For Immediate Release

CTRIP LAUNCHES THE 100 LAOWAI HUANGSHAN CHALLENGE

Shanghai, China (06, January, 2014): Ctrip.com is campaigning for participants for the “100 Laowai Huangshan Challenge” from 28 March to 30 March 2014. This three day two night journey is calling out to expatriates in China to hike up the historical Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) together, and create a deeper understanding of the mountain through the English language tours provided. Huangshan has been inscribed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990 and spreads over a property of 16,060 ha with buffer zone of 49,000 ha.

In this challenge, participating hikers can conquer the mountain according to their choice of level of difficulty. Take this opportunity to meet new friends and engage with fellow nature lovers while getting a healthy workout at the UNESCO world heritage site.

Simply sign-up at http://english.ctrip.com/tours/97587

All participants that book from 13 December 2013 to 14 January 2014 will enjoy a 50% discount at 1000 RMB nett per person (original retail price is 2000 RMB). Subsequent bookings from 15 January to 14 February 2014 will be priced at 1500 RMB nett per person, and entitled to 250 RMB worth of Ctrip.com vouchers.

“Ctrip.com aims to be the leading travel solution and inspiration to expats living in China. We hope to engage the expat community by cultivating their interest in exploring China’s rich culture and heritage through their travels.” Beth He, Director of Ctrip International Website Division.

Terms and Conditions:1. The package includes

a. An experienced English-speaking tour guideb. Two-nights (5 star) accommodation with breakfastc. Admission fees with round-trip cable car ticketsd. Four meals as listed on the itinerarye. Transportation between sites with 33-seat vehicle

2. This activity is open to all ages and nationalities3. English language proficiency is highly recommended for all participants

For information or to learn more about Ctrip’s International Website, contact: Jayne GohMarketing ManagerO: (86 21) 3406 4880 x15003M: (86) 13124866181Email: jayne_goh@ctrip.com

Day 1 Huangshan City arrival

Airport pickup

You will be met at Huangshan Tunxi International Airport by your guide (holding a Ctrip sign) on arrival of your flight to Huangshan.

Huangshan Railway Station / Tunxi Bus Stop pickup is also available.

Hotel drop-off

Check in at the Huangshan International Hotel in Huangshan City.

The rest of the day is yours to spend relaxing or exploring the area (your guide can provide suggestions for restaurants and shops).

Day 2 Huang Shan (includes breakfast, lunch & dinner)

7:00 a.m. Breakfast

7:30 a.m. Hotel pickup

After breakfast, you'll be picked up from your hotel and taken to the Yungu Cable Car stop at the foot ofHuang Shan (The Yellow Mountains), from where you will ascend one of the peaks of this magnificent mountain range.

Huang Shan

The craggy rock faces, hanging mists and clustered pines of Huang Shan create a lovely and distinctly Chinese landscape, one instantly recognizable from countless images on silk, paper and porcelain. The mountain range, consisting of some 70 peaks over 1,000 m (3,300 ft), spills across the southern province of Anhui in an exquisite jumble of scenic highlights—twisted lone pines clinging to stony spires, seas of clouds filling rugged valleys and crystalline, spring-fed pools.

Your tour will begin from the Beihai Scenic Area. You may choose between Option A and Option B, with Option B being the less strenuous choice.

Please indicate your preferred tour option (Option A or Option B) in the "Special requests" section when booking online.

Option A

Make your way to the Xihai Scenic Area and head to Bright Summit Peak. At an elevation of 1,840 m (6,037 ft), this is the second tallest peak in this mountain range and offers fabulous views of other major summits and of swirling cloud seas when the weather is right. You'll also take in sights including the Flying Stone, a huge boulder perched on an outcrop of rock.

12:30 p.m. Lunch

Enjoy lunch (Chinese food) at the West Sea Hotel.

After lunch, make your way to the Cloud-dispersing Pavilion for wonderful views of peaks, ridges, pines and bamboo. On the way, you'll take in more beautiful scenery and view a mass of yellow rapeseed which blooms here at the end of March.

3:00 p.m. Huang Shan descent

You'll then descend the mountain via the Taiping Cable Car and head back to your hotel.

Option B

First, make your way to the Beginning-to-Believe Peak which offers wonderful photo opportunities. Gaze into the deep chasm below and view the unusually-shaped pines and rocks which characterize this area.

11:30 p.m. Lunch

Enjoy lunch (Chinese food) at the North Sea Hotel.

After lunch, take in other sights including the Lion Peak, so named as it resembles a crouching lion, and make your way to the Cloud-dispersing Pavilion for wonderful views of peaks, ridges, pines and bamboo.

3:30 p.m. Huang Shan descent

You'll then descend the mountain via the Taiping Cable Car and head back to your hotel.

6:00 p.m. Dinner

In the evening, you'll join a welcome ceremony along with other guests and enjoy a delicious welcome banquet.

Overnight at the Huangshan International Hotel.

Day 3 Nanping Village (includes breakfast & lunch)

7:30 a.m. Breakfast

Enjoy breakfast in the hotel.

8:00 a.m. Hotel pickup

9:30 a.m. Nanping Village

Head to Nanping Village, an ancient town which is over 1,000 years old. Here you'll see well-preserved ancestral houses and buildings which date back to the Ming and Qing dynasties. The houses are simple in structure but elegant in style. The famous Mt. Linli, the site of the main battlefields during theThree Kingdoms Period, lies at the southern end of the village. A favorite site for cinematographers, the village also served as the setting for the famous Chinese movie Ju Dou directed by Zhang Yimou.

11:30 p.m. Lunch

Enjoy a lunch of Chinese food.

2:00 p.m. Hu Kaiwen Chinese Ink Stick Factory

After lunch, stop at the Hu Kaiwen Chinese Ink Stick Factory where you'll learn how Anhui's famous calligraphy and painting ink sticks are made.

3:00 p.m. Tunxi Old Street

Next, visit Tunxi Old Street in Huangshan City, a strip of traditional Huizhou-style shops and residences which date back to the Song Dynasty.

8:00 p.m. Airport drop-off

Your guide will accompany you to Huangshan Tunxi International Airport for your departure flight (dinner and flight not included).

Huangshan Railway Station / Tunxi Bus Stop drop-off is also available at 4:30 p.m.

About Huangshan (Yellow Mountains)

The craggy rock faces, hanging mists and clustered pines of Huang Shan (Huáng Shān, 黄山), the "Yellow Mountains," create a lovely and distinctly Chinese landscape, one instantly recognizable from countless images on silk, paper and porcelain. The mountain range, consisting of some 70 peaks over 1,000 m (3,300 ft), spills across the southern province of Anhui in an exquisite jumble of scenic highlights—twisted lone pines clinging

to stony spires, seas of clouds filling rugged valleys and crystalline, mountain spring-fed pools.

Depending on your stamina and tolerance for crowds, there are several ways to tackle Huang Shan. Three cable car lines connect peaks also linked by well maintained trails. It can take a lot of walking to escape the throngs of tourists, but it can be done. Regardless, Huang Shan's natural scenery, punctuated by classical temples and pavilions, is virtually guaranteed to be a major high point of any tour of China.

Although strenuous, hiking is not a backwoods experience by any stretch: Foot paths along are generally paved with stone steps, all hand-laid over the centuries. In the more trafficked areas, the trails are often lined with vendors selling water, ice cream and souvenirs; you'll also find plenty of shaded areas to stop and rest. Take the hike slowly (the humidity combined with altitude can sneak up on the hardiest hiker) and remember to drink lots of water.

Hikers have two basic choices of paths: Eastern and Western Steps. The former is the easier of the two; the latter the more scenic and rugged. The area in the north of the mountain range is connected to the two paths by a Peak Circuit trail (often the area is referred to as the "Summit," although it is comprised of a number of peaks) which affords glorious views of the "cloud seas" and even offers a measure of privacy as one gets further from the cable car terminals.

Regardless of which path you find yourself on, you'll come across scores of whimsically named rocks, trees and scenic outlooks. They're usually named after some creature or figure they resemble ("Magpie in a Plum Tree", "Embroidering Goddess," "Immortal Drying His Boot," "Monkey Transfixed by the Sea" and the like). One notable example

is Welcoming Pine (Yíngkè Sōng, 迎客松), a lone tree near the Jade Screen

Pavilion (Yùpíng Lóu, 玉屏楼) reputed to be some 800 years old. The pine stands by the Western Steps with branches outspread like arms, greeting all comers. Perhaps the most famous tree in China, its likeness has graced everything from cigarette packages to the five yuan note.

You'll also notice a lot of stone inscriptions. These carved characters, often dating back many centuries, hold special meaning for the Chinese, often having to do with famous literary figures, poems and legends. One inscription, for example, is found on the "intoxicated rock." The two characters refer to a story about Li Bai (701-762), the great Tang poet. Apparently, Li Bai was so enraptured by the Huang Shan

scenery (not to mention full of his beloved wine) that he seranaded the lucky stone and, naturally enough, it joined in and got drunk as well.

Although we do not recommend you either drink to excess on the trail or carve your inspiration into the mountainside, no matter how overcome by Huang Shan's beauty you may be (you're not Li Bai and grafitti is punishable by law), we do recommend you join the masses in viewing the sunrise from one of the peaks—the area

overlooking Beihai (Běihǎi, 北海) is especially lovely. It's well worth braving the morning chill.

History of Huangshan

Known as Yi Shan in ancient texts, the mountain range took on its present name during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), most likely in honor of Huang Di, the "Yellow Emperor," purported father of the Han Chinese people. The first reference to Huang Shan comes, unsurprisingly, in a poem (by China's beloved poet, Li Bai). The mountains have long provided inspiration to China's poets and painters, as well as legions of pilgrims who come to visit a site sacred to both Daoists and Buddhists.

Over time, Huang Shan's trails have come to be furnished with stone stairways, temples have been built and the area has been made increasingly accessible. Since the late 1980s, tourism—both domestic and international—has increased greatly. In 1999, Huang Shan was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Climate in Huangshan

The area around Huang Shan enjoys a mild climate with four distinct seasons: cool falls, snowy winters, pleasant springs and humid summers. It rains a lot, mostly from May to September. As you ascend, the temperature may drop significantly. Winter brings very cold winds to the region and average temperatures around -3ºC (26ºF). The best time to visit Huang Shan is spring or fall when the weather is moderate and the humidity and heat drop off.

About CtripCtrip (Ctrip.com International Ltd.) is China's leading online travel agency, established in 1999 and NASDAQ listed since 2003. Ctrip serves over 60 million members from China and around the globe, offering over 250,000 bookable hotels worldwide, 9,000 international and 1,600 domestic flight routes

and a wide range of vacation packages, tour options and China high-speed train tickets to business and leisure travelers in China and abroad.

Ctrip’s English language site (english.ctrip.com) was launched in 2005 to cater to the growing demand of non-Chinese-speaking travelers, and quickly became the most visited English-language travel website in China. Today Ctrip English is part of the Ctrip International Website, which also includes flight, hotel, vacation package and train ticket booking services in Japanese, Korean, French, German, Russian and Spanish.