Simon Foster - CHINA's Three Gorges & Xi'an

Where to Eat

Nightlife

The Three Gorges

History

Chongqing

History

Getting Here & Away

Getting Around

Orientation

Sightseeing

Galleries, Shows & Theaters

Shopping

Where to Stay

Where to Eat

Nightlife

The Three Gorges

Cruises

Sightseeing

Yichang

Getting Here & Away

Getting Around

Orientation

Sightseeing

Where to Stay

Where to Eat & Drink

Appendix

Bibliography & Recommended Reading

Glossary

Language

Dialects

The Spoken Word

The Written Word

Wizened monks wearing walkmans, wooden huts topped with satellite dishes, pet dogs passing those soon to be eaten, skyscrapers smiling down on temples. China is the ultimate land of contrasts!

Introduction

China, a country of superlatives, most populous of nations, hidden for so long, is now emerging onto the world travel scene. From frozen north to tropical south, modern east to wild west, this is a huge, diverse land just waiting to be explored. It abounds in magnificent sights - some are natural like the mystical limestone peaks of Guangxi, while others are manmade testaments to the power and glory of China's past, such as the Forbidden City. Some are a combination of the two such as the Great Wallor the impossibly steep Longjirice-terraces, where man has ruthlessly crowned nature's achievements.

Tien'anmin Square

However, many travelers' most enduring memory of this vast country is its people. From farmers to fashion students they all have a tale to tell and, even though most don't speak your language, that won't stop them from trying. Still predominantly rural, China's massive population, though principally HanChinese, is actually comprised of some 56 different ethnic groupsranging from Central Asian horsemen such as Kazakhs in the northwest, more akin to Turks than Chinese, to the hilltribe peoples of the southwest. Long suppressed, the traditions of these minorities are now experiencing a renaissance, albeit often for tourist purposes. With such diverse people and regions comes an incredible variety of food, making China one of the world's great culinary centers- from ultra-fresh Cantoneseto fiery Szechuan, or Mongolian hotpot to Beijing duck, there is always something new to try. When you add all these elements to the fact that this is the fastest-changing country in the world, it's no wonder the race to see China is on.

The events of the last 50 years have blanketed and even physically destroyed previous images of this vast unknown land and, until recently, many people's perception was of little more than an overpopulated, oppressed, Communist country. Fortunately, China has opened up, in its own inimitable way, and is here to challenge preconceptions. A country on the move, where China will end up remains unclear, but it is definitely going somewhere - at least, some of it is.

Phenomenal wealth exists side-by-side with poverty and the Middle Kingdom's growing middle class are eagerly exchanging their bicycles for motorcycles and work unit housing for smart new apartment complexes. Yet China still has one of the world's worst human rights records, and there are serious questions that need to be answered about where the current ideology is taking this giant. The system allows for capitalist money-flow, with the crushing power of communism to dictate exactly what happens where and when. Corruption aside, this system is efficient but leaves little say for the people. The Three Gorges Dam Project, dislodging well over a million people, is a case in point. While equality and the distribution of resources are supposedly central tenets of communism, little of the cities' new-found wealth makes its way to the impoverished rural majority. Walking past the designer shops, McDonalds and Starbucks in Beijing, Shanghai or Shenzhen, you'd be hard-pressed to guess this is the same country where pictures of Mao still adorn most village houses and farmers use buffalos to plough their fields. Such paradoxes are nevertheless a fascinating and integral part of the emerging modern China.

Terracotta warriors, Xi'an

China is such an enormous place with so much to offer that you could spend your whole life here and never see it all, especially since previously inaccessible areas are continually opening up to foreign visitors. Thus it is best taken in bite-sized chunks or, if you have the opportunity, in an extended stay. But even on a short trip it's possible to link up several of the areas we cover in one trip (see Top 25 and Suggested Itineraries for possible routes). This book is designed to allow you to experience as many facets of the country as possible, while concentrating on a few, select areas that can offer a broad insight into China. These are the great cities of Beijing, Shanghaiand Hong Kong, the Terracotta Warriors near Xi'an, the Yangzi River's Three Gorgesand the majestic rural scenery around Guilin in Guangxi Province. A few other choice sights close to these cities are also covered, including the imperial retreat at Chengdenear Beijing and the picturesque cities of Suzhouand Hangzhouclose to Shanghai, while the freshly painted mountain scenery of Huangshanadds a little rural flavor to this highly developed part of the country. Yangshuonear Guilin makes for a lower-key introduction to this idyllic rural area and is a great place to try your hand at Chinese calligraphy or tai chi and Longjiup in the hills is unmissable for its rice terraces.

Proceeding south, Guangzhouand Shenzhenoffer many visitors their first taste of mainland China while, nestled on the western side of the Pearl River Delta, Macauis definitely worth the short boat ride from Hong Kong. Whether climbing, shopping, sightseeing or studying, in these places you will find adventures that stimulate the body and mind, getting you into the heart of the country and under the skin of its culture.

History

Chinese history dates back a long, long time. The immense timeline, mythical beginnings, dynastic power struggles and divisions, not to mention the complex modern period, can make gaining a sense of scale and unity in China's history a daunting prospect. The Quick Reference Guide below gives a simplified overview from prehistory to the present. The bracketed sections indicate contemporaneous events in the Western world.

Prehistory

Chinese legend has it that the world was created by Pankuand that the parasites living on his body became humans. Civilization then developed with the help of the guiding advances made by the Five Sovereigns, the last of whom, Yu, Tamer of Floods, is also believed to have formed the first of China's dynasties, the Xia, in the 22nd century BC.

Myth and legend aside, homo erectus in China has a history dating back 600,000 years before Christ, first emerging in the great river valleys. In the 1920s the discovery of skull remains, 30 miles from Beijing, reinforced the contested theory of evolution and showed that so-called Peking Man(see Beijing ) knew how to use fire and basic stone tools. Homo sapiens emerged between 500,000 and 200,000 BC and gradually developed into modern man. Humans began to speak during the Paleolithic Age, which lasted from 100,000-10,000 BC, but it wasn't until 5000 BC that anything resembling a culture began to develop.