Beijing highlights (2005)
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Hong Kong highlights (2003-2006)
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About Beijing
Beijing (北京 Běijīng) is the capital of the most populous country in the world, the People's Republic of China. With a population of 21.5 million people, it is the nation's second-largest city after Shanghai. It was also the seat of the Ming and Qing dynasty emperors until the formation of a republic in 1911. Beijing is the political, educational and cultural centre of the country and as such it is rich in historical sites and important government and cultural institutions. The city is marked by its flatness and arid climate. There are only three hills to be found in the city limits (in Jingshan Park to the north of Forbidden City) and mountains surround the capital on three sides. Like the configuration of the Forbidden City, Beijing has concentric "ring roads", which are actually rectangular, that go around the metropolis and serve as good reference points as one attempts to move about the city. Beyond the ring roads are the most-visited portions of the Great Wall of China, which witnesses visitors the world over and Beijing serves as a good headquarters for those who wish to gaze upon one of mankind's more memorable and lasting structures. |
About Hong Kong
Hong Kong(香港 Heūng Góng in Cantonese, meaning Fragrant Harbour) is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China. It's a place with multiple personalities as a result of being both Cantonese Chinese and having been under British colonisation. Today, the former British colony is a major tourism destination for China's increasingly affluent mainland population. It's an important hub in East Asia with global connections to many of the world's cities. It is a unique destination that has absorbed people and cultural influences from places as diverse as Vietnam and Vancouver and proudly proclaims itself to be Asia's World City. Hong Kong is the second Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China (the the first one being Wolong, then Macau). Before the transfer of sovereignty to China in 1997, Hong Kong had been a British colony for nearly 150 years. As a result, most infrastructure inherits the design and standards of Britain. During the 1950s to 1990s, the city-state developed rapidly, becoming the first of the "Four Asian Tigers" through the development of a strong manufacturing base and later a financial sector. |
Huangshan (Yellow mountain) highlights |
Xidi & Hongcun (Anhui) highlights
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Hangzhou highlights
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About HuangShan
Huangshan (Chinese: 黄山), is a mountain range in southern Anhui province in eastern China. Vegetation on the range is thickest below 1,100 meters (3,600 ft), with trees growing up to the treeline at 1,800 meters (5,900 ft). The area is well known for its scenery, sunsets, peculiarly-shaped granite peaks, Huangshan pine trees, hot springs, winter snow, and views of the clouds from above. Huangshan is a frequent subject of traditional Chinese paintings and literature, as well as modern photography. |
About Xidi & Hongcun
Xidi is a village in Yi County of the historical Huizhou region of Anhui province, China. It was declared a part of the "Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui" World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000, along with Hongcun. Hongcun is the China you think of when you think of ancient China. Hongcun’s narrow cobblestone paved lanes winding around boxy whitewashed buildings with pointed black tiled roofs offer a pleasant place to spend a few unhurried days in a beautiful part of rural China. |
About Hangzhou
Hangzhou, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province. It sits at the head of Hangzhou Bay, which separates Shanghai and Ningbo. Hangzhou grew to prominence as the southern terminus of the Grand Canal and has been one of the most renowned and prosperous cities in China for much of the last millennium, due in part to its beautiful natural scenery. Famed for its natural scenery, Hangzhou and its West Lake (西湖; Xīhú) have been immortalized by countless poets and artists. |
Wuhu to Dalian and back (2005)
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Shanghai trip - Dec. 2005
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I used all modes of transportation from trains to ferries for this 10 day trip from Wuhu to Dalian in North-Eastern China. Some noticeable cities en route I visited and stayed are Yantai and Qingdao.
Yantai is a small sleepy port city on the Shandong coast that to this day still retains some of its colonial charm. The city is fairly small but there is a bustling development zone and large container and shipbuilding ports. Qingdao (青岛; Qīngdǎo; also known as Tsingtao), is regarded by some Chinese as one of the most beautiful and clean cities in China. With a population of around 3.5 million (8 million regional) it is one of the largest cities in Shandong Province. The name Qingdao means The Blue/Green Island. In 2012, Qingdao was named China's most livable city. Dalian (大连; Dàlián) is the second largest city in Liaoning Province, Dongbei (Northeast), China and the largest port in northern China as well as a major destination for Chinese tourists. Dalian's development stemmed from colonial occupation, in this case by Russia. Under Russian rule Dalian, or Dalny as it was known, became the southern tip of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the main port of the eastern Russian empire. |
Before working in Shanghai in 2006, I took a week-end tour to Shanghai. It was a bitter cold weekend, but the sun was shining and I took great pics especially of the Bund, the Huangpu River and Old Shanghai.
Shanghai (上海 Shànghǎi), with a population of more than 23 million (with over 9 million migrants), is the largest and traditionally the most developed metropolis in Mainland China. Shanghai was the largest and most prosperous city in the Far East during the 1930s. Shanghai is split in two by the Huangpu River (黄浦江 Huángpǔ Jiāng). The most basic division of the area is Puxi (浦西 Pǔxī) West of the river, versus Pudong (浦东 Pǔdōng), East of the river. The Bund (外滩 Wàitān) the colonial riverside of old Shanghai, has dozens of historical buildings lining the Huangpu River, which once housed numerous foreign banks and trading houses. The riverfront walkway has recently undergone a major reconstruction and reopened to the public in March 2010. Old City (南市; Nanshi) Home of Yu Garden and Huxingting Tea House, is the historic Chinese area of the city, where much of the old wooden architecture of ancient Shanghai is still preserved. |
Longsheng & Longji rice paddies (2006)
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Yangshuo & Li river trip (2006)
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A friend and I took a weekend trip to the rice paddies and stayed in the village. The village with its wooden homes and rice terraces in the misty hills felt like a trip back in time.
The Longsheng Rice Terraces also called the Longji Rice Terraces are located in Longsheng County, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) from Guilin, Guangxi, China. The terraced fields are built along the slope winding from the riverside up to the mountain top, between 600 m to 800 m above sea level. A coiling terrace line that starts from the mountain foot up to the mountain top divides the mountain into layers of water in spring, layers of green rice shoots in summer, layers of rice in fall, and layers of frost in winter. The terraced fields were mostly built about 650 years ago. |
One weekend, I took a river cruise on the Li river from Guilin to Yangshuo. I met a bunch of foreigners and a Taiwanese couple on the boat. We became friends and explored Yangshuo together. We rented bicycles and cycled to the Yulong river where we took bamboo rafts down the river. The Li River (pinyin: Lí jiāng) is a river in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. It flows 83 km from Guilin to Yangshuo, where the karst mountains and river sights highlight the famous Li River cruise. Yangshuo Town is located near Guilin in Guangxi province. It is surrounded by karst peaks and is bordered on one side by the Li River. The West Street of Yangshuo dates back to over 1400 years. The rafting experience on the Yulong River with its clear water and beautiful karst hill scenery was quite memorable.
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Chong Qing (2006)
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Yangtze river cruise
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In July of 2006, a friend and I took a 3 day cruise on the Yangtze river, which started in Chong Qing. We arrived a couple of days before the cruise and did some exploration of Chongqing.
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities in China. Administratively, it is one of China's four direct-controlled municipalities (the other three are Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin), and the only such municipality in inland China. Chongqing has a significant history and culture and serves as the economic centre of the upstream Yangtze basin. It is a major manufacturing centre and transportation hub. Chongqing is also the launching point for scenic boat trips down the Yangtze River through the Three Gorges Dam. Chongqing has been ranked by the World Bank as one of the most polluted cities in the world. |
In July of 2006, the hottest and most humid in central China, we spent 3 days on a Yangtze cruise from Chongqing to Yichang, visiting many interesting places that would be under water upon the completion of the Three Gorges dam project. Along with many scenic and ancient attractions, there is one of the deepest gorges in the world at Tiger Leaping Gorge, as well as the Three Gorges dam, the world's biggest.
The Yangtze (Cháng Jiāng 长江, "long river," in Chinese) is China's and Asia's greatest river and a historic transport route. It is a huge river, being over 6,000 km long. Many of China's greatest cities lie along the Yangtze. The Yangtze basin is home for one third of China's population. It is the most important river for agriculture, industry, and inland travel. It is considered the dividing line between northern and southern China. |