Along the Yangtse by Jim Connolly
EXPLORE WORLDWIDE
ALONG THE YANGTSE + XIAN & BEIJING EXTENTION
By: Jim Connolly
Click to see all photos from this trip
There is a quote that says “Seeing the world is not seeing a new country, it’s about seeing it through new eyes”. There is much in the news about China as it rushes into the modern world, Explorer’s “Along the Yangtse + Xian & Beijing” shows not only the strikingly modern beauty of its cities, such as Shanghai and Beijing, but also the timeless beauty of the countryside and rivers of China.
There is no better place to begin the journey than Hong Kong, which still has the vestiges of its British colonial past, with double decker buses and street cars filling the streets of the city, set on the picturesque Victoria Harbour. An orientation walking tour of the city is included. Time is available for further sightseeing to visit the Stanley Market, take a funicular railway to Victoria Peak (for a breathtaking view of the world’s busiest and most impressive natural harbour) or get away from the hustle and bustle of the city by visiting one of the many harbour islands.
The journey into mainland China started with an afternoon bus trip to the border, followed by an overnight train journey to Guilin on the west bank of the Li River to join a day cruise along a 100-kilometer stretch of river, which is flanked by green hills and mountain peaks that rise into the sky. The sandstone hillsides, one of China’s most famous scenic areas, have often been compared to those at Halong Bay, Vietnam. The cruise ended at the riverside town of Yangshuo, where possible activities included exploring markets, taking a cooking, painting or calligraphy class, renting a bicycle to explore the surrounding countryside or simply just soaking up the atmosphere of this laid- back charming town. An optional tour experience is the Yangshuo Sound and Light show. Created by the same director who produced the 2008 Olympics Games Opening Ceremonies, this engaging performance was set on the banks of the Li River with the illuminated Karst Mountains reflected in the water. Combining live music, acrobatics, lights, lasers, and over 600 performers in traditional Zhuang, Miao and Yao attire, this show was truly a wonderful way to end the day.
A two hour drive took us to the vast Longji rice terraces, 66 square kilometers of layer upon layer of rice terraces which stretch and coil around from the base of Longji (the dragon’s backbone) Mountain. Mostly built during the Ming Dynasty about 500 years ago, this area is one of the most amazing sights in China, as well as an astounding feat of engineering. An hour long hike took us up to one of the villages to spend the night. Accommodation was provided at a very comfortable wooden guest house built on stilts on the slopes of Ping’ An village, too steep for terraces. There were scenic views of the rice terraces from every room. We arrived in October, known as the Golden Season because of the colour of the mature rice, which we observed being been cut and threshed by hand by the local farmers.
While tourism has transformed the village to an extent, there is still much here that is relatively untouched. Longji offers not only amazing scenery but also an authentic picture of rural life combined with the color and character of some of China’s culture. This area is home to two of China’s ethnic minorities, the Zhuang and the Yao nationalities. The women dress in unique and colorful costumes, and proudly show off their extremely long hair, which they cut only once when they are teenagers. They demonstrated how they tightly roll their hair so as to wear it on top of their heads held with attractive hair ornaments and scarf.
The next morning we had an opportunity to stroll along the rice terraces, before hiking down the mountain, and driving back to Guilin in time for an early dinner and an early evening flight to Chengdu. Here we enjoyed a visit to the Panda Research Centre, where the pandas’ natural habitat is recreated, in order that they might have the best possible environment for rearing and breeding, in the hopes of preparing giant pandas for release into the wild. Although the giant pandas are the best known, the Centre also houses lesser known red pandas, golden monkeys, and black necked cranes. We were not disappointed with the Centre, arriving early in time for their feeding time, so we were able to observe many adult and young pandas enjoying their favorite food: bamboo. In the panda nursery, there were 8 newborn cubs being fed and cared for. It was quite a sight to see.
Lunch was at the Wenshu Temple vegetarian restaurant, overlooking the peaceful gardens of the monastery. The menu consisted of many tasty dishes simulating meat and seafood. The temple also has a traditional tea room with a large selection of teas. Exquisite relief carvings adorn the walls in the complex.
Before heading to join the Yangtse cruise, we visited the Dazu UNESCO World Heritage site Baoding Shan of 10,000 rock sculptures. These exceptional series of rock carvings dating from the 9th to the 13th century offer a magnificent set of Buddhist carved cliff sculptures, providing outstanding evidence of the blending of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. This was especially true of the carving of the Eighteen Layers of Hell.
The 2½ day Yangtse river cruise starts in the city of Chongqing, a city with a history over 3,000 old. During World War II it was the provisional capital of China, as the Japanese forces could not invade it due to its mountainous environment and the dangerous stretch of river surrounding the city. The Japanese bombed the city heavily and only the long foggy winters saved the city from worse damage. A visit was made to the Peoples Park overlooking the river, followed by a visit to an art gallery housing a panoramic painting of the river where we would take our cruise. We had a night to explore this ultra-modern city of 30 million people. We boarded the riverboat early the next morning. Because of the dam, the water levels of the river are higher, meaning that some sights have been lost, but the phenomena has created newly navigable tributaries, and it is still an amazing sight to see the massive construction of bridges and new cities along its banks as the river winds to the Three Gorges Dam site.
Apart from the many cruise riverboats, the river is a highway for local ferries, hydrofoils and cargo ships. A shore excursion stop is made at the Fengdu Ghost City (Fengdu is where the devil lives, according to Chinese legend). The saying is that spirits go to heaven, and evil goes to Fengdu.
The next day the riverboat cruised through the first of the Three Gorges: Qutang Gorge, the shortest but grandest of the three gorges, framed by steep mossy cliffs. Then we sailed on through Wu Gorge, celebrated for its 12 peaks. The cliffs are so sheer that it is said the sun rarely penetrates. At Badong, as the riverboat is too large, there is a transfer to a small riverboat for an exciting excursion to view its breathtaking small gorges. Many thought this was the highlight of the cruise. We then entered the last and some say the most scenic of all the gorges, Xiang Xi, the longest and historically the most dangerous of the Yangtze gorges. Here the river zigzags for 76 kilometers down to Yichang. The river was dammed to create the location of the world’s largest hydroelectric power plant, which will generate the equivalent of 15 nuclear plants and help control the centuries-old problem of devastating floods. It will also allow up to 25% of China’s ocean cargo to travel by the river between Shanghai and the interior.
Another highlight was passing through the dramatic Three Gorges Ship Lock. The five-level dual-track ship locks are the largest of their kind in the world, taking 3 to 4 hours to complete the transit. This was quite an experience, as the riverboat travelled down through each lock together with many other riverboats and barges.
As the dam cannot actually be visited for security reasons, a tour is available to an interpretation observation park offering some panoramic views of the site. A scale model gives comprehensive descriptions of each phase of construction and there is a stop made near the ship lock system for a bird’s eye view of it in operation.
An afternoon flight took the tour to the vibrant city of Shanghai, China’s most cosmopolitan city and the financial centre of China, with its old and new side by side. One side of the Huangpu River is the new city, with numerous skyscrapers, and the other is the historic part of the city, greatly influenced by many European powers as it was the first city in China opened to foreign trade and dubbed the “Pearl of the Orient”. A visit was made to the riverside “Bund” with its dozens of historical buildings that once housed numerous banks and trading houses from Europe, Asia and the US. The area is being restored as Shanghai prepares to host the World Expo in 2010. A visit was made to the Jade Buddha Temple with its white jade statues. The day our group visited was a Festival of Incense with many locals burning incense to send prayers to the Buddha. We also visited the National Museum with its many ancient treasures and history of the city. Tea houses are abundant in the city, and the tour included sampling a number of China’s famous teas in a traditional tea ceremony. Free time was available to visit the markets and shopping malls, as well as to see the city at night.
The Xian & Beijing tour extension began with a flight to Xian, a city with more than 3,100 years of history as it was the starting point of the Silk Road between Central Asia and Europe. Driving to the city centre hotel, the bus passed through one of the gates of the city walls which walled in the city and were nearly 12 kilometers in length. There was an opportunity to either walk or cycle around the city. Towering above the city center is the Drum and Bell Tower, which offered incredible views of Xi’an. A visit was also made to the superb 7 stories high Wild Goose Pagoda built in 652 and home to many statues, figurines and sacred Buddhist texts. These were brought to China from India by a monk made famous for his seventeen year overland trip to India and back.
Most visitors travel to Xi’an to view the Terracotta Army Warriors. Dating from 210 BC, this is a form of funerary art buried with the First Emperor of China. The Terracotta Army Warriors were discovered in 1974 by several local farmers digging a water well. The figures vary in height according to their role, the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. Current estimates are that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Warriors, there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits. This was quite am amazing sight to see.
One of China’s luxury trains (still a 4 berth cabin) took our tour to its last stop. Beijing, the capital of China, is a fascinating mixture of old world culture with its opulent palaces, and the new, modern China. Remnants could be seen of the recent Olympic Games. Sightseeing included a walking tour of Tiananmen Square, the site of a number of political events and student protests, where we could see the queues of people waiting two hours or more to see Chairman Mao in his crystal coffin in his Mausoleum. At the south end of the square is the Forbidden City. This was the Chinese Imperial Palace and is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, as the buildings comprise the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world, consisting of 980 surviving buildings with 8,707 bays of rooms. The Palace Museum has an extensive collection of artwork and artifacts from the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties, which would take days to view.
Options available in the free time available included a visit to the Summers Palace, also declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site as a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design, a visit to a Hutong neighbourhood with its narrow streets to give an insight into Beijing’s local life, or one of the museums such as the National Museum of China.
The last full day of the tour began with a two hour drive to visit the Great Wall, taking us to a section of the wall that few tourists visit. There was an opportunity to either hike up or take a cable car to the top of the wall. Many opted to take the cable car to allow more time to hike along the wall and hike down. Although the day we visited the wall was partly shrouded in low cloud, this did not take detract from the awe of visiting this manmade wonder.
Overall this was an excellent tour, highlighting China’s natural beauty, as well as its many ancient and modern wonders.
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