China trip

This trip was planned one year ago, starting from vaccinations, reading books about China, tour guides, admiring photos in Internet – mainly pandas.
As the first approach aimed to see pandas in Chengdu and Tybet, we prepared with trekking shoes and jackets. When this trip was cancelled and next offer was proposed – cruise on Jangcy river, we prepared sunbathing cream and swimming suits;) This offer was also cancelled and finally our trip consisted of Imperial route in the land of the golden dragon including: Beijing, Xian, Shanghai. Here is the whole map of our trip:

After getting up at 4:00, we headed to Warsow airport to take a flight to Beijing.

Flight took 10h and in the morning of the following day we faced quite detailed passport control in Bejing. After quick visit in bathroom and repacking several stuff we were ready to go sightseeing.We took short tour of the city: we visited olympic objects from the last Olympic Games, which took place in Bejing in 2008 and afterwards Tiananmen Square – the historical center of the city.

From that place we headed to The Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City, i.e. the Imperial Palace, which was inaccessible to people outside the imperial court until the beginning of the 20th century.

Totally tired we ended our first 2 days in the hotel room, when we just fell on the beds.

Next day we started from Chinese breakfast. To our surprise there were no bread and sandwiches, but rather nuddles, rice with vegetables or fish, soup and dumplings.
This time we were very eager to see next stop on our trip – The Great Wall of China. This building
erected by the Qin dynasty over 2,000 years ago to protect the Middle Kingdom from attacks by the Mongol and Turkish peoples. We climbed this wall and reached the first first watchtower in 34 degree of Celcius heat. I must admit it was a challenge but the view was worth it. I was wondering how Chinese people could build this building not heaving modern tools.

Afterwards we headed towards Bejing again and saw Summer Palace and Sacred Road. Summer Palace was a great delight as it is beautifully placed with great lake inside. The most impressive building was Crystal Ship build especially for Empress Dowager. Interesting was also painted pavilion covered of 1000 of paintings.

In the evening we had a chance to taste traditional Bejing duck. Unfortunately it will not be my favourite dish;)

After dinner we headed to railway station to take a night train to Xian. These trains are very similar to Polish ones with beds inside, including linen and usb chargers.

In the morning we could admire dancing Chinese people with dragons.

After breakfast, which we ate in the hotel, we went sightseeing in Xian: the Wild Goose Pagoda (Dayan Ta), where Buddhist scriptures are kept, the ancient city walls and the Great Mosque – a building that amazingly combines Islam and Chinese tradition.

In the evening we had a chance to see folklore performance „Tang Dynasty” combined with tasting of over 20 Chinese dumplings. This performance was totally different from what we can see in Poland, including music and traditional Chinese dances.

Next day after breakfast, we continued visiting the attractions of Xian. We saw the museum of the Terracotta Army – a collection of several thousand figures of soldiers in battle formation – whose history dates back to the 1st century BC. We visited also terracota army factory, where are created modern versions of terracota wariors as souvenirs for tourists and lacquered resin furnitures.

We headed to Luoyang. After breakfast, we checked out from the hotel and drove to Longmen Shiku (Dragon Gate Cave), where we saw what remained of over 10,000 Buddha images carved in the rock on the Yi River (Yi He) from the 5th to the 9th century.

Then we visited the famous Shaolin Monastery (Shaolin Si – Temple of the Young Forest), where since the 6th century, Buddhist monks have become masters of martial arts through many years of body and mind exercises.

There we saw a Buddhist temple and the Pagoda Forest – a collection of several hundred monk tombs. We also watched a demonstration of the skills of young kung-fu adepts.

Afterwards we headed to hotel and in the morning we took one of the fastest trains in China, which run 300km/h. We arrived in Suzhou after 7h (900km from Zhengzhou).

After breakfast, departure from the hotel and transfer to the Garden of the Master of the Nets, an example of an urban residence from the 12th century. Then a visit to the water town of Tongli combined with a canal cruise using fisherman ship. Then we transfered to Shanghai for dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, we visited Shanghai, sometimes called the Paris of the East, a beautiful and rich city of merchants and industrialists. A walk around the Bund (Waitan), a district with neoclassical buildings reminiscent of those built in the 1930s in New York, a visit to Nanjing Street – the main commercial street of Shanghai.

We visited also one of the highest observation decks in the world – the Shanghai Tower, from where you can admire the panorama of the city.

In the afternoon we visited the Museum of Chinese Art, where we admired mulitmedial oldest paiting in China.

After dinner, we returned to the hotel for overnight stay. In the evening, „Shanghai at night”, we took a cruise on the Huang Pu River, during which we could admire on the one hand the skyscrapers of Shanghai symbolizing the economic power of New China, and on the other the Bund – Shanghai art deco from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Next day after breakfast, we continued sightseeing in Shanghai: the Temple of the Jade Buddha (Yufo Si) with a two-meter-high, richly decorated statue weighing over one ton.

And the fascinating City Planning Center, where we saw many exhibitions devoted to the development of the city.

The last day we devoted on testing Chinese underground and visiting modern district of Shanghai – renovated French colony with fancy boutiques and cafes.