CHINA
Heidi Davies storms the imperial palace and scales the Great Wall
Going to China was like visiting another planet. Underneath its super-modern façade lie thousands of years of history and an amazingly unique culture. Beijing, with its 22 million inhabitants (and 9 million bicycles), was surreal. Seeing the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square left my mouth agape with the enormity of it all. The Temple of Heaven and the Ming tombs are more examples of the country’s great history and culture. A cycle rickshaw ride through the hutongs (narrow lanes) of Beijing offers a glimpse into yesterday’s world. Here the pace is slower than on Beijing’s motorised, congested streets and people still live in tiny houses with gardens attached to them.
Of course, we had to see the Great Wall, and a climb of 2 000 steep steps left me physically and mentally breathless.
Above all, rain or shine, there were the ever-present bicycles gliding through the streets like flocks of birds, carrying everything from elegant ladies in high heels to household goods.
WARRIOR WONDERS
Xian, with a history that stretches back 3 000 years, is considered the cradle of China’s civilisation. Here you will find the famous terracotta soldiers.
Looking at these life-sized figures, all with different expressions, uniforms and hairstyles, the mind boggles.
A Tang dynasty show in the evening was an extravaganza of colour and perfection, while an eight-course meal with dishes named things like “Heart of Dragon” and “The Willow’s Melody” was accompanied by ethereal music on traditional Chinese instruments.
In Chonqing, before departing on our Yangtze River cruise, a guide took us to a museum displaying imperial beds and artefacts. All the beds were like ornate rooms, where every detail bore some symbolic meaning.
We were then taken to a restaurant to experience a local speciality, the Sichuan Hot Pot. As the only Westerners there, we were left to figure out the intricacies of this delicious meal ourselves. The experience left us dripping with the heat of chillies and enough garlic to fight off several
vampires.
THE DRAGON’S BACK
A day trip on the River Li from Guilin to Yangshuo took us through the spectacular karst mountain landscape, where one can still observe traditional rural life. People paddle on bamboo rafts in the shallow waters, while water buffalos graze on water chestnuts.
A highlight of this trip was Longsheng Rice Terraces, also called “The Dragon’s Backbone”, about 90km from Guilin.
Our two-hour drive took us through amazing scenery, the car winding around bends, with often little more than a few rocks separating us from a steep drop into the valley below.
At some point the road goes no further, and we walked the last bit to the top. This is like stepping back in time, or onto a movie set. Tourists can be seen being carried on sedan chairs up the mountain, while old women carry luggage in baskets on their backs to hotels in the mountains.
At the top, the views are beyond spectacular. Here you can see the 700-yearold rice terraces built along the mountain slopes, reaching elevations of 885m. It felt as if we were on top of the world, with heaven just a step away.
We said farewell to China with a boat trip at night on one of Guilin’s lakes.
A glass bridge was lit up in rainbow colours and red lanterns were everywhere. Soft, haunting music echoed out of the darkness. The cormorant fishermen’s lanterns looked like fireflies in the darkness and above us, a big fat, full moon smiled down.
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