The People’s Republic of China is, quite frankly… absolutely mind-blowing! Forget everything and anything you have heard about this ancient nation back home, and go and see it for yourself as soon as possible.
Hosting a top World Wonder – The Great Wall of China – it is one of the oldest civilisations in the world with over 4,000 years of more “modern” history. Now, that’s an awful lot of history!
From the picture perfect palaces of Beijing, to the unearthed Terracotta Warriors of Xi’an, and the fumbling giant pandas of Chengdu. From the meandering Yangtze River cruises and the scenic Three Gorges, to their engineering marvel of a dam. And from the bustling metropolises of Shanghai and Hong Kong – there is an overload of awe-inspiring sights, smells and tastes to behold. There really is something for everyone.
It may not be the easiest place on earth to visit, what with the notoriously thorough visa process, and subsequent planning involved. But it sure is the best! Once you are there it will make it worth it, trust me.
Let’s nip a few misconceptions in the bud. We may have a picture in our heads, based on what we have heard, especially in respect of stereotypes. By these measures, I was suitably shocked!
We hear that the Chinese eat questionable food items. Well, yes, every country has its own delicacies, particularly if you go looking. But in China, they are not as widespread as you imagine, and most menus are filled with delicious, recognisable food, straight from your local Chinese takeaway.
Some people consider China a developing country. Well, I could not find that to be further from the truth! Cities were impeccably clean, even by western standards. Everything was super high-tech – from timed neon light shows, to bullet trains, and a payment system based fully on QR codes.
Even Chongqing would give most of the world’s cities a run for their money. Relatively unheard of, but with a cool 30 million inhabitants, this Asian megacity has certainly been very busy developing itself!
In other big metropolises, such as Shanghai, it feels safe to walk around at night, even meandering down the small hutongs (alleyways), with your phone and valuables out. Perhaps its 3 million CCTV cameras help somewhat with the sense of security.
In Beijing, I was trying to find all that smoggy pollution, but pretty much all vehicles, including the millions of motorbikes are now all fully electric. Way to go on net zero.
Homelessness is sad circumstance in most of the world’s large cities. I did not see a single homeless person in Beijing, so they must be doing something right.
China felt like stepping into the future in many respects, which left me pleasantly surprised. These aspects all help to pip China to the post.
It is not just a high-tech wonderland. As the 4th largest country, with 10 million square km of land mass, it is abundant with nature.
How about Zhangjiajie National Park – the inspiration behind Avatar’s otherworldly Pandora, and Mount Everest… yes, it’s also in China! You can’t help fall in love with the country, after locking eyes with a giant panda in their natural Sichuan habitat.
Well… there’s that, AND the tasty food! A sure fire way to Timbuk2Stu’s heart is through his stomach.
Even before I left, I was thinking “wow, this blows all other experiences out of the water”. And I had only just scratched the surface. I really can’t wait to go back to this amazing Asian powerhouse of a place.
* China – includes the SARs (Special Administrative Regions) of Hong Kong and Macau for the purposes of this post
Timbuk2Stu – Adventuring with YOU, “from here to Timbuktu!”