China

Overview

China is not a country that I had ever specifically thought about visiting on its own but it’s a country I’m glad I visited, if only briefly. It’s a country that does live up to its stereotypes in many ways when you visit places like Beijing which is always crowded, always in a hurry, full of smog and with a subway that has people packed in like sardines but it’s also a country that is so huge so has many things to see.

So far I’ve only visited China once and I didn’t stray too far from Beijing but if you’re a person that likes to spend time seeing everything on offer in a place that you visit you could easily spend a week in the city and not see everything. This is partly because the city is so huge but also partly because China is a country full of such history that there is so much to see.

If you have more time than I did (I only visited China as it was the start and end point for my trip to North Korea) then you could easily spend a couple of weeks eploring the country. You could visit Beijing and The Great Wall before flying to see the Terracotta Warriors and then cruise down to Shanghai before flying down to the south of the country. You could even travel along the old Silk Road route across the width of the country from the border with Kyrgyzstan in the west.

I did find a generational gap while in China. In general I found the middle generation to be quite rude with people and always in a hurry to get everywhere resulting in stressful dealings while I found the older generation and younger generation to be incredibly friendly and helpful. For example when I was on my way back from The Summer Palace at one station an old couple got on immediately followed by a group of the middle generation who pushed them out of the way and took all of the seats. I offered the lady my place and she was very grateful – when the seat beside her became available she spread herself across it and wouldn’t let anybody except me sit down. Also when I was in Tiananmen Square an old person who spoke no English saw me trying to take a self-photo next to The Forbidden City and offered to take it for me. I also had many conversations with Chinese teenagers who were just so happy to ask questions and practice their English with somebody from Europe.

Of course there will be exceptions in both directions to the rule but overall I found China to be a rewarding place to visit. There is so much history and so many things to see that I really will have to go back at some point – if only because there was so much to see in Beijing I didn’t get a chance to see The Great Wall!

 

My Trips

October 6th – 9th & 16th – 17th, 2010 [view blog]
A short visit to Beijing to see the sights before a week-long trip to North Korea.

 

My Experiences

	Beijing – This is the capital and busiest city in China and is a good first port of call in the country. If you’re looking to just see the highlights a few nights here will be fine but if you’re looking to explore in depth and to visit sights in the surrounding area such as The Great Wall you could easily spend a week or more here. I only spent 3 nights and 3 whole days exploring the city and was able to take in the major sights but my itinerary was very rushed and I could have done with an extra 2 nights. One to be able to see everything at my own pace and one to see The Great Wall. If you visit here be prepared for lots to see but lots of chaos.
	The Forbidden City – I spent a few hours exploring The Forbidden City but if you wanted to see all of the public areas including the optional extras, have lunch and take things slowly you could probably spend most of the day. The Forbidden City is a huge former palace city of the Chinese Emperors and you are able to tour many of the buildings and courtyards which still contain a wealth of original artifacts including statues, paintings and even the matrimonial bed of a former Emperor.
	Tiananmen Square – This is a huge square which is the sight of many demonstrations against the bad times but also celebrations of the good times. It forms the central focal point of Beijing and is flanked by The Forbidden City, Chinese Parliament and many other large important structure. It also contains Mao’s Mausoleum in the centre and is worth visiting to soak up the atmosphere and see the sights in the area.
	Mao’s Mausoleum – Well worth a visit this Mausoleum contains the embalmed body of Chairman Mao Zedong the founder of the People’s Republic of China. The lengthy queues which can sometimes last for hours show how much he is still able to command respect even in death. Make sure you visit straight after the site opens to avoid having to queue for several hours – I only had to queue for a few minutes. All bags must be left in the left luggage facility across the road.
	Flag Raising Ceremony – Being the only westerner surrounded by thousands of Chinese people at the daily raising of the Chinese flag is a unique experience and one I’m glad I did. You’ll need to get up early to see it as the ceremony is timed to ensure the flag is raised at sunrise (and lowered at sunset) but it’s a moving sight to be in Tiananmen Square as the Chinese National Anthem is played to the sight of the Chinese Military raising the flag.
	Night Food Market – In China they are well known for eating anything that moves and you can get a brief introduction to this at the Night Food Market. You can try anything from the pancreas to the penis of various animals or, as I did, stick to the deep fried chicken and beef in a roll. It’s a short walk from Tiananmen Square up the main pedestrianised shopping road.
	Olympic Park – I wanted to visit the Beijing Olympic Park as I spent some time watching the games on TV, and as London was to host the next Olympic Games. You won’t need to spend much time here but the Bird’s Nest stadium and Water Cube are impressive sights which probably rival their London counterparts.
	Summer Palace – This is the former summer retreat of the Chinese Emperors and is situated at the far northwestern reaches of the subway network. It’s worth visiting for the impressive views alone but by purchasing an all-inclusive ticket and making use of the audio guides you will learn a lot about the history of the palace and its role in Chinese history. Please note there will be a lot of walking and climbing stairs when you visit here so it’s best you visit earlier in the day.
	Temple of Heaven – In the southeastern quarter of Beijing the Temple of Heaven is a network of buildings set inside vast grounds that were once used as the ceremonial temples by the Emperors of China. You’ll need to buy an all inclusive ticket to get close to any of the buildings but even without it you can spend a good couple of hours exploring the grounds, listening to the audio guide and enjoying the scenery.
	Beijing Zoo – If you’re not going to be able to visit Pandas in their natural habitat in Central China this is an easy way to see them while in China. You’ll need to buy a separate ticket in addition to your entry ticket to get close to the Panda enclosure where you’ll see that the Pandas are lucky and have much better facilities than the other animals which are kept in cages that are a long way below western standards.
	Lama Temple – This is billed as the largest Tibetan Lama Temple outside of Tibet and is an interesting place to visit. It’s probably best you stay away if you don’t like the smell of incense but I spent an hour or two walking around seeing all of the buildings, taking photos and having a go on the prayer wheels. It’s not worth missing other sights in Beijing for but if you have a spare couple of hours and the site is something that interests you then I’d recommend a visit.
	Jingshan Park – This park is centered around a temple built on the mound of dirt left by the excavation of the moat around The Forbidden City. It is situated opposite the north gate of the Forbidden City and, if it’s a rare clear day, will probide good views over the city and into the distance. The entry ticket was pretty cheap when I went and the grounds were nice to explore. The grounds also contain the location where a former Emperor famously hanged himself after defeat.
	Train from North Korea – I spent 24 hours on a train from Pyongyang to Beijing, much of it through the night in China. It was a new experience as I’ve never spent an extended period of time on a train before but it was a good way to see the scenery. The beds were basic and quite hard but the dinner car was great – we were fed mountains of food for very little money!
	Beijing Subway – Try to avoid the Beijing Subway during rush hour as the experience will be unpleasant. It’s may be ok if you’re only going a few stops to an interchange with everybody else but I had to get to the airport using the subway with my bags during evening rush hour but people were rushing so hard to get on that I got pushed back into the subway carriage and almost got pushed over so had to push my way back out. During the day and evening it’s fine and is a cheap way to get around a city that’s so big you’ll need public transport anyway. Ticketing can be confusing but you soon get used to it.
	Audio Guides – All of the major sights such as The Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace use location based audio devices to tell you about what it is you’re seeing. They are set when you put down you deposit and contain a map of the attraction featuring LED lights of all of the sights which go out when you’ve visited that location and listened to the commentary. They’re a great way to learn about the attractions and are available in several languages.

 

Other Highlights

There is so much to see and do in China it would be hard to summarise here. Other sights which I would like to see in China include The Great Wall, The Terracotta Warriors, Shanghai, The Yellow River and maybe a trip along the Silk Route from Kyrgyzstan through China to Beijing or the train from Beijing to Moscow. With such a big country that has such a rich history you’ll just need to look and see what you want to do.

 

Conclusion

China is a country of great contrast. I enjoyed my time in Beijing but some people may not like the fast paced commercially orientated culture that has taken over and turned the city into chaos. Having said that there are lots of things to do and if you’re interested in Eastern culture and history then China is a cheaper place to visit than Japan or Korea so it’s worth a visit.

 

Photo Highlights