6 places to visit outside Chengdu, China

Even though Chengdu may not be what first comes to most foreigners' mind, this so-called "Land of Abundance" does not have a shortage of wonderful attractions. However, to fully capture what the city holds, tourists may have to go out to the outskirts of Chengdu.

Dujiang Yan

This irrigation project, constructed over 2,000 years ago, is one of the world’s cultural heritage sites recognized by UNESCO. Amazingly, despite its age the Dujiang Yan irrigation system continues to benefit over 40 neighboring counties in Sichuan province. It is the oldest no-dam irrigation system in the world and something of an engineering miracle. As it turns out, China has a historic knack for designing and implementing engineering marvels.

Mount Qingcheng

Located near Dujiang Yan, Mount Qingcheng is one of the most important Taoist sites in the world. The mountain range has 36 peaks, and in Taoist mythology it is the site of the Yellow Emperor’s studies with Ning Fengzi (this sounds obscure but all Chinese know it). Due to its rich Taoist history, the mountain is home to dozens of temples, although many were destroyed in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. This mountain has been the subject of countless Chinese poets and philosophers, who have called it “The most peaceful and secluded mountain under heaven”. It’s a peaceful getaway.

Flower Town

Located on the Eastern edge of Chengdu, Flower Town (called Sanshenxiang in Chinese) is mostly a weekend destination for Chengdu residents. As the name suggests, Flower Town is famous for being dotted with flower-filled nurseries. If you go on weekends when the weather is nice, expect large crowds. This is a great place to sip tea, take walks, and smell the flowers.

Leshan Giant Buddha

This colossal stone statue of Maitreya has been a UNESCO heritage site since 1996. Standing an incredible 70 meters tall, you will feel like an ant when you’re standing next to this buddha carved out of the side of a mountain. Started in 713 AD by a Buddhist monk named Haitong, the carving of the statue continued for 90 years before it was completed in 803 AD. Today it remains the largest sculpture of Buddha on the planet and attracts pilgrims and tourists from near and far.

High Tech Zone

If you want to see the most architecturally developed region of the city, it’s Chengdu’s High Tech Zone. What many don’t know about Chengdu is that although the city is designed with concentric circles emanating from Tianfu Square at the center, the city’s planners have another idea. They intend for the future center of the city to not be in the geographic center of the city, but in the south.
One of the world’s largest software parks, the Tianfu Software Park to the south of Chengdu has around 50,000 people in it. The rows and rows of office buildings seem to go on forever. Although many of the buildings look very similar, you will see Chengdu’s most architecturally adventurous buildings here.

Giant Panda Research Base

This is a must-see day trip outside of Chengdu. Only in Sichuan province can you see the giant panda in its native habitat, and with over 30 pandas on site, this is the best place to do that.

The base itself is a large facility which will guide you through the panda’s natural living environment. It was designed to recreate the natural habitat as closely as possible, not just for the pandas themselves but for visitors as well.

See more: Top Sichuan street food to try in Chengdu, China

Source: Internet

A guide to Malaysia's regions

Malaysia offers travelers tropical islands, a 130-million-year-old rainforest and (almost) secret diving havens. The country’s many features make it challenging to know where to visit.

Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur is Malaysia’s beating heart. This skyscraper-laden city houses the world-famous Petronas Twin Towers, while Little India and Chinatown offer a taste of its thriving multiculturalism. Malls are stocked with the latest fashion, technology and souvenirs, alluring bargain-hunters inland and overseas. But it isn’t all about the high life: KL is also one of the world’s food capitals, filled with street-side restaurants, vendors and food courts. Away from the skyscrapers, KL Forest Eco Park provides a slice of the rainforest in the city center.

Malacca

Malacca oozes with history and culture, with a celebrated title as one of the most historically important states in Malaysia. Malacca’s 15th-century Sultanate led to the modern Malay identity, accepting three eras of colonial influence (Portuguese, Dutch and British influence) that spanned almost five centuries. Today, UNESCO-listed Malacca City bursts with centuries-old structures, including St Paul’s—Malaysia’s oldest church. It also has a thriving food scene: Many people come here solely to eat their way through Jonker Street and stuff their faces with mountains of Peranakan cuisine.

Penang

Penang, once Malaysia’s colonial jewel and now proud street art and food capital, is split between Penang Island and mainland Butterworth. Capital George Town’s historical center includes dozens of colorful restored British colonial buildings, with traditional two-storey decorated shophouses lining the narrow streets. More curious travelers can stop by Butterworth, the hub connecting Penang and KL. This little-visited city offers colorful Chinese temples and views over the Straits and Penang Bridge.

Sabah

Borneo’s Sabah in East Malaysia showcases the best of Malaysia’s biodiversity. Pre-historic rainforest covers most of the state, where endemic proboscis monkeys and orangutans swinging from the trees. Mount Kinabalu at 4,095 metres (13,435 feet) stands proudly as Malaysia’s tallest peak, with most travelers arriving at Kota Kinabalu (literally Kinabalu City) as a base for scaling this beast. Speedboats connect the city with Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park’s beach and snorkeling opportunities within minutes. Take a day trip to the northernmost ‘Tip of Borneo’ in Kudat and watch the fireflies in Kota Belud. If you want the jungle, spend a few nights in Danum Valley or the rarely explored Maliau Basin.

Kedah

Kedah State covers a section of the Malay Peninsula and the famously duty-free Langkawi Island. World-acclaimed Langkawi receives the vast majority of the state’s tourists, home to beautiful beaches, verdant hills and a colorful nightlife scene. As an alternative, the dazzling white-sand beaches of Pantai Cenang provide the perfect place for relaxation, especially with cheap cocktails in beachside bars overlooking the gentle sea. Mainland Kedah offers a completely different travel package. Alor Setar’s modern city center blends decorative, traditional and Islamic styles of architecture, while paddy fields forming the famous ‘Rice Bowl of Malaysia’ stretch towards the horizon.

Read more: Top reasons why you should visit Malaysia

Source The culture trip

5 best libraries in Singapore

With libraries all over Singapore, some of which have specialised areas of interest, it should never be too hard to locate the information you’re after. Here’s our list of the city’s best, including state-of-the-art facilities.

National Library of Singapore

The National Library of Singapore on Victoria Street can trace its history back nearly a century when the Hullett Memorial Library became Singapore’s first public library. Today, seven of the National Library’s sixteen storeys are occupied by the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library (LKCRL) named for the Lee Foundation’s S$60 million donation that contributed to the current library, as well as the previous building on Stamford Road. The LKCRL has a collection of over 600,000 reference items making it Singapore’s premier knowledge institution. The National Library also has a public lending library, performance space and runs exhibitions teaching Singapore’s history through a variety of mediums.

Central Public Library

Part of the Singapore National Library, My Tree House at the Central Public Library focuses kids and environmentalism above all else at the World’s First Green Library. One of the library’s most impressive features is the treehouse canopy made from recycled bottles. Another feature that kids will love are The Knowledge Trees, an interactive and kinetic learning portal where kids answer questions about environmental issues and it either grows or withers in response.

library@orchard

The library@orchard was recently renovated and reopened in 2014. Located in Orchard Gateway, this library caters to adults and youngsters with texts covering topics including arts, technology and travel. The library has large open reading spaces where you’ll find design students pouring over textbooks or collaborating on projects. One of the library@orchard’s unique features is The Book Trees, multi-platform displays that are tied to the space, product and visual design collections in the library. Another useful feature is the self-service collection lockers where users can quickly retrieve reserved titles.

library@esplanade

Another library popular with young Singaporeans is the library@esplanade, Singapore’s only library dedicated to the arts and offering breathtaking vistas of Singapore’s iconic Marina Bay Sands from its location atop the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay. Besides an extensive resource collection focused on the arts, the library features four areas dedicated to music, dance, theatre and film respectively as well as several performance spaces where users can screen films, practice piano and even hold silent jam sessions.

Bishan Public Library

Bishan Public Library gained immediate popularity soon after opening in 2006 thanks to its trademark colourful cantilevered reading pods. The library caters to the needs of the surrounding community with a collection of fiction and nonfiction titles with an emphasis on recreation, health and family related topics, spread over five storeys. In addition, the library runs monthly storytelling programs and hobbyist meetups.

See more: Best new Singapore attractions in 2019

Source: Internet