Summer Biscuit- Chufa Cake

Ingredients: Pared chufa, white sugar, egg white, lard and the fruit of Chinese wolfberry.
Characteristics: This dish is white and looks like snowflakes. With the fruit of Chinese wolfberry decorated among them, it appears very beautiful. This sweet cuisine tastes tender like tofu and is suited for both the old and the young.
Effect: Chufa is used to reduce fever and the fruit of Chinese wolfberry helps the liver and kidney.

Cherries - Summer's Flavor

After this long winter and spring, cherries are now in season, which are one of the first fruits to appear. These days, the fruit peddlers' carts are piled high with mountains of cherries, some vendors taking time to bunch them together in a sort of bouquet.

The bright magenta red cherries and the golden yellow skin are as beautiful and alluring as glossy adverts for nail polish and lipstick in the pages of fashion magazines. The sea of cherries on vendors' carts on the streets of Beijing remind me of my visit to Pike Street market in Seattle several years ago. It was early summer and the market was loaded with Bing cherries, the most popular sweet variety.

This variety of cherry was developed at the Lewelling Nursery in Salem, Oregon, which was known as the Cherry City because of its fine display of cherries at their annual Cherry Fair. I was surprised to read that the Bing cherry was named after a Chinese helper who worked at the nursery.

Bing cherries are the sweet blackish cherries for eating while the smaller Early Richmond, Montmorency and Morello cherries are the sour types for cooking. The last category is a hybrid, a cross between sweet and tart cherries, such as Duke and Royal Anne, which are ideal for both eating and cooking.

The cherry is native to the Black Sea area, but the ancient Chinese are said to have been the first to cultivate cherry trees. The fruit was perfected by the Greeks and Romans, who planted cherry trees across Europe.

The Romans planted cherry trees as a staple for the Roman armies, but the Japanese grew them purely for their beautiful blossoms. It was said that a fifth century Japanese emperor drank his sake under a cherry tree every day. Today, people from around the world visit Japan during springtime to take pictures of the blossoming cherry orchards.

This is the best time to get your dose of fresh cherries as the supply is plentiful and the prices are good. Cherries are selling for between 8 yuan to 15 yuan per jin (1 jin equals 500 g) depending on the size.

Cherries are grown around the Beijing area, in Yantai, Shandong province and Chongqing. The type of cherries we have here are not like the sweet juicy cherries in the United States, but are tart like amarelle-type cherries, with a yellow flesh and clear juice.

The morello, sometimes also available in China, is another type of red-fleshed sour cherry with red juice. Both are perfect for baking or cooking to make a delicious syrup.

Panda Babies Arrive at Beijing Zoo

Beijing Zoo sees the arrival of a pair of panda babies at about 10 am on July 5.

They were the first pandas to be born at the zoo since 2003, according to Beijing Times.

One of the twins is still at the zoo, being cared for by its parents, while the other was sent to Ya'an in Sichuan province where its parents, Gugu and Yinghua, were born.

Pandas typically care for one twin and abandon the other, necessitating the move.

"The 109-gram baby panda sent to us, which does not yet have a name, is probably a male but its gender cannot be definitively worked out by us until it is around three years old," a worker with the Ya'an-based China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda told local media.

The baby panda in Sichuan is being fed with milk from its grandmother that the center had collected and frozen. Baby pandas need breast milk to improve their immunity during the first three days of life.

The baby panda will eventually be sent back to the zoo, once it has developed.

The mother panda and her baby in Beijing are receiving care from experts in the delivery room at the zoo and will not meet tourists for the time being, according to a worker at the zoo.

The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival

The Dragon Boat Festival is a Chinese lunar holiday, occurring on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month (June 16, 2010 this year). It is a significant holiday celebrated in China, and the one with the longest history. While many stories regarding its origin abound, the most popular and widely accepted version regards Qu Yuan, a minister during the Warring States Period (475 - 221 BC).

Origin

At the end of the Zhou Dynasty, the area we now know as China had fallen into a state of fragmentation and conflict. While the Zhou dynasty had ruled for several centuries, several other states, originally feudal domains, tried to carve out their own kingdoms. The state of Qin would eventually emerge the victor and unify all of China under one rule for the first time in history.

Qu Yuan served as minister to the Zhou Emperor. A wise and articulate man, he was loved by the common people. He did much to fight against the rampant corruption that plagued the court-- thereby earning the envy and fear of other officials. Therefore, when he urged the emperor to avoid conflict with the Qin Kingdom, the officials pressured the Emperor to have him removed from service. In exile, he traveled, taught and wrote for several years. Hearing that the Zhou had been defeated by the Qin, he fell into despair and threw himself into the Milou River.

As he was so loved by the people, fishermen rushed out in long boats, beating drums to scare the fish away, and throwing zong zi into the water to feed braver fish so that they would not eat Qu Yuan's body.

Zong Zi

The traditional food for the Dragon Boat Festival, Zong zi is a glutinous rice ball, with a filling, wrapped in corn leaves. The fillings can be egg, beans, dates, fruits, sweet potato, walnuts, mushrooms, meat, or a combination of them. They are generally steamed.


Dragon Boat Race

The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated by boat races in the shape of dragons. Competing teams row their boats forward to a drumbeat racing to reach the finish end first.

The boat races during the Dragon Boat Festival are traditional customs to attempts to rescue the patriotic poet Chu Yuan. Chu Yuan drowned on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in 277 B.C. Chinese citizens now throw bamboo leaves filled with cooked rice into the water. Therefore the fish could eat the rice rather than the hero poet. This later on turned into the custom of eating tzungtzu and rice dumplings.

The celebration's is a time for protection from evil and disease for the rest of the year. It is done so by different practices such as hanging healthy herbs on the front door, drinking nutritious concoctions, and displaying portraits of evil's nemesis, Chung Kuei. If one manages to stand an egg on it's end at exactly 12:00 noon, the following year will be a lucky one.

Sakura Road in Wuhan University

SPRING is often trumpeted as the best season to visit Wuhan University when the sakura (cherry blossom) is in full bloom. Rising temperatures and rain pave the way for the first sakura blooms which herald the arrival of Spring.

The road lies below the Science School and the former library. The road is neatly lined with strong Sakura trees. From March to the early April each year, Sakura blooms vigorously, but only lasts a week. After that the road is thickly carpeted with Sakura petals. Each year during flowering of Sakura, the road is crowded with constant streams of tourists.

There is another Sakura scenic in Wuhan that is Moshan Hill of Wuhan’s East Lake Scenic Area where Wuhan Sakura Festival is held each year. It is a highlight to appreciate Sakura in the evening. Set off by colorful lights and white snow, Sakura will be more charming and attractive this year.

Price of admission ticket: 10 Yuan per person

Traffic: take tourist line 401 and get off at the stop of Wuhan University. Go into the entrance of the campus and walk ahead along the street to a pond and then turn left to the avenue till you arrive at Sakura Road and the former library.

Tips to Help You Eat Healthy

Recently, I suddenly realise that I should have a healthy life style. Because the sub-heathy problems are obsessing me, though I am just 20+ years old.

Thanks to my friend that giving me a soybean milk machine as my wedding present. Last weekend, I went to supermarket to buy all kinds of whole grains, including Brown Rice, Whole Barley, Black Rice, Millet, sorghum and Sweet Rice... Then I choose 3 or 4 from them to make multi-soybean milk as dinner everyday.

Following are some other tips for eating whole grains:

* To eat more whole grains, substitute a whole-grain product for a refined product - such as eating whole-wheat bread instead of white bread or brown rice instead of white rice. It's important to substitute the whole-grain product for the refined one, rather than adding the whole-grain product.

* For a change, try brown rice or whole-wheat pasta. Try brown rice stuffing in baked green peppers or tomatoes and whole-wheat macaroni in macaroni and cheese.

* Use whole grains in mixed dishes, such as barley in vegetable soup or stews and bulgur wheat in casserole or stir-fries.

* Create a whole grain pilaf with a mixture of barley, wild rice, brown rice, broth and spices. For a special touch, stir in toasted nuts or chopped dried fruit.

* Experiment by substituting whole wheat or oat flour for up to half of the flour in pancake, waffle, muffin or other flour-based recipes. They may need a bit more leavening.

* Use whole-grain bread or cracker crumbs in meatloaf.

* Try rolled oats or a crushed, unsweetened whole grain cereal as breading for baked chicken, fish, veal cutlets, or eggplant parmesan.

* Try an unsweetened, whole grain ready-to-eat cereal as croutons in salad or in place of crackers with soup.

* Freeze leftover cooked brown rice, bulgur, or barley. Heat and serve it later as a quick side dish.

Give up Laptops or Not!

Nowadays, more and more office people feel pains from backs, necks and shoulders. The most important reason is using computers for a long time.

According to market-research firm IDC, sales of laptop computers passed desktops in the U.S. for the first time ever this fall. That's bad news.　　

Laptops are inherently unergonomic--unless you're 2 feet tall, says physician Norman J. Marcus, a muscle-pain specialist in New York City.　　

When you work at a computer, the keyboard should be at elbow height, so your upper and lower arms form an angle of 90 degrees or more and your forearms are supported by armrests. The monitor should be roughly at eye level so you can lean back in a chair with back support.　　

But most users simply set their laptops on a desk or table. The keyboard is too high, which makes your arms reach up, your shoulders hunch and your wrists bend down. The monitor is too low, which pulls your head and neck forward and down and puts a strain on your back.　　

That's OK if you use your laptop occasionally, for short periods. But if you use one for hours at a stretch--as do millions of college students, business travelers, telecommuters, video-gamers and growing numbers of office workers--you're setting yourself up for muscle problems that can make your entire upper body hurt.

Ergonomics experts have warned about laptop problems for years--mostly in vain. People continue to abandon bulky desktops in favor of the ever-sleeker, lighter portables. And WiFi connections let us use laptops anywhere--in bed, on the floor--in all kinds of contorted positions.　　

People think, How can a mouse or a keyboard hurt you?'' says Thomas Caffrey, founder of Myofactors LLC, which does ergonomic consultations for factories and offices (including The Wall Street Journal). But poor technique can significantly overload the anatomy over time."　　

A wrong position can cause pain and stiffness in the neck, shoulders, back and arms, as well as headaches, pains in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and carpal tunnel syndrome, in which pressure on wrist nerves causes tingling and numbness in the hands.

Chinese Paper Cutting

Paper-cutting is a very distinctive visual art of Chinese handicrafts. It originated from the 6th century when women used to paste golden and silver foil cuttings onto their hair at the temples, and men used them in sacred rituals. During the Chinese Festivals like the New Year, paper cuttings are used to adorn entrances of buildings and homes to bring good luck and fortune.

They have special significance at festivals and on holidays. At the New Year's Festival for example, entrances are decorated with papercuttings which are supposed to bring good luck.Papercuttings used to be used as patterns, especially for embroidery and lacquer work.

Though small piece of paper is, it can reflect many aspects of life like prosperous atmosphere, healthy persons and harvest year, etc. Some is even drawned from stories representing common goals and expects to happiness.

The main cutting tools are simple: paper and scissors or an engraving knife, but clever and deft craftspeople are remarkably good at cutting in the theme of daily life. When you look at items made in this method carefully, you will be amazed by the true to life expressions of the figure's sentiment and appearance, or portrayal of natural plants and animals' diverse gestures. Patterns of chrysanthemum display the curling petals, pied magpies show their tiny feathers and others such as a married daughter returning to her parents' home, or young people paying a New Year call to their grandparents.

People find hope and comfort in expressing wishes with paper cuttings. For example: for a wedding ceremony, red paper cuttings are a traditional and required decoration on the tea set, the dressing table glass, and on other furniture. A big red paper character 'Xi' (happiness) is a traditional must on the newlywed's door. Upon the birthday party of a senior, the character 'Shou' represents longevity and will add delight to the whole celebration; while a pattern of plump children cuddling fish signifies that every year they will be abundant in wealth.

Chinese Lantern Festival 2010

The Lantern Festival is a traditional Chinese festival since Han Dynasty more than 2000 years ago. In the early Tan Dynasty (618-907AD), it was called the Shan-Yuan Festival, because of Taoism. in the late Tan Dynasty, it was called the Yuan-Xiao Festival. It was called Lantern Night in the Sun Dynasty (960-1297 A.D.). The Lantern Festival was used in Ching Dynasty (1644-1911 AD).

According to the Chinese calendar, the night of January 15th has the first full moon of the New Year and marks the end of the Chinese New Year festivities.

Chinese people traditionally celebrate this occasion with the Lantern Festival in which beautiful lanterns (and nowadays electric lights) of all shapes and sizes are lit, fireworks are set off, lantern riddles are devised and guessed and people eat Yuan Xiao together while appreciating the full moon.

The lantern displays can be found in the town center square and temples. Usually. there is the lantern competition at the temple. Traditional lanterns are made by paper. They can make the lantern tuning around by the heat circulation from the candle inside. Today the light of the lantern is from the electricity. People like to design lantern using zodiac animals, historical figures, saint and gods of Taoism or Buddhism. Certainly, the current year's animal symbol of the Chinese calendar is most popular subject. Using the computer tool today, they can design the lantern with different movements, the different colors of light and even using the laser light with special visual and sound effects.

Customs of the Lantern Festival

1. Eating Yuan Xiao
It is well known that Lantern Festival is also called Yuan-Xiao Festival. This is because Chinese eat Yuan-Xiao on this day. This custom originated from the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the fourth century, then became popular during the Tang and Song Dynasty.

Yuan-Xiao just like Tang-Yuan . They are made of sweet rice flour into sticky glutinous balls. They can be filled in with sesame, red-bean or peanut butter paste. Usually, they are severed with sugar water. But some people still make salty Tang-Yuan.

The difference between Yuan-Xiao and Tang-Yuan is the way they are made and cooked. This is because that Chinese in different geographic area prepare the food in different way. Chinese call the one they eat on Winter Solstice Day is Tang-Yuan. The one they eat on the Lantern festival is called Yuan-Xiao.

2. Lantern Riddles

Guessing lantern riddles is a popular addition to the Lantern Festival that appeared during the Tang Dynasty. As you would imagine, the game is to write riddles and have other people try to guess them. This is a popular social part of the Lantern festival and provides great exercise for the brain!

3 Best Nourishing Soup in Winter

It is the best time for us to nourish our bodies in Autumn and Winter all year. Although we are always in strong stress, we should not forget to nourish ourselves. Here I recommend you 3 nourishing soup, which make you have a nice winter.

Almond Pearl Tofu Soup
Effects: Relieving constipation, Whitening skin.
Materials: Large almond 10g, Tofu 150g, Pearl Powder 1 to 3g, glucose powder 15g.

Peanut Pettitoes Soup
Effects: moisturizing the skin and increase elasticity.
Materials: Peanut 80 g, Zhushou 300 g, yam 50 g
Seasoning: Salt, Onion, Ginger, Cooking wine
Shouwu Pigeon Eggs Soup
Efficacy: supplement liver and kidney, Hair Tonic
Material: fleece-flower root 5 g, Rehmannia 3 g, Pigeon Eggs 50 g, Mushroom 10 g.
Seasoning: Salt

Gourmet in Hongkong

Hongkong is the top fashion city, where integrate the western and eastern cultures, in the world. So you can enjoy the all different kinds of delicious food here.
Tutto by Habitu

All Italian dishes are the combination of the traditional style and the new ideas and elements, creating an innovative feature of Italian cuisine. The "Tutto" comes from "Total" in Italian, which means the restaurant can provide a wide variety of Italian food, Italian food culture to us all.
Bi Fengtang

Bi Fengtang (Typhoon Shelter) is a small harbor in the Hong Kong Victoria Harbor originally. There are mainly fishermen, whose specialty is seafood. They have the unique way of preparing a series of sea there. The "Ship Porridge" is one of the most popular dishes there.
Japanese-style Beef

The Japanese-style Beef is the speciality in Longhuang Restaurant in WTC More. The attraction of this restaurant is its location, where you could enjoy the beautiful scenery of Victoria Harbor.

Picking up Strawberries in Nanjing

Picking up strawberries, which is a kind of fruits that could make the spring close to us, with family is so popular in this spring. Put a strawberry at your lips, your will find that spring is fair for every one.

In Nanjing, Jiangxin island is one of the most popular place for visiters to pick up strawberries. On last weekend (the traditional festival - Qingming, which is for people to go outside and enjoy the greenery of springtime, and also to tend to the graves of departed ones.), many nanjing people go there to enjor the delicious fruits and spring.

In these strawberry bases, the average price is from 16 rmb/kilo to 40 rmb/kilo. In average, there are 1,500 kilo strawberries to be picked up in each base.

The 10 Most Romantic Honeymoon Destiny of the World

Iguazu Falls - Argentina & Brazil
Iguazu Falls stretches 2700 meters in semi-circular-shaped, which is made of 275 small waterfalls. It will undoubtedly be a heart-pounding place for lovers.

Bali- Indonesia
Because of its beauty and luxury, Bali is one of the most romantic travel spot.

Venice - Italy

Venice is a city in northern Italy, the capital of region Veneto. Together with Padua, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area Venice is called "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water", "City of Bridges", and "The City of Light".

You can take a punt in the narrow waterway to enjoy the beautiful scenery. If you go there on Valentine's Day, you can also experience the unique Venice Carnival.

Bora Bora - Polynesia, Franch
Bora Bora is the third of the latest Seven Wonders islands of the World. It is an excellent romantic place for you to have a high-quality honey moon vacation in the edge of the dark blue ocean.

Alps - Swiss
Switzerland is always a honeymoon destination, where there is not only picturesque country scenery, but also the spectacular Alps. Is there some reason to reject it?

New York - America
You could enjoy that walking in the Central Park in summer, kissing your lover in the Times Square, or overlooking the hurry world from the the top of Empire State Building.

Santorini - Greece
You could see the most beautiful sunset of the world in Santorini. It is the best choice for singleton to find his or her right man in the spectacular sunset.

Saint Lucia - Caribbean
It is a pop choice for newlywed to have honey moon in Saint Lucia, especially for those who want to experience Caribbean-style wedding. The island's natural beauty, like a magnet, attracts people in love.

Ring of Kerry - Ireland
There are not only pastoral scene of both villages, but also bustling and noisy cities in beautiful Ireland. The above picture shows the Scariff island of Ireland.

Paris - France
Paris is always in the ranking list of the most romantic place in the world. Each year, the city attracts tens of thousands newlywed to come here to enjoy the its beauty.

Nanjing Four Star Luxury Toilet in Use

Since mid-February 2009, the first four-star luxury public toilets will be put into use in a small garden of Confucius Temple in Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province. It is reported that the luxury toilets are rebuilt on the base of a common public toilets to cater for the creation of National 5A scenic spot of Confucius Temple Qinhuai landscape level with and to respond to the "difficult to go to the toilet" complaints in the Confucius Temple Area. This toilet covers an area of more than 100 square meters, and cost 400,000 yuan. And it will be free to public.

The public toilet is made up with the men's and women's room and the hall. There are basins that made by blue and white porcelain, sliding door with wood sculptures in Ming-Qing Dynasty and sensor hand-dryers in toilet. And all types of signboards and nameplates are translated in 4 languages including Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean. In the hall, there are also central air conditioners, LCD TVs and fauteuils. Since it was put into use, many people came here to have a try.

Three Holy Places for Watching Peach Flower in South China

As the saying goes: "Flowers bloom in March, and flourish in April." So it is the best season to watch flowers in these two months. Whether it is in the mountains, forests or beside the farmland, and whether peach, plum, cherry or rape, as long as you close to them, you will be covered with an aroma of spring. And telling you that spring is beginning.
Longquanyi in Chengdu

Chengdu Longquanyi District can be said to be the most undulating terrain for watching peach flower in domestic. It is about half an hour journey from Longquanyi to Chengdu. Every time in the mid of March, International Peach Festival will be hold at Peach Trench, which is located on Longquan Mountain. Although the mountain is not so majestic, it is also a unique scenery in Chengdu Plain.

In March, more than 17 million peach blossom bloom over all the mountain. So it is so comfortable for you that rely on a bamboo chair under the peach the blossoms, drink a cup of green tea and enjoy the warm sunshine.

Romantic Taohuayuan in Changde

Taohuayuan is described as a utopia by the poet Tao Yuan-ming of Eastern Jin Dynasty. It is fictional, but it has its place, and is located in Taoyuan County, Hunan Province. The Peach Blossoms Festival is hold on Mar. 28th every year. In the florescence of March, more than 10 thousand peach blossoms bloom just like a piece of mariculous and clouful Yun Brocade, including pink, white, light red, plain and red . Strolling along the cobblestone paths around peach forest, you will see a beautiful landscape paint with a brook, that named Peach Brook, and a stone arch bridge, that named Qionglin Bridge across the brook. It makes you feel in the paradise that the fresh green matches the peach red.

Peach Garden in Foshan

Foshan city is in Guangdong Province, so that the spring always come early. In January each year, the peach flowers of 3000 acres will bloom in the garden. Because it was cold in this srping festival, the peach florescence delayed. But now, the peach blossoms of Nanguo Garden all bloom like a piece of red Brocade, which will last to March.

A Transparent Toilet in London

The toilet is one of the most private and intimate space in everyday life, but there is recently a transparent toilet in British capital - London. So driven by the curiosity, I went to check it out. Going out from Westminster subway station, then walking along athe straight road before the Parliament Building, you will find Tate Art Museum beside the Thames River. It is said that the odd toilet is there. But I can't find it at first. Suddenly, I catch a glimpse of a shining cuboid beside the Artbrit Street. What is that? When I near it, I find that the odd thing, be made of 4 pieces of glass fall to the ground and 1 piece of ceiling glass, which covers 2 square meter with no decoration. That is the transparent toilet.

I saw an elderly couple deliberately stopped at the toilet, then then old woman went into it, but came out quickly. I was a little bit puzzled, so just went into it. I found that although it is small, there are all facilities where it should have. I was indeed shocked by the transparent glass wall. You could watch every thing around it, including passengers and buildings. At this time, a little boy, with his nose close to th glass, peep from outside curiously. I hurried to wave hands to him, but found that he couldn't see anything. So I set my heart at rest. Actually, the glass is a special kind that you could see anything from inside, but see nothing from the outside.

Grandpa's Nail Hook

In everyday life, whether you are bothered with how to hammer a nail? This grandpa's nail hook, which award Bronze Prize in Muji Award, will help you turn it in to easy. These nails have a sheath covering them with a slight angle at one end that allow the nails to easily be hammered in to the wall without bending.The nails are then all secured at the same angle and length every time.

The designer said that his grandfather nonchalantly pounded nails into posts and hung various things on them. So that things didn't fall off these nails, he unconsciously pounded them in at an angle. To us, these felt like the most rational sort of hook you could get. While a simple nail would have sufficed, the designer made a few alterations, which strucked him that if some one could secure a nail at a set angle and length every time, then he could have beautiful hooks anywhere he could pound a nail in.

Travel with Hsu Chi to Hokkaido

Before I saw the movie "If You Are the One", Hokkaido is always my dream that I am mad about its white snow and warm springs. Hokkaido is the northern one of the 4 most biggest islands in Janpan, the four seasons of which are all refreshing and comfort, especially for winter that is covered by a silvery white snow. Due to its marine climate, it will make you feel warm instead of cold in winter here.

Sapporo, the cultural and political center of Hokkaido, is Japan's fifth largest city. Sapporo's "Snow Festival" is the biggest one in Japan, which is celebrated at downtown Chase Park on February every year. During the Snow Festival, there will show you the large snow sculptures from all of the world, matched with hazy neon lights.

Hokkaido is a real paradise for those warm spring-lovers. Because of its unique topography, the warm spring quantity of which is the highest in Japan, such as the Snowy Mountain, the beads Hill, Asahidake, and so on. have amazing hot springs . These are some unique style hot spring hotels, combined with gourmet cuisine, that make you feel happy and carefree.

Clock Tower, a symbol of Sapporo and the important cultural relics in Japan, was built in 1878 in Sapporo Agricultural School theater. Sapporo City is divided into two parts,the north one and the south one, by Odori Park, where the white Charming Lanterns Festival is held in the end of every year and Ice Festival is held in February.

Spring Festival Transportation in China

Jan. 11, the beginning of the Spring Festival Transportation of 2009 in China, will last about 40 days. Wang Yongping, the Spokesman of Railway Ministry, said that there is still a great pressure on the Spring Festival transportation that the passengers population will reach 188 million, which will increase 8% than the same period of last year; the daily average population will reach 4.7 million.

Jan. 12 - the second day of Spring Festival transportation in China, there is a rapid growth of railway passengers flow, which is mainly students and workers.

Reporters on the 11th from the Railways Ministry was informed that there is a rapid growth of railway passengers flow in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hangzhou area. It is expected that the passenger population will attach to 300 thousand at Beijing Station and Beijing Western Station today, while in Guangzhou Station it will arrive at 170 thousand. Earlier, China Railway adjusted train diagram, and expanded of the spring transport capacity, which would reach 2,920,000 everyday. During the Spring Festival, the national railway ministry plans to open 1413.5 pairs of trains, which is 142 more than the last year; while open temporily trains 319 pairs, which is 8 more than last year.

Beijing and the Three Northeast Provinces are the Most Favoritest Travel Spots in 2009 Spring Festival

2009 Spring Festival is getting closer and closer. The reporter learned from major travel agencies in Dongguan city that the the overall price of the domestic tour of Spring Festival in 2009 remains stable. Beijing and the north-east line are considered the most popular domestic tours lines of the Spring Festival in 2009, which prices have rised, but the increase remained at 10%. Now the fuel costs becomes lower, so that the increases is about 5%.

Beijing Tour is still the most favoritest in the next Spring Festival

At present, travel agencies in Dongguan released most of the Spring Festival domestic tour routes in 2009. Many citizens apply to travel agencies, especially for the Beijing and North-East Line. According to Chen Zijiang, deputy general manager of China Travel Service in Dongguan, at present the travel agency had received more than 100 members to Beijing for Spring Festival travel. Similarly, Beijing line is the most closed-off in the every weekend meeting of Dongguan MNB.

Those the most popular lines which price fluctuations do not exceed 10%, usually remain higher prices. The domestic tour lines in 2009 Spring Festival have no exception. Take Beijing line as an example, the five-day quote of the Spring Festival temple fair, "Bird's Nest", passion skiing and the Great Wall in 2008 Spring Festival is 2536 yuan, while the quote of the current Spring 2009 is 2996 yuan. Chen Zijiang said that the price of Beijing line raise about 10%. However, with the fuel costs became lower, overall prices just increase by 200 yuan and the maximum increase will be 5%.

The prices of Northeast line and Hainan line rise

Snow sight of the Northeast is also popular in Dongguan. Take a 6-days line for an example, the price is usually only 3800 yuan, but it willrise to 5800 yuan in the Spring Festival. The Ice Show of the Northeast provinces began from December 25 and would continue to one-month. During this period, the air tickets fee and the price of northeast line began to rise.

This situation also happened in the Hainan tour line. Although the prices remain stable with the prices of the same with period of last year, but it has been rised 50% . In normal times, the room fee is about 1,500 RMB, but it will rise to more than 4000 RMB in the Spring Festival.