I’ll be honest, it’s taken me a long time to decide on visiting China. Don’t get me wrong, I had always been fascinated by what there was to see and do there from mountains to valleys, karsts, a great wall, giant pandas, myths and a whole set of beliefs and philosophies that the rest of the world has never learnt.
I guess I had always been put off by the food (Chinese is my least favourite option and I don’t eat meat); most animal poaching is driven by ingredients for Chinese medicine; the Chinese Government doesn’t get the best press (but then you can say that about a lot of Governments) and there was always (in my mind) more appealing Asian destinations that, for me, conjured up the exotic.
But when I received the itinerary for my Wild China trip, I was excited. Travelling with a few other fellow Agents, it was a trip where I would get to see the country through the eyes of those who know it best and it made me realise there is a lot more to the Red Dragon than my preconceptions. And….. after 3 weeks travelling around the vast country….I was blown away by what I saw and experienced. There were so many highlights and it’s hard to pick just a few….but here goes:
The People
During the trip, we were amongst few Western travellers. Since re-opening after Covid in early 2023, tourist numbers are still low. This means that everyone was so happy to see us. They were warm and welcoming. A lasting memory was walking through Fuxing Park in Shanghai where every corner was filled with happy retired folk embracing their later years dancing, singing, chatting, exercising and enjoying life. They were eager to share their pastimes with us and it was so heart-warming to see.
The Great Wall
This had been on my bucket list for a long time and it certainly did not disappoint.
Construction of the wall began between the 7th and 8th Centuries and stretched from east to west for about 5,000km serving as a deterrent to keep nomadic tribes out. There are a number of sections that are open to tourists. We travelled 2½ hours from Beijing to the rugged mountains of Hebei Province to visit one of the most picturesque sections reachable from the capital. Free from the crowds of its closer neighbouring sections, the more remote Jinshanling’s 10.5km stretch of both restored and wild wall is steeped in centuries of history and totally took my breath away.
It was a delight to hike and we got unbelievable views of countless watch towers stacked against endless mountain silhouettes. This was followed by learning the art of Tai Chi with a master on the wall, before celebrating in the sunshine with new friends, chatting over a glass of fizz and looking out at one of the wonders of the world.
The Captivating Capital
Beijing is a place of extremes. It’s hard not to be impressed by the sheer magnitude of the modern city and the antiquity of the old - the steel and glass endlessness, the teeming 21 million people packed into traffic jams, subway trains and on bicycles. But hidden within the hectic whirl is the imposing majesty of the Ming Dynasty Temple of Heaven and the hulking 9,000-room imperial palaces of the Forbidden City, which for almost 600 years was home to emperors of the Ming and Quing Dynasties and is so called, as no-one could enter without the emperor’s permission.
A guided walk around the narrow alleyways and Siheyuan houses of the Hutongs showed a life that has not changed in aeons. Whilst the bleak, haunting expanse of Tiananmen Square reflected a more recent history.
Languishing on the Li River
Located in the Guangxi province in southern China, Yangshuo is a region famous for its natural beauty with landscapes that look like they are straight out of a Chinese ink painting.
The Li River courses its way past towering karst peaks and drifting along the water on a bamboo raft was a wonderful way to take in the surroundings. I’ll be honest and say that it’s a very popular pastime with Chinese tourists too, but you sort of get mesmerised by the jade-green water as you float slowly past an increasingly picturesque procession of peaks.
Whilst a bike ride took me from village to village through lush green vegetation and a dramatic scenery of patchwork rice paddies giving me a glimpse into life in rural China. Yangshuo is all about enjoying the great outdoors and the peace and quiet of China’s countryside. It’s the perfect place to unwind after exploring the busy cities and offers the chance to experience a more traditional part of the country. I even tried my hand at fan painting in Fuli, which I have to say was harder than it looked, but I was proud of my creation!
Pandas
What more can I say? Volunteering at a panda sanctuary and getting up close to these magnificent animals was awesome. We helped to clean out their enclosures, watched on as the older ones where hand fed by their beloved keepers and helped make panda cakes. We got a chance to learn so much more about the animals and their behaviours than just watching them.
I know people will say “why travel halfway around the world to see something you can see in a zoo”, but there is nothing quite like seeing animals in their own country, in an environment as close to nature as possible. And to be honest, since China only loaned out the giant pandas to other countries for 10 years, most of them will be back in China in 2024, so this will be the only place you will be able to see them in the flesh.
Indigenous communities and breathtaking mountains
Heading north close to the Tibetan border and 2,400m above sea level along the famous trade route known as the Ancient Tea Horse Road, I fell in love with Lijiang, with its ancient villages and ethnic communities like the Naxi, where the local Shaman taught us about their traditions and pictographic language called Dongba.
Lijiang also boasts awe-inspiring natural landscapes. I was so lucky to stay in a hotel at the foot of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, where each morning waking to watch its peaks emerge as the clouds lifted was spellbinding.
On one day we travelled to the land of Shangri-La to witness the vast Tiger Leaping Gorge, where the great Yangtze River splits two mountain ranges and, at a maximum depth of around 3,800m from river to mountain peak, it is one of the world’s deepest gorges.
A different side to Shanghai
Shanghai had never appealed to me as I saw it as yet another modern mega city. That may be the case in Pudong, the business district where skyscrapers sprout like teetering bamboo poles from the ultramodern shopping malls and this is the archetypical image of the city. But as I discovered, the beauty of Shanghai is its multi-faceted personality, where you don’t blink seeing a Ferrari parked outside hole-in-the-wall noodle bar.
Across the winding Huangpu River, Puxi is where you’ll find centuries of history from the French and English concessions to Art Deco buildings and the grand Neo-classical architecture of the Bund. Weaved throughout this are charming traces of a more traditional life such as in the Shikumen houses of Feng Yu Li, where multiple families still live together in one house sharing common areas like kitchens. Or Yuyuan Gardens, which is a picture postcard example of a more traditional side to China that sits in the shadow of gleaming modern office blocks.
A trip to China anyone?
I am glad that I was proved wrong and that my preconceptions were blown out of the water. China has so much to offer and is the kind of place you can come back to time and time again, as it certainly cannot be conquered in one trip. It is vast and English is not that widely spoken, so yes, it can seem daunting at times, but with expert local guides and insider knowledge, it becomes entirely manageable, and I can definitely confirm it is utterly magical. If I have piqued your interest in China and all is has to offer, please do get in touch as I would love to tell you more about travels in this amazing country.