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Stay safe overseas – know before you go
 Whatever your reason for travelling abroad, you’re sure to want a trouble free trip. Many of the things that often go wrong for travellers can be prevented or made less stressful by taking a few simple precautions. So it makes sense to spend a little time getting prepared before you travel – you could save yourself a lot of problems later on.
With this in mind, we are working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to help British nationals stay safe abroad. The FCO website (www.fco.gov.uk/travel) offers straightforward travel advice, top tips and up to date country information to help you plan your holiday.
Tips include:
· Make sure you have valid travel insurance, even if you’re only planning a short trip.
· Visit your GP at least 6 weeks before you travel to get any vaccinations you might need.
· Read up on your destination, including local laws and customs.
· Make photocopies of your passport, visas and insurance details and leave a copy with a relative or friend at home.
You can also find handy checklists to use before you set off and whilst you’re away. Plus it’s worth reading up on what the local British Consulate can do to help you if you run into problems abroad – and what they can’t do.
For all this and more information, visit the FCO website: www.fco.gov.uk/travel. Or if you prefer, call the 24 hour FCO travel advice line on 0845 850 2829
Dali (Yunnan Province), one of the most attractive cities in China, has been drawing millions of visitors from around the world for many years. It is famous for four scenes- the wind in Xiàguān, the flowers in Shàngguān, the snow on Mt. Cāngshān, and the moon over Ĕrhăi Lake, which is also known as “dà lĭ sì jué”. Their popularity is not only based on the charming sceneries themselves, but also partly formed by the magic stories behind them. This time we are just focusing on the fantastic legends.
The cool and strong wind can be experienced effortlessly the moment you arrive in the city. The wind mainly blows from the southwest due to a natural bridge. There are several legends about the wind. One of them goes like this. A long time ago, the princess of Nanzhao kingdom fell in love with a hunter; but their love was strongly opposed by her father, the King. He ordered the enchanter in Luóquán temple to banish the hunter to the bottom of the Ĕrhăi Lake. In order to save her lover, the princess borrowed 6 bottles of wind from Guānyīn, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy, to blow dry the water in Ĕrhăi Lake. Worrying about her lover, she ran in a hurry. Accidentally, she fell down on the ground and broke 5 of them when she reached the natural bridge. From that time until now, gales still howl all year round.
The flowers in Shàngguān
People living in Shangguan have a special penchant for cultivating flowers. It is said that there were a couple living in Shàngguān. Every time when the husband went to the mountain to chop wood, he would share his meal with an old man dwelling there. Once his wife suffered from a difficult birth, the old man gave him a bead and asked his wife to put it into her mouth. But, his wife dropped the bead on the ground by accident. At that time, the bead changed into a beautiful tree. The flower on the tree was as big as a water lily, and the aroma could be smelt as far away as ten kilometres. This news was heard by the emperor. He wanted to take the tree as his own. So, he then sent his solders there and forced the couple to hand over the tree. The couple could barely stand the oppression from the bureaucracy. They eventually cut down this tree with great sorrow. This flower was later confirmed as the Michelia floribunda.
 The snow on Mt. Cāngshān
No matter how hot it is, the snow covering on the top of the Mt. Cangshan never melts away. The white and bright snow is often considered as the top of the four famous scenes. Legend has it that in ancient times, an influx of plague devils crashed into a village and spread diseases. The locals were entangled with their miserable lives. To save the villagers from the devils, a brother and sister went to learn the magic skills from Guānyīn. When they got back, they ousted the plague devils from the village and cooped them up at the top of Mt. Cāngshān. The plague devils were frozen to death. The sister became the Goddess of snow later and stayed there to keep the plague devils from returning.
 The moon over Ĕrhăi Lake
It is charming to go boating on Erhai Lake on a clear night. People can greedily enjoy the moon and stars mirrored on the lake. As for the moon, the locals said that a princess living in the heaven palace was attracted by the people’s life on the ground and therefore she came down to a village and tied the knot with a fisherman. So that the locals could be well-fed and well-clothed, she placed her magic mirror at the bottom of Ĕrhăi Lake. The bright light reflected the shoals of fish so fishermen could easily catch them with their nets. Later, the mirror turned into the golden moon on the lake.
Tags: cangshan, dali, erhai, guanyin, nanzhao, shangguan, xiaguan, yunnan
Posted in legend, travel by Adrian, August 18, 2008 9:09 pm | Comments (0)
chinaONEcall is proud to be providing our 24 hour instant interpreter service for members of the British Athletes Commission (the voice of Great Britain’s elite athletes) during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
 The BAC acts as the unified voice of all Olympic, Paralympic and World Class funded athletes. It communicates their views to the major decision makers within British sport, and promotes athlete representation within their sports. The BAC works to provide all athletes with a way to make their voices heard and a pathway to pursue and resolve any problems they encounter within their sport.
 Dan Chung has published some incredible photographs on the Guardian Website of the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Games.
Click here to see them all.
25 year old Chen Xiexia (陈燮霞) from Guangdong Province has, this morning, won the gold medal in the women’s 48kg weightlifting event. She also set two new Olympic records with a lift total of 212kg and a final clean and jerk heave of 117kg. Chen’s victory represents the host nation’s first gold medal of the Beijing 2008 Games.
 The 29th Olympiad has just begun with a stunning opening ceremony, directed by Zhang Yimou, at the Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing.
Michael Sinclair was recently interviewed by Sandy Dhuyvetter on NBTA Radio at the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) convention in Los Angeles.
Press the play button below to hear:
Picture of Sandy Dhuyvetter & Michael Sinclair
N.B. On some systems the volume will be off by default. You may need to adjust the volume settings on the player above and/or in your desktop control panel.
In December 1997 Lijiang in Yunnan Province and Pingyao in Shanxi Province were both designated as World Culture Heritage sites by UNESCO. They became world heritage sites at the same time but they both have their own unique charm.
Old Town of Lijiang
Lijiang is an old town which was built about 800 years ago in the northwestern part of Yunnan Province. Local Naxi people have kept their culture and traditions. In 2003, Naxi Dongba Literature Manuscript was recommended for inclusion in the Memory of the World Register in 2003.
Snow-capped mountains, ancient architecture and streetscapes, canals and waterways, the Naxi people and their distinct culture have attracted hundreds and thousands of tourists from all around the world. The most popular scenic spots and tourist attractions in and around Lijiang are Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, the Old Man Peak, the Black Dragon Pool, the Jade Peak Monastery and the Tiger Leaping Gorge. There are also some wonderful sites slightly further away from Lijiang, some of which can be reached by cycling or hiking.
Ancient City of Ping Yao
Pingyao in Shanxi Province, located on the trade route between Beijing and Xi’an, is famous for its ancient city wall and folk architecture. It was established in the Ming Dynasty and has been left almost untouched.
Ancient narrow, small temples and courtyard houses offer a unique architectural style and show the town planning of imperial China. Pingyao was also known as a merchant centre and is where China’s earliest banks set up. These institutions in Pingyao were the first in China to use cheques. In the 19th century the city became the financial centre of the Qing government.
To see a full list of World Heritage sites in China please click here.
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