16 nights in China
 

Greetings!

My fiance and I will be flying into Shanghai on September 16 and returning to the U.S. on October 2. we have never been to china. I am a museum studies/art history professor and my fiance is an interactive designer - needless to say, we crave "culture." Think local customs, few crowds, beautiful landscapes, amazing sites...the "real" china.

Any suggestions? Obviously, we will spend a couple of days in Shanghai and a few in Bejing, but we want the rest to be much quieter!

Thanks,
Bobbie

If you like the ideaof landscapes you might consider taking one of the horse treksout of Songpan. It was one of the highlights of my last visit.

http://www.travelsinasia.com/China/China.htm

Not really much in Shanghai for tourists but there is a good museum. Apart from Xian, much of what is worth seeing as a tourist is in and around Beijing.

If you want to see the real China, go by rail or coach as you don't see much from six miles up. However, rail is rather slow and the country very large.

Invest in a good guide book (I always use Lonely Planet which is more down to earth) and good maps.

I'm afraid you won't find much quiet, wherever you choose to go. Quieter is realistic, as it is a relative term! :) For the most part, China is not that kind of country. Though I'm sure that you'll come away satisfied.

Yangshuo has beautiful landscapes. Also Yunnan is a pretty good choice for natural beauty. Inner Mongolia has some nice grasslands, but also a number of large polluted cities. I'm partial to the far West in Xinjiang for natural beauty (and will be going there again in just a few weeks!) but I'm not sure it would fit the bill for the romantic getaway you are looking to take with your fiancee, as conditions are much more basic outside of Urumqi and Kashgar.

Just try to keep in mind that much of the "real" China you are looking for is away from the East Coast.

Good luck planning your trip and post back here if you have any more questions. We're all happy to help and interested to hear how it turns out.

Thanks for the ideas! OK, so it will be hard to find few crowds and "quiet," so let's think "amazing!" I have seen some great caves, giant buddahs and houses built into the sides of mountains...We really love "culture shock!" Any more ideas?

Thanks for the ideas! OK, so it will be hard to find few crowds and "quiet," so let's think "amazing!" I have seen some great caves, giant buddahs and houses built into the sides of mountains in my guidebooks...We really love "culture shock!" Any more ideas?

Bobbie,

We spent 11 amazing days in and around Beijing at the beginning of July. One of the highlights for us (in addition to all the "standard" attractions in the city) was the 3-hour drive we took to the Great Wall at Huangyaguan and the Eastern Qing tombs. Compared to the far more crowded Badaling site and the Ming tombs, it sounds like just the kind of thing you're looking for.

At the dramatic Huangyaguan Wall site, we saw perhaps a total of 40 or 50 other people - few, if any of them, Westerners. The same was true of the Qing Tombs which, although far less restored and 'spruced up', was a much better experience than the cattle-call we found at the Ming Tombs. Again, the people we encountered had obviously seen few foreigners and were as facinated by us as we were by them.

It was a long day, with a lot of time spent in the van, but definitely worth it. Best to use a guide and driver, of course, and we were lucky to have the famous Kong Lin and Violet with us.

Another highlight, and one right in Beijing, was Tea City. Tea City is a large building filled with nothing but vendors of every kind of tea imaginable, and tea making and drinking 'accessories'. Kong Lin explained that Tea City is frequented by locals, not tourists. We sat on small stools around a table where they made and let us taste various kinds of tea we asked about. (Be sure to try the pu'er, which is aged and can be a collector's item!) Unlike the 'tea ceremony' tourist trap we'd heard about, this was just vendors selling to the public. I brought back a round cake of pu'er and I'm drinking some as I write this.

Have a wonderful trip! We did.

Here are some suggestions to start your research. Each area is unique, so maybe you can begin this way to determine which are the best fit for your goals.

Beijing - essential for any art historian!

Yunnan - Yunnan is a great mix of traditional tribal culture and modern China. Check out: Lijiang, Dali

Sichuan - Some Tibetan influence as you approach the plateau in the west. Litang, Songpan

Xinjiang - Silk road oases, unspoilt mountain wilderness. Some well preserved Buddhist structures in incredible landscapes! (many of the missing frescoes and artifacts can be viewed when you return at the Met and/or British Museum) Turpan, Kashgar

Last post got away from me before I was finished - sorry.

Also take a look at Yangshuo in the Guangxi province.

bobbie:

I've visited China twice...1984 and this past spring. Both times, one of our favorites was the region around Guilin and Yangshuo. The Li River, the terraced rice fields about two hours west of Guilin, the fabulous Yangshuo Sanjie night/light show...here are some pix:

http://picasaweb.google.com/stuartto...linAndVicinity

Stu T. (our guide was excellent)

Also consider Lijiang - there will be crowds, but of Chinese tourists. Then head to Tiger Leaping Gorge for "amazing". Or if you take a bus south from Kunming you will also escape the western tourists - see my trip report at www.wilhelmswords.com/rtw2004 - Kunming: Looping South. I haven't made it to Xishuangbanna yet, but I think it would also fit what you're looking for.

BobP55...who are Kong Lin and Violet? How do I contact them?

Tower, how did you get to the terraced rice fields? I'll likely be there late September and am trying to figure out the safest and fastest method. I only will have 4-5 days in the region and want to make the best of it. Did you spend the night out there? If so, where?

Look up the Chengde mountain resort and its outlying temples. Only 150 or so miles north of Beijing and a real delight.

In Beijing itself, the Donqyue temple with is numerous "departments" (e.g., for "thwarting schemes", or "instant rewards and retribution") is a trip.

Look up the Chengde mountain resort and its outlying temples. Only 150 or so miles north of Beijing and a real delight.

In Beijing itself, the Donqyue temple with its numerous "departments" (e.g., for "thwarting schemes", or "instant rewards and retribution") is a trip.

Apologies for the double post.

bobbie and sisduo:

Konglin has a fine guide service...everything you would want..be sure he takes you to Mutianyu wall, not Badaling.

[email protected]

Sisduo: We opted not to stay overnight in the rice field area...our guide service, Jadelo in Guilin, arranged everything for us and it worked out fine..about a 2+ hour interesting countryside auto trip...the guide and driver he assigned were knowlegeable and fun guys..
[email protected]

Stu T.

And Bobbie, Kong Lin has just bought himself a new Buick van which he is, understandably, very excited about. You now have his email address.

And Stu's right. Avoid Badaling and the Ming Tombs if at all possible. If you have the time, and don't mind the long ride (in a nice new Buick van) you should consider the Wall at Huangyaguan and the Eastern Qing Tombs. They were the hightlight of our trip. A little far away, but definitely worth it for the lack of crowds.

Bob

Has anyone been to both the Mutianyu and Huangyaguan sections of the wall to compare the two? I know they are both less touristy than Badaling, but is one portion considered preferable to the other?

I was previously considering Mutianyu with Kong Lin, but maybe I'll change that so that I can get to the Eastern Qing Tombs in the same day.

Good idea? Or is Mutianyu much better than Huangyaguan....

Hi poutine,Mutianyu and Huangyaguan both are not crowded,Huangyaguan is close to East Qing Tombs and most sections are older than Mutianyu,it is very difference compare to Mutianyu and Badaling.you can see original parts,some of them just made by stones.which you can`t find in Mutianyu Section and Badaling.