Beijing’s ancient Hutong district, Shennong Stream and Yangtze Little Gorges, and Silk Road
China is vast and harbors fascinating history. There is so much variety, so many places to see and most visitors have only a limited time to travel. Once again travel to China has been on the increase. This time in part as a result of the forthcoming adjustment in the market value of the Chinese Yuan which is going to make cost of travel in China more expensive, So where to?
Most tours of China start off with a tour of the Ti’anmen Square and the extravagant Ming-era Imperial Palace in the Forbidden City. Another must is a tour of Beijing’s ancient Hutong district by an old-fashioned pedicab. The list of sites is long and includes learning about life in the city during the reign of Kublai Khan, enjoying city views atop the scenic Drum Tower and of course no matter what the Beijing tour it must contain at least one taste of the famous Duck Dinner or the stunning Chinese Martial Arts show.
Yangtze River has long been now contained and many ancient towns on its shores had submerged in its waters but sailing though the Yangtze Three Gorges is still an experience not to miss. Qutang gorge, the shortest one of the three is still hailed as the most magnificent of them. Wu Gorge, well-known for its lofty twelve peaks never disappoints but once at Wushan all visitors rave about the side trip into the Yangtze’s Small Gorges. The journey by sampan to the picturesque mini-gorges of the Ma Du River with its clear water and unusual rock formations or an excursion on Shennong Stream with its narrow gorges in a sampan rowed by Tujia boat trackers rowing to love songs of yesteryear is a memorable journey indeed.
But far western China lures on account of the romance of Silk Road. Part of venturing all this way is to see as much of all that is here, despite the long distances to cover. Just hearing the sounds of the sites frequented by Silk Road tours, the Gaochang Ruins, the ancient walled capital of the Uighurs, the Flaming Mountain, Turpan, Dunhuang and Kashgar, all scattered about the endless Taklamakan Desert, induce temptation to journey along the legendary Silk Road.
Because of the vastness of China, equally as important as deciding where to travel in China is to evaluate where to enter and even where to exit China. Closer look at the possibilities may reveal you could combine your trip to China with a stop in another country on the way.
