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.