Mountains above the rest, Jilin a must visit

The forestry in Jilin is second to none, which was evident when we visited the Changchun Zoological and Botanical Gardens. They had themed the night around "Journey to the West", featuring multiple parades and performances, but my favorite of all was the glowing lantern sculptures decorated around and in amongst the greenery. They were so grand and illuminating it really took your breath away. We were fortunate enough to have the chance to dress up in some of the performance costumes; the girls in traditional costume and the boys in fantastical costumes.

I have a long history with performing arts, having attended a performing arts academy for many years, so I was over the moon when were greeted by performers in Siping. The performance, Errenzhuan, was a blend of comedy, dance and skill. My mouth dropped when they danced while spinning large, embellished napkin like pieces of fabric around their hands, spinning and throwing them to each other. Later, we were lucky enough to be invited backstage to try it for ourselves, which was a lot harder than it looked but just as fun.