Located at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain in Nanjing, Xuanwu Lake is known as one of the “Three Great Lakes of Jiangnan”, and was the largest imperial lake garden in China’s history. The lake in the center of the scenic area is dotted with five islands, and each one 【小题1】 (fill) with statues, temples, pavilions and plants, such as pines and weeping willows. You can spend hours 【小题2】 (explorer) the park: whether walking among the cherry blossoms of the garden 【小题3】 enjoying the architecture of pagodas and pavilions.

According to legend, Emperor Sun Quan settled in the Nanjing area and had the lake 【小题4】 (create). It is named after a black water dragon thought to have been seen guarding the lake. In 1911, the historic lake was made into a public park. The park is now very popular 【小题5】 Nanjing locals on the weekend, so if you expect 【小题6】 (avoid) crowds, come during the week. You can even enjoy the park during the evenings. It is 【小题7】 (proper) lit and is a favorite with joggers and dancers at this time of day.

Xuanwu Lake Scenic Area covers 【小题8】 large area and there are several entrances, some of 【小题9】 are close to public transportation connections. After your visit, you can go to the nearby Nanjing Ming Dynasty City Wall, and walk along the top for a 【小题10】 (wonder) view over the lake and the islands.

Huangshan, which lies in Anhui province, is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is one of the top scenic 【小题1】 (attraction) in China. HuangShan 【小题2】 (it) does not have good transportation links. Most travelers stop in either Tangkou or Tunxi for the nights before and after a visit to Huangshan.

Huangshan has 36 separate peaks, all 【小题3】 (rise) above 1,800 meters. Famous throughout Chinese artistic history, Huangshan represents the typical (有代表性的) mountain in Chinese paintings. So far, over 1,450 kinds of plants 【小题4】 (find) there.

The main thing to do in Huangshan is walk pround and take photographs of the scenery, which is spectacular (壮观的), 【小题5】 (beauty), different and changing in appearance with every change of weather. 【小题6】 same view looks quite different by day in fine weather and with cloud, early morning and late evening. Sunrise and sunset are famous but, of course, they depend 【小题7】 the weather.

When there is good weather and clear skies, watching the stars at night is 【小题8】 (fair) rewarding. If you are staying overnight at a hotel on the mountain then before dark 【小题9】 (come), find some good areas 【小题10】 you can get away from the hotel lights and look up. You are likely to view a sky full of stars.

A white winter in Beijing is nothing new. The city is【小题1】（frequent）enveloped in snow over the colder months. However, the snowfall last weekend led【小题2】a unique combination of the seasons and a contrast of colours.

Famous places, especially with unique【小题3】（nature）beauty, were blanketed with a layer of snow and visitors. Camera in hand and braving the cold, I headed off to two of my favourite scenic【小题4】（spot）.

My first stop was Jingshan Park. The artificial park【小题5】（build）in the Ming Dynasty offered remarkable views of the Forbidden City. The coating of snow, contrasting with the colours of the autumn leaves and ancient structures only added to【小题6】（it）elegance and mystery. It is a view I【小题7】（see）countless times over the past decade and remains one of my favourite in the city.

Next up was Xiangshan Park,【小题8】dates back to the Jin Dynasty. There was a significant increase in【小题9】number of visitors. People traveled from all over China【小题10】（witness）the tree-covered hillsides transforming from their rich summery greens into yellows and reds like a blanket of fire. This created a picture I wouldn't soon forget.