The year 2014 is the year of the Wood Horse according to the Tibetan lunar calendar that the grand pilgrimage will take place at Mount Kailash where is located in western Tibet.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel kicked off her 7th visit to China at the invite of Premier Li Keqiang from July 6 to 8 since she took office as Chancellor in 2005, with economic ties topping the agenda and a high-powered business delegation in tow.

I had just come back from a great trip with 7 friends to Sichuan. People keep asking me where I went and when I say Dao Cheng, Ya Ding, it all drew a blank on their faces. Only when I say it's one of the sites reputed to be Shangri La then they say "OHHHHH!!!". One of my friends commented that it's sad that they had to promote this place to tourists using this name which is being published in a Western book instead of using their Chinese name. I guess they felt that this was a faster way to promote this remote and beautiful place to the outside world. I'm really glad I came now instead of it being commercialised in the future.

Most of the gardens in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, were private gardens built in ancient China. They are tranquil, exquisite, elegant, and harmonious with nature.

Built during 1506 and 1521 in the Ming dynasty, the Humble Administrator’s Garden is regarded as one of the four major gardens in China along with the Summer Palace in Beijing, the Mountain Summer Resort in Chengde, and the Garden to Linger In in Suzhou. It is the largest classical garden in Suzhou and is famous for water landscapes.

One of the four major gardens in China, the Garden to Linger In is well arranged and elegant. It was built during the reign of Emperor Jia Qing of the Ming Dynasty (1522-1566).

Located on the northwestern outskirts of Suzhou, Tiger Hill is 26 meters high. The Slanting Pagoda on the hill was built in the year 959. It is the symbol of ancient Suzhou City.

The Embroidery Research Institute is an organization for the study of needling techniques of the Suzhou school of embroidery. Its other task is to provide the State with embroideries for presentation to foreign countries as gifts or for use as exhibits.

Han Shan and Shi De, eminent monks of the Tang Dynasty once lived here, hence its name.

The lake was so named because it is located west of the city of Hangzhou. It is hemmed in by mountains on three sides. There are many places of interest in the lake area.