A Trip to China

Your journey starts in Beijing, the city of emperors. The exploration starts in the world’s largest square, the Tiananmen Square. If you want to capture all the major attractions in your sightseeing, you can go on a guided tour that will take you to the Forbidden City and a section of the Great Wall that’s not as touristy as some of the other sections. Beijing boasts even more landmarks that are worth visiting. One of them is the Summer Palace with its ornamented temples, works of art and lavish surroundings full of lakes and small islands. The Temple of Heaven is also interesting and was visited by the Emperors for annual Lunar New Year’s ceremonies. The Temple grounds cover numerous green areas and ceremonial buildings. The Ming Tombs will be the perfect place to explore for all those who love tombs. The most interesting of all thirteen tombs is without doubt the one located underground is the most interesting and was discovered by archaeologists by sheer chance. A visit to the Olympic Park is also a unique experience and you can simply walk around the olympic stadium and take a look at the famous Water Cube. Tips for further travel include the bullet train to Xi’an and it only takes four to seven hours for the train to reach a distance of more 1000 kilometres. The train ticket includes a return transfer from your accommodation to the train station in both the departure city and the destination. Xi’an used to be the old country’s capital for about 5000 years. It is the eastern departure point of the Silk Road. The first Chinese Emperor installed thousands of terracotta warrior statues at his mausoleum which can be seen at the museum. The Emperor was a great conqueror, builder and reformer of the Chinese society. By purchasing a ticket in advance, you can skip the queue. Two other great sights include the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda with sutras and statues, and the Small Wild Goose Pagoda. The train ride continues towards Shanghai or The City on the Sea as the Chinese like to call it. What to do in Shanghai, other than explore its intertwining old and modern districts and beautiful parks that just call for some tea? You can head to the silk factory or embark on a journey through time. With the help of multimedia technology and traditional Chinese acrobatic arts, music and culture, the spectacle will take you through time and space. The world’s largest port is located nearby. Shanghai is an excellent starting point for travellers who want to explore its surroundings. Marco Polo named Hangzhou as the most beautiful city in the world and it still offers many wonderful gems for travellers. The city is surrounded by hills, gardens, Buddhist temples and pagodas. All of this against the beautiful West Lake with an island called Solitary Hill. Suzhou is known as the Venice of China and it’s a city of tradesmen, merchants and artists, even the ones working with silk. The city is abundant in traditional Chinese architectural elements. I recommend staying at the HI Rock&Wood hostel that has everything a space needs for rest and relaxation, even special music, reading and TV rooms, all in a setting of wood and water.

China is much more than just the cities, history and rapid economic development. When you get tired of city tourism and start craving for a respite in the countryside, take a trip to the Yangshuo County, the Chinese mountain karst. The Li River, slowly winding through the landscape, is especially worth visiting. Brace yourself for a view of beautifully formed mountains, shaped by the play of water and limestone and surrounded by subtropical forests. You can also visit the traditional Chinese cultural landscape of rice fields and welcoming villages nestled between hills. Longsheng is one such example and is situated between rice terraces. You can go on a trip through the landscape on foot as part of a guided tour of the most spectacular parts. When you’ve had enough of all the greenness, you can set out for Dongchuan in south-eastern China where you’ll be greeted by red and brown fields and traditional villages of farmers who have been cultivating the landscape for centuries. There are also other interesting ways to explore China, such as a trip down one of the world’s longest rivers, the Yangtze and the Yellow River, where your gaze will drift towards yellow loess riverbanks and giant dams. For all those who love pandas, a visit to Chengdu is a must. It boasts the world’s largest panda reserve that enables you to observe the cute critters and learn more about their life.

When in China, be prepared for huge crowds of people and bathrooms without stalls. Most tourists in China are Chinese, which means knowing basic Mandarin can come quite handy. But you’ll never run out of candidates to photograph.

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