The splendid Yuantong Temple is the most important Buddhist site in the entire province, with a history of nearly 1200 years. Unlike at other temples, you enter at an elevation and make your way down through tranquil temple grounds – these feature ornate pavilions and halls (the main hall maintains Yuan dynasty architecture), mountain caves and stone staircases. carved directly into the cliff sides.

Mayor Edi Rama, internationally renowned as an artist before he took over the post of Tirana's mayor in 2000, decided to give the city a more welcoming look by painting old and Soviet block-style building facades in bright colours. The initiative certainly accomplished its goal of helping the city appear more attractive.

Yu Garden embodies the quintessence of classical ancient Chinese gardens south of the Yangtze River – a creation of maximum out of minimum. While it takes a familiar person only five minutes to walk from the entrance to the exit, most first-time visitors find themselves lost in this little paradise with fish ponds, rockeries, plants, bridges, and buildings of various types arranged along zigzagging paths. The ingenious use of Chinese gardening art in combination with the garden’s 400-plus years of history makes Yu Garden one of the most popular tourist attractions in Shanghai.