The People’s Republic was probably the country that was the nose different to what we were used to – we got along with it, got angry, understood it or were just puzzled. The scenery was amazing nonetheless.
Xingping (16.-19.07.)
First of all – the village is really called Xingping. In the South of Guilin the small village is beautifully located in the karst landscape of Guangxi province. It is extremely humid and hot and we quickly agree that both of us never felt such humidity in our young lives. We decided nonetheless to climb a karst mountain for sunset and shouldn’t regret this decision:
Due to the extrem humidity we start the next day quite relaxed and rent a scooter to see some of the rural countryside around Xingping and Yangshou. The track leads through impressing landscapes, along hectical roads and up to amazing viewpoints.
In the evening there is a dumpling preparation party in our hostel and as it feels like we already consumed around 1000 of those in our time in China we decided to partake so that we know how to properly fold those.
Of course we had to eat our creations in the end and most of them didn’t open up while cooking!
We still have a whole day in Xingping and get up early to take a boat to the other side of Li river and hike up to Mount Damian that promises an amazing view.
We got up early to avoid the midday sun while hiking up the mountain. Around 11 o’clock we can enjoy a great view of Li river:
On our way back we passed a small village and were suprised as there didnt‘ hang a picture of Mao but of Xi Jingping the current leader of the Chinese Communist Party.
A little way down the road we pass a house with many cormorants, that will be part of many touristic pictures later that day. While our picture was taken they were quite relaxed though.
After taking one of the most refreshing showers in our lives we take a little walk to the viewpoint of the motive of the 20 Yuan note – which was printed slightly changed.
We enjoy the food in the South of China. Even with our limited budget we can get great dinners like this one:
The next day we start from the calm village Xingping to a complete contrast. Our (last/next) stop (in China) is called Hong Kong.
Guilin (14.-16.07.)
The train to Guilin was one of our most luxurious train rides in China – in a three story sleeping berth of the Chinese railway!
We could only enjoy until 5.30 in the morning, as we needed to change the train then. We arrive in Guilin but it’s pouring rain.
Guilin is only a small but extremely important interim stage as our actual destination Xingping is still flooded with water due to heavy rain. Guilin is a city with pretty corners and we use MoBikes to visit some parts of it, for example the sun- and moonshine pagodas.
We travelled a lot by bike in the city and can share some impressions with you:
The day we want to travel to Xingping is the day there is a flood clearance and the roads are open again. Thus, we can continue our trip to Xingping!
Zhangjiajie and Wulingyuan (09.-13.07.)
Involunatrily we have to take a ride in the worst class of the Chinese trains to see one of the highlights of our time in China: Zhangjiajie National Park close to the city Zhangjiajie. After a horrible ride in the train we decide to continue by bus to the small village Wulingyuan to stay in a hostel right at the entrance of the park. We expect a small, sleepy village close to nature but withness the exact opposite: since the release of the famous Avatar movie by James Cameron in 2009 the village got quickly developed and overrun by tourism. As to all sights in China there is an entrance fee and visitors need to buy a 4-day-ticket – that costs a lot. But if you want to see it, you have to go for it. And it was worth every Yuan.
The park itself is equipped with a huge systeem of busses, elevators and cable cars, for which you have to pay extra from time to time. The advantage of this well-connected network is that almost all Chinese tourists stay close to the bus stops or stations and after walking a few meters we didn’t meet any more people. It felt like we had the park for us only and we enjoyed many views, such as the following:
We weren’t alone nonetheless. Sometimes we saw our companions, sometimes we didn’t. We heard them most of times though, although they were greatly camouflaged:
As we approached the bus stop the number of other tourists and places of consumption increased dramaticaly. Of course one major chain restaurant wasn’t allowed to miss this opportunity:
At a location a little further away (that was lonley again) we saw why the area experienced such a strong development and why the Avatar movie was filmed there.
The carful inspector of the above pictures might have noticed a man-made structure in the background. It is the Bailong Elevator, the largest exterior elevator in the world.
We read and heard very often that the park is crawling with monkeys. Up to this point we haven’t seen any and we were a little bit sad about it. We started to walk the last part of our first day in the park and were again completely alone. Even walking down was rather unusual as there was a bus, a magnetic train and a cable car right around the corner. The insects gave us a concert along the way. Finally we see some monkeys in the distance. We approach them slowly but feel immediately that monkeys are not used to the presence of people in this part of the park. Nonetheless they let us approach very close.
A few minutes later the monkeys signal us that our presence is no longer accepted and we flee the scenery as quickly as possible.
We are hooked and the next day we want to see many monkeys again. This happens, but this time in a direct contact with other humans, e.g. Chinese tourists – and this hurts physically. At every corner of the park there are sings that the monkeys shouldn’t be fed or be provoked. Most Chinese tourists don’t care about that at all, wheter they didnt’t read, couldn’t read or wouldn’t read …
On our way back we meet some more monkeys and this time without being fed by other tourists!
The next day is really rainy and the monkeys show how we feel in the rain:
In the evening we met some people in our hostel and we were finally able to reflect on our experiences in China with others. In the end we decide to try a local version of the Hot Pot. As the evening is quite long we decide to sleep in the next day and continue to travel to another province – to Guilin!
Leshan (07.-08.07.)
In the same province as Chengdu lies the small city Leshan. It is small because only 3 million people live there and it looks vanishingly small on maps. Nonetheless, the city comprises a huge sight – this time it is really huge, because it is the biggest buddha statue in the world.
We travel to Leshan by bullet-train. The city is divided by a river, one side is occupied by buildings and industry while the other side is only home to the big buddha and some old buildings. As it is common in China we have to pay an entrance fee to go and see the statue. After a short ascent we arrive on the eye-level of the buddha – as did literally thousand of other people. We think of coming back later and head to a small fishing village that is comparatively empty. Although the small village has already felt the touristic development some things stayed the same, such as the people playing incomprehensive games for money by the side of the road.
A few steps further down the river we could observe a fisherman doing his daily work. He looked kind of lost compared to the touristic boats and the buildings of the city in the back.
Later we returned to the buddha statue that was a lot less crowded than a few hours earlier.
Although there is a long queue we want to descend right next to the statue to see it from the bottom (left side of the top picture). Instead of being spritiual it is comparable to a crowded metro ride in Shanghai. We arrive at the bottom of the statue exhausted but overwhelmed. The descend was totally worth it and we can enjoy the calm facial expressions of the statue.
After we left the place, where even monks take selfies, we went to the other side of Leshan. We have dinner in a very small restaurant in which too many people work. A student working there approaches us and asks a few questions in English. He is very interested in us and at the end of our talk he asks to take a selfie with us. Whenever young Chinese people take selfies it is really important that they are shown in the front. The pictures are often uploaded to WeChat (a mix of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and mobile payment apps, without it daily life in China would collapse) in the moment section of one’s profile. It oftens looks like this:
Later we take MoBikes to a small viewpoint. The hills in which the buddha statue is embedded look like an even bigger sleeping buddha in the dark:
Chengdu (04.-07.07.)
For the first time since we started travelling we took a train in the daytime – and it was the Bullet-Train! The fastest in China! The track from Xi’an to Chengdu is about 730 km and the ride only took 3.5 hours.
To kill boredom we got ourselves a Chinese chessboard in Xi’an. It sounds quite known at first but it is really different than European chess. Some examples: There is a canon that uses one stone as a ramp to kick the next one out of the game. The two sides are divided by the yellow river. In the middle of each side is a castle and the king figure is not allowed to leave it. By the way, the king is not to be called king as the emperor found is disrespectful but otherwise normal people would have been able to command on a king and just move a king on a field. Therefore it is more like a marshall.
The name Chengdu maybe rings a bell for one or another. The capital of Sechuan province is known for species protection. The installation of the Giant Panda Research Base is the effort of saving the endangered Giant Panda. Almost every panda around the world has its‘ roots in Chengdu or is coordinated by the workers and researchers in Chengdu. After the first panda was brought to Europe alive in the beginning of the 20th century, the species popularity rose rapidly and it became the face of China. They even became a political animal and were given to other presidents or heads of states as presents. The population decreased rapidly and in the 1980s the research base in Chengdu was founded in order to protect the species from extinction. Nowadays interested people from all over the world go to Chengdu to observe those funny animals in their everyday environment. Of course we weren’t alone again.
While there is a huge hype for the Giant Panda one kind is completely left out: the Red Panda.
As we were calmly observing some Red Pandas we hear a loud scream from below. We look around. A hysterically screaming mob is running in one direction. Why is that? The screams get louder and everyone along the way joins in and soon there are at least 30 Chinese visitors running along the way. Then we see the reason. A Red Panda is walking along the way that is meant for the tourists. The photo loving Chinese visitors are following but after a few seconds the spectacle is over and the Red Panda is back behind the fence and in his personal freedom area.
Sechuan province is, just like the slogan of its tourism agency, „more than pandas“. Especially, culinarically Chengdu has a lot to offer. A speciality is the Sechuan Hot Pot – yes it is as hot as the name suggests. But let’s describe this experience in its actual order.
First of all you need to find a suitable place which we did. If the choice has been made one is handed a paper with all the ingredients and type of pots available. Luckily our restaurant handed out translations as well.
When everything is chosen you need to wait until a seat is free. Than it starts! The restaurants have special tables with gas stoves in the middle. Than the actual Hot Pot is served.
The gas stove is set up and a few minutes later the pot is boiling, spreading spicy smells at the table. The basic ingredients are always chillies and Sechuan pepper. It is a kind of pepper that creates a numb feeling in the mouth when the corn is chewed. The brew is mostly duck or beef brew. As soon as it is boiling the ingredients are added. We had potatoes, mushrooms, beef and cabbage. Now one can finally start to eat!
Hot Pot exists all over China but the one in Chengdu is said to be the spiciest. We felt that and were happy to have a less spicy brew in the middle to neutralize the taste. The Sechuan Hot Pot definitely burns three times. Nonetheless it is a great meal to have and definitely a great experience to make.
Xi’an (02.-04.07.)
Xi’an is mostly known for one sight that is slightly outside the city. An emperor of China had a mausoleum built that is rather special including a big army for protection. Of course we are talking about the Terracotta Warriors.
Xi’an itself is also quite alright and has some nice spots around. For example the Muslim quarter that comprises many different things to eat that are a mix between Muslim and Chinese kitchen and many souvenir shops.
The next day we head for the Terracotta Warriors! There are three excavation pits in different sizes. For dramaturgic reasons we start with the small pit 2.
Pit 3 is the smallest and comprises only a small amount of warriors and horses. To make it perfect we went to pit 1 in the end. We will have some pictures to tell about this experience:
Pit 1 is the biggest and 600 warriors plus horses can be found in it. The view is overwhelming and it is an uplifting feeling to see something which one has heard about so much. We saw so many calendars or magazines full with those statues and now we were able to gaze upon them with our own eyes! To complete the impression a holistic picture will follow:
We still have the facial expressions of the warriors in our head as we head back to Xi’an.
Our hostel is great and offers a lot of free stuff – e.g. learning the Chinese game Mahjong (as it is supposed to be). The rules are not hard but the characters on the stones are all in Chinese. While playing we meet other people travelling the world that are also dealing with the same challenges in China as we are.
On the other roadside of the hostel is a small place to eat food. It tasted amazing and we’ve been there quite a few times for breakfast and lunch.
When having our last meal over there the two girls working there came to us and wanted to talk in English. They want to know a lot and are surprised when they learn about our age and that we are not married. Some things don’t change after all. The picture in the end shouldn’t be left out nonetheless.
Beijing (29.06.-01.07.)
We arrive early in the morning. As soon as we put our bags in the hostel we head to Lama Temple in the North of the inner city. As always we were not the only persons having this idea and we find ourselves among hundreds of other visitors. We are therefore not visit the temple in a calm and meditating manner but always walking between people and moving out of the way. Many people do not only visit for selfies but also for praying. Therefore praying roles are used.
The temple streches over four big halls. In front of every building people can light up incenses. In the last hall a gigantic Buddha statue can be found which – according to the Guinness Book of World Records – is made from one piece of wood and therefore the biggest Buddha statue made from wood. It measures 36 m.
As we are still tired from our last train ride we need to nap a fair bit. Later we want to visit the Heaven’s Temple but it’s to late and we can’t enter anymore. We are still capable of walking around the park surrounding the temple which is also interesting as there are people singing, dancing, doing sports or playing Mahjong. Of course, all those activities have audiences.
The next day we decide to do individual activities in the morning. Lucas wants to get up early to have a chance to see Tian’amen Square without people and go back to Heaven’s Temple. Diana wants to sleep in and discover the local shops.
It’s 5.30 am and Lucas’s alarm is ringing. At 5.45 am he sits on a MoBike and at 6.00 am he arrives at Tian’amen Square. The aim of no people being around is shortly missed, as the Chinese summer holidays have already begun and a shitton of Chinese tourists already occupies the whole square.
Lucas continues to the Heaven’s Temple and arrives one hour before the actual opening time. That is actually an advantage as he can queue up early. As there are many people again he has about 1.74 milliseconds to take a picture almost without persons in it. After that the temple drowns in visitors again and it’s charme is lost.
In the late afternoon we head to the Olympic Park to meet Lucas’s dad who visits Beijing on a business trip.
Before we get dinner we enjoy a great view of Beijing from the hill of Jingshan Park – especially the Forbidden City can be seen in all its glory.
Of course we couldn’t leave China without eating the famous Beijing duck – at least 2/3 of our party. We added some great vegetarian dishes that were spicy but really tasty.
After exchanging many stories from our travels and the latest news from Germany our ways parted again. Of course Lucas’s father could see that we are not starving, nor our of money, nor done with our nerves or homesick. We were really grateful for his visit!
The next day – which is our last one in Beijing – we had a look for the famous Nanluoguxiang Road. There are many shops and small eateries around. Of course, the streets were flooded with people.
Later we take a train to Xi’an. This was the most uncomfortable ride of our trip so far. For financial reasons we chose the budget train which is a hard seat. The seats are completely straight which is not the best idea on an overnight trip. Additionally, the train has standing tickets as well. And people are smoking inside. And snoring. And playing loud videos or games on their phones. And whatever. We arrive quite f***** up in Xi’an the next day. Some final impressions of Beijing:
Shanghai (24.-28.06.)
We still have some stuff planned in Beijing but as we can meet Lucas’s father a few days later in Beijing we decided to visit Shanghai first. Therefore we take the train for the first time in China. We booked an overnight train but with seats and are pleasantly surprised, as those 2nd class seats are quite alright and a more or less good sleep is possible. The only annoying thing are the bright lights in the train that are not even switched off at night. We arrive in Shanghai and face the world’s biggest metro system. Same as in Beijing the navigation is quite easy and after the usual security checks and a few stations later we arrive at our hostel in the South of the city centre.
In Shanghai live 2 million people more than in Beijing and there are people walking, cycling or waiting everywhere. At every street corner there are shared bikes and we decide to register with MoBike. 2 minutes later it’s done and we can use a QR code to unlock the bikes to take a ride. In Shanghai – same as Beijing – the separation of bike and car lanes is mostly done really good, even by fences. This is not supposed to be a accusation for car-loving Germany…
To go from A to B one needs to be fully concentrated, as scooter drivers seem to follow other, non-understandable traffic rules. Calm spots such as the Confucius-Temple are very welcome.
The first time since our arrival we are surprised by rainfall and we run for cover to the entrance of a metro station. Of course there are already some guys selling umbrellas…
The next day the weather didn’t improve. When taking the bike we feel like people of Shanghai but as soon as we arrive we drown in masses of tourists, e.g. in Yuyuan Garden. It is central in the heart of the city and a well preserved example for the Chinese gardening art. Almost all buildings are connected by a dragon with a huge black head.
In Shanghai are many empty buildings that are reused or gentrified. An example is the former butcher’s quarter that is nowadays used as a creative quarter with many cafés, shops or bureaus.
Another gentrified quarter is close. But changing the building materials doesn’t change everything. There are still older residents that meet up to play mahjong, chess or card games – of course there are always people watching the games.
When having a look behind the nice fassades we noticed quite a few times that only little changed behind those buildings.
Shanghai was founded as a small fishing village with the name Hu. Hu is the name of a device that was used for fishing, especially in this region. The beginning of Shanghai can be understood in Zhujiajiao. The small fishing quarter can be reached by metro but we found ourselves in a sea of visitors.
From the roots of the city we make our way to the Bund, to see the modern part as well. Of course it is one of the most crowded places in Shanghai but we fight our way to a good view.
As Diana wanted to take a picture of herself we notice that many cameras are point at her – which is not unusual in China. Lucas therefore went in between Diana and the cameras to decrease the picture’s attractiveness. One second later a group of Chinese (we think from a rural area) approach us and ask to take a picture with us. We agree and six happy Chinese come around to take a group shot. We think our duty is done but now all group members want to take a indivudal picture with Diana. They even lined up for that. A mother even forced her daughter to take a picture. After a few minutes the hype is over and we can move freely again.
Shanghai’s CBD comprises some remarkable skyscrapers – especially the Oriental Pearl Tower (left side of the top picture). As we want to see it from above we bought two tickets for the Shanghai World Finance Center. This tower looks like a bottle-opener and comprises two platforms. The view at night is amazing although there are clouds covering the buildings from time to time.
In the nighttime the CBD is even more spectacular than in the daytime.
We took the metro back to the other side.
We still have one day left to see a fair bit of Shanghai. So we thought that we haven’t seen a temple in a few days. We went to Longhua Temple which is calm and relaxed.
Two orange bikes help us to get to the Propaganda Poster Museum Shanghai which is a great collection of old posters from the times of the Chinese revolution and afterwards.
Our last stop is the geographical heart of Shanghai – the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center. There are five stories about the development of Shanghai, planning maps and goals for the future. The highlight is a miniature version of the whole city of Shanghai.
In the evening we head back to Beijing. Finally some impressions of Shanghai:
Mutianyu – Great Wall (23.-24.06.)
The Great Wall is a different kind of sight. Every child knows about it and heard myths about this building. That’s why our joy is quite big when we see it for the first time. We decided to see the section around Mutianyu and organised an accommodation some 3 km away from the main entrance. When walking through the village we notice many solar thermal power plants on the roofs and that many functional buildings have signs with the indication Great Wall Tourism Village and their name next to it. Tourism has been greatly funded in this area of China.
To have a walk on top of the Great Wall it is the easiest to take a shuttle-bus from the main entrance and afterwards a cable car to the top. Of course there are unbeaten paths to get to the wall and jump in but as the wall was built with the purpose of not crossing it, it is quite difficult to do so. As long as money can be earned, the restored wall will exist with this purpose for many years to come.
For time reasons we decided to take the cable car (and pay a little more to do so). But it doesn’t matter: The weather is great and there are not many people around (what a change!). On our way back we are the only people left on the whole section.
Although walls should generally be torn down (figuratively and also a little literally) we leave the Great Wall with an even greater fascination that is hard to describe. This fascination derives from the fact that this monument was built in a past time at this very spot.
Beijing (21.-23.06.)
We arrive after having a long day in the Chinese capital Beijing. The arrival marks a big change for us: no more Russian (which we got along with quite alright), Chinese characters and the opposite of Kyrgyz nature – Chinese cities. Beijing is a huge metropolitan area with 21 Million inhabitants and therefore the second biggest city in China. Although the city has the world’s second biggest metro system, the navigation is quite simple. The distances are quite far and the journey from the airport to our first hostel takes one hour. After our arrival we take a stroll through the Hutong where we stay – an old living quarter in Beijing.
A visit of Beijing is probably incomplete without seeing the Forbidden City. It’s 36°C, the sky is blue (!), the sun is shining and we are walking across the famous Tian’amen Square in the heart of Beijing. On our way we experience many security checks and passport controls in order to even reach the square or the Forbidden City. Those are done efficiently and quickly though. After those checks, walking along kilometers of one way pedestrian roads we arrive in the Forbidden City – same as around 80.000 other tourists a day.
In earlier times the Forbidden City was the Emperor’s residence and not accessible for the public, hence the name. Nowadays it feels like those isolated days are overcompensated. It is very fascinating nonetheless to wander around the highly decorated buildings, temples and palaces. On the roofs some small figures are installed in different quantities. The higher a building’s importance the higher the quantity of figures. Only in the Forbidden City a bukding with 10 figures can be found.
There are plenty of precious buildings around. Around 5pm the staff put on yellow jackets and start to empty the city from the visitors. It’s a perfect chance to take pictures without any other tourists.
Just Geography Things 