The year of the Ox  is almost at an end and the year of the Tiger is almost upon us.

For those of you staying (or heading to) Beijing for the Chinese New Year, make the most of this opportunity by joining some of the local celebrations.

Our Beijing Temples Fair Tour (14th Feb and 15th Feb) allows you to experience three different styles of Temple Fairs - a traditional temple fair, a beautiful garden fair and a carnival-style street fair.

Traditionally, temple fairs were a means to attract worshippers. However, over hundreds of years they have become celebrations for the whole community. Acrobats perform daring stunts, dragon dancers weave in and out of the crowds, vendors sell all things festive, and of course local xiao chi (snacks) are available everywhere. We will also have a celebratory lunch in a nice Chinese restaurant.

On the 16th February, we invite you to join us in a small village on the outskirts of Beijing to Celebrate Chinese New Year in a Village - an exclusive event organized by the CCC.

You will be welcomed with firecrackers and lively folk dancers, performers and crowds of hospitable, curious farmers (and be invited to join them dancing in the street). In small groups we will visit in the homes of the villagers who will offer us tea and snack and good cheer and teach you how to make "jiaozi & baozi". You will visit an artist who makes life-sized replicas of carts and horses out of paper for use in Chinese funerals. Finally, we will be rewarded by a performance of a troupe of old Beijing street entertainers, which can rarely be seen elsewhere.

Places are limited on both of the above tours so please register soon and buy the tickets in adance for the village tour. Our office will be closed from Saturday 13th Feb and will re-open on 20th, Feb.

Until then we wish all our CCC friends, Gong Xi Fai Cai! 
 

Beijing Temple Fair Tour
Sunday, Feb.14, 09:00-16:00

If you've never visited temple fairs of Beijing, then you must experience this style carnival with the locals and feel the bustle and lively New Year atmosphere of Beijing >>> more

Beijing Temple Fair Tour
Monday, Feb.15, 09:00-16:00

If you've never visited temple fairs of Beijing, then you must experience this style carnival with the locals and feel the bustle and lively New Year atmosphere of Beijing >>> more

 Celebrate Chinese New Year in a Village -- Ticekts almost sold out, buy them in advance!
Tuesday, Feb.16, 09:00-16:00

CCC will organized an exclusive event to celebrate the Spring Festival in a village of the suburb Beijing. We will be welcomed with firecrackers and gaily bedecked, lively folk dancers, performers and crowds of hospitable, curious farmers. We will >>> more

Some events avaialbe the week after the New Year
 

Talk: Peering into the Mystery of I-Ching
Wednesday, Feb.24, 19:30-21:30

The ancient Book of Changes is known by almost all, yet understood by few. Researcher Ma Ning will provide a basic introduction to the I Ching for a lay audience, with a talk a PPT show that will be conducted in Chinese with English interpretation. >>> more

Talk: Nine Principles of Forbidden City
Thursday, Feb.25, 10:00-12:00

The Forbidden City is the best example of Chinese Imperail architecture. Professor Zhao will unveil nine principles reflected in the construction of the emperors' palaces, from Chinese values, symbols, fengshui practice,to culture. >>> more

Cookery: Floral Bread
Saturday, Feb.20, 14:30-16:30

Learn to make steamed breads with colorful flour decorations, which is very popular in yellow plateau area of Shaanxi. The decorations vary from animals, flowers to traditional symbols of Shaanxi, and the breads are more made during the Spring Festiv >>> more

Lantern Festival: Making Lanterns and Yuanxiao Dumplings
Saturday, Feb.27, 14:00-17:00

Join us for a Lantern Festival party to make and taste glutinous yuanxiao dumplings, then work on a unique type of lantern named "furious wind". The papaer lantern has a candle lit in the middle but the fire will never be put out by wind. >>> more

 

Out-of-Beijing Tours

Tibetan Festival Tour From Qinghai To Gansu
Feb.25-Mar.02

Catch up the Tibetan New Year festival and the annual "sunning of the Buddha" ceremony in the Tibetan towns of Tongren in Qinghai and Xiahe in Gansu. You will be enchanted by the atmosphere & pilgrims and Tibetan monks in their saffron robes. >>> more

Pingyao - Raise the red lanterns
Feb 26 eve.-28

Listed as UNESCO Heritage Site, this exotic ancient city and city walls bring you back to the history and the atmosphere and environment like the Europeans back to the Middle Age Europe, and the awesome walls and carvings of the Wang Family Residence >>> more

Nanjing's Plum Blossom Festival Tour
Feb.27-28

Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 306 km (189 miles) NW of Shanghai. First the nation's capital in the early years of the Ming dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644), then the capital of the Republic of China from 1911 to 1937, and now capital of Jiangsu Province >>> more

7 Days Yunnan: Dali, Lijiang & Shangri-La
March 23-29

Dreamland Yunnan is famed for its beautiful landscapes and colourful and diverse ethnic cultures. Enjoy the famous ancient town Dali and Lijiang, UNESCO's World Heritage Site, its surronding Jade Dragon Snow Mountains, then tour Tibetan inhabited Sha >>> more

Pastoral Kaiping and Picturesque Yangshuo & Guilin
April 2-6

Kaiping, 164km from the Macau border, is China at its most bucolic. Its old European style watchtowers are very unique residences. While Guilin & Yangshuo has China's most "Chinese" scenery, the limestone carst peaks are especially magnificent. >>> more

Southern Water Towns: Suzhou, Wuzhen, Hangzhou
April 2 eve.-5

Chinese ancient Water Towns in South China are well known for their ancient houses, bridges and the rivers running through them. Explore with CCC Hangzhou and Suzhou, and one peaceful ancient town Wuzhen. >>> more

Hunan Zhangjiajie & Wulingyuan and Phoenix Town (Feng Huang)
April 3-7

This trip offers two distinct sides of Hunan Province--the beautiful landscape in the nature reservation of Zhangjiajie, the clear waters of Mengdong River; and the traditional town of Phoenix Town with minorities and Huoluping Miao village >>> more

The Long March's Terminus Yan'an & Yellow Earth
April 3-5

Yan'an is famed as the terminus of the long march and the de facto capital of the Chinese Communists.The appeal of this part is its very austerity -- the cave dwellings, the dry terraced hills, and the yellow loess that covers it all. >>> more

Maijishan Grottoes & Famen Temple
April 3-5

Maijishan Grottoes in Gansu remains 194 caves, 7200 sculpture, 1000 square M fresco which are excavated on the cliff. Famen Temple, northwest of Xian, in keeps China's only Buddha Sarira, or the finger bone relic of Buddhism founder Sakyamuni. >>> more