After the scale and exhausting pace of Beijing, we moved on to Xi'an, one of the hardest cities to pronounce properly seemingly and the resting place of the Terracotta Warriors. Home to a mere 8 million people and much more manageable to negotiate due to impeccably preserved inner city walls and four intersecting roads (north, south, east and west), Xi'an was a welcome respite and a nice city to boot. We treated ourselves to a slightly more upmarket apartment hotel, with comforts including a full-length bath, TV with BBC World and HBO movies and free slippers - this was the life.
We shared the now familiar airport bus to the centre of town with a great couple from London, whom we met while waiting for rucksacks at the baggage claim and after checking in, headed straight for the nearest decent youth hostel to book on a tour to see the clay army, our Beijing CITS experience driving us on!
We set off to see the world-renowned Terracotta Army the next day, in a transit van that had seen better days, accompanied by a mix of travellers from Holland, the US, Germany and good old London, happily hooking up again with our fellow travellers from the airport. After experiencing some interesting detours on the state-run travel agency tour to the Great Wall in Beijing (stops at both jade and silk factories where the steely-eyed cloned staff gave a quick 'demonstration' and then proceeded to try and flog you as much crap as possible), we were a little disappointed to see our first stop of the day was to yet another state-owned factory selling 'hand-made' versions of the warriors at inflated prices, alongside some very expensive furniture, and yes, you've guessed it, jade and silk. Happily, it didn't last long and we soon arrived at the museum proper. The site consisted of four huge halls, the most interesting of which was the original vault where the bulk of the excavations has been done to date. To the credit of the Chinese, the access and viewing platform is excellent, allowing you plenty of opportunity to see the treasures below, despite the busyness of the place.
The first glimpse of these oddly still, scarily realistic figures was pretty breath-taking, lines and lines of individual soldiers, ranked in order of superiority and task, silently standing there, some beautifully and painstakingly restored, others left incomplete, giving you a real feel for what the original archeologists must have seen when this extraordinary historical find started to take shape before their eyes. The photos really don't do it justice - I would urge anyone who is interested to go and see it, it is probably one of the most unuual things you're ever likely to see.
The trip finished with one of the few disappointing meals we've had and a slightly raucous journey back into town, then after a quick pit stop at the hotel, we hit bar street with our new mates for a few much-needed Chinese beers.
Having done the culture, we took a day or so to enjoy the more homely delights of Xi'an - a fun few hours cycling round the city walls on bikes with brakes that didn't work(!), revealing a city mainly in need of a lot of new housing; a wander to take in the everyday life while snacking on the tasty street food in the dingy, lively Muslim quarter of the city; and a memorable early morning trip out to see several Pandas at a rescue centre at the foot of the mountains a couple of hours out of the city.
There is nothing more fun than calling to a one and a half year old baby panda, who comes lolling over having seen you have bamboo shoots in your hand, feeding and stroking him for a while and then saying goodbye as he slopes off to sleep for the rest of the day - honestly, they have a great life - followed by visits to see several other pandas eating and starting to snooze off in a clean and tranquil environment. It was so much better than seeing them in a zoo, and one of the very few places in China not besiged by hundreds of people, magic! The day was also memorable due to the fantastic lunch we had in a local eatery, much to the interest of the 40 or so other locals eating there that day!
So after 5 days, it was time to move on again, but Xi'an for us was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable cities to visit in China so far - great food, friendly people, memorable trips out and a bar street five minutes walk from our hotel - what else could we ask for!
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After a swift flight from Xian, we soon found ourselves in Chongqing - a huge municipality (30m people) with a strong regional identity (anyone who has sampled Sichuan cuisine will be familiar with the face-paralysis chilli-infused food). The next afternoon we headed onto our boat for a fabulous three day cruise down the famous Yangtze River. It was everything Hyancinth Bucket would have dreamed of: guests donned in nautical attire; a personal toast with the captain at the Captain's Banquet (imagine a cross between Danny Devito and Mr Miyagi in an ill-fitting all white captain's uniform from a local fancy dress shop - we swore he was an actor - far too young to be captaining a cruise ship); preening River Guides (Ben and Nina apparently) with feigned and forced smiles (in their defence they had worked non-stop for eight months without a single day off - again, this is the Chinese way), the constant high-volume tannoy that blurts innane messages throughout the day (6am on the last morning, hearing 'Hello! This is Ben speaking, your River Guide' almost sent us over the edge), the lame cultural exchanges- thinly disguised attempts to sell you tat you don't need - jade, silk, embroidery, bottle painting etc; and the cringe-worthy 'entertainment' - talent shows and masquerade parties (needless to say, we made a sharp exit after tea and chilled out in our cabin). Still, all this was worthwhile as the images we fell in love with while watching 'Wild China' on the BBC were even more stunning than we hoped for. A stroke of good fortune ensured fine weather and we sat back enjoying the three huge and narrow gorges we sailed through - sheer rock faces, dreamy waters, tiny hillside villages - it was a privilege to experience it. With the mighty Three Gorges Dam project almost reaching completion after 15 years, an increase of 30 meters in water height, and 1.5 million people displaced - this classic river journey may never be the same again.
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Having left the tranquil, stunning river scenery of the Yangtze behind, we headed for our final stop in China, the pearl of the East coast, Shanghai.
We had heard a lot of good things about the city on our travels in the country so far, and were looking forward to seeing what this constantly evolving place had to offer. The first experience was of course the bus into town, easy to find and very cheap. It was, however, marked out by the fact the driver was one of the most hair-raising we have come across in China, and that is saying something believe me! At breakneck speed, we hurtled towards the several hundred other cars on the freeway. Only when the faces of your fellow Chinese passengers, normally fairly oblivious to the near-misses and terrifying pace of the driving in their homeland, start to show signs of mild panic, do you begin to worry that you may not make it to your destination. Oh well, we thought, we've had a great time up until now, but thankfully, we arrived at the metro stop in one piece, leaving the driver anxiously clutching and un-clutching a huge stress ball, mentally psyching himself up for another run through the crazy traffic.
Having checked in to our hotel, we eagerly headed out for our first taste of Shanghai, and we weren't disappointed. It does feel like most of the city and its visitors spend the majorityof the time either shopping or eating, and as we were staying right on the main shopping drag of East Nanjing Rd, just up from the People's Square, we happily realised most things we needed were about a ten minute walk left or right.
Heading straight for the Bund, we stood and admired one of the world's most well-known streetscapes, twinkling brightly in all its neon and art-deco glory, matched only by the soaring skyscapers and world-famous TV Tower on the opposite side of the river.
The Bund and the newly-redeveloped Pudong area across from it, neatly sum up what Shanghai is all about - a mix of brash, ultra-modern East-meets-West style over substance, an overwhelming sense of money being made and spent everywhere, yet all set against the backdrop of a fading colonial heritage and a desire to hang on tightly to the Chinese traditions and culture which infuse everything from the food to the temples to the peaceful gardens in the older part of town, parts of which have thankfully escaped the bulldozers for now. This may sound critical, but it's not meant to - Shanghai is a fabuluous city to hang out in, with great bars, cafes and restaurants and a increasing number of good museums and art galleries to boot. It's worth seeking out the little 'lilongs' (alleyways) and the remnants of the best art deco buildings left in areas like the Old French Concession and it's also refreshing to visit somewhere without a long list of 'must-sees', leaving you free to fritter away a day just wandering around and enjoying the place for what it is - a fascinating mix of old and new, with some of the friendliest people we've met in China so far.
We're currently spending a couple of days chilling out in a place called Hangzhou, a small-ish town about an hour and a half out of Shanghai, which is famous for its Xi Hu (West Lake) and Longjing tea, and I write this having sought out yet another great little dumplings restaurant for tea, which has left us full and happy, another reminder of how great the food has been in this country, no matter how small or basic-looking the place - if only we could recreate the quality and price back in London, we would be laughing!
We had heard a lot of good things about the city on our travels in the country so far, and were looking forward to seeing what this constantly evolving place had to offer. The first experience was of course the bus into town, easy to find and very cheap. It was, however, marked out by the fact the driver was one of the most hair-raising we have come across in China, and that is saying something believe me! At breakneck speed, we hurtled towards the several hundred other cars on the freeway. Only when the faces of your fellow Chinese passengers, normally fairly oblivious to the near-misses and terrifying pace of the driving in their homeland, start to show signs of mild panic, do you begin to worry that you may not make it to your destination. Oh well, we thought, we've had a great time up until now, but thankfully, we arrived at the metro stop in one piece, leaving the driver anxiously clutching and un-clutching a huge stress ball, mentally psyching himself up for another run through the crazy traffic.
Having checked in to our hotel, we eagerly headed out for our first taste of Shanghai, and we weren't disappointed. It does feel like most of the city and its visitors spend the majorityof the time either shopping or eating, and as we were staying right on the main shopping drag of East Nanjing Rd, just up from the People's Square, we happily realised most things we needed were about a ten minute walk left or right.
Heading straight for the Bund, we stood and admired one of the world's most well-known streetscapes, twinkling brightly in all its neon and art-deco glory, matched only by the soaring skyscapers and world-famous TV Tower on the opposite side of the river.
The Bund and the newly-redeveloped Pudong area across from it, neatly sum up what Shanghai is all about - a mix of brash, ultra-modern East-meets-West style over substance, an overwhelming sense of money being made and spent everywhere, yet all set against the backdrop of a fading colonial heritage and a desire to hang on tightly to the Chinese traditions and culture which infuse everything from the food to the temples to the peaceful gardens in the older part of town, parts of which have thankfully escaped the bulldozers for now. This may sound critical, but it's not meant to - Shanghai is a fabuluous city to hang out in, with great bars, cafes and restaurants and a increasing number of good museums and art galleries to boot. It's worth seeking out the little 'lilongs' (alleyways) and the remnants of the best art deco buildings left in areas like the Old French Concession and it's also refreshing to visit somewhere without a long list of 'must-sees', leaving you free to fritter away a day just wandering around and enjoying the place for what it is - a fascinating mix of old and new, with some of the friendliest people we've met in China so far.
We're currently spending a couple of days chilling out in a place called Hangzhou, a small-ish town about an hour and a half out of Shanghai, which is famous for its Xi Hu (West Lake) and Longjing tea, and I write this having sought out yet another great little dumplings restaurant for tea, which has left us full and happy, another reminder of how great the food has been in this country, no matter how small or basic-looking the place - if only we could recreate the quality and price back in London, we would be laughing!
So in conclusion, China - amazing,beguiling,fascinating...mental. We'll definitely be back!
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