With friends in China
NOTHING prepares you for the sheer scale of the Terracotta Army. Entering vast Pit 1, outside Xi’an, we are utterly mesmerised as the warriors, each one different, stand before us in their droves.
Equally unforgettable is our first walk along the Great Wall, outside Beijing. Ascending by cable car, we find that, blissfully, we have it almost to ourselves and walk, then climb to a fort where we can see the wall snaking far across the mountains.
It’s warm and sunny here even in December and the views are beyond magnificent, writes Kate Andrew.
We make many more amazing memories during this stunning, 16-day Wonders of China tour with Mercury Holidays — enjoying every moment of the Gold award-winning company’s most popular itinerary.
Max, a highly experienced national guide, is our friend in China — and an absolute joy to be with, looking after our group with care, kindness, humour and patience, whether making time for individual pharmacy visits or explaining China’s former one-child policy.
And friendly, expressive young local guides join us at each city, giving their own insights with humour and enthusiasm in great English.
Covering long distances is easily manageable by air or bullet train, while hotels are impressive four-stars.
Meals are included, with western options at breakfast, then tasty Chinese regional cuisine is served at lunch and dinner on tables with revolving lazy Susans, giving a chance to chat and make new friends.
We start in Shanghai, where a highlight is a river cruise past the Chinese Manhattan, the impressive skyscrapers of the Pudong business quarter, which glitter with incredible lighting effects at night.
A beautiful, four-night Yangtze river cruise includes an enchanting optional visit to a Yangtze ‘tribe’, where local people recreate tableaux of traditional Chinese village life.
And narrow, fjord-like Shennong Stream is a peaceful delight as we watch the sun come up over misty Chinese peaks and look for hanging coffins tucked in rock fissures as part of ancient burial rites.
There’s a chance to mingle with cheerful local residents in a Chengdu park, where the over-50s gather daily to sing, dance and exercise, welcoming us to join in. And at nearby Leshan, we gaze up from a boat deck at a giant Buddha carved into a river cliff.
Before long it’s time to meet bamboo-munching pandas of every shape and size — one reclining and looking very much like an elderly cleric we know. Others are baby explorers or cute fur-balls, perched in trees.
Xi’an’s labyrinthine Muslim quarter is teeming with street food stalls, and there’s a colourful Tang dynasty dancing show to watch afterwards.
Then the tour’s grand finale in Beijing reveals the lost world of the emperors — the stunning Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City, Imperial Palace and lakeside Summer Palace.
An optional cycle-rickshaw ride around the last remaining ‘hutong’ alleyways proves well worth doing, culminating in a fascinating meeting with a hutong resident in her traditional courtyard home.
With Max at our side ensuring everything runs smoothly, China’s many wonders have delighted at every turn, making for our most memorable escorted tour yet.
As Chinese New Year is celebrated here and worldwide, isn’t it time you discovered them for yourself?
MERCURY HOLIDAYS has 38 years of service, and was recently acclaimed with six awards at the British Travel Awards 2017 for the excellent quality, affordability and attention to detail of the 90 tours it offers across six continents. For more information visit mercuryholidays. co.uk/tours or call 0800 954 9345.