16-Day Spring and Fall Photo Expeditions
From Su Zhou, a member of the King City (Oregon) Camera Club: Plans for her next three forthcoming photo expeditions to China are taking shape. Full details are available at: http://www.zhousu.us/page3/10ChinaTour.html
Fall Expedition (Beginning 10/09/2009 & 2010)
Sichuan Province – Get face to face with panda cubs at Sichuan ’s Giant Panda Breeding Center. Stroll the narrow streets of ancient Hutong. Enjoy an evening at the Sichuan Opera. Fly to huge Juizhaigou National Park and Huanglong National Park , national treasures Westerners would be astonished to find in China . Photograph overpowering waterfalls, colorful lakes and grandiose mountains scenery. Meet Tibetan and Qiang villagers in their remote hamlets. Visit a valley studded terraced with colored ponds and waterfalls beneath mountains peaks and ridges.
Heilongjiang Province – Fly to Harbin . Visit the Church of St. Sofia , an example of Byzantine architecture reflecting its Russian past. See the ice sculpture exhibit showing the best of Harbin ’s famous annual fairyland of ice sculptures. Take up-close photos from a Land Rover where tigers roam free at Harbin ’s unique Siberian Tiger Park . Photograph the rare red-crowned crane and exotic waterfowl at China ’s Zhalong Nature Reserve. Fly to Beijing .
Beijing – Visit Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Beijing ’s Yuanmingyuan Gardens and the new Yonghe Monastery. Take photos at The Great Wall by special arrangement at sunset when the daytime horde of visitors has departed. Set aside some time for shopping. Enjoy an evening dinner of Peking Duck, one of China ’s famous dishes. At the Olympic Games Park, visit the 90,000-seat “bird’s nest” amphitheater and the nearby Cubic Natatorium.
Spring Expedition (Beginning 5/21/2010)
Yunnan Province – Photograph interesting Chinese farmlands, minority villages and ancient Lijiang, a colorful large outdoor performance, the mighty Yangtze River, landscapes of wildflowers on the remote Tibetan Plateau and a quiet Tibetan Buddhist temple. Take the cable car to Jade Dragon, Snow Mountain and Yak Meadow. Stroll the streets of exotic Dukezong and Shuhe. Meet minority villagers. Photograph exotic birds on Sashihai Lake.
Guangxi Province – Capture sunset and sunrise against the brilliant shining limestone along the Li River. Take sweeping aerials from a balloon ride over Guangxi’s jagged karst landscape. Watch fishermen working with their cormorants and oil lamps on bamboo rafts. Attend a riotous performance on the Li River. Take home pictures of Guangxi’s famously colorful rice terraces.
Shanghai – Shop at the famous Bund, stroll the Yu Gardens and the traditional bazaar.
Hong Kong (2-day side trip) – Stay at a four-star hotel overlooking fascinating Victoria Bay, see a Chinese lazer show and photograph thousands of unusual Asian birds at Hong Kong’s unforgettable Ocean Park.