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 China’s
enormous territories and legendarily numerous
population are the heritage of a historical process
that has unified many different peoples and empires
– over thousands of years, into the State we
know as modern China. The rich heritage of those
Empires offers the visitor to China a multilayered
diversity of cultural attractions. And this is not
even to speak of the famed natural
beauty-spots…. Although China is now more open
than ever to visit, the legacy of the previous
“closed-door” policy is that even
staggeringly important sights and destinations are
poorly known as yet in the West. Here are just a
few…
 BEIJING...
...is well-known as China’s capital – but
did you know that it began as a Mongolian stronghold,
and its original name was neither Beijing nor Peking,
but Khan-Baliq? When the Mongolian Khans overran
China, they moved the capital up from
centrally-located Xi’an, to a conveniently
close to their Mongolian steppes. Later successors to
the Empire were the Manchu. Fearful of their lives
amidst locals they’d enslaved, they built a
city-within-a-city that was Forbidden to all except
Royal courtiers and their elite bodyguard of eunuchs
– the Forbidden City. It directly adjoins
Tienanmen Square.
You’ll need 3-4 days to see everything in
Beijing, even briefly – the great temples like
the Lama Temple or the Temple of Heaven, the royal
legacies at the Summer Palace, and a trip out to one
of the several sections of the Great Wall that are
open. But when are you going to find time to take a
wander around the Hutongs – Beijing’s
back alleys that haven’t changed in centuries?
If the summer heat (+33C or more) leaves you parched,
the good news is that Beijing doesn’t have bars
– it has whole streets of bars, where every
doorway’s a different drinking-hole. With your
days jam-packed, its just as well there are
night-markets for snack-food, great-value silk
clothes, dodgy cd’s and more…
XIAN...
...was, for centuries, the Imperial Capital of
China… a massive medieval walled city, with
four gates facing out to the four compass-points of
the Empire it controlled. At its heart, two great
towers – announcing the start of the working
day with a Bell in one, and its close with a massive
Drum in the other. The pre-Mongolian royal dynasties
who ruled here took refuge in Buddhism, and the great
pagodas of the city survive to this day.
 Yet the
Emperors permitted other faiths, and one of the most
fascinating areas is the Old Muslim Quarter.
It’s thronging alleys are packed with cheap
souvenirs, fake antiques, some great street-food for
small-change prices – but at the epicentre of
this cheerful chaos is the feng-shui tranquillity of
the Chinese-style Mosque, with beautiful
zen-influenced walled gardens.
People unfairly forget all this... but they can
almost forgiven for centring their minds on the
Exhibition of Terracotta Warriors, an hour’s
drive from town. Built to wage war for their Emperor
in the after-life, they were vandalised only a decade
after his death, in the power-vacuum that followed.
CHENGDU...
...is mostly famous for two things: (i) it’s
the gateway city in China from which you can get to
Tibet, and almost all travel by foreigners is routed
through here by bureucratic rulings (ii) it’s
an attractive modern city that has a famous Giant
Panda Reserve.
SHANGHAI...
...is – questionably? – the largest city
in the world, nearly three times larger than Beijing,
and an economic powerhouse that is rapidly
outstripping Hong Kong. Although there’s a
small “old town” area, the real
attractions here are eating, drinking and shopping
– Shanghai’s a world-class city in all
three activities! There are good onward sea
connections to Japan.
GUILIN....
...is mostly famous for its natural beauty, with
scenery made up of limestone karsts eroded into
strange formations. We arrange the accommodation in
Guilin but leave you to arrange your days. Most
visitors to Guilin take a boat trip on the River Li,
which meanders between Guilin and Yangshuo. Yangshuo
is a great day trip out. Nestled amongst the hills it
offers caves to explore, bike hire and a relaxed
atmosphere.
GUANGHZHOU...
...(once known as Canton) is a busy modern city.
Famous for its Cantonese cuisine you can spend your
brief stop in Guanghzhou checking out the numerous
restaurants, featuring some very exotic meats! If you
have time between sittings check out the Huaisheng
Mosque built during the Tang Dynasty, one of the
oldest mosques in China.
See our China
Trips, Excursions and Add-Ons
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