2 . Four Largest Museums in the World

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Gallery Size: 58,820 square meters

Location: New York City, USA

Date Opened: 1872

Theme: Art

This museum is commonly nicknamed (绰号) “The Met” and it has the largest and most well-rounded art collection in all of New York City. The art at The Met shows a number of different mediums, including metal, feathers, shells and many more.

The Louvre Museum

Gallery Size: 72,735 square meters

Location: Paris, France

Date Opened: 1793

Theme: Art

The Louvre is the largest museum in the world in terms of gallery floor space. It is also famous as a historic monument (纪念碑) and welcomed 9.6 million visitors in 2019 alone! Only 537 paintings were on show when the museum first opened, but now there are more than 35,000 pieces of art on show!

National Museum of China

Gallery Size: 65,000 square meters

Location: Beijing, China

Date Opened: 1959

Theme: The history of China

This museum offers guests the opportunity to learn all about the history of China. The current museum that you can visit today was formed in 2003 through the combination of the National Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of the Chinese Revolution,

State Hermitage Museum

Gallery Size: 66,842 square meters

Location: St. Petersburg, Russia

Date Opened: 1852

Theme: Art

The State Hermitage Museum opened to visitors in 1852. Some of the pieces were later sold during the early 1930s in order to buy western machines. Today’s huge collection is housed in five interconnected buildings!

3 . Even though I was no skater, I’d always considered Rochester to be a perfect location for an outdoor skatepark. Despite being a place missing some of the pleasures awarded to big-name cities like New York or Chicago, Rochester developed a do-it-yourself attitude in the pursuit of having fun.     1    

When I noticed a skate park was being built under the highway on-ramp (匝道)downtown, I was excited ——not because a skate park is a perfect setting to facilitate the DIY charm of Rochester, acting as a sort of melting pot for people of all walks of life to bond together.     2     I wanted to not only take a closer look at its physical design but also the sort of crowds it attracted.

    3    Totally clear of any litter, the half pipes, grind rails, and bowls were designed with a consistent blue and yellow color scheme. There were even multicolored rows of tile (瓦片)that lined the top edge of the park’s bowls.

After taking some beautiful photos of the park, I began chatting with Vazquez, manager of the skatepark.     4     “Look at all these people. So many people come here to skate. No matter the color of your skin, or your beliefs, everyone is brought together here by skating”, he said .     5     While I was walking back over the pavement, the ground under my feet seemed to have a pulse: life’s heartbeat could be found at this park.

4 . Welcome to Harbin, one of the most magical and beautiful winter wonderland! Your three-day trip will highlight the following destinations:

Harbin Ice and Snow World

It is one of the most important parts of the Harbin International Ice & Snow Sculpture Festival. Here, not only can you see the colorful ice and snow sculptures but also enjoy various cultural activities and winter sports.

Siberian Tiger Park

Located on the north bank of Songhua River, Siberian Tiger Park is by far the largest natural park for wild Siberian tigers in the world. There, you’ll find over 1,300 purebred Siberian tigers along with white tigers, lions, leopards, and even Bengali tigers.

Snow Sculpture at Sun Island

Every year, the Harbin International Snow Sculpture Art Expo is held in Sun Island Scenic Area. During the Expo, visitors will have the chance to admire fascinating ice & snow sculptures and spectacular architectures!

Volga Manor Park

Volga Manor is a 0.6 million m² Russian-style forest garden. The scenery here is simply beautiful with small winding Ashihe river flowing smoothly through woody garden park and a wooden bridge across it.

Zhongyang Pedestrian Street

Built in 1898, it is the most prosperous (繁荣的) commercial center in Harbin. Since it is featured with a large number of western architectures, including Russian, Renaissance-style buildings. Shopping, enjoying an authentic Russian style meal or seeing the sunset by Songhua River are must-dos for visitors.

Special Offer!

2599 RMB

*100 RMB discount each if you sign up together with your friend!

7 . The ancient Lake Baikal has a wealth of beautiful surprises. Nature aside, the region is also rich with culture — home to the Buddhists and the Buryat ethnic minority. Here are some more highlights.

Explore Olkhon Island

Absorbing your wilderness — conquering fantasies in hiking and camping wild on the dramatic cliffs and sandy bays of Olkhon, Lake Baikal’s largest, sparsely-inhabited island. Visit the Olkhon Island in an old Soviet army jeep to view the largest of the shaman ritual sites and spot some Baikal seals sunbathing on the rocks below.

Visit the Ivolginsky Datsan

The Ivolginsky Datsan is the largest and most important Buddhist center in Russia. As you walk around this complex of brightly-colored temple buildings and simple monastic (僧侣的) dwellings, keep a look out for white towers and trees decorated with colorful prayer flags. Spin the prayer wheels, admire the giant Buddha statue with the offerings of coins, colored silks and rice and listen to the chanting of the monks amid clouds of smoke.

Hike the Great Baikal Trail

The Great Baikal Trail project aims to eventually surround Baikal with a series of paths. You can currently hike through a pine forest between the villages of Listvyanka and Bolshiye Koty, or from the picture—perfect fishing village of Baikalskoye to the cold Lake Slyudyanskoye via a striking cliff edge path.

Dive in

Legend has it that Baikal’s waters have miraculous properties, a swim in which gives you five extra years of life. The best places to take a dip include the golden sandy beaches along the northern shore of Olkhon Island, where the water of Maloye Morye(Little Sea)is at its shallowest and warmest, and at the long pebble beach in Severobaikalsk.

Hit the hot springs

The land around Lake Baikal is alive with hot springs, particularly in the small spa town of Arshan, situated in the picturesque foothills of the snowpeaked Eastern Sayan Mountains. The town itself is shabby, but the 1920s Arshan Spa still has the power to cure all kinds of ills with the mildly sulphureous (硫磺的) mineral water, according to the local legend.

Pingyao County is located in central Shanxi Province, China. It     1     (consist) of five towns and nine villages, covering an area of 486.5 square miles. This small county was noted for some     2     (impress) architectures in ancient conventional styles.

As the birthplace of the Jin Businessmen during the Ming and Qing     3     (dynasty), it played an important role in the economic development of Shanxi during that period. The first Chinese trading shop was opened there. For     4     next hundred years, the city was home to almost all of the large trading shops in the country.

Its City Wall is rated     5     (high) of the “Three Treasures” of the county together with Zhenguo Temple and Shuanglin Temple. With a total length of six kilometers, the City Wall covered by bricks and stones is about 12 meters tall and 3 to 6 meters wide on top. From a bird’s eye view, the rectangular (长方形的) wall represents a tortoise (龟). A tortoise was     6    (traditional) considered a symbol of longevity, conveying the residents’ hope     7     the Ancient City would be permanently secure.

Pingyao is no longer very prosperous (繁荣的),     8     the grand Pingyao Old City, constructed a thousand years ago, stands the test of time.     9     (wander) along the Ancient Street inside the old town, you can still sense its former grandeur. Since it was listed as UNESCO World Heritage in 1997, Pingyao     10    (become) a hot destination of millions of tourists.