Discover China

From the end of December 2010 we returned for my fifth trip to China, spending three amazing weeks visiting China’s capital Beijing as well as Tianjin, located south of Beijing, and Zhengzhou in central China. You can now read the story of my trip and see the pictures.

The China Daily article Refreshingly beautiful profiles Gaoligong Mountain In Yunnan Province, which offers a pristine environment for climbing, exploring ancient Southern Silk Road trails and bathing in natural hot springs. Chen Liang reports that the Zaotang He (Bathhouse River) hot springs, tucked away in the scenic and fairly remote Gaoligong Mountain valley, are among the best.

The Shenzhen Daily article Low-profile ‘beauties’ introduces three enchanting destinations:

• Banliang ancient village in Chenzhou City, Hunan Province
• Beihai in Guangxi which prides itself on its uncrowded beautiful beach and neighbouring islands
• Chaozhou in the easternmost part of Guangdong Province, a famous historical and cultural city

In his Shenzhen Daily article Dashahe Park James Baquet introduces this quiet undiscovered park in northern Nanshan where you can relax, have a picnic, stroll, jog, fly a kite, play basketball or tennis, or enjoy the views from the top of the mountain.

Hutongs are Beijing’s ancient city alleys, and are a major tourist attraction. Surrounding the Imperial Palace (Forbidden City), many of the hutongs were built during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. You can learn more about Beijing’s hutongs in the CNTV Culture Express series Exploring Beijing hutongs and story 10 most attractive hutongs in Beijing.