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© mckaysavage

The China Tourism Administration has added eight new locations to its list of national tourist attractions and has placed informative plates and markers at these eight locations around the country. These scenic areas include the Anquing Tianzhu Mountain area as well as the Huanghan Wannan Ancient Village-Xidi Hongcun in Anhui province.

The Shiyan Wudang Mountain Sceneic Area and the Yichang Three-Gorges Tribe Scenic spot made the list as well, as did the Enshi Shennongxi Boat Tracker Cultural Tourism area in Hubei province and the Royal mausoleaum of the Ming dynasty in Beijing. The Shenzen Guanlan Lake Tourist area in Guangdong province was also added, while another two attractions that were previously on the list have extended their territories. The Jiaozuo Untail Noutain-Shennong Mountain Scenic area has increased the size of Qingtinahe Scenic area, and the Badaling Great Wall now includes Mutianyu Great Wall. There are now 105 listed national tourist attractions in China.

© familymwr

The Georgetown University men's basketball team from Washington, DC will travel to China this summer as part of a "people-to-people" exchange program between the US and China that is geared toward strengthening ties between the two countries. The team will visit Shanghai and Beijing to play exhibition games, attend cultural events and take part in community programs.

Virginia Commonwealth University will also send soccer experts to Shanghai to run coaching and management clinics, and sports professionals from China will visit Eugene, Oregon for a program on disability-inclusive sports. The US and Chinese Olympic Committees will exchange table tennis team delegations as well to commemorate the 40th anniversary of "pingpong diplomacy." This refers to reciprocal visits by the US and Chinese teams in the early 1970s that helped pave the way for a historic visit to China by President Richard Nixon.

© lkiller123

While seemingly worlds away in terms of culture and geographical distance, there is one thing in common between the cities of Barcelona in Spain and Shanghai in China. Both cities are one of the largest cities of their respective country. Vacationing in Shanghai will bring the traveler to a city that is populated with over 23 million people. Shanghai is also China's most developed city, encompassing a mix of both classic Western architecture and modern high rise buildings.

In contrast, Barcelona is a great destination for cheap all inclusive holidays in Spain. There are many cheap hotels to choose from in this artistic city that boasts a fascinating cultural history. There are many opportunities here for gallery and museum visits, as well as sightseeing in different areas of this beautiful city. Barcelona also makes an excellent base from which to explore the stunning Catalan region. Holiday apartments in the city and cheap hotels both offer affordable accommodation options in the city. Some caution is warranted in visiting the city, though, because it has been described as the pickpocket center of Europe. This caution not only applies to wallets and purses, but also to the other bags you carry such as shoulder bags. The most notorious areas for pickpocketing are The Ramblas and Plaza Cataluna which are where buses arrive from the airport.