China Travel Guide - The Many Faces of China

A rich and varied feast

China is a house with many rooms, no two of which are the same. Open one door, another closes only slightly, because all of the rooms are connected by the same corridors of history.

Imagine walking the maze of narrow streets in Shanghai where thousands of bicyclists create a symphony of ringing bells in the evening light as workers create rush hour, China style.

Or imagine wandering in the massive Tiananmen Square in Beijing across from the old Imperial Palace as proud mothers hold up their children as you approach with a camera; or walking along the heights of the Great Wall that winds for hundreds of miles through the countryside, the only man-made object that can be seen by astronauts as they circle the globe.

Each experience is different - a cultural cuisine with many, varying dishes offering unique tastes, smells, and colors.

Today’s China has galloped into the 21st century with enthusiasm, brightly sharing its complex cultures with a world that’s eager to experience what it has to offer.

Never has it been so easy to share in it.

In Shanghai Harbor along the Huangpu River—one of the tributaries of the Yangtze—the river teems with life: family junks, freighters, passenger liners, river boats of every type, coal carriers, and long lines of business junks strung together and hauling industrial goods.

What you see on the river makes a fascinating contrast to the new towers of modern Shanghai that are clustered at the entrance to the harbor. With China’s burgeoning economic power, the country is now a major competitor not only to other Asian nations, but to the West also. Although industrial in many areas, it is still easy to find beauty and history in every region of China.

In the picture-book town of Suzhou north of Shanghai, trees and bicycles abound even though much of China’s silken goods are manufactured here. Xian, the capital of Shaanxi Province in central China, was once the imperial capital of China and was one of the greatest cities in the world, with human settlement dating back to 4000 BC. Today, visitors flock to witness its major tourist attraction, The Army of Terracotta Soldiers. The 6000 soldiers and horses were unearthed in 1974 and represent part of the burial ceremony of a Qin Dynasty emperor.

China is not always the easiest place to comprehend and the visitor is often overwhelmed. Around every street corner there’s something new and you sometimes need quiet time to absorb it all. There’s plenty of opportunity for solitude if you look for it.

Travel up the Yangtze, China’s longest river at 5526 km (3434 miles) from its source in the Kunlun Mountains to its mouth at the East China Sea. The river is navigable by oceangoing vessels for about 1000 km (about 600 miles) and steamers can travel as far as Yichang,1600 km (1000 miles) from Shanghai.

In Beijing, Shanghai, or Xian there’s no shortage of internationally-respected hotels. New Otani, Sheraton, Hilton Hotels, Shangri-la and other chains are putting up facilities in cities throughout China.

Even with China’s rush to become a major part of the contemporary world, its culture has an ancient fascination that will always be deeply rooted in centuries past.

Author: Ray and Toshi Chatelin