Select any one of the tour operators, such as China Travel service (CTS), OrientTravel.com, InfoHub or GAT China Vacation, who offer packages with a guide, at affordable and competitive prices. You will be met by your guide if you travel alone or in a group and they will also stay with you throughout the tour.  The travel agency takes care of your accommodation and itinerary of the tour. You will get first hand information on how to tip, use currency, get transportation, weather and temperature details and be cautioned on hygiene and health.

A popular package tour that many people opt during their China holiday is the 15 days guided tour where you get to visit Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Hong Kong and Guilin. The highlights are all covered, including a day trip to Suzhou to visit the beautiful gardens, art museums and a Li River cruise in Guilin. A guided tour that includes such an itinerary would cost around $2300 per person.

The states of Qin, Zhao and Yan erected the Great Wall the Great Wall of China as their defense structure. It was popularly termed “The Great Wall” only during the Qin Dynasty, when they decided to protect themselves from the Hans who lived in the north by joining the walls together.

Many historical facts come to light when you visit the place in person. The culture behind this Wall is explained. You learn that in Chinese symbolism and mythology, one part of the Wall was brought down by Meng Jiangnu. She was apparently distraught at the news of the death of her husband during the construction of this Wall. This legend is taught in textbooks and songs and operas are traditionally enacted around this story as people are made aware of their culture.

Tourists find that they can indulge in various activities when they undertake the tours of China. Some of these include Calligraphy and painting courses, Karting, Chinese tea discovery, Martial arts and hot air ballooning trips, amidst a whole range of other activities. You can get more information on things that you can do if you visit Passport to China.

China has a tropical climate too though many people are unaware of this fact though they know that the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong boasts of the renowned Repulse Bay.  Hainan is an exotic island in the Southern province that beach lovers generally find fascinating. While the land province of Hainan is small, the ocean province is the largest in China. Check out Sanya, which is located in the Hainan province and especially popular for its Yalong bay and the beautiful white sandy beaches of Dadonghai. Any travel & tour operator will be able to guide and assist you if you wish to take a tour of this tropical Chinese beach.

A temple was first built around 850CE by Rakai Pikatan to honor lord Shiva. Shiva-grha, or the House of Shiva, was the original name of the temple. Many archaeologists suggest that the idol of Shiva located in the central chamber of the main temple is modeled after King Balitung. Experts believe this idol represents a depiction of the king’s deified self after death.

The temple complex was expanded by Mataram kings Daksa and Tulodong. They also added hundreds of temples around the chief temple. Most of the state’s religious ceremonies took place at Prambanan because it served as the royal temple of Mataram, a Hindu Kingdon. Hundreds of Brahmins are said to have lived at Prambanan at the height of the Mataram kingdom. Scholars also believe that their followers lived within the outer wall of the temple complex. The urban center of Prambanan and their courts were said to be located in the nearby Prambanan valley.

A new dynasty, the Isyana Dynasty, took over in the 930s, and they shifted the court to East Java. Experts believe that either a volcanic eruption or power struggle caused the move, which marked the beginning of Prambanan’s decline. It began to deteriorate shortly after it was abandoned. The temples ultimately collapsed when a major earthquake hit in the 16th century, though there were no longer an important place of worship.

A British surveyor accidentally stumbled upon the temples in 1811. A full survey of Prambanan’s ruins was ordered, but they still remained neglected for decades. Many sculptures and foundation stones were stolen by Dutch residents and used for construction material. More excavations took place by archaeologists in the 1880s, but they were done in a haphazardly manner and looting was the only result. Finally a reconstruction effort of the complex began in 1918, followed by proper restoration in 1930. The restoration of the main building of the temple complex was completed around 1953. So much of the original stonework has been stolen and reused, so restoration efforts have been slow. A temple can only be rebuilt only if builders can use at least 75% of the original masonry. For that reason, only foundations of many of the smaller shrines are visible today, and no plans for their reconstruction are evident. Restoration efforts continue today.

Prambanan Visitor Information
The nearest major cities to Prambanan are Yogyakarta, located 17 kilometres southwest, and Solo, which is about 40 kilometres northeast. There is a main road that connects these two large cities. It passes right by Prambanan and makes transport quite easy. The town of Klaten is closest to Prambanan, located about 3 km north.
UNESCO designated Prambanan a World Heritage Site in 1991. It became an increasingly popular tourist destination after that. You will need at least an entire day to get around and understand the historical significance of Prambanan. Prambanan opens early, at 6 AM, so staying nearby the previous night is a good idea. Getting in before the massive crowds arrive at 9am will afford you a good amount of time to explore with a limited amount of tourists. This will also afford the opportunity to visit some of the other archaeological sites on the Prambanan plain. This area of Java gets a lot of rain, so visiting from April to October give you the best chance of having a clear, sunny day.

237 temples comprise the Prambanan complex, though many of have deteriorated or been looted. Three zones make up the complex:

• The outer zone- a large open space that was once surrounded by a large wall, which is no longer there. Many experts believe this was used as either a park or garden. Some think it was the site of an ashram for temple priests.
• The middle zone- this has four rows of 224 identical, concentrically arranged shrines. Many are in ruins, but there are some that have been fully restored. The shrines are called guardian temples. There are many theories about the design and use of this shrine. Some experts think it is a representation of the Mataram caste system. Others think these were designed to receive offerings to the king. Still others believe they were simply used for meditation.
• The inner zone- contains eight main temples along with eight small shrines. Archaeologists agree this is the holiest of the three zones. There are three main inner shrines that are dedicated to Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Keeper, and Shiva the Destroyer.

Prambanan Conservation Efforts
In July 2006, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (WHC) in Jakarta was provided with major funding from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for rehab efforts at Prambanan after a major earthquake hit Indonesia. Information panel boards were installed to raise awareness to tourists visiting the site.

Borobudur lay hidden for centuries under layers of volcanic ash and jungle growth for centuries and its abandonment remains a mystery. The monument was not forgotten completely, though folk stories gradually shifted from its past glory into more superstitious beliefs associated with bad luck and misery. Two old Javanese chronicles from the eighteenth century mention cases of bad luck associated with the monument. Borobudur’s main stupa, which is empty and has created a mystery during the discovery period.

Hartmann, a Dutch administrator of the Kedu region, unearthed the whole complex in 1835. His interest in Borobudur was more personal than official. Hartmann did not write any reports of his activities; in particular, the alleged story that he discovered the large statue of Buddha in the main stupa. In 1842, Hartmann investigated the main dome although what he discovered remains unknown as the main stupa remains empty.

Borobudur consists of a single stupendously large structure, which can be divided into layers as follows:

* The platform at the base of the structure, which was clearly added on later and hides some reliefs, is of uncertain provenance and function. The main theories are that the platform was added to censor reliefs depicting earthly desires or — rather more likely — to buttress the subsiding structure and prevent it from collapsing. A section of the platform has been excavated at the southeast corner, showcasing some of the hidden reliefs underneath.

* The bulk of the structure consists of four square terraces connected by steep staircases. Each terrace has reliefs in two layers on both sides, recounting the story of the Buddha’s past lives and his enlightenment. The “correct” way to view the reliefs is to start from the east gate (the main entrance) and circulate clockwise.

* After the square terraces the structure suddenly opens up to reveal the final four circular terraces. Comparatively plain and unadorned, there are no more reliefs here, just several hundred domes housing half-hidden Buddha statues (many headless, some lost entirely).

* The peak of the structure is a central stupa. The two chambers inside the stupa are empty, and it is unclear whether they were empty from the beginning as a representation of nirvana, or whether they originally contained now lost statues.

* You can discover 6 different postures of buddha’s statue for bottom level to the top. They are “contact with earth”, “giving and helping”, “meditation”, “no fear”, “teach and learn”, “turn of wills”.

Borobudur Visitor Information
Entry into the Borobudur site costs US$11 – Rp93,000 (US$7 student, or Rp9,000 if you are Indonesian) and the site is open to the public from 6 AM to 5 PM. However, the Manohara Hotel (see Sleep) runs a daily Borobudur Sunrise Tour for an additional US$10 (115 000 IDR) per person, which gets you a flashlight and a lift up to the temple gate at 4:30 AM, in time to see the sunrise and explore for an hour and a half before the hordes arrive, and is well worth the money. Hiring a guide who can explain the reliefs well costs Rp 50,000. You should ask for a guide in the evening before going to tour in the morning.

Borobodur Conservation Efforts
In the mid 1970s Borobudur had greatly deteriorated due to the effects of weather and human intervention. Working through UNESCO, it took a monumental effort on the part of experts from around the world to restore the site. The conservation and preservation of Borobudur is a prime example of international cooperation. The Central Office Study and Conservation of Borobudur is monitoring the site on an ongoing basis.

The main temple in the complex is called Angkor Wat and was built between 1113 and 1150 by King Suryavarman II. After consolidating his power through military campaigns, diplomacy, and good domestic administration, Suryavarman started the construction of Angkor Wat near the town of Siem Reap. With walls nearly one-half mile long on each side, Angkor Wat portrays the Hindu cosmology. The central towers represent Mount Meru, home of the gods; the outer walls, the mountains enclosing the world; and the moat, the oceans beyond.

After the death of Suryavarman, the kingdom fell into a period of internal strife as various factions tried to gain control. After defeating the neighboring Cham Empire in 1181, Jayavarman assumed the throne. He continued the construction of the Angkor complex. Jayavarman constructed the walled city of Angkor Thom, as well as its geographic and spiritual center, the temple known as the Bayon. These remain two of the most popular temples today. The bas-reliefs in the Bayon depict the king’s victory over the Cham as well as scenes from the life of Khmer villagers and courtiers. Jayavarman was also responsible for building the well-known temples of Ta Prohm and Preah Khan. During Jayavarman’s reign, the Hindu temples were altered to display images of the Buddha, and Angkor Wat briefly became a Buddhist shrine.

However, the end of the Angkorian period occurred in 1431 A.D. when Angkor was sacked and looted by Thai invaders. During the 15th century, nearly all of the Angkor area was abandoned, except for Angkor Wat, which remained a Buddhist shrine. However, even that was abandoned and the area was reclaimed by the jungle until its “discovery” in the 19th century. The Angkor area was placed on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites in 1992.

Angkor Visitor Information
Visitors to the temples of Angkor must buy an entrance ticket prior to entry. The ticket offices are open from 5 a.m. in the morning to 5:30 p.m. at night. A one day pass is US$ 20, a three day is US$ 40, and a week pass costs US$ 60. Get there either early or late because during the mid-day, the lines are very long.

To get into the park, visitors must show their Angkor Pass and whenever they pass one of the checkpoints or at the entrance to most of the major temples and other monuments. The park itself is open from sunrise to sunset everyday.

The Angkor complex is very large and hard to walk around. You will need to hirer a driver to take you around to the various temples, especially those outside the main complex. There are many, many drivers in the area as well as in the nearby town of Siem Reap. A personal driver for 3 days will cost around $12 USD. This covers his time and gas. Moreover, he will wait at each ruin until you are down exploring.

Angkor Conservation Efforts
The Angkor temple complex is in great disrepair. Most of the sites are being ruined or destroyed and tourism here has been a double edged sword. The site currently draws about one million tourists a year, but those numbers continue to swell each year. While this brings in money it also brings in more people that take things and wear down the stones and complexes.

Conservation work on the site resumed after the Cambodia civil war, and since 1993 has been jointly coordinated by the French and Japanese and UNESCO through the International Coordinating Committee on the Safeguarding and Development of the Historic Site of Angkor (ICC). Some temples have been carefully taken apart stone by stone and reassembled on concrete foundations to help preserve the sites.