Discover China

It’s now summer in China, and in southern China you can enjoy island paradise and at the same time experience Chinese culture and history. The Shenzhen Daily newspaper introduces the ‘Breathtaking islands of Guangdong”:

• Breathtaking islands of Guangdong (Part I)
• Breathtaking islands of Guangdong (Part II)

The story and photos from my trip to Shenzhen and Guangzhou in February 2010 are now available:

• Read the story.
• View the photos.

In my week in Shenzhen I visited the Splendid China and China Folk Culture Villages theme parks, the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government building, the Shenzhen Museum of History (where I took the photo at left), the Shenzhen Museum of Ancient Art, and Lychee Park. We also took a day trip to Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, where we visited a few of the city’s major attractions – Yuexiu Park, Beijing Road, Ersha Island and the Pearl River.

Once again I have the privilege of  experiencing Lunar New Year and the Chinese Spring festival in China, this time in Shenzhen. The New Year was welcomed last night with the annual New Year Gala which has a massive nation-wide audience. You can watch video from the spectacular gala on the CCTV website.

Shenzhen saw a spectacular fireworks display at midnight, and city streets, shops and buildings are adorned with lanterns and other New Year decorations (as shown at left).

I’ve just finished reading the second issue of the new international edition of Chinese National Geography magazine from cover to cover—a fascinating read complemented by stunning photography!

The theme for this second issue is ‘Extreme China’. It showcases the incredible range of climatic zones and geographic features in the world’s third-largest country, such as the world’s deepest (and longest) canyon, the largest loess landscape, and the most sediment-laden river on earth.

Launched in May this year (2009), the Chinese National Geography International (CNGi) English Edition has the mission of bridging the gap between China and the world, helping non-Chinese to unveil the mystery that is the Middle Kingdom and overseas Chinese reconnect with their roots in China. Chinese National Geography is China’s leading magazine on geography and culture since 1949.

The English edition is CNGi’s first step towards internationalisation, with the magazine soon to be published in other major foreign languages. I stumbled across the second issue of CNGi in my local newsagency in western Sydney, Australia. Sadly I missed issue one, the launch issue, but look forward to receiving it with my subscription. The launch issue has the theme “Where China Began”, and includes the feature “Henan: Heartland of the Middle Kingdom”. I had the pleasure of visiting Henan in 2008 as a guest of close Chinese friends. We celebrated Lunar New Year in their home town of Xiangcheng and visited historic sites in Kaifeng and Luoyang, including the incredible Longmen Grottoes which are featured in the CNGi launch issue. Xiangcheng is the friendliest town I have ever visited, and experiencing Lunar New Year in regional China is one of the best experiences of my life.

In 2007 I started my exploration of China with a visit to Shenzhen, described as the “window of China’s opening up policy”. To read about my trips see My China Trips and find photos from the trips in the Galleries.