I love going to China, it is such a diverse country. Busy, bustling modern cities mixed with the history of imperialism, to Ming dynasty villages in isolated mountains. I have visited 3 times now and still have so much more to see and do.
If you are looking for history Beijing has it all. Located right in the centre of Beijing is the Forbidden City. I spent hours walking around the walls of this beautiful 500 year old palace. There are still over 950 surviving buildings and over 8700 rooms, many with artifacts and furniture belonging to the Ming and Quing Dynasties so it can take some time to look around as we found out.
Just across the road is Tiananmen Square, where Chairman Mao’s portrait seems to be everywhere. The square is now for pedestrians only and is visibly patrolled by police – both uniformed and plain clothed. There were so many people wandering around it was hard to get a photo, so take advantage of the photographers who take pictures and laminate them within a matter of minutes, all for a few dollars. You can buy everything from postcards to the "Little Red Book" here.
We did all of the tourist spots; the Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Panjiayuan market (Beijing's most well known flea market), the silk markets and Sanlitun bar street.
To keep my husband happy we visited the military museum. There are many halls with information galore.
Like everyone else I had to go to the Great Wall. Once I got there and saw how steep it was I started to lose all enthusiasm about the climb, but I did it anyway. You have to do at least some of the climb to appreciate how difficult it would have been for them to complete construction.
We stopped off at the Ming Tombs for a "quick" look around! Plan on spending a good amount of time there as it is spread out over about 24kms.
Riding around in a rickshaw one day we came across Nanluoguxiang; a really quaint little street in the Hutong area about 1km long that is full of traditional crafts, souvenirs, bars, and cafes. Spend some time there and watch the locals. Check out the photos, I took one of a local napping while his wife ran the sewing machine shop!
We took a flight to Shanghai and spent time visiting all of the traditional tourist sites, Yu Yuan Gardens, the Bund, Nanjing road for shopping and the Oriental Pearl for the fantastic, albeit smoggy views of the surrounding area. We took the monorail from the Bund to the Oriental Pearl; it travels under the river and is a very fun ride.
Much to my husband’s joy, I found that the night markets in Shanghai are well worth a look. I discovered shoes and clothes which are all well made and sold at very cheap prices.
A little distance out of Shanghai we went to Zhouzhuang, known as the “Little Venice of Asia” it is still a working residential town built on waterways and dates back to the Ming and Quing dynasties. We took a ride around in the gondolas and saw how the locals still live and work.
Apart from the history of this country I love the locals. They are hard working, modest and hospitable people who are always smiling and welcoming. They really made up a big part of our experience in China.
My list of “Must do’s” -
Visit the Pandas.
Go to a show of the acrobats, they are skillful, flexible and colorful.
Have dinner in a traditional restaurant that just serves duck, it’s an eye opener!
Visit the Silk factories, but leave plenty of room in your bag for all of the goodies you will buy.
Shop at Nanjing Road and any of the many, many great markets
Visit an official jade factory, buy beautiful jewellery and ornaments .
Take the Maglev bullet train from Shanghai to the Pudong International airport just for the experience, top speed 430kph!
Enjoy the history and the people of this incredible country.
To find out more about China, or to book your perfect trip, please contact me.