1 . Traveling along the old Silk Road can be a quite interesting and rewarding experience. Here is some information that the visitor should consider when planning a possible travel on the road.

Language. While traveling along the road, the visitor can meet with about 20 different nationalities.     1    . However, Some ethnic groups began learning Mandarin（普通话）and adopted the lifestyle of the Han people. Chinese became the official language in the autonomous regions.     2    .

Accommodations. The Silk Road spans most of China, from modern cities in the central China to villages and towns in the remote west. Accordingly, accommodations along the route range from high standard hotels to simple guesthouses.

In big cities like Dunhuang, Urumqi, Lanzhou, the visitor can enjoy high standard hotels. They all provide excellent conditions, good services and they are quite safe.     3     . Visitors without money may consider the cheaper guesthouses because these guesthouses with simpler equipment and basic service are fit enough to live in for most Chinese travelers. In the remote villages, only simple accommodations are available.     4    

Travel by Road. Buses are the most inexpensive method of transport along the Silk Road but, unfortunately, they are very slow.     5     . A travel by car can be the only way to visit sites far from cities or towns that would otherwise be hard to reach. Rental prices are based on the number of days and kilometers traveled, and sometimes they can be negotiated（协商）.

3 . Some best places to go in Shanghai

The Bund

1.3 miles to city center

Type: Free, Neighborhood/Area，Sightseeing

Time to spend: 1 to 2 hours

Shanghai’s picturesque waterfront, known as “the Bund,” is where you’ll find those classic skyline photo opportunities. With the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the Shanghai World Financial Center and other skyscrapers standing across the Huangpu River, the view stuns. And behind you, attractive European-style buildings housing restaurants and shops line the waterfront boulevard, affording plenty of activities.

Shanghai Museum

0.2 miles to city center

Type: Museums, Free, Sightseeing

Time to spend: 2 hours to half day

Located on the People’s Square near Nanjing Road, the Shanghai Museum is hard to miss thanks to its distinct architecture and remarkable size. And you really shouldn’t skip this historical gem. Frequently called one of the best museums in China, this expansive museum houses a diverse collection of artifacts that chart the nation’s history. Highlights include ornate calligraphy, beautiful jade carvings, thousand-year-old bronze works and traditional Chinese garb.

Zhujiajiao

26.3 miles to city center

Type: Free, Neighborhood/Area

Time to spend: half day to full day

This ancient water town, the Venice of Shanghai, saw its heyday during the Ming Dynasty, when its success as a commercial hub resulted in the construction of its picturesque waterways. The area remains composed of numerous canals with bridges connecting visitors to scores of charming narrow streets. Expect to find tiny cafes down back alleys, friendly boatmen offering rides and hole-in-the-wall shops selling souvenirs.

Nanjing Road

0.9 miles to city center

Type: Free, Neighborhood/Area, Shopping

Time to spend: 2 hours to half day

Whether or not you have money to bum, consider visiting Nanjing Road to witness the hustle and bustle of Chinese commerce. The Shanghai equivalent of New York’s Fifth Avenue, Nanjing Road stretches six miles total and boasts retailers from all over the world in addition to local shops and department stores. In the daylight, you’ll admire the graceful architecture of the surrounding buildings. At night, you’ll be surprised at the beautiful logos and brand names that line the avenue.

4 . A fascinating history and outgoing music scene have made Denton North Texas cultural hotspot, but that’s not all this town has to offer.

Bayless-Selby House Museum

Experience life as a well-to-do Texan in the 19th century at the Bayless-Selby House Museum. The home features all the ornate (华丽的) styling of the Queen Anne style of architecture, and its rooms are furnished with rare antiques from the time period. Bayless-Selby House Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday between April and October, and Wednesday through Saturday from November to March.

317 West Mulberry Street

Denton, TX 76201

(940) 349-2850

Campus Theatre

Denton’s Campus Theatre is a true part of the town’s history. It began as a magnificent movie house in 1949, shut down in 1985, but returned 10 years later as a performing arts venue. Today, the Campus Theatre, located in downtown Denton, hosts film festivals, plays, and musicals. Tickets for these performances can be purchased on the theater’s website or booked.

214 West Hickory Street

Denton, TX 76201

(940) 382-1915

Ray Roberts Lake State Park

Kayak（划独木舟）down a scenic creek (小溪), swim on a beautiful beach, try your luck at catching a fish, or pitch a tent and sleep under the stars. You name it, you can do it at Ray Roberts Lake State Park. Twenty miles of multiuse trails, a marina (小船坞) that sells and rents boats, and a resort can be found within the park, located just north of Denton.

100 P W 4137

Pilot Point, TX 76258

(940) 686-2148

Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center

Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center offers lovers of the great outdoors the chance to experience some of the best birding and hiking in the Denton area. Travel the nearly eight miles of nature trails that cover Clear Creek and the Elm Fork of the Trinity River through grasslands, wetlands and bottomland hardwood forests.

3310 Collins Road

Denton, TX 76208

(940) 349-2883

5 . A BUTTERFLY-SHAPED island in the central Aegean hopes to become Greece's first carbon-free tourist destination. Under a deal with the government, Volkswagen, a carmaker, has donated several new electric vehicles for use by Astypalea's public services; it will sell others at cost price lo its 1,200 residents. In return, the government has offered some money for islanders to buy electric cars and will build a hybrid solar and wind-fueled power plant to replace a group of polluting diesel-fired generators (柴油发电机).

Unlike other nearby islands, Astypalea is not connected to Greece's electricity grid. With only 3,000 rooms for visitors in small hotels or flats, tourism is still low-key. Many residents make a living in the old-fashioned ways: raising goats, keeping bees and fishing. The island was selected for Volkswagen's e-mobility experiment after Nikos Komineas, the go-ahead mayor, contacted the transport ministry for help in finding an electric bus to try out on its rugged roads.

Most islanders sound keen on the project. Mr Komineas expects the number of private cars on Astypalea to fall by a third over the next five years. Its residents, he says, will get around on e-scooters and electric minibuses, which will be free, linked to a mobile-phone app and available all day.

Some observers find the plan a little impractical. A plan for a solar park that would generate half the island's electricity within three years will not get under way before the tourist season ends. A single wind turbine (涡轮机) will be installed only in 2026, assuming the licensing process goes smoothly. That is not normally the case in the Aegean, where islanders worry that tourists will go elsewhere if the view is spoiled by a turbine 200 meters high. And even then, the hybrid power unit is planned to cover only about 80%of summer demand. But it is a start.

7 . Places for the Weekend

◆The Whizz Sports Centre runs different activities each weekend. If you want a taste of something you have never tried before, come along on Saturday at 10 am and try out a spot of rock climbing on our5-metre high rock wall. Great instructors and safety equipment were supplied at a low cost. You will find us two blocks south of West Metro Station.

◆The Eldon Centre is in the city centre and offers cinemas and theatres. An arts cinema shows a variety of alternative foreign movies at weekends. The centre has fast food restaurants, but there are a few interesting ones down the road, the most notable being Carlucci's, serving great homemade Italian pasta(意大利面食) at reasonable prices, and Fungi, again Italian, but a bit expensive. Only two minutes from the nearest metro line.

◆Low cost fun for all the family! Treehouse Adventure Park offers amazing laughs at amazing prices. Everything from white-water rafting (急流漂筏运动) to water sliders! There's pony(矮马) riding and a farm for kids. If it's a nice day, you can have a picnic or go to the snack bar in the Jungle Park. The only drawback is that you need your own transport as it's five miles from the centre.

◆Have a great day at Greenhills Adventure Park, for those who are not scared of heights and speed. Go on the wheel or try bungee jumping! Well organized, great prices for groups over four people. The added bonus is an on-site fast food restaurant with a great variety of tasty foods. An hourly bus runs from the city centre.