My China blog
This section is my blog or comments on the places I have visited in China, they are in no particular order and are purely my opinion, whether good or bad. I have tried to just give a short note rather than a book full of info.
Guangdong
Shenzhen
A thoroughly modern city that I thought would just be boring skyscrapers and not interesting, how wrong I was. I stayed near the Shekou area which is a good 30 minutes away from the main part of Shenzhen, quieter and less hectic. An ideal place to explore the Pearl River delta by train, bus or ferry.
Plenty of parks, museums and galleries, shopping as well as just about every type of cuisine you can think of. Only 1 bridge, a short ferry or 20 minute train ride to Hong Kong, great for day trips.
I have been there twice and stayed in the same hotel apartment, centrally located, a little expensive but clean and tidy with good views. Supermarket and restaurants were 2 to 3 minutes walk away.
Splendid China is worth a visit, most of it is a model village with miniatures of famous places in China. The grounds were immaculate, very easy to get around with good signage and plenty of places for food and drink. Part of the area is set aside as an ethnic minority zone, lots of buildings and people dressed in some of the many wonderful costumes. I have to say I doubt that all the people are genuine; the woman I talked to in the teahouse said she was born in Guangzhou. She may not be a minority but she sure makes some great tea.
Guangzhou
I have always said that if you went to China and your first stop was Guangzhou train station you would get back on a train and go home. As a city it is busy, way too busy, dirty, smelly, smog filled, oh and the train station is disgusting.
Until recently I have found nothing there to make me want to go back. This year I discovered Shamian Island, Qingping market and Bai yun Shan which has splendid views and where I managed to have 1 to 1 mantis kung fu tuition.
Guangzhou I suppose is a place to try food, all the stories we hear in the west that Chinese eat everything must have come from GZ. I have had some great food there and also some that I wish I hadn’t. Snake was good, pigeon was tasty but I can’t say that soft shell turtle was to my taste.
If you are in southern China sadly you have to use GZ train station as it is the hub to everywhere in China, my only advice is …. Good luck.
Foshan
Small city on the outskirts of Guangzhou, my only reason for going there was to visit friends. I stayed for the first time in the 7day inn, a chain of hotels around China that offers a good clean room with tea/coffee, TV, internet and western bathroom at a very competitive rate.
I found 3 places of interest that could be done in a day but that would be a waste, take your time. Zu Miao temple complex, currently it has some building work but still plenty to see. Have museums for Ip Man, Bruce Lee and Wong Fei Hung within the walls and when I visited this year there were dragon dances and demonstrations of Wing Chun and iron fist kung fu.
For a change of pace try Liangs garden, originally owned by a private family, the government have now opened it for all to see. Small lake and plenty or unusually shaped rocks as well as some old buildings preserved.
If you are interested in porcelain and china then spend some time around the very old Nanfeng kiln, for a small extra fee you can grab some clay and make your own masterpiece. We tried to but sadly pottery is clearly not our talent.
Zhaoqing
Travel west from Guangzhou and you come to Zhaoqing, mentioned in many travel books as the mini Guilin. True it has karst scenery and is a very pretty place but Guilin it surely isn’t. For a start it’s easy to walk around and there are nowhere near as many people. The day I visited was overcast with light drizzle but that did not hide the beauty of this place. This is somewhere to explore for a whole day and I will go back and do just that.
Kaiping
I had never heard of Kaiping, gets a few pages in the lonely planet guide but nothing much. My first experience was seeing it on CCTV9 a few days before flying to China.
It is a must see for anyone in the area. Stay for a few days if possible so you can see as much as of the area as you can. I stayed in a hotel in the centre of town and I think it only cost 100Y. We hired a taxi for a half day after considerable haggling and were taken to the more common locations to see the diaolou towers. Awesome, is the only way to describe this area, I really couldn’t believe the views.
Around 100 years ago or something like that, when wealthy Chinese returned from their overseas trips they returned to the Kaiping area. Worried about bandits and robbers they built the towers as a strong and secure home for them and their families. Because of their time in Europe the architecture shows various influences from that and the end result is a multitude of western looking towers in the middle of the Chinese countryside. My 2 days visiting were dampened by the rain and grey skies but even so this was a fascinating place and an area I would recommend to anyone.
Zhuhai
Ok, Zhuhai. Well, it’s a 1 hour ferry ride from Shenzhen so easy to get to. I spent an hour or 2 wandering around and my only thought of Zhuhai is that it’s a dull and boring place. Maybe I missed all the exciting places but somehow I doubt it. Still, the ferry was comfortable and they showed Mr Bean on the TV during the return trip.
Yunnan
Dali
Visit Dali for some history in the town and some stunning views from the mountain or on Erhai Lake. I stayed in Jims Tibetan guesthouse, vastly overpriced although extremely cosy and have some wonderful cooking. I had fried yak for supper and fruit omelette for breakfast.
I was lucky enough to meet my friend Jun in Dali and he showed me around, I am always grateful for local knowledge as you get to see and experience much more. We took a horse drawn cart (taxi) from the town to the lake, a bit bumpy but that’s what you get for adventure. We went through a small village and along a tree lined lane. That is one of the few times in my life where I was almost frozen with fear. Between the trees were cobwebs and millions upon millions of spiders, some will think I am exaggerating but call my bluff and go see for yourselves. We are not talking little house spiders, these were about 3 or 4 inches across and I didn’t realise there were that many spiders in the world, let alone in one lane. Scary, really scary.
My fear soon went when we arrived at the lake; I thought maybe a walk and get some nice views. Nope, the driver brought us direct to a local fishing community and we were invited onto one of the fishing boats. I had never seen a cormorant before, now I was sat in a small boat with 3 on each side of me. They are not tame, but very well behaved and of course only concerned about work and not me. When we had gone a few hundred metres out into the lake the birds were pushed off the boat and it was time to work. They dive under and surface with a mouth full of fish, which is promptly grabbed from their grasp by the fisherman and thrown into a bucket on the boat. A great sight and unique experience.
Later we walked to see the 3 pagodas; a quite expensive entrance fee (reduced dramatically by my fake student ID card) which I thought wouldn’t be worth it, I was wrong.
Not only are there 3 very old pagodas to see but many temples and at the top a small area to sit, drink the free bottle of water they give you and watch the goldfish swim around. It is a lot of walking, seems like you go on forever and ever, please make the effort. When you get to the top turn around, you get a wonderful panorama of Dali with Erhai Lake in the distance, stunning.
Kunming
Kunming is really a stop off point rather than an attraction in its own right. When travelling to Yunnan chances are this is where you arrive. The train station is fairly modern and is the only station in China that I have been to with not 1 word in English. I stayed at the Camellia hotel; all books say it caters for every budget. The room I had was about 120Y and was worth maybe half that, it was not clean and certainly not maintained well. On my return, after going to Dali and Lijiang, I stayed in the main part of the hotel in a more expensive room and it was superb, if I remember it was only 180Y. Close to the entrance of the hotel is their travel agency, get your tickets here for all sorts of destinations, staff were very helpful and spoke English.
There are some nice parks to see in Kunming, my warning for anyone in the city is don’t visit the zoo. I had heard stories about Chinese zoos before visiting but nothing prepares you for actually seeing it. The cages are tiny, the animals neglected and you can see the pain in their expressions. I have never understood why a bear gets 3 metres square to live in, monkeys about 5 but pandas about an acre of free land to wander.
Lijiang
Looking at my books and preparing for travel it seemed that Lijiang would be the most interesting to visit. It is a very scenic area and although the streets have an ancient feel they do possess the same shops repeated around every corner. I suppose that’s the price of tourism.
I stayed in a very small Naxi guesthouse hidden behind the local post office, basic room with double and single bed and bathroom for only 80Y, bargain. There are plenty of places to eat and drink in the town of Lijiang with prices varying hugely. Most places serve baba bread, Yunnan cheese as well as local teas such as Pu’er. I can recommend them all.
Hire one of the many taxis near the main square and you can venture away from the crowds. La shi hai is a scenic lake 20 minutes from the town centre; you can take a boat ride or jump on the back of a small horse for a nominal fee and explore the peace and quiet. I chose the boat as the poor little horses didn’t look up to my weight. In the middle of the lake is a guy frying some fish, pull up in your boat, hand him 10Y and away you go with some local nibbles.
Baisha was next for our taxi driver. A small village with houses going back over 500 years and when the weather is better a view of the snow capped mountains. For those who don’t know Baisha it is also famous for having an airfield where supplies were flown into China during the 2nd world war. There are little cafes there that serve the most wonderful Yunnan coffee and cheese.
When I left Lijiang I could see building work almost everywhere, sadly it looks like tourism will take over the old town and take away its appeal. If you want to walk the streets and see a quiet Lijiang get up and do it early, around 9am the tourist buses arrive and then it’s time to head for the country.
Guangxi
Guilin
I took a train from my hated Guangzhou station overnight to Guilin, soft sleeper where I shared a room with Diane, a young lady who spoke good English and was studying to be a solicitor. It’s always nice to have someone to speak to on a long journey, seems to make it go so much quicker.
My hotel in Guilin was off the main road with a balcony overlooking a river, at least I think that’s what it was, some brown runny stuff with lots of rubbish thrown in. A good location, cheap enough rooms, clean and tidy with very helpful staff.
Guilin has some beautiful scenery, like Lijiang though it suffers from way too many tourists and like Lijiang you can head for the countryside to get more from your trip. You can take the tourist boat down river to Yangshuo and see some of the most beautiful views in China, hope you have better weather than me because I found a rain storm just after boarding the boat.
Head for 7 star crags park for a half day trip, easily walking distance from Guilin town centre, there is a small zoo inside which is surprisingly well maintained, go early enough in the day and you may see the pandas, wait until they are fed and all you will see is a sleeping ball of fur.
My personal opinion is that although the city has some great views you really must head out, between Guilin and Yangshuo you could spend days or even weeks exploring the lovely views and old villages. This is where you find the real China, backpack or hire a bike, you really wouldn’t regret it.
Yangshuo
This is the place to be provided you keep away from the town centre, unless of course you are an 18 year old hippy backpacker who likes noisy drinking places. The countryside around Yangshuo is lovely, miles and miles of other worldly adventures. I got here by being lazy and taking taxi from Guilin, expensive but convenient, with help from my new friend Diane. Lucky I had her help as the taxi driver couldn’t find my hotel and we went around and around looking, in the end we got there and it was just as the website showed, converted farm houses in the middle of rural China. The outside inn is situated away from the town in a quiet countryside location and is ideal for those of us who like peace and quiet with a rustic feel. The rooms are spacious, watch out for the low wooden beams, clean and have hot water. Food and drink is available, staff are very helpful. I only stayed 1 night, was going to be 2 but I have to be honest, I couldn’t cope with the nightlife. I sat on my bed, small light on, downloading photos. There it was, crawling up the wall, a little bit smaller than a tarantula. Scary enough for an arachnophobic but wait, he’s brought a friend. I quickly tuck the mosquito net around my bed and sit in the middle of the bed frozen. Oh no, it’s not just 2, the whole family have come out to see me, plus some weird sausage sized thingy with 2 billion legs. They decided to sit on the walls and watch me all night, which is fine because I was watching them, unable to move. We had this stand off all night until the sun came up and they ran away, I think I must have scared them.
I had taken a long walk during the day, a path around the village which travels along a small river and through a couple of small communities. Probably only saw a dozen people all day, that’s the way to see rural China. Unspoilt countryside, quiet, with just the sound of birds and flowing water. This is a place I need to come back to, this for me is what I want to photograph, the real China without tourists and modern buildings.
Ping’an
Part of the terraced rice fields around Longsheng more commonly called Longji or dragons backbone. Getting there was an adventure in itself, around narrow mountain roads. Again I went for convenience and hired a taxi from Guilin, as it happens he dropped us right at the gates of Ping’an. We are greeted by a group of old women, dressed in traditional clothes all trying to be our guide and carry luggage. For 30Y they would carry our gear and show us to our hotel. It was all uphill, all stepped and the little lady with my 18kg suitcase made it look like a Sunday afternoon walk along the seaside. Me, with just camera bag, struggled with the heat and climbing, it’s embarrassing really.
My room was just a basic wooden bed in a farmhouse, hot (well warm really) and cold water and toilets were at the other end of the converted loft space. No lights, lucky I had torch but for 40Y per night it was great. The view from my window was towards the rice fields and as the sun came up I could see the farmers heading out, time for me to follow.
I remember walking along the narrow path and then turning right, that was my first glimpse of the fields. All that can be seen for miles are the terraces and the rice; it is a marvellous sight and one that would change all year with the seasons and the crops. The farmers looked briefly at me as I walked around taking my photos then carried on with their work.
Not sure if any of them saw me when I slipped and fell into the water, I went down with all the grace of a 10 ton elephant. I was covered in mud; luckily my camera just had few splashes. Still, I can honestly say that I have seen the rice fields from close up.
This is another area I would come back to; I would prefer a more comfortable hotel and stay for longer. Maybe different time of year too so that the colours change. During the ride up to Ping’an I passed some small villages on the way, they could do with investigating as well. Plenty to see in this ethnic area.
Sichuan
Chengdu
I got to Chengdu by overnight train from Kunming, arriving at about 3 in the afternoon. My first experience of the city was when I walked out of the train station, there was a square with about 200 people, I thought some event maybe or even a group waiting for their train. Actually it was the queue for taxis, of which I could see 2. I had huge suitcase, the usual backpack with camera so decided to go and sit down, hope the queue got shorter. No sooner had I sat down than there was a tooting of a horn and a screeching of tyres and in front of me appeared one of the 3 wheeled pedicabs. The ones that have half a motorbike at the front and an armoured section at the back for the brave passengers. I was manhandled into the back and my case was pushed on top of me, eventually with some force. Just enough room for me to get my little blue book out with the hotel address. I suppose in some ways it was best I couldn’t see much as we went off at full speed, skipped red lights, mounted the sidewalks and zig zagged amongst all the traffic in an effort to get me as quick as possible to my destination.
I stayed in a hotel apartment for over a week, only 90Y per day and located on a busy main road with plenty of amenities. Seems there is always a supermarket or mall near any apartments you stay in.
I don’t think it’s possible to visit Chengdu without seeing the pandas, of course in the west they just aren’t around in the zoos. Make sure you visit very early or late in the afternoon, otherwise the furballs tend to be snoring. The panda sanctuary can easily be done in half a day, try to check out the newborn area, photos are not allowed but the sight of a baby panda will stay in your mind anyway. It is possible to pay money and have your photo taken with a panda, small ones sit on your lap, I presume with the big ones you sit on theirs. The figures quoted were obscene so unless you have a desire for such a photo, don’t bother.
Another place that is a little interesting in its own way is Jin Li. It is a small street off of a main road, built recently but in a style of ancient China. Plenty of touristy shops but you do get a feel for the older wooden building that would have been around way before the concrete. Sadly as you enter through the gateway the first sign you are greeted with is star bucks coffee, sort of ruins the atmosphere.
When I left Chengdu it was to fly to Hong Kong, the airport was great. Clean, tidy, well signed and efficient. Also saved me about 25 hours in travel time too.
Hubei
Wuhan
Wuhan was just a stop off while travelling back from Dangyang; we couldn’t get a train ticket immediately as it was Chinese New Year. There are many places of interest so I would like to go back again and see some. The 7day inn was again our accommodation.
Only had time to see a couple of things so we went to the East Lake and yellow crane tower.
The lake was a little misty which created a good atmosphere when we hired a small boat to take us out. The area around the lake is flat so easily navigated although there are electric carts to take you around should you need them. Plenty of snack food, statues to see and a building with some Chinese artwork. Enough for a comfortable half day or a lazy whole day.
The yellow crane tower dates back 2000 years but this current one is a modern rebuild. Naturally being a tower it is elevated so a little climbing is required, the views make it worthwhile. It is possible to walk some of the original city wall from the tower.
Wuhan now has a very special place in my heart as it’s where I got married in March 2010 to my lovely woman Sarrey. It was a great time, completely new experience for me with the big wedding day meal, 1 whole day of having photos taken of us and then the whole day in the office registering the marriage. Very long winded compared to a western wedding but I thought it was the best time of my life.
I would like to share a couple of photos just so you can see how beautiful the costumes were.
Dangyang
This is a small town near Yichang, this is my better half’s hometown and we went to meet the relatives. It is interesting in its own right as a typical Chinese rural town, walking the streets you get a feeling of hard working people. 
We stayed in one of only a few hotels in town, 100Y per night for all the usual basics, a bit noisy at night as the local cats jump around the roof above us.
Dangyang is now on my famous food list for its hotpot, the restaurant we visited did 2 different types, lamb or dog. I have always wanted to try dog just so I can say I have but didn’t want a whole meal in case I didn’t like it, so we had the lamb. Now, I have had Chengdu hotpot before and it’s hot, it hurts when you eat it and it still hurts few days later. That was nothing compared to the one in Dangyang, it now goes into my blog as the hottest meal ever!
Hunan
Fenghuang
This has to be the prettiest town in China. Ancient houses, some over 200 years old, held up by stilts, bridges and narrow street full of shops all straddling the Tou river. Life goes on daily despite the hordes of tourists, people to their washing in the river, their cooking in the streets. It’s a wonderful place to visit.
I can recommend the place I stayed, Koolaas home, a small hotel by the river with balcony views. Downstairs there is seating for the homemade food and under that is a small area with a couple of seats for a quiet time, drink coffee or smoothies while watching the tourist boats go by. Debby who worked there looked after us every day, on one occasion she made me some traditional Chinese tea, over 10 years old. Now she has her own teahouse in town, go and see her.
She arranged for a friend to taxi us around for a day so we could see the countryside and see some ethnic villages. We went to a market where they clearly hadn’t seen a foreigner; it was a unique experience for us both. Standing in the street I could see people coming from all directions to the market, some coming to buy, other to sell. All the women are dressed in white with a wicker basket on their back. The basket for everyday items, I saw food in them as well as children and goats.
We then went to an ethnic village to see the old buildings. Needing the use of a toilet we had to ask a local if we could use theirs. I was shown an out building and told to just go anywhere. It is very unnerving when a cow nudges your arm while you relieve yourself; the toilet was in fact a cow shed. I did get to see a village school; sadly I had to leave quickly as I was the focus of attention and clearly distracting the children from their learning.
Getting to Fenghuang was not easy as I hadn’t planned well. Leaving Ping’an my map showed I could get a train from Sanjiang to Huaihua, more knowledgeable now I know it’s best to get to Jishou. The train from Sanjiang only leaves at 8pm, ticket office opens 1 hour before and I got there at lunch town. The other thing they don’t mention is that the train arrives on the middle track and you have to climb to get on it, not easy with baggage and in the dark.
Zhangjiajie
Now this was a true adventure, I have never seen anywhere like this or experienced anything like it. Looking back now we can talk and laugh about it but to be honest we were lucky to escape with the minor injuries we did. Not that cut legs, twisted ankle and bruised kidneys are minor but we survived.
We had stopped at ZJJ on the way to Hubei so we had our entire luggage. It is not practical to climb mountains with so much. Eventually I gave in and agreed to let a local guide carry our stuff and show us to our hotel. After walking up the steps we finally reached a level and had some great views, we phoned hotel to get directions and the guide led us on. As we went downwards he suggested that as it was getting later in the day we take a shortcut to get to the hotel quicker. The shortcut took us through the woods and along an old riverbed that had slippery rocks, not a good idea. I slipped and fell 4 times, the last time landing on my side where a rock hit me and caused severe pain, from then on walking and even breathing became hard. When it finally got dark at about 7pm the guide came out with the classic phrase ‘we are lost’. He left us to sit while he took the only torch we had to try and find his bearings, 10 minutes later he came back saying he knew where we were and we could carry on. Wasn’t too much longer before he finally admitted he didn’t know where we were.
We called police for help and advice, they could do nothing. We called hotel to say we would be late and one of the guests kindly agreed to come out and help look. There turned out to be a park office close to our location and others too came looking for us. It’s very lucky that in such a dark forest our little torch could be seen for miles, it is more lucky that the forest contained nothing like bears because we could have been in trouble.
Eventually we were found and shown the way to our hotel which was up hundreds of steps, just what I needed when I couldn’t breathe. We finally got to our room at about 1130pm, battered, bruised and completely exhausted. Still, we will always have something to tell the kids.
Anyway, ZJJ is a most beautiful place, once inside the park you can grab small minibuses that will take you to the popular places and views. It is unique scenery, fascinating and somewhere you should go. It is possible to take a bus to the top and save the trek we went through.
On our way back we did take an elevator down, glass bottomed and fast, not for those of you with a fear of heights.
Try to avoid this place during holiday times, it took us 2 days to get a ticket away from here and that’s only through friends. It is a very very busy place.
Dehang
This place gets a small mention in only 1 of my guide books, but for some reason I felt the urge to go there. We got a small bus from Jishou which runs every hour or there abouts and it drops you right into the village centre. When we arrived the early morning mist almost covered everything, we walked around and all was quiet. We noticed something in the sky; I took a quick photo, difficult to describe what it was. We asked a local who said that there is nothing there. Slowly the mist cleared to reveal what it was, Dehang is in a valley, the mountainous sides were just peaking above the clouds.
Once the mist cleared completely the village showed all its beauty, this quiet ethnic place was shadowed by the most wonderful peaks. It was tranquil, peaceful and the type of place you could just sit and watch. We walked further towards what the guide book said was a waterfall; sadly it was dry so we headed back through the narrow streets.
We experienced a lovely view that day, if the mist had stayed we would have seen nothing, if it was clear when we arrived we would have said it was nice. Because of what we saw and how we saw it, it’s fair to say it was wonderful.
Jishou
Jishou is really just a stop off town. Trains arrive here and allow you to travel on to places like Fenghuang. As you exit the station turn right and there is a hotel, it is clean enough and obviously at 50 metres from the station is ideally located. Next to that is a snack area, noodle and rice dishes. Very cheap and the tables have a heater underneath, great as it was almost freezing when we were there.
Just stayed here to visit Dehang before moving on.
Hong Kong
It is possible to write loads about Hong Kong and many people have, for me it’s just an arrival place before I travel into China. When I have stayed it has always been at the Goodritch hotel in Kowloon, not cheap at 300HK$ but then nowhere is in Hong Kong. It is located just off from Nathan road, should you want the shopping experience.
I have been to the Victoria peak for the classic view of HK; you must go by the tram just for the experience. When you get to the bottom again walk straight ahead and there is a nice park to walk around.
Take the star ferry to Kowloon and you get more classic views of the HK skyline, this is probably best seen at night. If you are lost any time grab a taxi, say star ferry and this is where you get dropped off. Travel in HK surely must be by underground or MTR as it is called. Get yourself a small map of its routes and it is so easy to get around cheaply.
If like me you fly to HK and intend to travel on to the mainland then you have a couple of choices, train which you can get shuttle bus from the airport or ferry direct from the airport. I now use the ferry as it will get your luggage from the plane and customs is much quieter. Anyone who has gone through HK customs will know it can take between 30 -40 minutes easily. Also if you return to the airport via ferry you get 120HK$ refund, something to do with departure taxes I think.
The train station is very efficient; always leaves on time and the trains are modern, very similar to western ones. But just remember, you may be heading for Guangzhou, aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh.
Next time I hope to spend a day or two in HK and see more, not just fly in and out, when I do I will write more.
Xie xie
I would like to say a big thank you to the people who have helped me on my travels around China so far. Without their help a lot of the time I would have struggled and certainly not seen as much as I have.
Jun, in Foshan, a good friend. Good luck in Australia.Crystal and Ling, again for help in Foshan and introducing me to Guangdong food.
Karey, for showing me around so many places.
Kaley, for meeting me in HK and helping me into China.
May, for showing me Taiwan and all the other places.
Mandy, my HK guide.
Vivian and Kathy, letting me see a brighter side of Guangzhou.
Diane, for breakfast, dinner and Guilin/Yangshuo.
Debby, for that wonderful tea and waffles.
Jun, for showing me Dali.
And of course Sarrey, my support in so many ways.