Popular Locations
If you are new to China, or have done a little research, you have probably heard about some of these locations. These are not undiscovered locations by any means. They are ones we have personally traveled to or have done some research on and will be going to in the future. These would be locations to visit if you're not sure which places you think would be worth your time.
We have a brief intro to some of these magical Chinese areas. Know that China is HUGE and we've only picked out a few of the many wonderful places you should visit during your stay. We hope you enjoy your trip to China!!
We have a brief intro to some of these magical Chinese areas. Know that China is HUGE and we've only picked out a few of the many wonderful places you should visit during your stay. We hope you enjoy your trip to China!!
Beijing
Beijing is the place everyone visits. From the ancient buildings to the modern marvels, there is so much to see and do here. Plan for at least a few days or more to get a feel for how much history and culture are held behind these ancient walls.
Among the many things to see are the Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, The Great Wall, Ming Tombs, The Olympic buildings and of course some shopping markets like the pearl market outside of the Temple of Heaven.
The dish to eat while in Beijing is the "Beijing Duck (aka Peking Duck)." Savory cooked duck meat, wrapped in a round small tortilla with some veggies and a special sauce, VERY GOOD. Unlike other areas that we visited, this area has many English speakers and is much easier to get around and get help when needed. But with this, comes more people trying to sell you just about anything and everything where ever you go. Overall Beijing is a wonderful place to visit and eat tasty food.
Guilin/Yangshuo
This was a night shot from our Hotel in Yangshuo.
This was a wonderful place to visit. We first stopped in Guilin and from there took a bus into Yangshuo. Between taking in the beautiful view of these mountains, a peaceful boat ride down the Li river or just visiting the night market shops, this is a very beautiful place with much to see and do.
One of our favorite activities was taking the boat ride down the Li river and seeing the cormorants catch fish and bring them back to the fisherman. There are many places to go rock climbing and has been becoming more and more popular. They also had many places that serve "western" food and many English speakers. This place is truly a must see!!
One of our favorite activities was taking the boat ride down the Li river and seeing the cormorants catch fish and bring them back to the fisherman. There are many places to go rock climbing and has been becoming more and more popular. They also had many places that serve "western" food and many English speakers. This place is truly a must see!!
Xi'an
Photo from sinohotel.com
Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi and another great stop along your adventure in China. Like other Chinese cities there is much to see in one of China's oldest cities. Among these things is visting the place where the Terracotta Warriors were buried for years. Many in that area let alone China even knew these existed.
The world renowned Terracotta Warriors were found here back in the 1970's and this place has been a huge tourist spot to visit for anyone coming to China, or even many Chinese coming across the country. "Current estimates are that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits (Wikipedia)."
Chengdu
Photo from Wikipedia.com
Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province and has over 14 million people. It has such symbols as the Panda and other historical sites that have built its legacy. Its food is know to be much like the food in Hunan, very spicy. It was also the location for the major earthquake back in 2008 that killed over 80,000 people.
Zhangjiajie
Photo from tour-beijing.com
Zhangjiajie, as you can tell is a very beautiful tourist area with these jetting rock shaped mountain figures. It is located in the northwestern part of Hunan. This was one place while we were teaching school, that many of our students said we must visit before we go. It has a truly magical feel to it and you will see many pictures or paintings in China portraying the beauty of his location.
Lhasa
"Surrounded by the Highest mountains on earth, Tibet is cut-off from the rest of the world. Five and a half million Tibetans lie on a plateau four times the size of Texas. Cold, poor, remote and with an average elevation of more than 4000 meters above sea level, Tibet is one fof the most adventurous places to travel.
Snow-capped mountains, yaks, apline lakes and blue skies fill Tibet with beauty. From the base camp of Everest to the valley grasslands filled with nomads, Tibet offers something different for each traveler. It is no suprise that Tibet has a high amount of returning visitors. " (TheLandOfSnows.com)
We currently have yet to visit this amazing place. If you are thinking of going to this area, this website is a must to check out. We have had friends that traveled there and we have studied much about Lhasa. Everything we read on this site seems very accurate.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is a world of its own. From its amazing airport (we know all about the airport, we lived there for 48 hrs) to the big city feel to the ancient markets in the different city districts. Take some time to go shopping, a boat trip or even just some sight seeing. We had a very short stay in Hong Kong, but its food was very different from the spicy food in Hunan province.
Hong Kong has very sweet food, with many shops selling all sorts of good foods to eat. Just walking around seeing everything to explore or playing ping pong with some people in the park were some of our highlights. We know Hong Kong will be a great stop for you along your trip.
Shanghai
Photo from thorntontomasetti.com
Shanghai is one of the major modern cities in China and is the busiest container port in the world. It is located at the mouth of the Yangtze River in the middle portion of the Chinese coast. It is another great stop for that booming economic China feel.
It is a popular tourist destination for historical landmarks like The Bund, City God Temple and Yuyuan Garden. Also the Pudong (China's financial and commercial hub) skyline is the well known recognized sight of Shanghai.
Ping'an
Photo from thegrubworm.com
For 700 years the people of Ping'an have been farming the terraces in this area. Farming is very common in China. This is a breathtaking view of these rice fields.
Ping'an is located in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and 80 Kilometers north of Guilin. This very underpopulated area is a perfect location for that trip to the country side. If it's the small country feel you seek, then Ping'an is the place to see. Years of work and farming still can be found here as a benefit for the people and the environment.
Guangzhou
Photo from Boise State.edu
Guangzhou is the third largest city in China and is a major hub and trading port. It is also one of China's leading commercial and manufacturing regions. We visited for a short while during the 2008 Import and Export Fair.
All of our senior students went down to act as interpreters for the vendors attending the show, so we went down to visit the city and see the show. The city is so big, like most the cities in China that have close to 40 million people including the surrounding areas. This is a major city that speaks both Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese. The food here, like in Hong Kong is very sweet, but very delicious. One thing to do would be to take the Pearl River Dinner Cruise.
