound of the waves rolling in and crashing onto the beach. I miss that now that I live in China, and in an area so far away from the sea.

In 2007 I searched again in the hopes of finding a paradise-like island with beautiful beaches and crystal clear waters. As difficult and impossible as that sounds in China, I found it! In the very south of China, in the South China Sea is Hainan Province, and just off Hainan lies the island of Sanya.

I had really high hopes for Sanya. There is quite a lot of information about the island out there on the net already and from pictures I'd seen, it did look really beautiful. Given the title of being the "Hawaii of the Orient" or the "Hawaii of China" because it lies on almost the same latitude as Hawaii, and for repeatedly hosting the Miss World beauty pageant in recent years, who wouldn't have high expectations! Does it live up to these expectations? Yes, it does!

The air is fresh, the sea is blue, the beaches are golden and clean, and the vegetation is lush.

The most popular destination in Sanya for tourists is Yalong Bay and it is beautiful. It's closer to the centre for shopping etc. and the major hotels can be found there. However, we chose to stay further along the coast at Sanya Bay, which is a lot less developed and where there are fewer tourists.?We stayed at the Kempinski Hotel, which is a beautiful hotel, has full amenities and great restaurants, is reasonably priced, and even has its own private beach.

See more photos and read more about the tropical paradise island of Sanya, and about other places at My China Travelogues

Snow Mountain Sunrise Poster & Prints
In Shangri La, Yunnan Province, south west China, the sun rises over Meili Snow Mountain and lights up a small village at the base of the mountain.
from $13.80

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Images of China on Gift Items

Futuristic Beijing Mouse Pad Mousepad
A mouse pad featuring the futuristic looking National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing aka the "Egg".
$15.15

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* Durable cloth cover is dust and stain resistant
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Monkey Mousepad
This mouse pad features a Chinese macaque monkey from Monkey Island in Sanya, Hainan Province in the South China Sea.
$15.15

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* 9.25"x7.75" - Perfect size for home or office
Images of China on Gift Items

Snow Mountain Sunrise Mousepad
As the sun rises over Meili Snow Mountain in Shangri La, Yunnan Province, south west China, it shines down and highlights a small village at the base of the mountain.
$15.15

Product Information
Highest Quality Mousepads
* No minimum order - save when you buy in bulk
* Durable cloth cover is dust and stain resistant
* Non-slip backing keeps your mouse moving while the mousepad stays in place
* 9.25"x7.75" - Perfect size for home or office
Images of China on Gift Items

Mountain Sunset Mousepad
This mouse pad features a photo of a stunning sunset over the Yellow Mountain in Huangshan, east China.
$15.15

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Images of China on Gift Items

Huangshan, or Yellow Mountain in English, is the most famous mountain in China. At a height of almost 5,000 feet, Huangshan is situated in the east of China about 43 miles from Shanghai. According to Chinese people it is also the most beautiful mountain in China and although I haven't visited any others yet, it is certainly going to take some beating! They say that once you have visited Huangshan there is no need to visit any others because they just pale into insignificance in comparison.

So when is the best time to visit Yellow Mountain? Different people will give you different answers, but the truth is there really isn't a best time to visit because the mountain has so much to offer in different ways at different times of the year. Spring and autumn or fall are good times to go, but let's look at the opposite extremes of the most popular season, summer, and the least popular season, winter.
Whatever the weather though, it's the "Wow!" moments that make the place magical. Standing on a precipice with just a cloud of thick mist in front of you and below you and not knowing what's out there or where it ends, and then suddenly the wind picks up and the mist clears. This vision of magnificence appears, and for a second your brain can't quite work out what it is you're seeing; just that it is something really amazing. Then it all comes together and it's "Wow!" When the mist soon descends again you don't want to leave. You want to stay for that "Wow!" moment just one more time...and then one more...

See more photos of Huangshan the Yellow Mountain and read about other places at My China Travelogues

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