China: An Engaging Place for Families
Dec 14th, 2009 by wwftravel
photo courtesy China Advocates
Our China for Families tour is designed for adults and children alike to enjoy this fascinating nation’s nature, culture and history. Among the many activities we have in store, here are what we think are 10 of the most enjoyable for children:
10. Swim at the National Aquatics Center where American Michael Phelps became an Olympic champion during the 2008 Summer Games. This is a rare opportunity few people get – to dip into the pool at the coolly designed “Water Cube.”
9. Meet and observe giant pandas at two breeding centers and learn about efforts by WWF and scientists in China to protect this endangered bear.
8. Take a ride on China’s fastest train – the famous magnetic levitation train, or “Maglev.” The train speeds along at 260 miles an hour. How fast is that? The ride to the Pudong Airport, which normally takes an hour by car, is just eight minutes by fast train.
7. Go on a wildlife safari through China’s largest wildlife reserve, Bifengxia Wildlife Park. It extends across nearly 25 square miles and contains more than 300 different species, plus breathtaking canyons, forests, rivers and waterfalls.
A red panda © Martin Harvey/WWF-Canon
6. Learn how well you can communicate despite language barriers through your interactions with locals. In small groups, enjoy lunch in the home of welcoming local families, visit schools and meet and play with local children.
5. Stroll along Chengdu’s Jinli Street, a thriving artisan district representative of southwest China, and watch as locals craft birds, animals and flowers out of sticky sugar syrup, creating intricate candy “drawings.”
4. Practice martial arts at China’s most famous school. Meet students, practice with the resident teacher and watch a martial art demonstration.
3. Ride bikes along the Great Wall and across the surrounding hilly countryside.
photo courtesy China Advocates
2. Watch an amazing performance of the comical Sichuan Acrobatic Opera, with its mysterious face-changing show, shadow puppets, fire swallowing and other surprises.
1. Fly intricate, multicolored kites at the Temple of Heaven.
Learn more about our China for Families tour, June 26-July 6, 2010.
