Named “America’s Finest City” due to its hospitality, beauty and ideal climate, San Diego is located on the border with Mexico. The residents are so active outdoors that it is called “Sportstown, the U.S.A.” San Diego’s 70 miles of beaches are a heaven for swimmers, surfers, divers, boaters and sunbathers. Another favourite outside activity is golf. With 100 courses (about 50 of them public), San Diego is a golfer’s paradise.

Many San Diego residents came here first as tourists who were attracted by San Diego’s sunny beaches, nearby mountains and deserts, plus the cultural delights of any big city. The world-famous San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Wild Animal Park, museums, conceits and other attractions bring visitors from around the world.

The zoo is home to some 4,000 animals, including the world’s largest collection of parrots. Animals are displayed in natural settings, and there is a petting zoo for children. By contrast, the Wild Animal Park is a wildlife preserve with an area of over 2,000 acres and more than 3,000 free-roaming (漫步) animals in natural habitats.

In addition to housing the zoo, Balboa Park is home to several museums and attractions, including an aerospace museum, an art and history museum, the Old Globe Theatre, science museums and even a railroad museum. Free concerts are offered frequently. Another popular attraction is Sea World, a 150-acre marine park.

San Diego’s varied attractions, as well as its business climate, offer many opportunities for students to explore the local culture, meet people from around the world, and gain business experience. At San Diego State University, for example, students in the American Language Institute’s study tour program learn English both in the classroom and while sightseeing.

The Terracotta Army is one of the must-visit attractions for all travellers to China. The attraction is located in Xi’an, in west China’s Shaanxi Province.

What’s special?

The best time to visit

The Terracotta Army is an indoor attraction， which is not likely to be affected by weather, so it can be visited all year round.

As the museum is one of the must-visit attractions in China, it is crowded most of the time. We advise our customers to avoid the following periods when the museum is particularly crowded:

• National Day Holiday (October 1 -7), when it is fully packed.

• Labour Day Holiday

Weather in winter is dry, cold and the least comfortable, and it’s also the worst season for air quality, but it’s also low season.

Travel style: private, group or independent?

A private tour means a lot of flexibility (灵活性), and you will be well taken care of by a private guide and a driver. The museum is crowded most of the time, but our guides know how to escape the crowds, and help you to enjoy more in the museum. See our 3-Day Terracotta Warriors Private Tour.

Going with a group you won’t get lost, but it lacks flexibility and personal service.

Travelling on your own, you may meet a lot of trouble, such as wasting time on finding a taxi or public bus to the attraction, lining up for tickets, reading maps, making sense of Chinese signs, etc.

One of the world’s most twisted (扭曲的) towers has been revealed in Chongqing, China. The Dance Of Light Tower, designed by the British architecture firm Aedas and completed in 2022, is 180 meters tall and features a twisted appearance that imitates the shape of the northern lights, according to a press release.

“Located on Xingfu Square in the Jiangbei District of Chongqing, the building utilizes the simple and elegant form of double-twisted appearance to create the impression that the building is being twisted,” the firm said. According to Ken Wai, Aedas lead designer, the appearance “is not only an outlook expression, but also a way of protection that shapes inner spaces into special forms”.

The designers were inspired by the dancing aurora — the rays and spirals of the polar lights often seen in the Arctic and Antarctic — so light plays a key role in highlighting the twisted shape of the structure. The view of the tower varies from different angles as light reflects and bends over the glass appearance. “When night falls, the twisted appearance shows reflections that are similar to the dancing figure of a pretty dancer,” said Aedas in the press release.

Twisted high-rises have grown in popularity over the last decade thanks to advances in construction, engineering and architectural computer programs. Other popular twisted buildings include MAD Architects’ Absolute World Towers, located in Canada and completed in 2012, as well as the 306-meter-high Cayan Tower in Dubai, designed by Skidmore, Owings&Merrill and completed in 2013.

According to Aedas, the Dance Of Light Tower has a “twisting angle” of up to 8.8 degrees per floor, which the studio believes is nearly 1.5 times more than any other super high-rise tower. “As an open public space, the tower has all the credits to be a city icon (图标), especially the significant twisting of the appearance is remarkable,” Wai added.