finance-worldwide

The newly-opened 580-square-metre Snow Dome is the latest attraction in the northern city of Chiang Mai. Soon to be the new home and play pen for Chiang Mai’s famous panda family — Chuang Chuang (the male panda), Lin Hui (the mother), and their cub born on 27 May, the Snow Dome also features a separate area where visitors to the zoo will be able to see, touch and feel, and even frolic in the ‘snow’.

The Chiang Mai Zoo Snow Dome is set to be very popular with children and families. For visitors from Thailand, the countries of Southeast Asia and the Middle East, the mention of snow generates great excitement as it conjures up images of a picture-perfect wintery landscape they have yet to experience.

Frolic in the Snow
When chilled water sprayed from a nozzle comes into contact with the very low temperature inside the Snow Dome (which can be set as low as –5 degrees centigrade), small particles of ice and snowflakes form and fall to the ground as snow.

The Snow Dome includes a snow terrace, a huge slide, and a viewing platform. Visitors can make their own Snowman or snow sculpture, or simply frolic in the snow. Families and friends can engage in snowball fights or experience the thrill of riding down a huge slide on a donut ski.

The Snow Dome is connected to the existing panda display area and features a specially-designated zone and an observation deck from which visitors can enjoy viewing the pandas.

(more…)

By: Victoria Cochrane

For some, a trip to China would be a once in a lifetime opportunity. To get the most out of your time in China, with the chance to immerse yourself in the culture and history of one of the most ancient civilisations on earth, it’s vital to know exactly what to see and do while you’re there.

China is a vast Empire, stretching all the way from the southeast tip of Russia, to the northern tip of India. With so much to see and do across 29 provinces, it can help to have a clear idea of the country’s top attractions and which are well worth a look near to where you are.

One of China’s most iconic national sites is the vast Great Wall of China, which covers over 4,000 miles and stretches east to west from Shanaiguan to Lop Nur, along the northern mountains of Beijing. You can walk stretches of the wall or merely marvel at its structural ingenuity and the thousands of years of culture and history imbedded in each rock. Organised tours commonly take tourists to the Badaling Section of the wall, close to Beijing, but you could also strike out alone and visit the Juangjun Pass, Baimaguan Pass or the Juyongguan Pass.

Many of China’s most popular tourist attractions are those with particular historic, cultural or religious significance and none more so than the 71m Leshan Giant Buddha, carved from the red cliffs of Leshan, in the Sichuan province. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Giant Buddha dates from the 9th century Tang Dynasty and is truly a site to behold.
(more…)